Informing Environmental Flow Standards in Support of Wetlands in Big Boggy
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Date
2021-12-10
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Abstract
The Colorado River of Texas no longer provides direct freshwater flows to the wetlands of
East Matagorda Bay, and a few small basins, such as that of Big Boggy Creek, provide the only
inflowing freshwater. The upstream portions of the Big Boggy watershed were extensively
modified in the past and its freshwater inflows have been reduced, negatively affecting the
wetlands in this basin. The central objective of this project was to help identify environmental flow
standards for the Big Boggy coastal watershed and recommend potential restoration actions to
sustain its wetlands. I first identified wetland and land cover trends over the historical period to
today, finding that this watershed has lost more than half of its low marsh area since 1953. I then
quantified the flow rates into/out of the watershed and created a water budget, finding that relative
sea level rise and seasonal droughts are likely responsible for the historical loss of wetlands in this
watershed. I modeled both historical and future inflows, from the years 1953 to 2100, under various
scenarios. I developed a decision tool that can be used by natural resource managers to identify
the quantity of supplemental water that is needed to avoid the damaging effects of drought. Finally,
I recommend several potential restoration options within the Big Boggy NWR and adjacent lands
that will improve both flows and habitat.
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wetland ecology, coastal ecology, hydrology, land cover change, salt marsh ecology