CHAPTER ONE 



Introduction 



"These waters of the seaboard exert an 

 influence upon the affairs of mankind far out 

 of proportion to their size, for it is here that 

 land and sea meet, and the fresh and salt 

 waters of the earth intermingle." 



♦ E.J. Perkins 



The Rincon Bayou Demonstration Project was 

 conducted from 1994 through 1999 within the upper 

 Nueces Delta, located northwest of the city of Corpus 

 Christi, Texas. The delta was formed and is supported 

 by the Nueces River, which passes along its southern 

 edge as it empties into Nueces and Corpus Christi bays 

 (Figure 1-1). Because of the dynamic nature of this 

 natural system, the delta consists of a variety of 

 habitats, including open water, marshes and mud flats 

 and possesses a unique array of hydrological and 

 biological characteristics. 



Ecologically, the Nueces Delta is part of the greater 

 Nueces Estuary, which is a brackish transitional zone 

 situated between the freshwater riverine habitats of the 

 Nueces River and the marine habitats of the Gulf of 

 Mexico. Salt water from the bays regularly inundate the 

 lower reaches of the delta during a variety of tidal and 

 atmospheric events. The delta is also periodically 

 inundated with fresh water when the Nueces River 

 occasionally spills out of its banks. Such freshwater 

 flooding events significandy contribute to the biological 

 productivity of the delta by providing a medium for 

 nutrient exchange and biochemical cycling, supplying 

 fresh water to marsh plant communities, transporting 

 detrital and other nutrient materials from the 

 established marsh vegetation and sediments to the bay, 

 and buffering bay salinity (Longley 1994). The Nueces 

 Delta has therefore been considered one of the most 

 important sources of nutrient material for the entire 

 Nueces Estuary system (Texas Department of Water 

 Resources 1981), supporting numerous plant and 

 animal communities, including commercially important 

 marine life. 



Chapter One ♦ 1-1 



