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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Rising in Austin County southwest of Bellville, the |
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San Bernard River crosses the Texas coastal plain, traveling |
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approximately 120 miles toward the Gulf of Mexico along a route |
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sandwiched between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers to the east and |
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west, respectively; and |
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WHEREAS, As they approach the coastline, all three of these |
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rivers intersect the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), which links |
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ports from Brownsville to Florida and serves as an artery for |
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commercial transport of bulk commodities and as a means for |
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inland-based fishing fleets to obtain outlets to Gulf waters; and |
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WHEREAS, Modifications to the Brazos River channel, made by |
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the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1929 to enhance navigation in |
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and around Freeport, have had increasingly adverse effects on the |
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natural flow of the nearby San Bernard River, changing the |
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direction and pattern of its water movement and silt distribution; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Over the next several decades, these changes caused |
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the formation of a Brazos River delta; the resulting altered Gulf |
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currents dumped coastal sediment in the direction of the San |
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Bernard until the discharge reached that river and created a |
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sandbar, forcing the river to swerve ever westward and downcoast |
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from its original mouth to find an opening to the sea; and |
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WHEREAS, The river grew increasingly sluggish as more of its |
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water was diverted to the GIWW or to the Cedar Lakes area in the |
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vicinity of the San Bernard National Wildlife Refuge; as less water |
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emptied into the Gulf, the decelerating and obstructed watercourse |
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became clogged and blockaded until, presently, there is not much of |
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a river mouth at all; and |
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WHEREAS, Upriver of the GIWW, in the vicinity of Sweeny, is |
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the ConocoPhillips refinery complex whose barge traffic, along with |
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other industrial freight shipments in that upriver segment, have |
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been affected by the San Bernard's increased siltation, requiring |
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frequent passageway maintenance measures; and |
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WHEREAS, Altered flow patterns and redirected water volumes |
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slow San Bernard basin drainage in the aftermath of flood events, |
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compared to years ago; moreover, they have generated serious |
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nautical hazards both at the GIWW intersection and in |
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capacity-stressed Brazos River floodgate areas; and |
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WHEREAS, In addition, recreational boat and fishing vessel |
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operators, who used to have a straight shot down the river to its |
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original mouth, are now thwarted and what once was a bustling hub at |
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the mouth has been almost completely boarded up as restaurants, |
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convenience stores, bait shops, and other businesses closed and the |
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formerly thriving population of shrimpers headquartered elsewhere; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, In 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published |
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the results of its study of the science of, and reasons for, these |
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various impacts and suggested that river closure could be reversed |
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by periodically dredging a conduit through the sand accumulation, |
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thereby reestablishing a mouth to the San Bernard River at its |
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original location; and |
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WHEREAS, Doing so would produce renewable supplies of sand |
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for beach replenishment at other Texas locations where erosion |
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rather than buildup is occurring, while restoring the San Bernard |
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River to its natural state and averting the economic consequences |
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and potential for flooding brought on by the waterway's current |
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condition; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature, endorsing the suggestions of the U.S. Army Corps of |
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Engineers, hereby join with local, state, and federal officials in |
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supporting efforts and pursuing funding to open the mouth of the San |
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Bernard River. |
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Bonnen |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 942 was adopted by the House on April |
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27, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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