Matagorda Bay

Coordinates: 28°33′56″N 96°12′36″W / 28.56556°N 96.21000°W / 28.56556; -96.21000
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay is located in Texas
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay at Jensen Point
LocationCentral Texas Gulf Coast
Coordinates28°33′56″N 96°12′36″W / 28.56556°N 96.21000°W / 28.56556; -96.21000
River sourcesColorado River (Texas), Lavaca River
Ocean/sea sourcesGulf of Mexico
Basin countriesUnited States
Surface area244,490 acres (98,940 ha)[1]
SettlementsPort Lavaca, Texas

Matagorda Bay (

Houston, and 167 miles (269 km) south-southeast of Austin. It is one of seven major estuaries along the Gulf Coast of Texas and serves as the mouth of numerous streams, most notably the Lavaca and Colorado Rivers. The Texas seaport of Port Lavaca is located on the system's northwestern extension of Lavaca Bay. The city of Palacios is found on northeastern extension of Tres Palacios Bay, and Port O'Connor is located on the southwestern tip of the main bay's shore. The ghost town of Indianola
, which was a major port before it was destroyed by two hurricanes in the late 19th century, is also found on the bay.

The bay is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula. Its shore, especially near the Colorado River delta, provides a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. The wildlife serves as a basis for the birding and fishing tourism, and is an essential component of the production of seafood, specifically shrimp and blue crab, which are the specialties of the area. The fertile land near the bay is ideal for farming, especially for the propagation of rice.

History

Early European records suggest that the bay and the surrounding area went by the names Espíritu Santo and Costa y Bahía de San Bernardo. Spanish explorer

Presidio La Bahia, and Mission Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zúñiga on the site of Fort Saint Louis.[5]

Theodore Gudin
's painting of La Salle's entrance into Matagorda Bay, 1684

The port of

Union and Confederate forces several times. The Union presence in the area ended in June 1864.[7] After the war, Indianola continued its growth, and had a population of 5,000 in the 1870s. A hurricane in 1875 caused massive damage to the city. It was rebuilt on a smaller scale shortly thereafter, but a second and more intense hurricane made landfall in 1886 (the fifth most intense in U.S. history), causing even greater destruction. The following year, Indianola was completely abandoned.[8] Although Lavaca was also significantly affected by the hurricanes, it survived as a port, and again became the largest on the bay. It continues to hold this distinction today. It was renamed Port Lavaca in the late 19th century.[7] Palacios was established around 1901,[9] and Port O'Connor was founded on the bay in 1909.[10]

Before 1900, East Matagorda Bay was a free flowing extension, which formed the eastern segment of Matagorda Bay. Flooding and drainage issues caused by the Colorado River, which at the time emptied into the bay, precipitated a massive dredging campaign in the 1920s. Flooding was not remedied by the dredging, as sediment deposited in the bay and formed a tidal marsh that grew at 500 acres (2.0 km2) a year. As a result, local citizens decided to change the course of the Colorado River in 1934 to bypass Matagorda Bay into the Gulf of Mexico, the dredging from this project causing the split and forming the isolated East Matagorda Bay.[11] In 1992, the river was diverted back to the bay.[11]

Features

Turtle Bay
(olive)

The shoreline of the bay is included in the

Texas Coastal Plain. At the eastern end, near the Colorado River delta, there is a swampy terrain, with an abundance of wetlands and tidal marshes. Extended coastal prairies supporting native grasses, can be found throughout the area.[12]
On average, the Matagorda Bay system is 2 meters (6.6 ft) deep, and covers approximately 1,093 square kilometers (422 sq mi). The main extensions include: Lavaca Bay, which extends westward to the mouth of the Lavaca River; Tres Palacios Bay, which extends northeast to the mouth of the Tres Palacios River and East Matagorda Bay, which is nearly isolated from the system by the Colorado River delta. Other inlets include Turtle Bay, Carancahua Bay, Keller Bay, and Cox Bay.[13]

Together with its extensions, Matagorda Bay forms one of seven major

Laguna Madre.[1] It receives the discharge from the Colorado River and the Lavaca River, as well as numerous smaller creeks.[13] Every second, approximately 150 cubic meters (40,000 U.S. gal) of water flows into the bay. Water exchange with the Gulf of Mexico occurs at Pass Cavallo, Matagorda Ship Channel, Greens Bayou, the Colorado River Delta Complex and Brown Cedar Cut. As a result of the seawater exchange, the bay's salinity is 19 parts per thousand (ppt),[13] which is lower than the seawater average of 35 ppt.[14]

Ecosystem

A wide variety of wildlife can be found in and around Matagorda Bay. The Mad Island-Oyster Lake conservation area, located on the eastern shore of Matagorda Bay, is a habitat for over 300 species of birds including songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl. More species of birds were found in the area than any other in the nation during the

National Audubon Society's annual Christmas Bird Count from 2000 to 2002. Other fauna located along the bay include bobcats, white-tailed deer, river otters, Texas horned lizards, reddish egret, white-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, the piping plover[15] and alligators.[12]

According to

finfish, shrimp and crabs.[11]

Industry

Shrimping boats in Palacios

The Matagorda Bay system is a renowned fishing location in the region, due to its status as a nutrient-rich estuary. The mainstays of the settlements on the bay include seafood processing, manufacturing, agriculture and tourism.

shrimp.[13] Port Lavaca is the national leader in the processing of shrimp,[7] and passed four million tons of seafood through its port in 1985 alone.[3] Palacios houses the largest blue crab processing plant in the United States, and is home to the only individually quick frozen shrimp plant in Texas.[9] Recreational fishing also contributes to the local economies via tourism.[13] Tourists often flock to the Port Lavaca State Fishing Pier, which is a major point of interest for fishermen. Other activities for visitors include hunting, oyster roasts, beach combing[7] and birding.[9]

Several manufacturing complexes have been erected along the bay, which employ local residents. The

Formosa Plastics all established plants in Point Comfort.[7] The South Texas Nuclear Generating Station is found in nearby Bay City.[9] Petroleum and natural gas were discovered in the bay in the 1930s.[7] Maize, cotton, soybeans, turf, and rice grow well around the bay, especially in the fertile delta region.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Colorado-Lavaca Estuary (Matagorda Bay)". Texas Water Development Board. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Matagorda Bay". Dictionary.com. Random House, Inc. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  3. ^ a b Leatherwood, Art (February 22, 2010). "Matagorda Bay". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  4. ^ Weddle, Robert S. (February 22, 2010). "Fort St. Louis". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  5. ^ Craig H. Roell and Robert S. Weddle, "NUESTRA SENORA DE LORETO DE LA BAHIA PRESIDIO," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/uqn11), accessed April 07, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
  6. ^ Roell, Craig H. (February 22, 2010). "Linnville, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Maywald, Lonnie Ficklen (March 31, 2010). "Port Lavaca, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  8. ^ a b Malsch, Brownson (February 22, 2010). "Indianola, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e Griffin, Mary L. (February 22, 2010). "Palacios, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  10. ^ Rubert, Rebecca (February 22, 2010). "Port O'Connor, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  11. ^ a b c Holtcamp, Wendee (July 2006). "Delta Dawn". Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine. Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  12. ^ a b "Clive Runnells Family Mad Island Marsh Preserve". nature.org. The Nature Conservancy. 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Matagorda Bay". GulfBase. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi: Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies. Archived from the original on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  14. ^ Anderson, Genny (October 8, 2008). "Seawater Composition". Marine Science. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  15. ^ "Mad Island Marsh-Oyster Lake Conservation Area Executive Summary" (PDF). nature.org. The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
  16. ^ "Pigfish". Texas Parks and Whildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  17. ^ "Water Body Records for Matagorda Bay". Texas Parks and Wildlife. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. May 4, 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Matagorda Bay.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Matagorda_Bay&oldid=1089889934"