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Why Predict Water Levels Along the Texas Coast?

John F Kennedy Causeway, Corpus Christi, Post Fay Conditions (September 2002) Photograph Courtesy of TGLO

The knowledge of future water levels is important to coastal communities for a number of reasons including emergency management, engineering activities, safety, economic factors, and recreation. The prediction of the magnitude of anticipated coastal flooding can assist communities in avoiding dangerous low-lying regions or evacuating such regions in a timely fashion.

Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at Galveston Photo Courtesy of USACE

The shipping industry is particularly impacted by changes in water levels, since the amount of cargo carried into Texas ports depends on the depth of the waterways. For example, tankers potentially must unload a portion of their cargo before entering ship channels. Mariners in general and specifically commercial fishermen and anglers rely on water level forecasts for safe navigation in the shallow nearshore waters.

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