Matagorda Bay 



Matagorda Bay is located in the central region of the Texas coast (Figure 1) and is 

 one of seven major estuarine systems of the State, if Matagorda Bay and East Matagorda 

 Bay are considered as part of the same system. Several smaller bays, notably Lavaca 

 Bay, Carancahua Bay, Tres Palacios Bay, and Espiritu Santo Bay directly connect to 

 Matagorda Bay. Surface area of Matagorda Bay is estimated at 425 square miles' (Ward 

 1982), making it second in size to Galveston Bay of the Texas estuaries (Ward, 

 Wiersema, and Armstrong 1982). Depth over much of the natural (non-dredged) bottom 

 of the inner bay and tributary bays runs between 10 and 12 ft mean lower-low water 

 (mllw). Depths sometimes reach 13 ft as documented in National Oceanic and 

 Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chart 11316, dated July 1995. 



United States 



Gulf 



of 



Mexico 



Mexico 



-Brazos Santiago Pass 11.0 m 

 "Mouth of Rio Grande 



20 40 



Kilometers 



Figure 1 . Location map for the study site and the Texas coast 



' A table of factors for converting non-SI units of measurement to SI units is presented on 

 page viii. 



Chapter 1 Background and Problem Statement 



