utilized when available. These additional data sources 

 included the Texas Coastal Ocean Obsen'^ing Network 

 marine monitoring system of Texas A&M University- 

 Corpus Christi Conrad Blucher Institute, the weather 

 station network administered by the National Weather 

 Service, the national stream flow gauging program 

 conducted by the United States Geological Survey and 

 unpublished data from faculty at the University of 

 Texas Marine Science Institute. 



en\'ironmental conditions {e.g., tide, evaporation, 

 precipitation, runoff, etc) as the treatment sites but 

 would not be affected by the project's diversions. This 

 site, located in the upper delta, ser^'ed as an acceptable 

 "reference" to which data from treatment sites could 

 be compared. Therefore, the demonstration study 

 included a total of four monitoring sites: one reference 

 and three treatment (upper Rincon Bayou, central 

 Rincon Bayou and tidal flats) (Figure 1-9). 



The study "treatments" were considered to be 

 freshwater diversions into Rincon Bayou either 

 through the Nueces Gh^erflow Channel or over the 

 bank of the Nueces River. A comparison site was 

 needed that would be subject to the same general 



This mofiitoring aspect of the demonstration project 

 involved the time obsen'ation of responses in the 

 biological resources of the delta to intended (though 

 not fully controlled) applications of fresh water. As 

 with many biological studies, assessment of treatment 



NUECES : 



OVERFLOW 4' 



CHANNEL i^^ 



68^1 Rincon: 

 gaugeT 



Hondo IH37 

 Creek 



Calallen 

 Diversion Dam 



^'ffincon Bayou 



central Rincon Bayou Site 

 (treatment) 



Figure 1-9: Overview of the monitoring sites and stations established for the Rincon Bayou Demonstration 

 Project. In general, the study design included one reference site and three treatment sites (upper Rincon Bayou, 

 central Rincon Bayou and tidal flats). The location and number of sampling stations at each site is indicated by 

 numerals (60 through 68) for water column productivity, letters (A through F) for benthic communities, and Roman 

 numerals (I through III) for vegetation communities. 



Introduction 



