Resolution H.R. No. 942

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/billtext/html/HR00942F.htm

H.R. No. 942

	R E S O L U T I O N
	WHEREAS, Rising in Austin County southwest of Bellville, the
	San Bernard River crosses the Texas coastal plain, traveling
	approximately 120 miles toward the Gulf of Mexico along a route
	sandwiched between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers to the east and
	west, respectively; and
	WHEREAS, As they approach the coastline, all three of these
	rivers intersect the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), which links
	ports from Brownsville to Florida and serves as an artery for
	commercial transport of bulk commodities and as a means for
	inland-based fishing fleets to obtain outlets to Gulf waters; and
	WHEREAS, Modifications to the Brazos River channel, made by
	the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1929 to enhance navigation in
	and around Freeport, have had increasingly adverse effects on the
	natural flow of the nearby San Bernard River, changing the
	direction and pattern of its water movement and silt distribution;
	and
	WHEREAS, Over the next several decades, these changes caused
	the formation of a Brazos River delta; the resulting altered Gulf
	currents dumped coastal sediment in the direction of the San
	Bernard until the discharge reached that river and created a
	sandbar, forcing the river to swerve ever westward and downcoast
	from its original mouth to find an opening to the sea; and
	WHEREAS, The river grew increasingly sluggish as more of its
	water was diverted to the GIWW or to the Cedar Lakes area in the
	vicinity of the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge; as less water
	emptied into the Gulf, the decelerating and obstructed watercourse
	became clogged and blockaded until, presently, there is not much of
	a river mouth at all; and
	WHEREAS, Upriver of the GIWW, in the vicinity of Sweeny, is
	the ConocoPhillips refinery complex whose barge traffic, along with
	other industrial freight shipments in that upriver segment, have
	been affected by the San Bernard's increased siltation, requiring
	frequent passageway maintenance measures; and
	WHEREAS, Altered flow patterns and redirected water volumes
	slow San Bernard basin drainage in the aftermath of flood events,
	compared to years ago; moreover, they have generated serious
	nautical hazards both at the GIWW intersection and in
	capacity-stressed Brazos River floodgate areas; and
	WHEREAS, In addition, recreational boat and fishing vessel
	operators, who used to have a straight shot down the river to its
	original mouth, are now thwarted and what once was a bustling hub at
	the mouth has been almost completely boarded up as restaurants,
	convenience stores, bait shops, and other businesses closed and the
	formerly thriving population of shrimpers headquartered elsewhere;
	and
	WHEREAS, In 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published
	the results of its study of the science of, and reasons for, these
	various impacts and suggested that river closure could be reversed
	by periodically dredging a conduit through the sand accumulation,
	thereby reestablishing a mouth to the San Bernard River at its
	original location; and
	WHEREAS, Doing so would produce renewable supplies of sand
	for beach replenishment at other Texas locations where erosion
	rather than buildup is occurring, while restoring the San Bernard
	River to its natural state and averting the economic consequences
	and potential for flooding brought on by the waterway's current
	condition; now, therefore, be it
	RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas
	Legislature, endorsing the suggestions of the U.S. Army Corps of
	Engineers, hereby join with local, state, and federal officials in
	supporting efforts and pursuing funding to open the mouth of the San
	Bernard River.
	Bonnen

	______________________________
	Speaker of the House
	I certify that H.R. No. 942 was adopted by the House on April
	27, 2007, by a non-record vote.

	______________________________
	Chief Clerk of the House