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Galveston County Parks Department 4102 Main St. (FM 519) La Marque, TX 77568 The Dickinson Bayou watershed, a natural basin of land, collects water and drains it into tributary streams, then into Dickinson Bayou, the main stream of the watershed. It is located within the San Jacinto-Brazos Coastal Basin, to the southeast of Houston and west of Galveston Bay. The Dickinson Bayou watershed covers a total of approximately 63,830 acres or 99.7 square miles and is elongated in shape, with a length of 22 miles from west to east. The maximum width of the watershed is approximately 7 miles. Water falling within this area eventually makes its way into Dickinson Bayou. Contacts The aim of this publication is to heighten awareness of Galveston County Parks Department Galveston County Health District Dickinson Bayou the impact each and every citizen has on the watershed (409) 934-8100 • www.galvestonparks-seniors.org (409) 938-2314 • www.gchd.org Dickinson Bayou w a t e r s h e d where they live. Since the Dickinson Bayou water- w a t e r s h e d shed impacts Galveston Bay, it is important for each Galveston Bay Estuary Program Galveston County Extension Office No matter where we live, where we work, WE A R E A LWAY S I N A W AT ER SHED individual, community, and business to adhere to the (281) 332-9937 • http://gbep.state.tx.us (281) 534-3413 • http://tevas-sea-grant.tamu.edu priorities of The Galveston Bay Plan. For meeting the requirements of stormwater management, this publica- Houston-Galveston Area Council Texas Cooperative Extension tion provides public outreach and education. Galveston (713) 627-3200 • www.h-gac.com Texas Coastal Watershed Program No matter where we live or work, we are always in a County has shown leadership in these efforts. The pub- (281) 333-9216 • www.urban-nature.org lication is made possible from a grant from Galveston Texas Commission on Environmental Quality watershed - an area of land that drains to a particular Bay Estuary Program to Galveston County Parks Region 12-Houston Office Keep Dickinson Beautiful creek, river, bayou or lake. As our population grows, Department. For more information on your watershed, (713) 767-3500 • www.tceq.state.tx.us (281) 337-6293 • www.ci.dickinson.tx.us so do the risks to our waterways from activities in the please contact the following: The bayou begins near the town of Alvin in April Fool Point, and Shell Island bound the north, Mustang Bayou, Halls Bayou, Highland watershed. Understanding our role in watershed Brazoria County as an intermittent stream and roughly circular bay just over a mile across. Bayou, and Moses Bayou to the south. Two major management is key to the protection of our waterways, floodplains, and drinking water, plus our recreational flows easterly through flat to rolling prairies in About 55% of the watershed is within irrigation canals, the Gulf Coast Water Authority’s and fishing areas. Galveston County approximately 24 miles. The the 100-year flood plain (a flood plain based on American Canal and Galveston System cross the water collected by the bayou flows into Dickinson a 1-percent chance of flooding in any given year). watershed. Printed on recycled paper Bay, a secondary bay of Galveston Bay. Cat’s Point, Adjoining watersheds include Clear Creek to the Special thanks to members of the Galveston County Commissioners’ Court for their support of this project. Houston-Galveston Area Council 05.04 Design: Minor Design Group History and Development Watershed Profile Dickinson, with its population of approximately 3 Area 18,500, is the major city within the Dickinson Bayou 45 100 square miles watershed. The city was named3 for John Dickinson, a 45 Rainfall Texas Revolutionary hero and one of the “old 300” set- Beltway 48” Average Annual tlers of Austin’s original colony. Early settlers included8 Gum Bayou Sims Bayou Watershed Alexander Farmer, Herman Benson, and General E. 1 517 288 Geology B. Nichols. The Nichols summer home built in 1857 Sea-level fluctuations caused movement of the conti- still stands. Dickinson’s early economy was based on 35 Armand-Taylor nental ice sheets during the Wisconsin Ice Age. Stored Bensenson's Bayou Dickinson Bay cattle production and agriculture. Italian immigrants Bayou Watershed Armand Bayou West Gum Bayou 2 water released from the melting ice sheets increased and African-American families contributed to the suc- sea levels depositing muddy sands and sediments in 7 8 North Bay League City 9 cess of the fruit and vegetable truck farming from the Dickinson Bayou the region of the Dickinson Bay shoreline. Magnolia Bayou Brookside1890s Village into the 1930s. Once known as the “Strawberry Armand Bayou Nature Preserve 5 By pass Chigger Creeke 3 Texas City Prairie Soils Capital of the World”, Dickinson continued to celebrate Seabrook Burden's Gully Dickinson Preserve the strawberry season with a festival each year well into El Lago Moses Lake Somewhat poorly drained, very slowly permeable, CLEAR CREEK clays and clay loams,Seabrook loams Bridge and silt loams, and fine the late 1990s. Bushway Cottonwood Clear Lake Galveston County Within this watershed the major development is Draw Ditch sandy loams Johnson Space Center Reservoir concentrated in and around the cities of Dickinson and Pearland Ceder Major Ecoregion League City and along the Interstate 45 corridor. The Creek NaNassssauau Bayay Dollar Bay Western Gulf Coastal Plain Mary’s Creek natural Dickinson Bayou watershed includes1 the entire Clear Lake Shores NASA Rd 1 Kemah city of Dickinson, Algoa, and portions of the cities2 of Subregion 6 Alvin, Friendswood, League City, Santa Fe, and Texas Webster Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes Baybrook Mall Laflour's Runge Bayou City. The remainder of the area is rural and undevel- Monitoring Agencies Uses Contact recreation High Quality Aquatic Bayou Johnson Draw Natural Region oped. Commercial development is light to medium Galveston County Health District 6 Habitat Contact recreation 3 League City Oak Prairies and Woods industrial and office warehouses along with retail Friendswood 5 merchandizing. Reliant Centerpoint’s H. P. Robinson Vegetation generating plant is located along State Highway 146, Water4 Quality Coastal Short Grass Prairie along with several commercial fishing operations, and 6 Santa Fe n similarChigger uses. Creek In the western portion of the watershed it Dickinson Bayou Above Tidal. This portion of the allow surface water to flush and replenish itself with Algoa Cities 4 is still predominantly agricultural uses. The watershed watershed is listed as impaired for high bacteria Dicklevels.inson dissolved oxygen, while deep water is forced to remain Dickinson, Alvin, League City, Santa Fe, Algoa has much potential for growth, which is recently accel- Other concerns include low dissolved oxygen and in the same location and slush back and forth. It runs 15 Dickinson Bayou Tributaries erating due to the rapid development of neighboring high ammonia concentrations. It runs 7 miles and is miles and is brackish, a mix of salt and freshwater create w a t e r s h e d Gum Bayou, Benson’s Bayou, Magnolia (Geisler) League City. freshwater. an estuarine habitat. 1 Lobit Park Ray Holbrook Park 3 Dickinson Boat Ramp 4 Runge Park 5 Paul Hopkins County Park Bayou, Borden’s Gully, Cedar Creek, LaFlore’s Bayou, Dickinson Bayou Tidal. The main stem of the The entire watershed is listed as impaired for high 2 Dickinson Bayou provides many environmental and Metzler Gully, Cottonwood Ditch, Johnson Draw, bayou is listed as impaired for low dissolved oxygen bacteria levels. Low levels of dissolved oxygen are found Francis Bayou, Runge Bayou, Old Runge Bayou, occurrence. A special study conducted through the in Borden’s Gully and Magnolia (Geisler) Bayou. recreational benefits to the residents of its watershed and beyond. 0 1 2 3 4 5 Thaman Draw, Bushway Draw Clean Rivers Program revealed that tidal fluctuations Miles Aquifers Recreation and Economic Opportunities Conservation and Education Parks Gulf Coast Issues Within the watershed, approximately 60% of the land the bay or out into the Gulf of Mexico. Shrimp boats The citizens of Dickinson who generate community of Dickinson in helping others and taking pride in the becomes available. Clean clay is transported by barge Paul Hopkins County Park provides public access to Ray Holbrook Park on Gum Bayou offers girls Flooding/high moisture retention at surface due to has been modified while 40% remains in a more nat- dock just inside Dickinson Bay offering fresh catch in support to clean up the bayou created Keep Dickinson beauty of the community. to the island location, sculpted to slopes and elevations Dickinson Bayou and one of its tributaries. Recent softball fields and preserves crucial green space. nature of soils. Water quality (pollutants/bacteria). ural state. A scenic 13.5 mile section of the bayou exists season. Dickinson Bay is within close proximity to the Beautiful (KDB). KDB focuses on community pride A team of wetland scientists, government agen- suitable for supporting vegetation. Shell hash is then efforts by local citizens and the county parks depart- Two boat ramps, one at Highway 3 and one at State Loss of native habitat. Erosion. from Cemetery Road off FM 517 to State Highway 146. large oyster reefs of Galveston Bay. and environmental awareness in hopes of changing the cies, private corporations, and citizen volunteers, led deposited on the islands to provide bird habitat. The ment have brought major improvements to the Highway 146, provide access for recreational boating The bayou’s upper reach is less suitable for recreational attitudes of children and adults on littering, greens- by the Galveston Bay Foundation, is restoring bird islands are future planting sites for Marsh Mania, a park.