applications is often complicated by the difficulty in 

 establishing a suitable experimental control. Here, the 

 establishment of a random control area was not 

 practical. Consequendy, the basis of comparison of 

 responses in biological productivity and species 

 diversity to freshwater applications was fashioned 

 according several considerations. First, hydrographic 

 and biological data collected from the delta and 

 surrounding area in years prior to the start of the 

 current study offered some credible information on the 

 status of the delta. Analyses of such pre-study data 

 have been or are in the process of being published 

 elsewhere, thus providing some characterization of 

 conditions in the delta prior to the start of this study. 

 Second, studies by scientists on this project and others 

 have previously established some biological response 

 relationships to fresh water in Gulf Coast estuaries, and 

 in particular, responses to changes in salinity. These 

 known responses were an important tool in assessing 

 the effects of the demonstration project. The 

 experience of project scientists with conditions in the 

 Nueces Delta and similar estuaries offered highly 

 relevant expertise to project studies. Third, a site was 

 selected as a reference {i.e., comparison) point based on 

 location and lower likelihood of impacts from 

 freshwater inundations {i.e., treatments). Obviously, 

 the more affected by project diversions, the less useful 

 the reference site would be in evaluating treatment 

 effects. Finally, the duration of data collection (over 

 five years) and the varying freshwater inputs to the 

 upper delta allowed the study of relationships to the 

 varying biological responses {e.g., consistency in 

 response). Consequendy, the demonstration project 

 monitoring program was quasi-experimental in design. 

 Nevertheless, previously established biological and 

 ecological relationships applied here enabled the 

 opportunity for deductive conclusions central to the 

 goals of this study. 



In designing the monitoring plan for the demonstra- 

 tion project. Reclamation again considered several 

 different alternatives. Most of these alternatives 

 included using data on wildlife or fish use of the area 

 {e.g., mammals, reptiles, waterfowl, shorebirds, fin-fish, 

 shellfish, etc.) as a measure of project success. 

 However, considering the extensive non-estuarine 

 migratory range of many of the species which utilize 



the study area, it was determined that these organisms 

 would be subject to a variety of other forces not related 

 to the demonstration project. Using such data to 

 establish relationships between the direct effects of the 

 project and observed changes in wildlife or fish 

 populations or habitat use would have been difficult. 

 For this reason, vertebrate wildlife use was considered 

 to be an ineffective tool in evaluating the direct effects 

 of the project on delta productivity. 



Participants 



There were several key participants in the Rincon 

 Bayou Demonstration Project. The primary 

 participants of the study, without whom this project 

 would not have been possible, were the private 

 landowners in the delta who granted Reclamation 

 temporary permission to make the modifications and 

 conduct the monitoring program. The design, 

 coordination and funding of the project was provided 

 by Reclamation. All of the biological data collection 

 and analysis activities were conducted by researchers 

 from the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, 

 with support from the Texas Water Development 

 Board. The hydraulic monitoring was conducted by 

 the U. S. Geological Survey, who installed and main- 

 tained the data collection equipment, and hydrographic 

 data analysis was provided by the University of Texas 

 Center for Research in Water Resources. 



Authority and Funding 



The Rincon Bayou Demonstration Project was 

 conducted under the authority of the Federal 

 Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, as amended. 

 Funding for the smdy was appropriated on a yearly 

 basis by the United States Congress under 

 Reclamation's General Investigations and Wetland 

 Development programs. 



Chapter One ♦ 1-9 



