San Bernard River Mouth Facts

By Roy and Jan Edwards Organizing Committee

Here are some facts about the mouth of the San Bernard River

• 619,617 cu/yards - the sand mass blocking the traditional of the San Bernard (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study, 2002)

• 44,227 - the number of standard dump trucks needed to move that sand

• 3,240 pounds – average weight of 1 cubic yard of damp sand

• 272 feet – the average width of the Intracoastal Canal between the San Bernard River and Jones Lake in 1974 (Texas Parks & Wildlife study, 2005)

• 534 feet – the average width of the Intracoastal Canal between the San Bernard and Jones Lake in 2002 (Texas Parks & Wildlife study, 2005)

• 1.2 feet – the average DAILY southwestward movement of the river mouth 1990 – 1995 (COE study, 2002)

• 1.6 feet the average DAILY movement of the river mouth from 1995 – 2001 (COE study, 2002)

• 1,000 to 1,100 feet - the width of the mouth of the San Bernard at the Gulf in 1989 to 1995 (COE study, 2002)

• 8 ½ feet – the average depth of the mouth of the San Bernard at the Gulf in 1989 to 1995

• 200 feet – the width of the mouth of the San Bernard in 2002 (COE study, 2002)

• 4 feet – the average depth of the mouth of the San Bernard River in 2002 (COE study, 2002)

• 9.936 miles – the distance between the mouth of the Brazos River and the San Bernard River – 1928 (COE study 2002)

• 6.52 miles – the distance the mouth of the Brazos was moved in 1929 (COE study 2002)

• 3.416 miles – the distance between the mouth of the “new Brazos” and the mouth of the San Bernard River  - 1930 (COE study 2002)

• Early 1940’s – the time the Intracoastal Canal was completed from the Brazos to the San Bernard (COE study – 2002)

• 175 feet wide by 12 feet deep – design dimensions of the “old Intracoastal Canal” (Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association -GICA – 2005)

• 12 – the number of “ major accidents” at the east flood gate of the Brazos River  - 2005 (Congressman Ron Paul – 2006)

• 25 – the number of “major accidents” at the west flood gate of the Brazos River – 2005 (Congressman Ron Paul – 2006)

• 142,000 gallons – the liquid capacity of petroleum products of the average barge – (Kirby Corp. – 2005)

• 29 million tons – the annual cargo carried by barge in the Intracoastal Canal in Brazoria County – (GICA – 2005)

• 3 – the number of push boats sometimes needed to “push the current” and control one loaded barge through the west flood gate of the Brazos when the full flow of the San Bernard River collides with the incoming tide in the Brazos River – (GICA 2005)

• 235,000 cubic yards  - the amount of sand / silt discharged yearly into the Gulf  by the Brazos River – (COE  study 2002)

• 176,000 cubic yards  - the amount of sand / silt from the Brazos River carried SW by the long shore current yearly across the mouth of the San Bernard River – (COE study 2002) /

• 6,000 feet – the distance the mouth of the San Bernard River moved from 1990 to 2002 – ( COE study 2002)

• 600 feet wide by 7 ½ feet deep – the size of the re-opened channel of the mouth of the San Bernard River – ( Brazoria Co. Commissioner’s Court 2005)

• 4,000 pounds – the average daily Blue Crab harvest – June 1995 – 3 men, two boats (Daniel Aplin, commercial crabber at River’s End)

• 2,000 pounds – the daily Blue Crab Harvest goal that was NEVER MET in any single day, 2005 – 5 men, 3 boats, 50% more traps than set in 1005 – (Daniel Aplin, 2006)

• 36 – the average number of shrimp boats working out of the village of River’s End, 1985

• Zero – the number of shrimp boats working out of River’s End 2006

• 5 – the number of commercial fish houses, village of River’s End, 1985

• Zero – the number of fish houses in River’s End 2006

• 6 – the number of restaurants operating in the village of River’s End in 1985

• Zero – the number of restaurants in River’s End in 2006

• 3 – the number of convenience stores in the village of River’s End in 1985

• Zero – the number of convenience stores in River’s End 2006

• 11 – the number of bars / ice houses in the village of River’s End in 1985

• Zero – the number of  bars / ice houses in River’s End in 2006

• 10 – the number of bait houses in the village of River’s End in 1985

• Zero – the number of  bait houses in River’s End in 2006

• September 1943 – the date of completion of the west flood gate on the Brazos River – (COE study – 2001)

• 75 feet – the width of the west flood gate of the Brazos River – (COE study – 2001)

• 52 ½ feet – the width of the average barge – (Kirby Corporation – 2005)

• Closed – the position the floodgates should be in except to allow marine traffic passage  – ( COE study  - 2001)

• Open – the position of the floodgates “most of the time”  - (COE study – 2001)

• “Hazardous to safe navigation” – the mouth of the San Bernard River  - (COE study – 2001)

• 1985 – the year push boat captains started to complain of strong west to east currents at the west flood gate of the Brazos – (COE study – 2001)

• 1985 – the year when the sand from the Brazos formed a bar across the mouth of the San Bernard – (COE study – 2001)

• 50 % - the increase in the flow of water through the mouth of the San Bernard when the west flood gate is kept closed – (COE study – 2001)

• “Reduces water surface elevations” – what will happen during all flood events if a new outlet is provided for the San Bernard River – (COE study – 2001)

• Say what? – “Providing a new outlet for the San Bernard River reduces the velocity of water through the gates when the San Bernard and Brazos Rivers have low flow, 1,000 and 9,000 cfs (cubic feet per second) respectively. Maximum eastbound velocities at the floodgates are reduced from higher than 3 feet per second to less than 2 feet per second. Maximum velocities at the floodgates increase to 6 feet per second, an increase of more than 2 feet per second and remain westbound during high flow events.” – (COE study  - 2001)

• ? – Cost of this sentence: “A coastal process study is recommended to better understand the current behavior of the existing San Bernard River outlet as well as to find ways of achieving inlet stabilization.” – (COE  study – 2001)

• 90%  - the Blue Crab portion of the diet of an adult Whooping Crane necessary for successful Spring migration and breeding – (International Crane Foundation – 2006)

• 60% - the Blue Crab portion of the diet of an adult Whooping Crane in the winter of 2005 – 2006 in the Aransas Wildlife Refuge due to declining Blue Crab populations on the Central Gulf Coast – (Houston Chronicle – 2-23-2006)

• Chicken – what the residents of eastern Mexico will probably say a Whooping Crane tastes like when/if the birds move south looking for a Blue Crab diet – (Tom Lizardo, 2005)

• 0.06% -the gravel content of the core sample of the traditional mouth of the San Bernard River sand spit – (Coastal Technology Corp. – June, 2005)

• 96.07% -  fine-grained, quartz, yellow colored sand – the core sample of the traditional mouth of the San Bernard River sand spit -  (Coastal Technology Corp. – June, 2005)

• 3.87% - the size of the fines / silt (< # 200 screen) content of the core sample of the traditional mouth of the San Bernard River sand spit -  (Coastal Technology Corp. – June, 2005)

• 620,000 cu/yds. – the amount of sand to be removed from the traditional mouth of the San Bernard River for use in rebuilding Central Texas area beaches– (GLO sand source data base – March, 2005)

• 7 ½ hours – the amount of time that Tom Lizardo, Chief-of- Staff, Congressman Ron Paul’s office, spent at the village of River’s End studying the San Bernard River situation – October 2005

• Well, duh – “The opening of the mouth of the San Bernard River may have several impacts on the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge including erosion of beaches, decrease sediment loads in the marsh, and decrease in salinities. We have only incremental observations regarding the situation and no real basis for a judgment regarding any benefit or detriment to the ecology of the area.” – ( United States Dept. of the Interior letter to Congressman Ron Paul, December, 2005)

• 2 – the number of appropriations requests on behalf of the San Bernard River inserted into bills by Congressman Ron Paul in 2005 – Tom Lizardo

• 2 – the number of appropriations requests on behalf of the San Bernard River that were not funded due to expenses related to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita – Tom Lizardo

• 55% - the amount of the flow of the San Bernard River that DID NOT cross the Intracoastal Waterway , April 25, 2005 – (Texas Water Development Board, May, 2005)

• 70% - the amount of the flow of the San Bernard River that DID NOT cross the Intracoastal Waterway , April 26, 2005 – (Texas Water Development Board, May, 2005)

• 50% - the amount of the flow of the San Bernard River that DID NOT cross the Intracoastal Waterway , April 27, 2005 – (Texas Water Development Board, May, 2005)

• 6 – the number of “whereases” on the Resolution supporting the dredging of the mouth of the San Bernard River  - (Economic Development Alliance for Brazoria Co., 2005)

•  5 – the number of signatures on the Resolution of support for re-opening the San Bernard River from the Brazoria Co. Commissioner’s Court – ( Resolution 2005)