Establishment of operational guidelines for Texas coastal zone management: Interim report on resource capability.

Establishment of operational guidelines for effective management of the Texas coastal zone depends on comprehensive knowledge of the characteristics and distribution of natural and man-made environments. Forty land and water areas have been delineated in the four-county area around Corpus Christi with like capabilities to withstand similar kinds and rates of use or activity without losing an acceptable level of environmental quality. Qualitative data on land and water capability derived from mapping surface and near surface environments in Nueces, San Patricio, Refugio, and Aransas Counties has been augmented by: (1) documenting the kinds, rates, and impetus of changes in the dynamic shoreline environments; (2) relating engineering test results gathered by public agencies and private firms to physically define land capability units on the Coastal Plain and in the bays; and (3) determining the distribution, amount, and quality of ground water available in the Corpus Christi area, and possible consequences of withdrawal of the ground water. This body of environmental data provides a basis for developing operational criteria against which the consequences of man's activities, future economic development, and the effects of potential management policies can be measured.