The future health of Galveston Bay may be threatened by a lack of fresh-water. It’s an issue at the center of “water use” rules under revision in Austin.
Galveston Bay took a hit back in 2011 during the big drought. So little freshwater was coming into the bay from the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers that it became saltier than what sea creatures consider ideal.
"One of the key species that suffer the most are oysters," said Paula Paciorek, Water Resources Coordinator with the Galveston Bay Foundation. She told News 88.7: "Oysters don't do well in high salinity levels."
That's one concern of the foundation and other environmentalists which is why some of them were at a meeting in Austin.
As things are now, if water rights that have already been granted were used to their full extent in future years, it's feared that some river flows would permanently be as low as they were in the 2011 drought.
"We want to see the Bay receives the water it needs....With increased population, increased water use we are very worried this will not be possible," said Paciorek.
Galveston Bay is located in southeastern Texas, about 20 miles southeast of Houston. The bay has two main freshwater inflows: the San Jacinto River flowing in from the northwest and the Trinity River flowing from the north.
Rivers form several of our borders. The Red River forms the border between Texas and neighboring states to the north. The Sabine River forms our border with Louisiana to the east. The Rio Grande forms our border with Mexico in the south and west.
Galveston's beach water isn't just brown or murky, but can also appear slightly green, clear or even picturesque blue. Water in its purest state will be mostly clear with a pale blue tint, and water found in nature will never be colorless.
Gulf Coast Water Authority provides high-quality drinking water in Galveston County through the 50 million gallon per day Thomas S. Mackey Water Treatment Plant located in Texas City, Texas.
As shown on the table below the map, Texas river basins vary greatly in area and length. The largest, the Rio Grande, contrasts markedly with the smallest, the San Jacinto River, in both size and length.
Although it draws visitors from all over the world because of its majestic beauty and magnetism, there are a lot of parks and locations you should include on your bucket list. National Parks and the Hot Springs Canyon Trail, for instance.
Galveston Bay receives freshwater from three main tributaries (the Trinity and San Jacinto rivers and Buffalo Bayou), and receives saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico.
Typically, the estuary receives 11 million acre-feet of freshwater inflow from the major contributing rivers, the Trinity River and the San Jacinto River, in addition to runoff from surrounding coastal watersheds.
The Trinity River is 710 miles long with a watershed that extends north to encompass the Dallas–Fort Worth region. The San Jacinto River is much smaller at 28 miles long and confined to Southeast Texas. Galveston Bay is also fed by coastal streams and bayous such as Cedar Bayou, Dickinson Bayou, and Chocolate Bayou.
From headwaters in Walker County, the San Jacinto River flows southeast to Galveston Bay, which drains to the Gulf of Mexico. Other streams within the basin include the East and West forks of the San Jacinto River; Caney, Cypress, Peach, and Spring creeks; and Luce and Buffalo bayous.
Introduction: My name is Nicola Considine CPA, I am a determined, witty, powerful, brainy, open, smiling, proud person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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