Bl rant

[mr crab]

A quote from the study that was eye opening to me.
Construction of the GIWW significantly altered regional hydrology by connecting the
two major ship channels. Prior to the construction of the GIWW, the Calcasieu and Sabine
estuaries were mostly distinct and were more influenced by the Calcasieu and Sabine rivers,
respectively. The Gum Cove Ridge once separated the Sabine Basin from the Calcasieu
Basin, with little water exchange between the basins. A combination of events dramatically
altered the hydrology of what was once the separate Calcasieu and Sabine basins, merging
them into the present-day Calcasieu-Sabine Basin. Removing the mouth bars and deepening
the CSC and the Sabine-Neches channels, as well as the GIWW and interior canals bisecting
the Gum Cove Ridge (Figure 25), made the region hydrologically indistinct, which caused
water flow and salinity patterns of one basin to profoundly affect those patterns of the other
basin. In addition to effectively combining the two basins, the GIWW cut off all of the
natural bayous and upland sheet flow that historically affected marshes, and channelized
more freshwater inflow more directly to the Gulf of Mexico, partially bypassing the marshes.
Table 11 provides a detailed history of hydrologic alterations to the GIWW.