Attoyac Bayou
| Attoyac Bayou | ||
| Water code | US : 1388207 | |
| location | Texas , USA | |
| River system | Sabine Pass | |
| Drain over | Angelina River → Neches River → Sabine Pass → Gulf of Mexico | |
| source |
Rusk County 31 ° 56 ′ 31 ″ N , 94 ° 38 ′ 31 ″ W. |
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| muzzle | in the Sam Rayburn Reservoir Coordinates: 31 ° 23 '7 " N , 94 ° 19' 23" W 31 ° 23 '7 " N , 94 ° 19' 23" W.
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| length | 97 km | |
 Satellite image of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir . upper branch on the left: the mouth of the Attoyac Bayou |
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Attoyac Bayou is a rural body of water in eastern Texas . Its current length is almost 97 kilometers. The source is in Rusk County . In the further course the water forms the district boundary between the counties Rusk and Shelby , Nacogdoches and Shelby as well as Nacogdoches and San Augustine . Near the district boundary between the latter, it flows into the Angelina River, which is dammed in the region of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir . There are several East Texas small towns on the edge of the bayous. The catchment area of the Bayou is considered to be an important sub- watershed within the East Texas river landscape.
description
With a length of almost 97 kilometers, the Attoyac Bayou is one of the larger small rivers in the East Texas pine and hardwood region. It rises at position 31 ° 57 'N, 94 ° 36' W northeast of the small town of Mount Enterprise in Rusk County. Flowing in a south direction, it forms the border between Nacogdoches County in the west and the counties Shelby and San Augustine east of the river. Originally flowing directly into the Angelina River, the estuary is now a tributary of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir - a large reservoir that was completed in 1965 and which dams the Angelina River south of the two counties of Nacogdoches and San Augustine. The area around the Attoyac Bayou is characterized by thick forest ; the predominant flora are pine and hardwood trees . The surrounding terrain is flat to slightly hilly. The loamy soil is suitable for both agricultural and forestry purposes. On its course, Attoyac Bayou passes several important small towns in the region: Garrison and Chireno (both Nacogdoches Counties ), Stockman (Shelby County) and New Hope (San Augustine County).
Historically, the region around Attoyac Bayou belongs to the part of Texas that was first opened up by Anglo-American settlers . The body of water lies roughly in the middle between the (formerly) north Mexican provincial capital Nacogdoches (distance: about 25 kilometers) and the Ayish Bayou (distance: about 20 kilometers) - the east neighboring river, on the banks of which the first colonists from the USA settled permanently. An important road that crossed Attoyac Bayou was the Old San Antonio Road - a historic highway that connected the northern Texas settlements with northern Mexico and led from Louisiana via San Augustine , Nacogdoches and San Antonio to the northern Mexican province of Coahuila . An old riverside village is the parish of Attoyac in Nacogdoches County - a town founded in 1836, the population of which has decreased to a few dozen since the beginning of the 20th century and which currently has the status of a scattered parish with isolated houses.
Timber mining is economically decisive for the region . Most of the refuges near the river are owned by large logging companies . The lower part of Attoyac Bayou, which flows into the Sam Rayburn Reservoir, is framed on both sides by the Angelina National Forest . This section hosts water and recreational activities almost all year round . Agriculture is a determining factor for the local economy . The main focus here is on dairy farming and chicken farming . Furthermore, there is the classified as a sub-watershed of the river basin in the wider catchment area of larger oil and natural gas - assisted areas - especially the East Texas oilfield in western Rusk County, one of the largest oil fields in the US inland. In addition, there is a small oil field - the Oil Strings Oilfield - not far from the estuary to the northwest of the Sam Rayburn Reservoir. More concentrated natural gas deposits are found primarily on the western upper reaches of the river in the northeast corner of Nacogdoches County.
The water quality of the Attoyac Bayou has long been under critical observation by the Texan authorities. As early as the late 1990s, quality monitoring showed infestations with faecal bacteria - in particular a coli bacteria level that clearly exceeded the current standards and was classified as questionable with regard to its use as drinking water . The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) included the Attoyac Bayou in the 300 (d) list of problematic waters in 2004. In addition, traces of ammonia were found in the river in 2008 , which also exceeded the state's screening limit. In order to tackle the environmental protection problems of the water body, an assessment and planning project was founded, which should initiate measures for effective water protection .
Individual evidence
- ^ A b An Analysis of Texas Waterways - Attoyac Bayou . Texas Parks & Wildlife, accessed October 17, 2018
- ↑ Attoyac Bayou . Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), June 9, 2010 (English)
- ↑ Exact river course: see county maps in the portal of the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) for the counties Rusk , Nacogdoches , Shelby and San Augustine (both PDF; caption: Engl.)
- ↑ Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection , Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership, July 2014, page 6 ff. (PDF, Engl.)
- ↑ Old San Antonio Road . Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), June 15, 2010 (Eng)
- ↑ Attoyac, TX . Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), June 9, 2010 (English)
- ↑ Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection , Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership, July 2014, page 13 f. (PDF, Engl.)
- ↑ Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership . Texas Water Resources Institute, accessed October 17, 2018
- ↑ Attoyac Bayou Watershed Protection , Attoyac Bayou Watershed Partnership, July 2014, Introduction (PDF, Engl.)