Cedar Bayou, Texas
Encyclopedia
Cedar Bayou is an area in east central Harris County
, Texas
, United States
.
Some of the area is unincorporated
; portions are within Baytown
.
originates north of highway 90, between Lake Houston
and Dayton, TX. The upper reaches of the Bayou's watershed are primarily rural or agricultural, with large undeveloped/wooded areas in its middle, and urban areas (including the urban center of Baytown, TXin the lower reaches. The mouth of the Bayou widens into a series of small lakes before flowing into the Galveston Bay
system.
Cedar Bayou is listed as being impaired for certain water quality issues, including bacteria, impaired macrobenthic communities, and PCBs and Dioxins in edible fish tissue. In response to these issues and other local concerns, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
and the Houston-Galveston Area Council
are working with local partners, organizations, and residents to create a watershed protection plan. This non-regulatory process will provide local stakeholders with the ability to address these issues.
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Some of the area is unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
; portions are within Baytown
Baytown, Texas
Baytown is a city within Harris County and partially in Chambers County in the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. state of Texas. Located within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, it lies along both State Highway 146 and Interstate 10. As of 2010, Baytown had an population of 71,802...
.
Watershed character and water quality
Cedar Bayou, the area's namesake water body, is a slow moving coastal waterway with both tidal and non-tidal reaches. Its watershedDrainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
originates north of highway 90, between Lake Houston
Lake Houston
Lake Houston is a reservoir on the west fork of the San Jacinto River, 15 miles northeast of downtown Houston, Texas, USA. The reservoir is the secondary municipal water supply for the city of Houston after Lake Livingston....
and Dayton, TX. The upper reaches of the Bayou's watershed are primarily rural or agricultural, with large undeveloped/wooded areas in its middle, and urban areas (including the urban center of Baytown, TXin the lower reaches. The mouth of the Bayou widens into a series of small lakes before flowing into the Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay
Galveston Bay is a large estuary located along the upper coast of Texas in the United States. It is connected to the Gulf of Mexico and is surrounded by sub-tropic marshes and prairies on the mainland. The water in the Bay is a complex mixture of sea water and fresh water which supports a wide...
system.
Cedar Bayou is listed as being impaired for certain water quality issues, including bacteria, impaired macrobenthic communities, and PCBs and Dioxins in edible fish tissue. In response to these issues and other local concerns, the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board is a state agency of Texas, headquartered in Temple. The agency enforces the state's soil and water conservation laws and coordinates conservation and nonpoint source pollution abatement programs. The Texas State Legislature created the agency in...
and the Houston-Galveston Area Council
Houston-Galveston Area Council
The Houston-Galveston Area Council is a voluntary association of cities, counties and special districts in the Greater Houston area of Southeast Texas...
are working with local partners, organizations, and residents to create a watershed protection plan. This non-regulatory process will provide local stakeholders with the ability to address these issues.