Guadalupe Estuary: A Study of the Influence of Freshwater Inflows

The Texas Water Plan of 1968 tentatively allocated specific annual amounts of water to supplement freshwater inflow to Texas' bays and estuaries. These amounts were recognized at the time as no more than preliminary estimates of inflow needs based upon historical inflows to each estuary. Furthermore, the optimal seasonal and spatial distribution of the inflows could not be determined at the time because of insufficient knowledge of the estuarine ecosystem. This report is one in a series of reports on Texas bays and estuaries designed to fulfill the mandate of Senate Bill 137. Six major estuaries on the Texas coast are part of the series, including (1) the Nueces estuary, (2) the Mission-Aransas estuary, (3) the Guadalupe estuary, (4) the Lavaca-Tres Palacios estuary, (5) the Trinity-San Jacinto estuary, and (6) the Sabine-Neches estuary. Reports in the S. B. 137 are designed to explain in a comprehensive, yet understandable manner, the results of these planning efforts.