TPWD 1955 F-9-R-3 #121: Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species Present, as well as Their Distribution in the Nueces River, its Tributaries and Watershed, Lying within Edwards, Real, Uvalde

--- Page 1 --- STATE Texas PROJECT NO. FOR3 - Job B-12 PERIOD July 1, 1955 - June 30, 1956 Job Completion Report Elgin M. C. Dietz - Project Leader Fred G. Lowman Jr. - Assistant Project Leader TITLE Basic Survey and Inventory of Fish Species Present, as well as Their Distribution in the Nueces River, its Tributaries and Watershed, Lying within Edwards, Real, Uvalde, and Kinney Counties, Texas. OBJECTIVES To gather fundamental data on the above waters in regard to their physical, chemical and biological aspects. To determine the distribution of fish species present, their relative abundance and the ecological factors influencing their distribution. COOPERATING AGENCIES Texas Board of Water Engineers United States Geological Survey METHODS During the course of the survey, the 28 collections made consisted of 8 gill nets and 20 seining collections. Gill net collections were made with experi- mental nets 125 feet long, hanging eight feet in the water. The mesh ranged from one to three inches square, graduating = inch each 25 feet. It was difficult in many instances to locate a section of the river to accommodate the net, but a fairly even coverage was obtained. The seining collections were made with 26 by 6 feet bag seines, ral mesh, and common sense seines having a 1/8" mesh, four feet deep with the ‘length varying from four to ten feet. A majority of the fish were preserved in 10% formalin solution and returned to the laboratory for identification and tabulation. In instances where large num- bers of a single species were collected, they were counted, recorded, and returned to the river. The cooperation of Dr. Clark Hubbs, Department of Zoology, University of Texas, and W. H. Brown, Assistant Chief Aquatic Biologist, Texas Game and Fish Commission, in the verification and identification of many species was greatly appre- ciated. The game warden of each county of the watershed was especially helpful. They were very cooperative in assisting with the finding of suitable station loca- tions, and getting permission from land owners to carry on survey work. A water analysis, made in the field, included air temperature, water temp- erature, pH, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide and alkalinity. The analysis was made at 17 of the 25 stations. --- Page 2 --- Data pertaining to river flow was obtained from United States Geological Survey and The Texas Board of Water Engineers. HISTORY The watershed of the Nueces was the home of the Jumano Indians, a tribe of the Comanche Nation. The first white people to see the Nueces River were the members of Cabeza de Vaca's expedition. Moscoso's Spanish expedition crossed the river in 1542. The first semi-permanent white men in the area was Father Salas and & group of soldiers in 1629. This Christianizing of the Indians failed at that time. Spaniards then began to raid the Indians, hearing that gold and pearls were abundant in the area. The old name of the river was Rio de las Perlas. When the stream was first called the Nueces, is not known. The word Nueces is Spanish. The literal translation of the word is nut, but is generally used to refer to the pecan specifically. The settlement of San Antonio in 1718 was probably the opening of the country to settlers, however, as late as 1845 the area occupied by Uvalde county was very sparsely settled. It was still the hunting grounds of the Comanche. In 1844, the town of Castroville, some 55 miles east of the present loca- tion of Uvalde, was settled by about 500 French and Alsatians under the lead of Count Henri de Castro. This group then spread west and the town of D'Hanis was established. In 1849 two forts were established in the area. One, Fort Lincoln, near D'Hanis and the other, Fort Inge, two miles south of Uvalde near Inge mountain. After the establishment of the forts, the area was populated rather rapidly, largely by people of German descent. The primary occupation was ranching, as it is today. In 1856 the town of Uvalde was founded. Since that time the settlement has gradually increased, the larger ranches being broken up to make room for more families, in the way typical of the latter settling of most of western areas. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS The upper part of the Nueces River is divided into two forks. The West Fork of the Nueces, flowing southeasterly, drains the south central portion of Edwards County, the northeast portion of Kinney County, and a small portion of western Uvalde County. Its length is approximately 100 river miles before its confluence with the East Fork 11 miles northwest of the city of Uvalde. The West Fork seldom flows, but a few permanent holes are along its course. The East Fork, being the main fork, has its beginning with a spring in northwestern Real County. Approximately nine miles east of Rocksprings, there is a spring on Hackberry Creek which gives the Nueces a major part of its water in the northernmost reaches. The river collects water from many small springs in the river bed over the entire Edwards Plateau section. Pulliam Creek, just north of Campwood, Real County, contributes an appreciable amount to the Nueces’ flow. Inmany places the flow will enter a permeable material and re- emerge some miles downstream. This materially affects the flow in parts of the river. The river, on its southerly course through the rather rugged hills of the Edwards Plateau, forms the southern half of the western county line of Real County, except for 4 short distance below Barksdale. It then enters the northwest corner of Uvalde County, and flows southeast through the western half of the county to the Uvalde-Zavala County line, which is the southern limit of Region 7-B, Texas. A survey is now being made from this point to its mouth by the Biologist of Region 8-B. A map is attached to facilitate locating areas discussed in this report. --- Page 3 --- In Region 7-B, except for a small portion of the river south of U. S. High- way 90, the entire river basin is within the Edwards Plateau. In the upper reaches of the Nueces, where canyons in many places are only 100 to 200 feet wide and the bottom is bed rock, there are many dams three to six feet in height. These dams have been constructed by land owners adjacent to the stream. Natural pools are rather frequent in the river. The bottoms of these pools are generally gravel but some are scoured to bed rock, to be filled with gravel on the next rise while others are scoured out. The riffle areas have gravel and in some instances bed rock bottoms. There are no falls which would be an obstruction to fish movement. Northwest of Uvalde, the Nueces emerges from the narrow canyons of the Edwards into its much wider bed of the coastal prairie. The flood plains in this area are often one-half mile wid. There occurs between Laguna and the mouth of the West Nueces, the Balcones Fault, which is a large intake area for the Edwards limestone. This intake zone, some 14 miles long has generally accepted the entire normal flow of the river in the past years. A Geological Survey study on May 2, 19h0 reported this intake zone was absorbing water at the rate of 76.4 second feet, the total flow. However some eight miles below this permeable area, on the McDaniel Ranch, a flow of 15.0 second feet had reemerged on the same date. Table 5 illustrates this condition. An exception occurred in 1949, due to a flood on the West Nueces only. This tributary enters the river between the gauging stations. This condition divides the river into two ecol- ogical habitats in this region, the northern portion, with its rather swift, clear, bluegreen waters, typical of all waters emerging from limestone, and the southern section, waich is non-flowing the major part of the year, and generally dries to a few rather large holes. When a flow does occur in the southern part, it is usually a flood and many times of no small proportion. During the course of this survey a flood occurred which reached a height of 32.7 feet at Laguna. It is the highest on record. The flood was collected from a 13 inch, 6 hour, rain which fell on the upper 764 square miles of the 1,947 square mile watershed in this region. Unless conditions are changed with proper range management and water conservation practices the condition could become more acute. It is regrettable that a large majority of the seining collections were made before, and all gill net collections were made after this most destructive of all floods, thereby missing an opportunity to check the influence of such vast amounts of silt laden and eroding waters on the fish population. It would be well if work could be done to determine the damage to fish populations by such large amounts of runoff water. CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS The upper Nueces is one of the few rivers in Texas in which little turbidity or pollution occurs in its normal flow. Its waters are ao blue green and the bottom is plainly visible to a depth of eight or ten feet most of the year. The exceptions to these conditions are encountered during the floods which are a plague to the rivers in this ares. During these floods, however, a large quantiy of manure is washed into the river whose fertilizing value may be of some benefit to the fish population. Some pollution is found from septic tanks emptying into the river, and an occasional dead animal in the stream. This form of pollution on such 4 small scale is of question- able detriment to the fish. Water analyses were run at 17 of the 25 stations made. No abnormal or detrimental conditions were found. The oxygen content ranged from 2.4 ppm to 11.4 ppm --- Page 4 --- averaging 6.4 ppm. The carbon dioxide was found to be between 0.3 ppm and 14.0 ppm with a mean of 4.0 ppm. The total alkalinity range extended from 129 ppm to 256 ppm averag- ing 192.8 ppm. The pH averaging 8.3 varied from a low of 7.5 to 8.8. Although most water temperatures were taken in the flowing portion of the stream, the high of g2°r occurred in a shallow inlet. The average temperature was 80.4, however, all but two of the water temperatures were taken in July, which accounts for the high temperature. The average air temperature at the time of the water temperature check was 91.5" The coldest water temperature recorded was 54°F in January. The water emerges from the springs in the low seventies. Somewhat different conditions exists south of U. 8S. Highway 90. From this point downstream the river consists of a few large pools. As these are sporadic springs and little flow, the water temperature are affected to a greater extent by the air temperature. The flow being little or none, these pools are prone to silt rather quickly after floods. Other than these variances the chemical conditions concur with those of the upper perennial section. SOILS, VEGETATION, AND LAND USE. The watershed of the Nueces is utilized primarily for the grazing of cattle, sheep and goats. Farming is done in the valleys and bottom lands where the soil is of a sufficient depth, and not too rolling. In all probability the amount of farm land does not comprise more than 1% of the area in the watershed. Crops primarily raised are oats, wheat, and some barley. A few row crops are planted during the spring, mostly hegari and milo. On many ranches along the creeks and river, irrigation from the stream supplements the 22 inch annual rainfall. Most of the irrigated plots are small and defer little of the flow when considered as a whole. However, if winter months are dry, an appreciable amount of water is, or could be, deferred to the irriga- tion of the winter grains. The soil in the area is of a reddish brown color, derived mostly from the lime- stone of the area. The soil covering of the hillsides is very shallow or non-existent in many places. Overgrazing and recent years of drought have removed most of the grass cover, permitting the occasional, heavy local rains to severely erode the soil. Much of this silt is deposited below the Edwards Plateau on the coastal prairie, where the riverbed is wider and velocity decreases. The cover that does occur over the watershed is composed primarily of short grasses such as buffalo, mesquite and grama grass. Some bluestems are present but over~ grazing had done much to deplete these grasses. Trees of the area are mostly hardwoods, oaks being the most common. dJunipers are present in goodly numbers, but are rapidly being cut by renchers, as they are considered a detriment to the growth of grasses. Some elms oceur and are utilized along with oaks for goat browse. After leaving the Edwards Plateau northwest of Uvalde, the river emerges on the coastal prairie. The soil in this area is rough, stoney land which has scattered brush and small tree, com- posed mostly of mesquite, small oaks, purple sage, and quahilio. The grasses, principally curly mesquite, buffalo and three-awn, occur primarily in the valleys where soil is deeper, and moisture conditions are more suitable. AQUATIC PLANTS At the beginning of this survey, aquatic plants were abundant in the river. In some places they were becoming a nuisance to fishermen. In most areas however, they only occurred in profusion enough to offer a ressonable sancturary for forage fish, insect --- Page 5 --- larvae, etc. The most abundant aquatic plants were coontail (Ceratophyllum api); muskgrass (Chara vulgaris) and water milfoil (Myrophyllum heterophyllum). Along the panks an occasional growth of cattail (Typha latifolia) was found, and in the shallow still waters, yellow waterlily (Nuphar advena) grew in moderate numbers. In the cool spring areas, watercress (Nasturtium officinale) was abundant. Various other aquatics grew in lesser numbers intermingled with those already mentioned. Table 6is a chezklist of the aquatic plants found. The flood of September 25, 1955 reduced the aquatic vegetation almost to the poiat of extinction, thus leaving the smaller fish to seek cover among rocks, holes wasned out in the banks, or an occasional tree top bent into the river. In some areas which were protected from the flood waters by a ledge or some other obstruction, a few aquatic plants occur, mostly coontail, muskgrass and water milfoil. The seed and plants that remained, with time, will undoubtedly remedy this want for cover. ACCESSIBILITY Private lands ajoining the Nueces River, make gaining access to the stream rather difficult. The river is considered a public stream to the mouth of Hackberry Cresk, some 74 air miles north of Vance, Real County. Numerous highway and county roai crossings are found along the river, where a person might fish. However if a person strays too far from these crossings, friction might be encountered from land- owners, even though he has the legal right to trespass on the river bed. ‘There are land owners who for a small charge allow fishermen access to the river, and some allow overnight camping. In many instances the fishing rights are included with Texas' system of purchased hunting leases. Many times a person may obtain permission to fish by asking the landowner, conducting himself in a sportsman- like manner and respecting the rancher's property. A fisherman, after establishing himself trustworthy, is usually permitted by the landowner to return with little interference. in many parts of the river, and more especially in the upper regions, the land is owned by persons who have interests other than ranching. These individuals are for the most part very cooperative, and attempt to carry on programs conducive to good fish and game management. Possibilities to gain access to these waters, which are private, is practically nil. Heavy fishing pressure occurs here however, from the friends who are allowed access by invitation only. However difficult it may seem to gain access to this stream, a good sportsman with perseverance can locate a place to fish. Aside from natural reproduction, the stream is heavily stocked from the State Fish Hatchery at Ingram, and the Federal Fish Hatchery at Uvalde. The fish stocked are primarily: black bass, channel catfish, bluegill, and some redear sunfish. Considering the river as a whole, moderate to heavy amounts of fishing pressure occurs, and fishing is considered to be from fair to good. RESULTS OF FISH COLLECTIONS During the survey 28 stations were made. Table 1 is the key to their location. TatLe 3 igs a chart showing the species and number caught at each station. A total of 1,463 specimens were collected representing 26 species from 10 families. --- Page 6 --- Family Lepisosteidae Gars Lepisosteus productus: spotted gar. The two spotted gar were collected at different stations. is species alone has not reached numbers which could be con« sidered detrimental, but in combination with the longnose gar, might reach numbers which could effect a fish population in a particular hole or short section of the river. Lepisosteus osseus: longnose gar. This fish of prey occurs in all parts of the river but not in numbers that could be considered detrimental to the other fish populations, with local exceptions. They do congregate in some of the larger holes in the lower portions in perhaps excessive concentrations. Only four specimens were collected, all adults in gill nets set in the southern portion. Family Clupeidae Shad Dorosoma cepedianum: gizzard shad. Shad are conspicuous by their absencs in that portion of the Nueces River covered by this survey. Only one specimen was taken, a large adult, in the lower part of the river. This is the section where little or no flow occurs. Unless the lack of silt or mud in the flowing portion of the river accounts for their absence, no other explanation can be offered. Family Characidae Tetras Astyanax fasciatus: Rio Grande tetra. A total of 191 were taken. They are found in all portions of the river, but generally more abundant in the upper portions, in the clear flowing waters. It is generally regarded as a good forage and bait fish. Family Catostomidae Suckers Ictiobus bubalus: smallmouth buffalo. The smallmouth buffalo seems to enjoy the warmer, still waters of the lower part where the river is dry to holes much of the year. These holes contain more silt and detritus over which this buffalo pref=srs to feed, and is perhaps one reason for their halted immigration northward. All of the 22 buffalo collected were in these pools. Moxostoma congestum: Texas gray redhorse sucker. This fish, which is very common in other rivers of the Edwards Plateau, has taken its place in the Nueces. It was not taken in any seining collections, with only adults taken in 6 of 8 gill net collections made. The fry and fingerlings of this species are good forage fisa, and the adults are considered edible by many people, but are generally classified an undesirable rough fish. Family Cyprinidae Minnows Notropis amabilis: Texas shiner. The 75 specimens taken, were collected over the entire length of the river. They are considered a good forage and bait minnow. --- Page 7 --- Te Notropis venustus: spottail shiner. This excellent bait and forage fish was «mong the most abundant minnow collected, and very evenly distributed. It is found! in all portions of the river, and shows no preference for any particular location. A total of 115 spottails was collected. Notropis. lepidus: Edwards shiner. This species, typical of spring waters, was found to be very abundant in the perennial flowing portions of the river. None of the 102 specimens were found in the intermediate flowing lower portion. Dionda episcopa: roundnose minnow. This species was the most abundant minnow found. Contrary to the general findings, this fish was found in all portions of the river, rather than in spring areas only. This distribution could be due to the spring~ like conditions which prevail over the entire length of the perennial flowing portion, northwest of Uvalde. A total of 279 specimens was collected. Pimephales vigilax vigilax: parrot minnow. The six specimens of this species were collected at the most southern station, a rather large standing hole of water. The waters of these holes are usually turbid, more to the liking of this fish, and probably the reason the fish has not invaded the clear-watered northern portion. Campostoma anomalum: stoneroller. Although the 25 specimens were collected at only three stations, in all likelihood, the distribution is rather uniform. One specimen was collected near the headwaters, the others at Pulliam Creek near the middle of the river and at the holes of the lower portion. Family Ameiuridae Freshwater catfishes Ictalurus punctatus: southern channel catfish. The 9 specimens collected were found in all parts of the river, but not in large numbers. A factor influencing the condition could be the competition of the large population of yellow bullheads. The State Fish Hatchery at Ingram and the Federal Fish Hatchery at Uvalde add the channel catfish to the stream in large numbers. Apparently, this assistance to natural reproduction has not been the answer to establishing good numbers of this species under the condition prevailing in this stream. Ameirus natalis;: yellow bullhead. This widely distributed species was found in all portions of the Nueces River, in both the upper spring regions and the lower portion. Of the 40 taken 34 were taken in gill nets, the rest in seines. They are wonsidered of no value in this region for game or forage purposes. Family Poeciliidae Mosquitofishes Gambusia affinis: common mosquite fish. This top water minnow, was found to have the most homogeneous distribution of any fish in the seining collections. The 34 specimens were taken in 14 of the 20 seining collections made. Other than mosquite control they have little value. Mollienisia latipinna: sailfin molly. This small fish, common in the coastal area of the river, has immigrated into these upper portions. It was taken at only one collection but in all probability is more widely distributed than these collsetions indicate. --- Page 8 --- Family Centrarchidae Black basses and sunfishes Micropterus salmoides; largemouth black bass. This most sought after game fish was found throughout the watershed. In addition to natural reproduction, the fish hatcheries at Uvalde and Ingram add this fish to the waters of the Nueces in large numbers. All size ranges were found, including one five pound individual taken with a gill net at Station 14 above Laguna. These fish were in excellent condition, and occur in numbers greater than local fishermen suspect. Chaenobryttus coronarius: warmouth bass. This desirable small sunfish has a rather uniform distribution in the upper section of the Nueces, but for reasons, yet their own, they refuse to populate the stream with any great numbers in this area. Three of the four specimens were taken with gill nets, and were in good physical condition. Lepomis cyanellus: green sunfish. This sunfish was found over the entire river course, but surprisingly, not in large numbers. Most of the 21 specimens caught were small, however, a few large individuals were taken. It inhabited the intermediate pools of the stream. Lepomis punctatus: spotted sunfish. The small sunfish was found at only one collection station, that near the center of the perennial section of the river. There is no apparent reason for this restricted distribution, and is presumed that they were merely missed by the collection techniques used. They are of little value as a game fish, and only two were taken. Lepomis microlophus: redear sunfish. The 2 individuals taken were found in a pool below a spring along the northern part of the West Nueces. This flow occurred for about 2 miles below the spring. AS this was the only redear taken, they were, in all probability stocked by a hatchery. Lepomis macrochirus: bluegill sunfish. The bluegill, usually very abundant in the streams east of the Nueces, did not occur in too great numbers in this section of the river. They are also stocked from the local hatcheries. The longear sunfish, which are more suited to this type of habitat, have apparently held the over populating tendency of the bluegill in check. A majority of the 11 specimens taken were from the West Nueces and below it's mouth in the main river. Lepomis auritus: yellowbelly sunfish. This species was found over all of the perennial portion of the Nueces River, but did not habit the lower section of the stream, where the river dries to holes. This fish is a very desirable pan fish, and will constitute a large part of the fishermen's "perch string". A total of 15 spec- imens were taken. Lepomis megalotis: longear sunfish. This species was found to be the most prevalent of the sunfish. It was found in 16 of the 28 collections in both gill nets and seines. It is an excellent game fish, and usually responsive to the offerings of the fishermen with the appropriate bait. Family Percidae Darters Etheostoma lepidum: greenthroat darter. The 16 specimens were found in all --- Page 9 --- 9. clearer parts of the river. The dispersion of this species, generally endemic to spring areas, is probably due to the same reasons as. Dionda episcopa, spring like conditions over the entire course of that portion of the Nueces, Northwest of Uvalde. Family Cichlidae Cichlids Cichlasoma cynoguttata;: Rio Grande perch. This pugnacious fish has populated the entire river. It is suspected that the Rio Grande perch was introduced about 1929 when they were widely distributed by the U. 5. Fish Cultural Station at San Marcos, Texas. This fish offers good sporting possibilities and very edible flesh when correctly prepared. Their tendency to over populate a stream often causes them to be «& detriment to other fish. A total of 261 specimens were taken, but the 218 spec- imens collected at Station 2 was a portion of & spawn and does not indicate the relative abundance in that area of the stream. The following list of fish species were not collected but the fish are of probable occurrence in the River: Carpiodes carpio River Carpsucker Cyprinus carpio Carp Opsopoecdus emilie Pugnose Minnow Notropis roseus Central Weed Shiner Notropis deliciosus San Shiner Pilodictus olivaris Flathead Catfish Anguilla rostrata American Bel These fish could possibly occur: Dorosoma petenesis Threadfin Shad Ictalurus lupus Headwater Channel Catfish Ictalurus furcatus Blue Catfish Schilbeodes mollis Tadpole Madtom Pomoxis nigromaculatus Black Crappie Hadropterus scierus Busky Darter Aplodinotus grunniens Freshwater Drum SUMMARY 1. Father Salas, the first semi-permenant white man in the area, came in an attempt to Christianize the Jumano Indians. This failed, and the area remained the hun;ing grounds of the Indians, with little interference until the settlement of San Antonio in 1718. From this time on, the westward expansion, with the aid of several forss, was constant. The city of Uvalde near the Nueces River, was settled in 1856. 2. The Nueces is in two biotic provinces in this region; the Balcones, where the river is typical of spring and clear, swift water, and the Tamaulipan where the river dries to holes, caused by the porousness of the Edwards limestone outcropping just northof the highway 90 crossing, over which the river crosses. The West Nueces, the major tributary, offers little or no water except runoff from rains. 3. Water Analysis were run at 17 of the 25 stations. No abnormal or detri- mental conditions were found. Little polution of consequence occurs on the Nueces River. --- Page 10 --- 10. 4, The principal use of the land is grazing, which in the recent drought years, has been severely overdone. In many instances the bare rocky soil has no cover whatsoever, thereby, aggravating the severity of the floods which are not unusual to the ares. A small amount of land is cultivated near the river where the 22 inch annual rainfall is supplemented by irrigation from the river. The irrigation, at this time, is not of a sufficient magnitude to be detrimental to aquatic life. 5. At the beginning of the survey the aquatic plants were numerous, mainly coontail (Ceratophyllum demersum), muskgrass (Chara vulgaris) and water milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophylium) . During the survey a flood occurred which temporarily removed a large majority of the aquatic plants of the river. 6. The river is accesible in most areas if permission from the land owner is obtained and his property respected. In some cases the fishing priviledges are inzluded with the hunting lease. 7. A total of 26 species from 10 families were collected from 20 seining stations and 8 gill net sets. --- Page 11 --- Table 1. Station No. 1 10 13 14 il. Key to Fish Collection Stations on Nueces River, Edwards, Real, Uvalde and Kinney Counties, Texas tn Collection No. S-5, Gn-7 8x3 GN-6 Sg). $=-16 S-15 S-14 S19 5-20 $-13, GN-5 S12 S-11 GN-4 Location Nueces River, Lat. 29°59'15", Long. 99°57'00" Real Co. Camp Eagle, fourth crossing on Nueces River Road, South from Highway 41. Hackberry Creek, Lat. 30°1'20", Long. 100°3'37" Edwards Co. Gilmer Ranch, Hackberry Creek Road, 5 mi. S. Highway 41. Hackberry Creek, Lat. 30°00'00", Long. 100°2'50" Edwards Co. 1.5 mi. S. E. Station 2. o Hackberry Creek, Lat. 29°56'20", Long. 100 00'50" Edwards Co. Crossing on Hackberry Creek Road, 1.3 mi. N. W. of Nueces River Road junction. fe) Nueces River, Lat. 29 51'50", Long. 100°1 '15" Edwards-Real Co. line. 3.2 air mi. N. of Vance, Real Co. Nueces River, Lat. 29°50'ho", Long. 100°2'5" Edwards-Real Co. line. 2.2 air mi. N. W. of Vance, Real Co. Nueces River, Lat. 29°H8'ho", Long. 10091 '5" Edwards-Real Co. line. Highway 335 crossing, 5 mi. S. of Vance. Nueces River, Lat. 29°43'20", Long. 100°2'10" Edwards-Real Co. line. Highway 55 crossing, 5 mi. S. of Barksdale, Edwards Co. Pulliam Creek, Lat. 29°45'50", Long. 100°5'15" Edwards Co. 4 air mi. N. W. of Barksdale. Pulliam Creek, Lat. 29°k3'35", Long. 100°%'50" Edwards Co, 2.5 air mi. West of Barksdale. Nueces River, Lat. 29°37'20", Long. 100°00'30" Uvalde Co. 4 mi. S. of Camp Wood, Real Co. Nueces River, Lat. 29°32'ko", Long. 100°00'00" Uvalde Co. .5 airmi. N. E. of Montell. ) Nueces River, Lat. 29 28°45", Long. 100°1'30" Uvalde Co. 4.2 air mi. N. NE. of Laguna. Nueces River, Lat. 29°25'55", Long. 99°59'30" Uvalde Co. .5 air mi. N. E. of Laguna. --- Page 12 --- Table 1. (Continued). Station No. Collection Location 15 S-10 Nueces River, Lat. 29°24'00", Long. 100°00'00" Uvalde Co., Highway 55 crossing, 1.6 mi. S. of Laguna. (19 mi. crossing). 16 $~9 Nueces River, Lat. 29°22'00", Long. 99°59'5" Uvalde Co.; Highway 55, 4 mi. S. SE of Laguna. (Camp Chalk Bluff). 17 S-2 West Nueces River, Lat. 29°45'20", Long.100°23'35" Edwards Co. 20.6 air mi., S. W. of Rocksprings on Highway 674, or 1.7 mi. downstream from mouth of Indian Creek. 18 S-18, GN-1 West Nueces River, Lat. 29°31115", Long. 100°15 00" Kinney Co. End of Tularosa Lane off Highway 334, N. W. from Brackettville or 17 air mi. N. W. of Brackettville. 19 S-LT West Nueces River, Lat. 29°29'30", Long. 100°17'30" Kinney Co. Second crossing on Tularosa Lane off Highway 334, N. W. from Brackettville or 14.5 air mi. N. W. of Brackettville. 20 S-1 West Nueces River, Lat. 29°26'20", Long. 100°7'15" Kinney Co. Mouth of Liveoak Creek, 7.2 air mi. W. of Laguna. 21 s-8 West Nueces River, Lat. 29°18'ko", Long. 100°3'30" Uvalde Co. 4.8 air mi. N. NW. of Cline. (Mustang water hole). 22 GN-3 Nueces River, Lat. 29°8'30", Long. 99°53'h5" Uvalde Co., 1.6 air mi. N. of Highway 481, SW of Uvalde. 23 GN-2 Nueces River, Lat. 29°7'HO", Long. 99°53'50" Uvalde Co., .5 mi. NW of Highway 481. SW of Uvalde. ek S-7 Nueces River, Lat. 29°7'15", Long. 99953'15" Uvalde Co., Crossing of Highway 481, 9 air mi. SW of Uvalde. 25 S-6 Nueces River, Lat. 29°3'30", Long. 99°51 "ho" Uvalde Co., Crossing of Highway 83, 11.5 air mi. S SW of Uvalde. --- Page 13 --- 13. Table 2. Checklist of Fishes from Nueces River and its Tributaries within Edwards, Real, Uvalde, and Kinney Counties, Texas. Scientific Name Common Name Lepisosteus productus Lepisosteus osseus Dorosema cepedianum Astyansx fasciatus Ietiobus bubalus Moxostoma congestum Notropis amabilis Notropis venustus Notropis lepidus Dionda episcopa Pimephales vigilax Campostoma anomalum ietalurus punctatus Ameiurus natalis Gambusia affinis Mollienisia latipinna Micropterus salmoides Chaenobryttus coronarius Lepomis cyanellus Lepomis punctatus Lepomis microlophus Lepomis macrochirus Lepomis auritus Lepomis megalotis Etheostoma lepidum Cichlasoma cyanoguttata Spotted Gar Longnose Gar Gizgzard Shad Tetra, (Mexican jumper) Smallmouth Buffalo Gray Redhorse Texas Shiner Blacktail Shiner Edwards Shiner Roundnese Minnow Parrot Minnow Stoneroller, (Steelback) Southern Channel Catfish Yellow Bullhead Gambusia (Common Mosquitofish) Sailfin Molly Largemouth Black Bass Warmouth Green Sunfish Spotted Sunfish Redear Sunfish Bluegill Yellowbelly Sunfish Longear Sunfish Greenthroat Darter Rio Grande Perch --- Page 14 --- STR LOL ev eryngousso ‘eMOse TYOTO sng pine sywodoy mmptde ‘ewio7 80847. 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Table 4. Water Analysis of Nueces River. Station Date Air Water ‘pH Dissolved Carbon Total Alkalinity Number Temp Temp Oxygen Dioxide ppm FO F° ppm ppm i 7-13-55 98 78 8.2 6.5 4.0 195 2 7-13-55 97 72 7.5 24 14.0 256 3 No Analysis 4 7-13-55 oT 75 7-9 6.8 8.0 232 5 7-28-55 97 83 8.2 6.0 5.0 216 6 No Analysis qT. 7-28-55 98 8h. 8.5 6.8 2.0 210 8 7-28-55 96 82 8.2 4k 6.0 211 9 No Analysis 10 No Analysis 11 7-28-55 91 82 8.5 5.0 3.0 200 12 7228-55 87 82 8.8 6.4 0.3 191 13 T-27-55 98 92 8.1 4.2 TO 202 14 No Analysis 15 7-27-55 93 84. 8.1 2.8 4.0 203 16 [#27255 oh 82 8.0 7.6 7.0 192 17 7-12-55 97 83 8.4 11.4 4.0 166 18 10-12-55 Th 73 8.6 10.6 2.0 aT 19 No Analysis 20 No Analysis 21 7-27-55 89 82 8.5 7.0 2.0 132 22 No Analysis 23 1-11-56 55 54 8.5 T.O 6.5 212 ak 7=26=55 99 90 8.8 ok 3.0 129 25 7=26=55 96 88 8.6 8.8 7.0 154 Average 91.5 80.4 8.3 64 4.0. 192.8 --- Page 16 --- 16. Table 5. Flow of the Nueces River at Two U. 5. Geological Stations from 1943 to 1953. Flow in cubic feet per second 0 25 50 15 100 125 150 175 200 225 -,43 = rs) Ef 4 ® J £ - o i) j= ‘ 8 oO -_ = cy ‘ . ao +43 g 8 : “ - @ He ‘ : -16 = i fo w 47 -,48 ho ba ~,49 =,50 “at 51 =, 52 ~,53 --- Page 17 --- 17. Table 6. Checklist of Aquatic Plants from Nueces River and its Tributaries lying within Edwards, Real, Uvalde, and Kinney Counties, Texas. Cattail Typha latifolia Bulrush Seirpus etuberculatus Spikerush Eleocharis sp. Sedges Cyprus sps. and Eleocharis sps. Umbrella grass Fuirena simplex Yellow waterlily (spatterdock) Nuphar advena Pondweeds Potamogeton sp. Water pennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata Bushy pondweed Najas sp. Horned pondweed Zanichellia palustris Watercress Nasturtium officinale False loosestrife Ludwegia sp. Water milfoil Myriophyilum heterophyllun Coontail Ceratophyllum demersum Muskgrass hara vulgaris Green alage Chlorophyceae Bluegreen algae Cyanophyceae --- Page 18 --- Cire qettidh asftasatkry atl ate geet’ oT T Wetatrt ‘his? 3 BENST joey ee Ye tech b tas. Pal aeetl> mer lip But ar Couey 2ycpr lo “ Bl) I a sae 2 aay ie ore BOO” + a ae ih = Bw: eg 7 7 Sorbet +E faut (abso nratbtere ot ph age op Ge: ite al fad fectatt af i 27 “Fie Ob Se as Be eehicey Fe airs ai AG te} lStou . “T-tleg Ye 2 or Least Pata te Pa ere “At Te ae cae en Pes etitst Ae MU La ysigers Be 1 =e oy Pls Lim ig dW systema mic) Ueelire (yates et oe e. _ A Wr Tell 20 et Uy SBA9Y TO 1 wens! ised Boe, |. oO ata, 0 Woe ee —_—— = cm ee — — —— on — ee i ~ _s a ape th eg ale cee femmes ——rtie pene meen, Ml —aprh eels on een --- Page 19 --- Gravel deposits in one of the wider places of the Nueces near station eight, ee oP ee Gravel deposits left by the September 25, 1955 flood. This is station ll, --- Page 20 --- * a ca oli cudtate @boohol , bool? Ceol.) ss seebine ane et eet BES Ray --- Page 21 --- The Nueces River, Highway 90 crossing, west of Uvalde during the September 25, 1955 flood. At it's crest the water reached the bridge's steel substructure, : The Nueces at same crossing during a dust storm, The permeable Edwards limestone north of this point absorbs the norma ow leaving this point generally dry. --- Page 22 --- bere Ly 4 oldgs “ ok t*< i at Tamed att advesde tr =! Te Ader a ve ses i awh at amics: Fewk « Mes nite “ite Sth Jdasia Siti --- Page 23 --- An indication of the Nueces' flow at station 15 on April 10, 1956. The last pool into which water was flowing on April 10,1956. This point is some six miles below station 15. --- Page 24 --- 29eCE OF itqa itu Soiwely t2 : en fh ae na ar PT fpogitaedts veteln al as Bars a --- Page 25 --- nt] fm Pie) acd Uf sme +r 2 EUG * % Lda Pi Wade o< x a Jak ie “ry 4 “Tt LBs ib rt ‘i aor i f Les aro a bcs " ays, if aoe. Fi cay 4 Ain id iat 28 CPT --- Page 26 --- Oe: of the many small privately owned dams on the Nueces. This is station Water entering permeable gravel on Pullian Creek, one of the major tributaries, --- Page 27 --- pools along the Nueces. This is station A riffle area typical of the perieval flow section. This is station 15. --- Page 29 --- 2 ecm a tee cot ee ae DoS Nace S ceeceeunes Mets Te conan acaba tet at s Pere Puan a rerten oe ome | hartred a a ae patent deme colts precn, sap one me ae inte Shaner aaa Seite moe sree cone mn ant a Spore i como ran 3 are oo : Ss ertme ete nate emirate mace peigtrae s bin arverpohaea tat 4 ich aniaamiienataeliatal rapanpéenbeamd > Sense metic rane ae We Sere SET 70 COUNTER GENERAL HIGHWAY MAP . EDWARDS COUNTY . REAL COUNTY . TEXAS PegradaD Ot THE aaa TEXAS STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT iM COOPERATION WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS Cafe OBTAINED Fo STATE-WIDE HIGHWAY PLANNING SURVEY > ® ‘ © " E 7 6 o 7 eo v 4 y y ¥ ry : L a — c o u cy T ¥ = : | 1953 | mo coms names j | STATE HeGHWATS MEWISED To JANUARY 1, 1985 ~ F wee atu mt Besrsnes taerer Meng Severs feet Serene } EDWARDS & REAL COUNTIES toa 70 = 163 --- Page 30 --- i ee ~< -——— SS = “ es ee Biiiiensned. ha hercnarschaacienetenndindimendaeniiia eal ne nail SS mY : ae ae i een ae a” tet s . w " — - _ é i a ee 7 ; “he - * - - ah, j Pr . F ' t = \ ; 7 \ Xe af a. * o : ig — a. - 4 3 r . Ye % 4 _ Le went ain] nal y* d aed + ¥ 7 bf 7 ee. wo “ * ve 1 wt " ms ct a 7 * t tg ey = . a aan 7 ri ml .t f - a al - 7 ro My ue i a ‘. | we i - ag « - a t as - . y x & = : a=" - ee Fi rd i pf be : : ? nail tae" a i “| is I, . A 7 1 : rs * +. - 4 so i . nav “ot : ot Bel ; ty he ae. : nr ; 4 : sa" ‘ i = ~” a i a ve wor - a meetings i E nr tet y Teh j a - 7 - age ‘ f T7 7 7 ve ' F| e oe 8 Beri oe ae ee a es mf ah = amie = eA aca : 7 7 Ug cou 7 Cae 7 7 aoe 7 HUT Tf oo . M ii — ee =P tt RTS Be =a Sa Oe, er pe a antl " — “ell “fs oS * ‘ i 3 y et 4 r ! di ? ~~ cS oT re lel a oe * © ee ? wee es & “64 1 ly | 2 oa te . la ‘ ar a I be 4 ; af i! : : eat Ve Li } 17 Tr = 7 7 New 4 272 ae } ine ae ee a : ‘ t bi ¥YTRAD ' screen) Ge -f wal oss itell --- Page 31 --- = Esa aan I a TOE (, A eh x *, a i, songgenneroas, ere + Porerene Terese pegitis ue | il Boren PRQJEETION GONTR aMemeeN patuM Sa hem nits grey Mowing. Sarees Pro eee STATE HIGHMAYE REWSED TO JANUARY |, (955 GENERAL HIGHWAY MAP KINNEY COUNTY UVALDE COUNTY TEXAS PREPARED OY Tee TEXAS STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT iM COOPERATION SITs Tet US. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS CATA OSTAINED FROW STATE-WIDE HIGHWAY PLANNING SURVEY KINNEY & UVALDE COUNTIES txs (36.0232 --- Page 32 --- ee — = — ——— 2] ‘ hi ty ‘{- a as - 7 ' Afedtits eters ‘ 7 Ht Ce eal H } lJ * + - 7 Arent rie | . - | * i 7 ol rT ire nh : ; ihe: | ceo ee x Pha i ‘i HyeTEL a - - | in le i : = t yw aot ime aay ‘ u,'? 1 . a 4 ; i aaa i, Sea ; : 4, { [use v s hal C= = i ie SS . S75 t = mi Cc) _ ‘ . > m ry whi : i a Pact ate ' hl ma le 7 Fy as r i?) Z % *] foqR 0-4, - “ga GS * dw a ie ; ( “tf. 4 \ vs = "oly