Northern 

 bluff line 



Calallen 

 Diversion Dam 



Figure 1-4: Study area for the Rincon Bayou Demonstration Project and location of project features. The 



pre-existing private road crossing separating the upper and central Rincon Bayou channels was not part of the 

 demonstration project. 



Figure 1-5: Viewof the Nueces Overflow Channel. The 



view is looking northeast, with the Nueces River in the 

 foreground, and Rincon Bayou in the distant background. 

 The photo was taken on June 26, 1997, during the first 

 significant flow event. 



Photo courtesy of the Bureau of Reclamation. 



improvements was to lower the flooding tlireshold of 

 the Nueces River, thereby increasing the opportunity 

 for more frequent and higher magnitude flow events 

 into the upper Nueces Delta. 



During the design phase of the project, Reclamation 

 determined that an existing private road crossing over 

 Rincon Bayou would act as a partial dam during larger 

 flood events, limiting the volume of water diverted into 

 die delta and substantially reducing the proposed 

 project's effectiveness (Figures 1-4 and 1-6). There- 

 fore, a second overflow channel (Rincon Overflow 

 Channel) upstream of this road crossing was designed 

 which would connect Rincon Bayou to the tidal 

 mudflat areas in the northern part of the delta 

 (Figure 1-7). 



The design dimensions of the Rincon Overflow 

 Channel were approximately 610 m long and 30 m 



Chapter One 



1-5 



