Nueces Bay
Nueces Bay | |
---|---|
Location | South Texas Gulf Coast |
Coordinates | 27°51′02″N 97°25′58″W / 27.85056°N 97.43278°W |
River sources | Nueces River |
Ocean/sea sources | Gulf of Mexico |
Basin countries | United States |
Settlements | Corpus Christi, Portland |
Nueces Bay is a northwestern extension of Corpus Christi Bay in the San Patricio and Nueces Counties of Texas. The bay is fed by the Nueces River, forming a natural estuary, which renders it ecologically and economically vital to the surrounding area. It serves as a habitat for the propagation of fish and shellfish, which sustain diverse species of birds and other wildlife. The bay is threatened by pollution from the heavy industry on its southern shore, which prevents oyster farming. Petrochemical production and oil are important to the surrounding economies of the major settlements of Corpus Christi and Portland, found on the eastern shore and connected by the Nueces Bay Causeway at the bay's confluence with Corpus Christi Bay.
Agriculture dominates the northern shore, where many plots of land are still owned by the descendants of early settlers. The largely abandoned historical communities of Rosita and West Portland are also located in this area. To the west, the Odem Bay extension is formed, and is fed by Rincon Bayou and a large complex of marsh formed by the Nueces River delta. Just south of the mouth are the remains of the abandoned Nuecestown settlement, which is now included in the Corpus Christi city limits.
History
Nueces Bay formed around 9,000 years ago, as the sea level rose at the conclusion of the last ice age. The sea level stabilized 6,000 years later, shaping the present-day Nueces Bay.
Nueces is
Corpus Christi, which was founded as a
Features
Nueces Bay covers an area of 28.9 square miles (75 km2) and drains the 16,950 square miles (43,900 km2) of the Nueces River basin.
Ecosystem
The Nueces estuary provides an ecosystem for a wide variety of wildlife. However, since the construction of Choke Canyon Reservoir in 1985, freshwater inflows have decreased from the Nueces River, increasing the bay's salinity, and hurting the natural oyster and shrimp habitat. In response, the City of Corpus Christi, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and two additional state agencies have worked to restore the natural freshwater inflows into the bay.[19] The Odem Bay extension is low in salinity and serves as a nursery for shrimp, which migrate to Nueces Bay in spring. Oyster beds are common throughout the bay and are known to be hiding spots for such fish as trout, black drum, flounder, and redfish. Such finfish must be protected from excessive freshwater introduction for survival.[17]
A diverse collection of birds sustained by the water life, such as the
Industry
Oil has been pumped from the bay since 1912, but fishing has been a mainstay since humans have inhabited the area. In the early 1970s,
Several
References
- ^ Ricklis, Robert A. "Prehistoric and Early Historic People and Environment in the Corpus Christi Bay Area". Texas Archeological Research Laboratory. The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b Long, Christopher (May 30, 2010). "Nueces County, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ a b Weddle, Robert S. (May 30, 2010). "Nueces River". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ a b Leatherwood, Art (May 30, 2010). "Nueces Bay". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Google Translate". Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ a b Long, Christopher (May 30, 2010). "Corpus Christi, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 3 June 2010.
- ^ Campbell, James N. (May 30, 2010). "Nuecestown, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ Guthrie, Keith (May 30, 2010). "Coleman-Fulton Pasture Company". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ Guthrie, Keith (May 30, 2010). "West Portland, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ Guthrie, Keith (May 30, 2010). "Portland, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ Guthrie, Keith (May 30, 2010). "Darius Cyriaque Rachal". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ a b Guthrie, Keith (May 30, 2010). "Rosita, Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ "200 or More Dead, $10,000,000 Loss in Gulf Storm" (PDF). The New York Times. September 17, 1919. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- ^ a b c "Total Maximum Daily Load Program" (PDF). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. February 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Ockerman, D.J. (August 18, 2005). "Water Budget for the Nueces Estuary, Texas, May–October 1998". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Johnson, E.H. (May 30, 2010). "Coastal Plain". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Archived from the original on 2 December 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Scates, Chuck; Phil H. Shook. "Fly Fishing the Texas Coast". Great Outdoor Recreation Pages. Archived from the original on 26 June 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Topographic Maps". Digital-Topo-Maps.com. Google. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Nueces Bay Salinity". Division of Nearshore Research. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ Yochem, Phyllis (June 30, 2007). "Island bird discoveries sure to float your boat". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Oyster shell recycling effort enhances Nueces Bay bird nesting sites" (PDF). Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program. February 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 June 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ De La Rosa, Manuel (August 23, 2009). "Marsh Restoration Project Planned for Nueces Bay Causeway". KIII TV3 – News, Sports, Weather. Corpus Christi, Texas. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- ^ Morales, Diane S. (November 15, 2009). "Gregory-Portland nature club gets involved with conservation". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ a b "One Total Maximum Daily Load for Zinc in Oyster Tissue in Nueces Bay" (PDF). Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. November 1, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2011. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- ^ Saenz, Israel (July 10, 2006). "TCEQ meeting to discuss lowering zinc". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ Foley, Sarah (October 26, 2008). "Revitalization: Even sky's not the limit". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
- JSTOR 4085974.
- ^ "Oil spill blackens Texas shoreline". Anchorage Daily News. June 3, 1981. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Nueces Bay Spill". Incident News. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. October 11, 1994. Archived from the original on 12 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
- ^ "Koch Industries to pay record fine for oil spills in six states". United States Environmental Protection Agency. January 13, 2000. Retrieved 1 July 2010.