Neches River Monitoring

For over 50 years independent academic and scientific institutions have conducted periodic monitoring studies of the lower Neches estuary. During October 2003, the Patrick Center for Environmental Research of the Academy of Natural Sciences completed the sixth in a series of biological and water quality surveys.

Previous studies were performed in 1953, 1956, 1960, 1973 and 1996. For over half a century Patrick Center scientists have been using state-of-the-art biological and chemical surveys to assess water quality in a wide range of rivers, lakes and streams around the world.

In addition to the Academy river surveys, Dr. Richard C. Harrell from Lamar University has also conducted an ongoing series of complementary biological studies of the Neches River. Lamar's close proximity affords a unique opportunity to monitor seasonal changes in water quality over an extended period of time.

neches river study timeline
Illustration of key historic milestones in the development of the natural resources within the lower Neches watershed. Comprehensive environmental monitoring studies, conducted since the early 1950s by the Academy and Lamar University, have provided invaluable scientific data for water resource planning and environmental stewardship throughout the region.

The Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA), Jefferson County Waterway & Navigation District, ExxonMobil and DuPont jointly sponsored the most recent river survey. The study was designed to assess the general “health” of the river by taking water quality measurements, and sampling the attached algae, macroinvertebrate and fish communities. Many levels of the aquatic food web are studied because no single group can reliably indicate the condition of an ecosystem.

Neches River
The lower Neches River and estuary contain a wide variety of aquatic habitats, from open water to complex marsh ecosystems. Marsh edges contain numerous macroinvertebrates and fish that rely on this habitat to live and reproduce. The historic biological surveys conducted by the Academy and Lamar University evaluate many levels of the lower Neches River food web and are a valuable tool used to assess the "health" of the river. (Photo by Roger Thomas.)