Estuaries of Texas

The

The Laguna Madre Estuary is located along the southern coast of Texas in

The Nueces Estuary is located on the Texas Coastal Bend in San Patricio and Nueces Counties, adjoining the city of Corpus Christi. It is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek and separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island.^[10] The Nueces Estuary is the sixth largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 106,990 acres (43,300 ha) including Corpus Christi Bay and its western and southern extensions in Nueces Bay and Oso Bay.^[11] The natural portions have a depth of up to 13 feet (4 m).^{[12]: III–1} Smaller settlements around the bay include Portland, Ingleside, and Ingleside on the Bay, all located on the north shore.^[13][14]

Corpus Christi Bay is a deep-water

The Mission–Aransas Estuary is located on the Texas Coastal Bend in

The Guadalupe Estuary is located near the middle of the Texas coast in Calhoun, Aransas, and Refugio Counties. It is fed by the Guadalupe River, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Island and connecting with it through Cedar Bayou.^[20] The Guadalupe Estuary is the fourth largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 143,000 acres (58,000 ha) including San Antonio Bay and its extensions to the southwest and northeast in Mesquite Bay and Espiritu Santo Bay. The natural portions have an average depth of around 2.5 feet (0.8 m).^[21]: 6

The estuary is remote and difficult for shipping to access, and its shores are almost uninhabited, with the small towns of Seadrift and Austwell as the only significant settlements. The leading industries in the region are oyster farming, fish processing and the chemical industry.^[22] The southwestern shore and much of Matagorda Island are protected within the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.^[23]

Colorado–Lavaca Estuary

The Colorado–Lavaca Estuary is located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Matagorda, Jackson, Victoria, and Calhoun Counties. It is fed by the Colorado, Lavaca, and Tres Palacios Rivers, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by the Matagorda Peninsula and connecting with it through Matagorda Ship Channel and Pass Cavallo. The Colorado–Lavaca Estuary is the third largest of the Texas estuaries, with a surface area of 244,490 acres (98,940 ha) including Matagorda Bay and its extensions in Lavaca Bay and several smaller bays.^[24] The natural portions have depths ranging from 6 to 13 feet (2 to 4 m).^{[25]: III–1}

The shores of the estuary are sparsely populated, with the small towns of Port Lavaca, Palacios, Port O'Connor, and Point Comfort as the only significant settlements.^[26] Matagorda Bay is a major center for the commercial fishing and fish processing industries, with the Port of Port Lavaca driving much of the regional economy; tourism and manufacturing are also significant contributors.^[27] The bay was the site of La Salle's failed French colony, and the shipwreck of one of his ships, La Belle, was discovered and excavated in the 1990s and 2000s.^[28]

Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary

The Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary is located on the northeastern Texas coast in

The Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary is almost surrounded by the Greater Houston urban area, and its shores are relatively urbanized and industrialized, especially to the west.^{[30]: III–12} Other significant settlements on the shores include Baytown, Texas City, and Galveston.^[31][32][33] The estuary is a major shipping center, the heart of the Houston Ship Channel, and the Port of Houston, Port of Texas City, and Port of Galveston drive much economic activity on the waterways.^[34] Petrochemical industries are concentrated along the western shore, and the estuary also supports Texas's largest commercial fishery.^{[30]: III–12, 15} The United States Environmental Protection Agency has designated the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary system as an estuary of national significance under the National Estuary Program.^[35] Portions of the northeastern shore are protected within the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge.^[36] The museum ship USS Texas is moored in the mouth of the San Jacinto River at the northwest end of the estuary, next to the San Jacinto Monument.^[37]

Sabine–Neches Estuary

The Sabine–Neches Estuary is located on the Louisiana border at the corner of Southeast Texas in Jefferson and Orange Counties, adjoining the city of Port Arthur. It is an almost totally enclosed lake, formed by the confluence of the Neches and Sabine Rivers and connecting to the Gulf of Mexico through Sabine Pass. The Sabine–Neches Estuary is the smallest of the seven major estuaries, with a surface area of 45,320 acres (18,340 ha) including Sabine Lake and a number of adjoining bayous, and its small size and high rate of freshwater inflow make it the least saline of the seven.^[38] The natural portions of the estuary have a mean low-water depth of at most around 10 feet (3 m).^{[39]: III–1}

The channelization of the Sabine–Neches Estuary has made it an important industrial waterway, the heart of the Sabine–Neches Waterway. The three ports it links to the Gulf of Mexico (Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Orange) form a major nexus for the shipping and petrochemical industries, the so-called Golden Triangle of Texas.^[40] The largest industries around the estuary are petroleum and natural gas extraction, petrochemical processing, shipping, and shipbuilding. Agriculture also forms a significant component of the regional economy, principally rice and soybean cultivation, livestock ranching, and commercial fishing (mainly for shellfish).^{[39]: III–20}

Minor estuaries

Texas has five minor estuaries interspersed among its seven major estuary systems. These are smaller, less complicated estuaries with less significance to the state's hydrology, ecology, and economy. Several of these are simply the lower

The Rio Grande Estuary is located on the Texas–Mexico border in Cameron County, south of Laguna Madre at the southern extremity of the Texas coast. It is a riverine estuary system consisting only of the lower reaches of the Rio Grande, with no associated bay.^[41]

East Matagorda Bay Estuary

East Matagorda Bay is a minor estuary located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Matagorda County immediately northeast of the Colorado–Lavaca Estuary (Matagorda Bay). It has no significant river sources and is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula, only intermittently connecting with it through Brown Cedar Cut. The estuary has a surface area of 37,810 acres (15,300 ha), and its natural portions have an average depth of around 3.4 feet (1.0 m)^[42]

San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary

The San Bernard River and Cedar Lakes Estuary is one of three minor estuaries located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County between Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay. It includes Cedar Lakes, Cowtrap Lake, and the lower reaches of the San Bernard River, covering a surface area of 3,760 acres (1,520 ha) with an average depth of 2.1 feet (0.6 m).^[43]

Brazos River Estuary

The Brazos River Estuary is the second of three minor estuaries located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County between Matagorda Bay and Galveston Bay. It is a riverine estuary system consisting only of the lower reaches of the Brazos River, with no associated bay.^[44]

Christmas Bay Estuary

Christmas Bay is a minor estuary located on the upper-mid Texas coast in Brazoria County immediately southwest of the Trinity–San Jacinto Estuary (Galveston Bay). It is fed by Bastrop Bayou, separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Follet's Island and connecting with it through San Luis Pass and Cold Pass. Its minor extensions are Bastrop Bay to the north and Drum Bay to the southwest.^[45] The estuary has a surface area of 4,173 acres (1,689 ha). Much of its shoreline is protected within the Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge.^[46]

References