Figure 2-1: The Nueces Estuary and Delta. 



Redfish Bay. The total estuary has an average depth of 

 about 2 meters (m) and covers approximately 

 500 square kilometers (km^ (Orlando etal 1993). The 

 bays are protected from the Gulf of Mexico by a 

 system of barrier islands, and the only sigmficant 

 tributary of the estuary is the Nueces River. As a 

 transition between continental and oceanic environ- 

 ments, the Nueces Estuary is subject to the effects of 



both marine and fluvial (riverine) elements. Included 

 in the boundary of the Nueces Esmary are the tidally 

 influenced portions of the Nueces Delta, which lies 

 immediately west of upper Nueces Bay. 



The Nueces Delta 



The Nueces Delta (or Nueces marsh) is a complex area 

 of vegetated marshes, mudflats and open water that 

 covers approximately 75 square kilometers (km"^ 

 (Figure 2-2). Along its northern boundary, the delta is 

 separated from a large expanse of agricultural land by a 

 steep bluff that reaches heights of about 20 m. To the 

 south, the delta is separated from the municipal and 

 industrial areas of the City of Corpus Christi by a 

 similar bluff. The eastern limit of the delta is 

 delineated by the upper segment of Nueces Bay, and 

 the western limit by Interstate Highway 37 (IH 37) 

 where it crosses the Nueces River. Upstream of this 



DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

 STUDY AREA 



Approximate Scale 

 Kilometers 



Figure 2-2: The Nueces Delta. Generally depicted are open water (shaded) and tidally influenced areas. 



Source of base map: Salas 1993. 

 2-2 ♦ Study Area 



