Loguna Madre estuary

TEXASR·O

ME XICO

Bea..",ol'l

".

East Motagordo estuary

Colorado estuary

Lavoco-Tres Polocias estuary

0\estuory

°,=""'.°",,,,'.°,=,,',°'=340 MILES

0",,=,",=,,'.0,=,,',',=,,',0 ICILO\,lnERS

Figure 1

Locations of the Estuaries

·2·

94"

EXPLANATION

---244 or .17 Doto-collection line number

I Ruliffn ~ Doto-collection site number

JASPER COUNTY kTON COUNTY L~-------ORANGE - COU-N~----

107

115

II,L_,

Beaumont I,

SQbintJ-N"C""!j

G U L F OF

40 INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY

_~lfu........EARJ5.I:L

CAMERON PARISH

~Q=====l=====~IO ,...ILES

94"

910•

T E X A S

Study O;>'ell

Location mop

Figure 2

Data-Collection Sites in the Sabine-Neches Estuary

Bose by US Geologlcol Survey, 1956

- 6 -

925

Rosharon

_ 10EXPLANATION

30

.20 Data-collection line number

•902

Studyarea ...........

910•

T E X A 5

': '-.' Angleton

0E======iB~======i16KILOMET£FlS

0i======i5,=======i10 MILES

Figure 3

Data-Collection Sites in the

Location mop

Brazos Estuary

Bose by U S Geolog1col Survey, 1956

- 22 -

East Matagorda Estuary

The East Matagorda estuary covers an area ofabout 56 square miles (145 square kilometers) and

consists of East Matagorda Bay, part of the IntracoastalWaterway, the tidal reaches of Caney Creek and LiveOak Bayou, and the tidal part of small tributaries(Figure 4). The maximum water depth at mlw is 5 feet(1.5 metersl in East Matagorda Bay and about 15 feet(4.6 meters) in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Water-quality data (Table 3) were collected duringSeptember 1972 and May 1973.

The changes in line numbers to facilitate storage inthe Texas Water Oriented Data Bank and to provideopportunity to coordinate data-collection sites among allagencies are shown below. New line numbers are used inTable 3 and Figure 4.

EXPLANATION

- 20 or -10 Doto-collection line number2

___ Data-collection site number

rr-:--\,J ...·""soy Cily

~

"

~0S

.."

"00

"III <-"'

~"

0 5 10 MILES

T E X AS 0 8 16 KILOMETERS

Study OJs· b, S Ge" , :01 :-"" -, 19'5'3area ..........

Location mop

Figure 4.-Data-Collection Sites in the East Matagorda Estuary

- 31 -

EXPLANATION

-18 Doto-collection line numberOf

".

".

BAY

MATAGORDA

Figure 5

Data-Collection Sites in the Colorado Estuary

28~o"---17~'!I"'~+-- \-~'--__-,<!L__28~40'

Location map

TEXAS

- 42 -

Lavaca-Tres Palacios Estuary

The Lavaca-Tres Palacios estuary covers about350 square miles (910 square kilometers) and consists ofthe tidal parts of the Lavaca and Navidad Rivers, TresPalacios Creek and other tributaries, Lavaca Bay, CoxBay, Keller Bay. Carancahua Bay, Tres Palacios Bay,Matagorda Bay, Matagorda Bay Entrance Channel, PassCavallo, and parts of the Intracoastal Waterway(Figure 6). Water depth at mlw is 13 feet (4.0 meters) orless in Matagorda Bay, except in the Matagorda ShipChannel, which is more than 40 feet (12.2 meters) deep.

The rivers generally are less than 15 feet (4.6 meters)deep.

Water-quality data (Table 5) were collected duringFebruary, April, May. June, July, August, and October1972, and January, April, June, and July 1973.

The changes in line numbers to facilitate storage inthe Texas Water Oriented Data Bank and to provideopportunity to coordinate data-collection sites among all

~O=========8k======~16K1LOMETEf'!S

t0 1u'

..pGO>It

~.s:.4:~?"-",c-MATAGORDA BAY ENTRANCE" of CHANNEL

T £ X A S

Loeotton mop

Studyarea ..........

EXPLANATION

- 85 or • 17 Dolo-collection line number

~ Doto-collection site number

Figure 6.-Data·Collection Sites in the Lavaca-Tres Palacios Estuary

. 51 .

Guadalupe Estuary

The Guadalupe estuary covers an area of almost210 square miles (540 square kilometers) and consists ofthe tidal parts of the Guadalupe River, Mission Lake,Guadalupe Bay. Hynes Bay, San Antonio Bay, EspirituSanto Bay. Mesquite Bay, Victoria Channel, and parts ofthe Intracoastal Waterway (Figure 7). At mlw theGuadalupe River is about 10 feet (3.0 meters) deep;Mission Lake, Guadalupe Bay, and Hynes Bay are lessthan 3 feet 11.0 meter) deep; San Antonio Bay is less

or-

than 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep; Espiritu Santo Bay isabout 8 feet (2.4 meters) deep; Mesquite Bay is about4 feet (1.2 meters) deep; Victoria Channel is more than8 feet (2.4 meters) deep; and the Intracoastal Waterwayis about 15 feet (4.6 meters) deep.

Water·quality data (Table 6) were collected duringMarch, April, May, June, July, September, andDecember 1972, and March, May, and August 1973.

LOCOllOn ,"",p

./

-254or .170~

EXPLANATlON

OaIO·cOlltcIIOI'l lint number

Ooto- collection site n",mber

1

Figure 7.-Data·Colleetion Sites in the Guadalupe Estuary

·123 -

Mission-Aransas Estuary

The Mission-Aransas estuary covers an area ofabout 160 square miles (410 square kilometers) andconsists of the tidal parts of Mission River, AransasRiver, Copano Creek and other tributaries, Mission Bay.Copano Bay. Aransas Bay, St. Charles Bay, Carlos Bay,part of Redfish Bay. parts of the Intracoastal Waterway,

Lydia Ann Channel. and Aransas Pass (Figure 8). Waterdepth at mlw is less than 2 feet (0.6 meter) in MissionBay. less than 8 feet (2.4 meters) in Copano Bay. lessthan 13 feet (4.0 meters) in Aransas Bay. less than 5 feet(1.5 meters) in St. Charies Bay. 4 feet (1.2 meters) orless in Carlos and Redfish Bays, about 15 feet

97·

".

ST. CHARLESBAY

EXPLANATION

I97·

"J 95

--44 or .110 Dalo-collection line number

2• Do to-collection site number

OUNT~.... REFUGIO S--::::

'':::---AS' COUNT~ARANS

4ransos

T E X A S

8

0E====,,'=====3fO. MILES

o

Location mop

Figure 8.-Data-Collection Sites in the Mission-Aransas Estuary

- 205-

Nueces Estuary

The Nueces estuary covers an area of about200 square miles (520 square kilometers) and consists ofthe tidal parts of the Nueces River and other tributaries,Nueces Bay, Tule Lake Channel, Corpus Christi Bay,part of Redfish Bay, Corpus Christi Ship Channel,Aransas Pass, and parts of the Intracoastal Waterway(Figure 9). Water depth at mlw is less than 13 feet(4.0 meters) in Corpus Christi Bay; less than 3 feet(1.0 meter) in Nueces Bay; more than 40feet(12.2 meters) in Aransas Pass, Corpus Christi ShipChannel, and Tule Lake Channel; and about 15 feet(4.6 meters) in the Intracoastal Waterway. A part ofRedfish Bay is about 10 feet (3.0 meters) deep, butabout one-fourth of it is only 1 foot (0.3 meter) deep(mlw).

Water-quality data (Table 8) were collected duringJanuary, March, May, June, July, September, andNovember 1972, and February, April, and May 1973.

The changes in line numbers to facilitate storage inthe Texas Water Oriented Data Bank and to provideopportunity to coordinate data-collection sites among all

agencies are shown below. New line numbers are used inTable 8 and on Figure 9.

All data collected prior to the changes in linenumbers are stored in the data bank under the new linenumbers.

Nueces Estuary Changein Line Numbers

OLD NEW OLD NEW

1 13 13a 1272 22 13a-site 1 1313 38 14 1424 47-site 4 14a 1474a 47-site 2 15 159

5 53 16 1686 64 Laguna Madre 1 1707 71 Laguna Madre 2 1838 839 93 Gulf of Mexico

17-site 2 901-site 70

10 10811 11812 12212a 20513 200

1

1EXPLANATION

-4701' _71 OcIO-col~ction line number----oJ;.... Doto -COllection ~ite number

".<

/

910

F"ASS

l..cOhOft mop

Figure 9.-Data-Collection Sites in the Nueces Estuary

- 247-

TEXAS

,I

1

EXPLANATION

- 10 Of • 119 Dolo-collecllon hne number

-?- Dcla-collectlan SIIe number

LonClbridqe (sond onCl ......d llols lhol oreinundaled only by slorm tides)

LOWER-t\\\--LAGUNA MADRE

f-fhl- UPPER LAGUNAMADRE

CORPUS CHRISTIBAY

'RT MANSFIELD ENTRANCECHANNEL

~~--e;--r:\~4

fiI---'~.2!l Yarbarougll Pass

ARROYOCOLORAO

S'a/~ 186

NUECES CO.--KLEBERG CO.-----

------,~~'::i:-_I\\_\__--27·

Figure 10

Data-Collection Sites in the laguna Madre Estuary

- 304-

SELECTED HYDROLOGIC RECORDS

Climatological Records

The climate of a region plays a great role inestuarine water quality. The types of climatological dataavailable for a 60-mile- 197-kilometer-) wide band alongthe Texas coast are shown on Figure 11.

Tabulations of daily precipitation, temperature,and other data are published monthly, and monthlysummaries are published annually by the EnvironmentalScience Services Administration in the series titledClimatological Data-Texas. For the period 1931-60,monthly and annual data are summarized in two U.S.Weather Bureau publications (1958, 1965).

[o • •

•,~....

•

".

Type of goge

oHonrl!«Wd~

SOUTHERN

EXPLANATION

Pr~c,p,lol..., end I.m~oll.~

Dauole corele CCIIIIOItIOI_S indIcol~ the O\Ioilol>,lIl)01 more OetOl'Jed mereo<alO<jicol GOla

,..

SOUTH

".

/,

".

CENTRAL

"·-+-:===,,--L..--+'""7rSOUTHERN ~~~~~~

,..-f--------==j:c:..==s.,~'::_:::£:t-+---,..

".-+----L----f-..,.""-.--------l----".---

".-+------',,7i''-'"""'''~

_~"l' ~"~' "':"~'_~ ~'fi'__----"':'1"----~~-~"r'I--\-w".

\'''''-L EA::XAS -~---~ f..~"1..-, \ ,;Z'". ~

)

\ -~ .(>.V,nlon

/" L-...-o-,....__ ... 18_" '- O.o"g... NW :50'

".--t----"7L --t-------+-------tT'I- UPPER

COAST

Figure 11.-Locations of Selected Climatological Stations

- 329-

TEXASR"

MEXICO

Loce"ac ..ap

,

,..

o 10 20 )0 .0 M'LES

EXPLANATION

• Periodie 5!•.,mllow measuring site

T Wolt,-quolity ..,mpSng slle

1648 Abbrlviolld Illllion ""mbt..... tdin U.S GeologlCol Survey ,eporl· Wott,RuOll'cu 00.0 for Tuos·

2. Stallon n.."be...sed IOf ,it.. not0"'''* U.S. G,oloqical SurveyIndn nllmbe.

Figure 13

Locations of Selected Water-Quality

and Streamflow Data-Collection Sites

- 332-