Computed discharges at five sites in lower Laguna Madre near Port Isabel, Texas, June 1997

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), and Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) are charged by the Texas Legislature with determining freshwater inflows required to maintain the ecological health of streams, bays, and estuaries in Texas. To determine required inflows, the three agencies collect data and conduct studies on the needs for freshwater inflows to estuaries. The TWDB uses estuarine hydrodynamic and conservativetransport computer models to predict the effects of altering freshwater inflows on estuarine circulation and salinity. To calibrate these models, a variety of water-quality and discharge data are needed.