Office of Compliance and Enforcement
Richard A. Hyde, P.E., Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Critical Infrastructure
Enforcement
TCEQ Field Operations Around the State:
Field Operations Support
Strike Team
Field Operations Border and Permian Basin
Field Operations Central Texas
Field Operations Coastal and East Texas
Field Operations North Central and West Texas
See our regional directory.
See our region map and address list in PDF. 
See maps of each TCEQ region in PDF.
Critical Infrastructure
Kelly Cook, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
The Critical Infrastructure Division, in keeping with the State of Texas Homeland Security Strategic Plan, strives to achieve a safer, more secure, and more resilient state. To accomplish this, the division seeks not only to assure compliance with environmental regulations to protect health and the environment, but also—during disaster conditions—to support regulated critical assets that are essential for the state and its citizens.
Dam Safety Program
The Dam Safety Program monitors and regulates both private and public dams in Texas. The program inspects dams that pose a high or significant hazard and provides recommendations and reports to responsible parties (owners) to help them maintain safe facilities. The program ensures that these facilities are constructed, maintained, repaired, and removed safely.
Homeland Security Program
The TCEQ's Homeland Security Program assists in the planning, development, coordination, and implementation of initiatives to promote the governor's homeland-security strategy, and to detect, deter, respond to, and recover from disasters, whether caused by nature or people. These initiatives include notifying and coordinating with those responsible for much of the state's critical infrastructure, including producers and purchasers of drinking water for the public, high-risk dams, refineries, petrochemical facilities, and wastewater-treatment facilities.
As part of the Texas Homeland Security Council, the TCEQ assists in planning, coordination, and communication for homeland-security preparedness. The homeland-security coordinator facilitates requests for assistance from Texas Homeland Security and the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The coordinator works with all TCEQ program areas and the THS and TDEM on issues and activities related to all hazards, including homeland security and emergency management.
The program includes the TCEQ BioWatch Program, a federal initiative that provides for early detection of bioterrorism agents to enable the earliest possible response to an attack.
An additional focus of the Homeland Security Program is the safety and security of radioactive materials. Our health physicists investigate compliance with radioactive materials regulations of construction, operation, security, and closure at regulated facilities, and are members of the state radiological emergency-response team.
Enforcement
Bryan H. Sinclair, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Through enforcement of the TCEQ rules, regulations and permits, the Enforcement Division protects human health and the environment and deters future noncompliance. The division develops enforcement cases in accordance with state statutes and agency rules consistent with the TCEQ’s philosophy that enforcement, when necessary, must be swift, sure, and just. For each enforcement case, the division drafts proposed enforcement orders that include appropriate penalties and other provisions for the commission’s consideration and approval.
In addition, the Enforcement Division is also responsible for:
- administering the Compliance Monitoring Program under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
- administering third-party Supplemental Environmental Projects
- reviewing and responding to notices and disclosures submitted pursuant to the Texas Environmental, Health, and Safety Audit Privilege Act
- processing compliance-history appeals
See also:
Criteria for Use of Findings Orders
Enforcement Reports: Annual, Monthly
Penalty Policy
TCEQ Field Operations Around the State
To meet the challenges posed by Texas’ diversity and to provide excellent service to Texas citizens, the regulated community, and TCEQ regional offices, the agency has divided the state into three regional areas and one central service area:
- Field Operations Border and Permian Basin
- Field Operations Central Texas
- Field Operations Coastal and East Texas
- Field Operations North Central and West Texas
- Field Operations Support
The regional areas are responsible for the administration and operation of each region including legislative and EPA investigative commitments, emergency response, budget, human resources, purchasing, lease management, consistency of program implementation, development of program policy and guidance, coordination and implementation of special initiatives, coordination and interaction with the EPA, and data management.
Major responsibilities of all regional offices include:
- Investigating compliance at permitted and registered air, water, and waste facilities located across the state and complaints at facilities and operations—permitted or not—from citizens, businesses and other organizations, or other concerned parties.
- Developing enforcement-action referrals for violations identified during investigations.
- Environmental education and technical assistance for communities as needed.
- Monitoring the quality of ambient air, surface water (rivers, lakes, and bays), and public drinking water.
See also:
Field Citation Pilot Program
Field Operations Support
Cory Chism, Acting Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
The Field Operations Support Division (FOSD) manages and supports many programs and activities. This division supports the regional offices through development of the annual workplan, investigator training, complaint tracking, and guidance/technical assistance to agency staff and the public.
Air Quality Monitoring
FOSD oversees the Texas air quality monitoring program, which samples and analyzing the air in Texas and reports the results to the public and the U.S. EPA. It relies on a network of stationary monitors (that belong to the state, local governments, councils of governments, and private partners), labs that analyze samples, and short-term mobile monitoring of emission sources. The program generates data for:
- determining the causes, nature, and behavior of air pollution
- forecasting possible high concentrations of ozone and particulate matter
- determining attainment with EPA air quality standards
Laboratory Accreditation
The TCEQ’s laboratory-accreditation program is a voluntary program that accredits environmental laboratories providing analytical data directly or indirectly to the agency. Accreditation ensures that environmental labs meet established standards and reduces the risk of poor environmental decisions.
Landscape Irrigation Program
The Landscape Irrigation Program conserves water through its efficient application to promote healthy plant and turf materials and protects human health by requiring backflow prevention. In areas that have not adopted local programs, TCEQ personnel serve as the primary enforcement authority.
On-Site Sewage Facility Program
The OSSF program compiles and enforces a minimum state code for the design, construction, installation, operation and maintenance of on-site sewage facilities (such as septic tanks); delegates regulatory authority to local governments; reviews and evaluates local OSSF programs; and gives technical assistance and support to local governments, licensees, manufacturers, and the public.
Boat Sewage
FOSD certifies marine sanitation devices and boat pump-out facilities, collecting fees and issuing stickers for vessels. The program is aimed at reducing sewage in Texas waters from boats and pump-out stations.
Strike Team
The agency’s Strike Team is a key component of the agency’s ability to rapidly respond to emergencies (including natural disasters) with personnel, equipment, and expertise; assess the extent of public exposure to hazardous materials; and provide an interoperable communication platform. This group of highly trained and experienced environmental investigators can offer specialized, long-term response capabilities to any region in the state for almost any type of event, whether natural or of human origin.
Field Operations Border & Permian Basin
David A. Ramirez, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Responsible for the operations of:
- Region 6 (El Paso)
- Region 7 (Midland)
- Region 15 (Harlingen — includes Eagle Pass Office; also office of the Rio Grande Watermaster)
- Region 16 (Laredo)
Field Operations Central Texas
Ramiro Garcia, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Responsible for the operations of:
- Region 8 (San Angelo — also office of the Concho Watermaster)
- Region 9 (Waco)
- Region 11 (Austin)
- Region 13 (San Antonio — also office of the South Texas Watermaster)
See also:
Edwards Aquifer Protection Program
Field Operations Coastal & East Texas
Donna G. Phillips, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Responsible for the operations of:
- Region 5 (Tyler)
- Region 10 (Beaumont)
- Region 12 (Houston)
- Region 14 (Corpus Christi)
Field Operations North Central & West Texas
Randy J. Ammons, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax
Responsible for the operations of:
- Region 1 (Amarillo)
- Region 2 (Lubbock)
- Region 3 (Abilene)
- Region 4 (Dallas/Fort Worth — includes Stephenville Special-Project Office for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations)
