DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

 STUDY AREA 



Approximate Scale 

 Kllomelers 



Figure 3-1: Location of hydrographic gauging stations in the Nueces Delta and upper Nueces Bay. The location of 

 the Corpus Christ! Airport station is not shown, but is located approximately 14 l<m to the southeast of the study area. 



The Rincon gauge was located in the head-water 

 channel of Rincon Bayou, approximately 274 m 

 downstream (Figure 3-3). There was a gap in the data 

 record from the Rincon gauge from October 26, 1995, 

 when the Nueces Overflow Channel was opened, 

 through May 15, 1996, when the Rincon gauge was 

 activated. The absence of data limited the analysis of 

 the demonstration project during this seven-month 

 period when no measurements of flow, water level or 

 precipitation at the station were available. However, 

 because this period proved to be relatively dry with few 

 hydrographic events, the missing data were not deemed 

 critical. Additional technical information on the 

 Rincon gauge instrumentation, data and observed rela- 

 tions with the Calallen gauge was developed separately 

 by Irlbeck and Ockerman (2000) and has been included 

 as Appendix A of this Concluding Report. 

 Precipitation data were also obtained from the 

 National Climatic Data Center records for Corpus 

 Christi Airport, which is located approximately 



14 kilometers southeast of the study area. This gauge 

 supplied precipitation data for the region before the 

 Rincon gauge was installed. 



Quantification of Hydrographic 

 Interactions in the Study Area 



Once the hydrographic parameters of interest were 

 thus identified, raw data for the period of 1992 through 

 1999 were obtained from these sources and compiled 

 by Ward (2000). Prior to late- 1993, virtually the only 

 extant data for the study area was salinity in Nueces 

 Bay and inflow measured at Calallen. In 1993, reliable 

 records from CBI tide gauges and anemometers 

 became available. By the date of the breaching of the 

 Nueces Overflow Channel on October 26, 1995, fairly 

 continuous data from the region was available, with 

 only the USGS gauge in Rincon Bayou itself lacking. It 

 did not become operational until May 16, 1996. 



ChapterThm ♦ 3-3 



