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Galveston Bay

Bays of TexasBodies of water of Chambers County, TexasBodies of water of Galveston County, TexasBodies of water of Harris County, TexasEstuaries of Texas
Galveston Bay AreaRegions of Texas
Galveston Bay Landsat
Galveston Bay Landsat

Galveston Bay ( GAL-vis-tən) is a bay in the western Gulf of Mexico along the upper coast of Texas. It is the seventh-largest estuary in the United States, and the largest of seven major estuaries along the Texas Gulf Coast. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropical marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water, which supports a wide variety of marine life. With a maximum depth of about 10 feet (3 m) and an average depth of only 6 feet (2 m), it is unusually shallow for its size. The bay has played a significant role in the history of Texas. Galveston Island is home to the city of Galveston, the earliest major settlement in southeast Texas and the state's largest city toward the end of the nineteenth century. While a devastating hurricane in 1900 hastened Galveston's decline, the subsequent rise of Houston as a major trade center, facilitated by the dredging of the Houston Ship Channel across the western half of the bay, ensured the bay's continued economic importance.Today, Galveston Bay is encompassed by Greater Houston, the fifth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The Port of Houston, which has facilities spread across the northwestern section of the bay, is the second-busiest port in the nation by overall tonnage. Other major ports utilizing the bay include the Port of Texas City and the Port of Galveston. With its diverse marine life, Galveston Bay also produces more seafood than any estuary in the United States except the Chesapeake.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Galveston Bay (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 29.569722222222 ° E -94.936666666667 °
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Address

Chambers County (Chambers)



Texas, United States
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Galveston Bay Landsat
Galveston Bay Landsat
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Nearby Places

San Jacinto River (Texas)
San Jacinto River (Texas)

The San Jacinto River ( SAN jə-SIN-toh, Spanish pronunciation: [ˈri.o ˈsaŋ xaˈsinto]) flows through southeast Texas. It is named after Saint Hyacinth. In the past, it was home to the Karankawa and Akokisa tribes. The river begins with a west and east fork; the west fork begins in Walker County, to the west of Huntsville, and flows southeast through Montgomery County, where it is dammed to create Lake Conroe. The east fork begins in San Jacinto County, a few miles west of Lake Livingston, then flows south through Cleveland. The confluence of the west and east forks occurs in northeast Harris County, where the river is dammed to create Lake Houston. Continuing southward, the river merges with Buffalo Bayou before the mouth of Galveston Bay, forming part of the Houston Ship Channel.The Battle of San Jacinto was fought near the rain-swollen Buffalo Bayou in what is now Harris County during the 1836 Texas Revolution. The decisive victory gave rise to the Republic of Texas. The site is now a state historic park. The park is the site of the San Jacinto Monument. In October 1994, flooding along the San Jacinto River led to the failure of eight petroleum-products pipelines, and the undermining of a number of other pipelines. The escaping products were ignited, leading to smoke inhalation and/or burn injuries of 547 people.In 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the San Jacinto River waste pits to the federal Superfund cleanup list. In 2017, flooding related to Hurricane Harvey damaged the protective barrier at the San Jacinto River Waste Pits site, releasing dioxins into the river. The EPA ordered International Paper and McGinnis Industrial Maintenance Corp to pay $115 million to clean up the contaminated site.