1st Session.

No. 235.

NUECES RIVER, TEX.

LETTER

FROM

THE ACTING SECRETARY OF WAR,

TRANSMITTING,

WITH A LETTER FROM THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, REPORT ON EXAMINATION OF NUECES RIVER, TEX.

SEPTEMBER 12, 1913.-Referred to the Committee on Rivers and Harbors and ordered to be printed.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 11, 1913.

The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a letter from the Chief of Engineers, United States Army, dated September 9, instant, together with copy of a report from Lieut. Col. C. S. Riché, Corps of Engineers, dated July 26, 1913, on a preliminary examination of Nueces River, Tex., made by him in compliance with the provisions of the river and harbor act approved July 26, 1913.

Very respectfully,

HENRY BRECKINRIDGE,
Acting Secretary of War.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF ENGINEERS,

Washington, September 9, 1913.

From: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

To: The Secretary of War.

Subject: Preliminary examination of Nueces River, Tex.

1. There is submitted herewith, for transmission to Congress, report dated July 26, 1913, by Lieut. Col. C. S. Riché, Corps of Engineers, on preliminary examination of Nueces River, Tex., called for by the river and harbor act approved July 25, 1912.

2. The Nueces River rises in Edwards County, Tex., flows southeasterly some 350 miles, and empties into Nueces Bay. At a point about 10 miles above the bay the river is obstructed by a dam without a lock. There is no water-borne commerce below this dam, but on the stretch of about 9 miles above it there is a small commerce not exceeding 2,500 tons per year. In view of the limited amount of tonnage affected by water transportation and the high cost necessary to obtain the improvement, as well as for other reasons given, the district officer is of opinion that Nueces River is not worthy of improvement by the General Government at the present time. The division engineer concurs in this opinion.

3. This report has been referred, as required by law, to the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, and attention is invited to its accompanying report of August 26, 1913, concurring in the views expressed by the district officer and the division engineer.

4. After due consideration of the above-mentioned reports, I concur with the views of the district officer, the division engineer, and the Board of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors, that the improvement by the United States of Nueces River, Tex., in the manner apparently desired by the interests concerned, is not deemed advisable at the present time.

WM. T. ROSSELL,

Chief of Engineers, United States Army.

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS.

[Third indorsement.]

THE BOARD OF ENGINEERS FOR RIVERS AND HARBORS,

August 26, 1913.

To the CHIEF OF ENGINEERS, UNITED STATES ARMY. 1. The Nueces River rises in Edwards County, Tex., and empties into Nueces Bay. The bay is very shallow, having depths of from less than 1 foot to 2 feet.

2. The part of the river considered in this report extends about 19 miles from the mouth and is divided into two sections by a dam without a lock constructed under authority of the War Department at a point 10 miles above the bay. The lower section passes through a country devoted to the growth of vegetables and fruits and does not make any use of water transportation. On the upper section there is a small commerce not exceeding 2,500 tons per year. The purpose of the dam is to exclude the salt water of Nueces Bay from the fresh water reservoir formed by the dam, the fresh water being used by the city of Corpus Christi, and also for irrigation purposes. At the head of the upper section there is a raft which completely blocks the river, and above this point the stream is rendered unnavigable by other rafts and trees.

3. In view of the limited amount of tonnage affected by water transportation and the high cost necessary to obtain the improvement, and for other reasons stated, the district officer regards Nueces River as unworthy of improvement by the General Government, and in this view the division engineer concurs.

4. Interested parties were advised of the unfavorable tenor of the district officer's report and given an opportunity of submitting their

views to the board, but no communications on the subject have been received.

5. From the description given herein it is apparent that to make the Nueces River available for general commerce and navigation would require extensive work in the bay as well as in the river itself, and that but little commerce would be benefited by such an improvement. The board therefore concurs with the district officer and the division engineer in the opinion that it is not advisable for the United States at this time to undertake any improvement of the Nueces River.

6. In compliance with law, the board reports that there are no questions of terminal facilities, waterpower, or other related subjects having any material bearing upon the improvement of navigation at this locality. For the board:

W. M. BLACK,

Colonel, Corps of Engineers,
Senior Member of the Board.

PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF NUECES RIVER, TEX.

UNITED STATES ENGINEER OFFICE,
Galveston, Tex., July 26, 1913.

From: The District Engineer Officer,

To: The Chief of Engineers, United States Army. (Through the Division Engineer.)

Subject: Preliminary Examination of Nueces River, Tex.

1. In compliance with instructions dated August 3, 1912, the following report on the recent examination of the Nueces River to determine the advisability of improving the same for the present and future needs of navigation is submitted.

2. The Nueces River rises in Edwards County, Tex., and flows southeasterly some 350 miles into Nueces Bay.

3. The portion of the river examined is divided into two sections by a dam situated about 10 miles above the mouth. The entrance from Corpus Christi Bay is through Nueces Bay, a distance of 81 miles. This bay is extremely shallow, not having more than 2 feet of water, and a distance of 2 miles from the mouth of the river is less than 1 foot. From the mouth to mile 10 the river passes through a country devoted to vegetable and fruit growing and does not furnish any commerce to water transportation.

4. At mile 10 there is a dam existing under a temporary permit from the Secretary of War, issued July 3, 1907. The purpose of this dam is to exclude the salt water of Nueces Bay from the fresh water reservoir formed by this dam. This fresh-water reservoir forms the water supply of the city of Corpus Christi and also furnishes water for irrigating the adjacent lands and a large part of the lands immediately below the dam. The establishment of a lock will not entirely overcome the difficulty, as at the time of drought the level of the water above the dam is lower than the mean low tide level of Nueces Bay, hence locking operations would bring in salt water and contaminate the water supply of Corpus Christi.