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An Algorithm to Delineate Coastal Watersheds for TMDL Development
by Victoria Ann Samuels and David R. Maidment
ABSTRACT
Urbanization, industry and agriculture affect the water quality
of the Texas, specifically the bays adjacent to the coast. Thus,
the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (TNRCC) has
designated Water Quality Management segments partitioning Texas
bays and estuaries into distinct waterbodies with individual water
quality issues. Similarly, the TNRCC has
designated river segments as water quality management segments with
unique water quality concerns. This thesis studies water quality
management segments in Basin Group C in Texas, composed of the Trinity-San
Jacinto Coastal Basin, the Neches-Trinity Coastal Basin, the San
Jacinto-Brazos Coastal Basin, the San Jacinto River Basin and numerous
bays and estuaries associated with these basins. An algorithm was
developed to determine watersheds for the Water Quality Management
segments, consisting of procedures to create a hydrography network,
process digital elevation models and produce realistic watershed
boundaries. Additionally, this thesis highlights considerations
when dealing with coastal regions. Four main issues resulted in
approximately 75% of the watershed boundary discrepancies analyzed:
contributing area to the Intracoastal Waterway in the Neches-Trinity
Coastal Basin, short-circuiting due to cell size scale, unclassified
Intracoastal Waterway flow direction in the San Jacinto-Brazos Coastal
Basin, and waterbody representation. These inconsistencies were
resolved with further editing and enhancement of the surface water
drainage network.
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but please credit the authors and the Center for Research in Water
Resources, The University of Texas at Austin. All commercial rights
reserved. Copyright 1997 Center for Research in Water Resources.
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