Mouth Photos

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The Mouth is Closed.

Photos of the Mouth then and now

A Chronological Pictorial Progression to the Closing of the Mouth

…You can click some photo for a larger version…

2002: the mouth ran straight out to the Gulf
at depths such that shrimp boats navigated through it.

I found this photo at the website of
http://www.texas-flyer.com/pierce/default.htm
where he states that the photo is taken in 2002.

May 2005: A sandbar blocks the entrance to the Gulf.
You can walk across the mouth.
Photo by E. Kenneda on flight with Mickey C.

November 3, 2005:
 This is the one that shows the huge beach in front of the river.
It shows how the river necks down;
it shows the islands in the river,
and the beach forming in front of the river;  and the tiny river mouth.
Look on down the beach -
that's the cut in the 4th Cedar Lake.
See how much bigger it is than the river mouth?
Photo by Louis Jones,
Manager of the Brazoria County Airport
Photo and info via Roy and Jan Edwards.
November 21, 2005 : The mouth is closed.
No Flow to the Gulf of Mexico
  • In August 2002, the USACE report states
    hat the mouth of the San Bernard River was traditionally
    maintained at 1,100 feet wide by 8 1/2 feet deep , until 1990.
     
  • By 2002, the mouth was 6,000 feet SW of its original
    location, and was 200 feet wide by 4 feet deep.
     
  • On 11-21-05, between noon and 1 p.m.
    Low tide was still 2 hours away. These photos were taken:
Picture #1

Picture #1 shows the San Bernard River at its
exit into the Gulf of Mexico. picture #1 shows
the San Bernard River at its exit into the Gulf
of Mexico. The kayak paddle across the mouth
of the river for scale is 7 feet, 7 inches long. 		Picture #2

Picture #2 was taken about a hundred yards
upstream from the mouth

Picture #3
Picture #3 was taken about 300 yards
upstream from the mouth.

At this height, there is no flow from the San Bernard River going into the Gulf of
Mexico. The river is no longer capable of exiting through its traditional mouth into the Gulf.
 

Photos and text from Roy & Jan Edwards
November 23, 2005: There is no trickle out to the Gulf.
Very sad.



 Photos from Roy & Jan Edwards
January 7, 2006
 "The river stops completely approx. 200 yards short of the Gulf. I took several pictures, and left a couple at 2 J's Cafe. We went at high tide, even though it was still a little below normal. It is pretty bad, not sure a good high tide would make much difference." M Manley


Photo by M. Manley

"The River comes to an abrupt stop 200 yards shy of the Gulf. You can see the channel ( if you want to call it that) where there is supposed to be water. Unfortunately, there was none there. We were down there at 4 PM today during High tide."  M Manley

Photo by M. Manley
January 7, 2006: The larger version of this photo also shows the mouth completely closed...not a trickle goes out the mouth. Soon, we won't even know where the mouth used to be.
Click photo to enlarge.
Photo by pilot, John Crosley

 
March 2006

Photos are courtesy of Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association taken in March 2006.
<Click either photo for a larger version>


Photos are courtesy of
Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association

 
April 12, 2006

The Dead End Mouth of the San Bernard River
Photo by Mark Hazelrigg
May 7, 3006

You can see the dead end of the mouth in the first stream
to the right of the Gulf.

Photo by Shane Pirtle
May 13, 2006

The mouth dead ends far short of the Gulf. You can barely
see the boat in the Gulf on the horizon
Photo by Eileen Kenneda
May 18, 2006

There are several excellent photos of the San Bernard mouth taken by
Richard L. Watson, Ph.D., Consulting Geologist, http://TexasCoastGeology.com

Click thumbnail below to see this and others.
These are very good photos!!
Dr. Watson has given us permission to link to them on the web
and to use them in presentations, with credit.