TEXAS COAST AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

High resolution digital copies of many of these photographs are available for sale. You may purchase a digital photo in the highest resolution that I have for $25.00 for personal use or for use in your presentations.  The charge will be $150 for use in publications or for commercial reproduction.  Contact me  to purchase photos.  These photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Richard L. Watson.  They may not be copied or used without permission.  You may however link to this website from your website or by email.  

These photographs are copyrighted and are the property of Richard L. Watson.  They may not be copied or used without permission.  You may however link to this website from your website or by email. 

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Colorado River Entrance 3/4/2012


Colorado River Entrance 3/4/2012


Colorado River Entrance 3/4/2012


Colorado River Entrance 3/4/2012



Colorado River Entrance 7/13/2011



Colorado River Entrance 7/13/2011


Colorado River Entrance 7/13/2011



Colorado River Entrance 3/11/2011

Dredge material is being used to fill in the eroded embayment on the south side of the channel.  It looks like it is being retained by a sand dike.  It will be interesting to see if this area remains stable.




Colorado River Entrance 3/11/2011

Note how large the new Colorado River Delta is growing into Matagorda Bay.  This is sand which would have continued to nourish Matagorda Peninsula if the river had not been diverted into the bay in 1992.



Colorado River Entrance 1/6/2011

The dredge is at the end of the jetties and placing dredge material to the south at the bottom of the photo.

Colorado River Entrance 1/6/2011

It looks like the area between the jetties adjacent to the sea level portion of the NE jetty is rapidly filling.  This is an indicator of how much sand was flowing into the channel prior to construction of the new center jetty and how well that new jetty is keeping sand out of the navigation channel.




Colorado River Entrance 10/29/2010

The new jetty (in the middle) has been completed and the channel is being dredged.   The new jetty was placed to narrow the channel so that flow can help keep the channel swept clear of sand and to trap sand from the updrift direction (right in this photo) which was able to pass over the submerged 1000 feet of the old East jetty.



Colorado River Entrance 10/29/2010

Here you can see the large amount of sand that has already been accumulated on the new East jetty (the middle one).

Colorado River Entrance 10/29/2010

You can plainly see the submerged portion of the old East jetty which has a pier above it.  The waves show that it allowed all of the sand carried from East to West to flow over the jetty and into the channel.



Colorado River Entrance 10/29/2010

You can see the dredge in the channel.  It is dumping the dredged material on to the beach on the West side of the jetty.

Colorado River Entrance 6/28/2010

Work continues on the new east jetty.  The crud in the water is probably decomposing Sargassum and not oil.  It looks like the bar between the new jetty and the old jetty is growing.

Colorado River Entrance 6/28/2010



Colorado River Entrance 6/28/2010




Colorado River Entrance 6/28/2010

Colorado River Entrance 4/8/2010

Note the new jetty being built between the existing jetties.  This is necessary because the original E. jetty was built with the shoreward end at about MLW.  That allowed sand to bypass the jetty and clog the channel.  In addition, the channel was too narrow to generate strong enough ebb currents to keep the channel swept clear of sand.  This was not a big problem until 1992 when the river was diverted to flow into Matagorda Bay, instead of directly into the Gulf.  With the natural flushing action of the river flow removed, the pass entrance shoaled rapidly requiring twice as much dredging as before the river was diverted.  By the late 1990s, it was taking about $2 million per year to keep the entrance open.  It is hoped that the narrower channel which is now constrained between the old W jetty and the new, closer, E jetty will maintain flow sufficient to keep the entrance open.  In addition, the new jetty will not pass sand along the beach into the old channel as did the old E jetty.



Colorado River Entrance 4/8/2010


Colorado River Entrance 4/8/2010

Colorado River Entrance 4/8/2010


Colorado River Entrance 9/14/2009



Colorado River Entrance 9/14/2009


Colorado River Entrance 3/16/2009



Colorado River Entrance 10/28/2008



Colorado River Entrance 10/28/2008

Notice the wave refraction and difraction.


Colorado River Entrance 2/27/2008

Colorado River Entrance 2/27/2008


Colorado River Entrance 2/27/2008


Colorado River Entrance 2/27/2008

Colorado River Entrance  11/5/2007



Colorado River Entrance 10/24/2007


 

Colorado River Entrance 10/24/2007



Colorado River Entrance 4/26/2007


Colorado River Entrance 4/26/2007


Colorado River Entrance 4/15/2007

Note the huge bar.




Colorado River Entrance 1/11/2007
Note that there is a breaking bar across the entry channel.  Also a huge spit has built out from east to west along the shoreline and is pinching the base of the channel closed.  It looks like the channel is probably only navigable by shallow draft boats.  


Colorado River Entrance 1/11/2007

Note that the spit crossing the channel from east to west has forced tidal currents agains the west side of the channel and is eroding the channel in an arc to the west just inland of the base of the west jetty.


Colorado River Entrance, 5/18/2006


Colorado River Entrance, 5/18/2006


Colorado River Entrance, 5/18/2006


Colorado River Entrance, January 2003


Colorado River Entrance submerged east jetty, 2003


Colorado River Entrance, submerged east jetty


Colorado River Entrance Submerged east jetty, 1996


Colorado River Entrance, $2 million dredging every year