| (a) General Description of the Coastal Management Program
Boundary. The coastal management program boundary delineates the coastal
zone. The inland part of the boundary is a modification of the coastal
facility designation line, which is the line the State of Texas adopted
under the Oil Spill Prevention and Response Act of 1991 (Texas Natural
Resources Code, Chapter 40) to describe areas where oil spills are
likely to enter coastal waters. Generally, the boundary encompasses
the area within Texas lying seaward of the coastal facility designation
line. It also includes coastal wetlands landward of the coastal facility
designation line. The boundary includes areas within the following
Texas counties: Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, Kleberg, Nueces, San Patricio,
Aransas, Refugio, Calhoun, Victoria, Jackson, Matagorda, Brazoria,
Galveston, Harris, Chambers, Jefferson, and Orange. The seaward reach
of the boundary extends into the Gulf of Mexico to the limit of state
title and ownership under the Submerged Lands Management Act (43 United
States Code, §§1301 et seq.), that is, three marine leagues.
The following maps outline the coastal management program boundary.
Attached Graphic
(b) Particular Description of the Coastal Management
Program Boundary. The boundary is more particularly described in terms
of the inland boundary, the boundary with the State of Louisiana,
the seaward boundary, the boundary with the Republic of Mexico, and
the excluded federal lands.
(1) The inland boundary. The inland boundary encompasses
the following areas:
(A) Roadway portion of boundary. The boundary begins
at the International Toll Bridge in Brownsville, thence northward
along U.S. Highway 77 to the junction of Paredes Lines Road (FM Road
1847) in Brownsville, thence northward along FM Road 1847 to the junction
of FM Road 106 east of Rio Hondo, thence westward along FM Road 106
to the junction of FM Road 508 in Rio Hondo, thence northward along
FM Road 508 to the junction of FM Road 1420, thence northward along
FM Road 1420 to the junction of State Highway 186 east of Raymondville,
thence westward along State Highway 186 to the junction of U.S. Highway
77 near Raymondville, thence northward along U.S. Highway 77 to the
junction of FM Road 774 in Refugio, thence eastward along FM Road
774 to the junction of State Highway 35 south of Tivoli, thence northward
along State Highway 35 to the junction of State Highway 185 between
Bloomington and Seadrift, thence northwestward along State Highway
185 to the junction of FM Road 616 in Bloomington, thence northeastward
along FM Road 616 to the junction of State Highway 35 east of Blessing,
thence southward along the State Highway 35 to the junction of FM
Road 521 north of Palacios, thence northeastward along FM Road 521
to the junction of State Highway 36 south of Brazoria, thence northward
along State Highway 36 to the junction of State Highway 332 in Brazoria,
thence eastward along State Highway 332 to the junction of FM Road
2004 in Lake Jackson, thence northeastward along FM Road 2004 to the
junction of Interstate Highway 45 between Dickinson and La Marque,
thence northwestward along Interstate Highway 45 to the junction of
Interstate Highway 610 in Houston, thence east and northward along
Interstate Highway 610 to the junction of Interstate Highway 10 in
Houston, thence eastward along Interstate Highway 10 to the Louisiana
State line.
(B) Tidal portion of the boundary. The boundary runs
at a distance of 100 yards inland from the mean high tide line along
each of the following tidal river and stream segments from the points
where they intersect the roadway boundary described in subparagraph
(A) of this paragraph:
(i) on the Arroyo Colorado, to a point 100 meters (110
yards) downstream of Cemetery Road south of Port Harlingen in Cameron
County;
(ii) on the Nueces River, to Calallen Dam 1.7 kilometers
(1.1 miles) upstream of U.S. Highway 77 in Nueces/San Patricio County;
(iii) on the Guadalupe River, to the Guadalupe-Blanco
River Authority Salt Water Barrier 0.7 kilometers (0.4 mile) downstream
of the confluence of the San Antonio River in Calhoun and Refugio
Counties;
(iv) on the Lavaca River, to a point 8.6 kilometers
(5.3 miles) downstream of U.S. Highway 59 in Jackson County;
(v) on the Navidad River, to Palmetto Bend Dam in Jackson
County;
(vi) on Tres Palacios Creek, to a point 0.6 kilometer
(1.0 mile) upstream of the confluence of Wilson Creek in Matagorda
County;
(vii) on the Colorado River, to a point 2.1 kilometers
(1.3 miles) downstream of the Missouri-Pacific Railroad in Matagorda
County;
(viii) on the San Bernard River, to a point 3.2 kilometers
(2.0 miles) upstream of State Highway 35 in Brazoria County;
(ix) on Chocolate Bayou, to a point 4.2 kilometers
(2.6 miles) downstream of State Highway 35 in Brazoria County;
(x) on Clear Creek, to a point 100 meters (110 yards)
upstream of FM Road 528 in Galveston/Harris County;
(xi) on Buffalo Bayou, to a point 400 meters (440 yards)
upstream of Shepherd Drive in Harris County;
(xii) on the San Jacinto River, to Lake Houston Dam
in Harris County;
(xiii) on Cedar Bayou, to a point 2.2 kilometers (1.4
miles) upstream of Interstate Highway 10 in Chambers/Harris County;
(xiv) on the Trinity River, to the border between Chambers
and Liberty Counties;
(xv) on the Neches River, to a point 11.3 kilometers
(7.0 miles) upstream of Interstate Highway 10 in Orange County; and
(xvi) on the Sabine River, to Morgan Bluff in Orange
County.
(C) Wetlands portion of boundary. Except for the part
of the boundary adjacent to the Trinity and Neches rivers, the boundary
includes wetlands lying within one mile inland of the mean high tide
lines of the tidal river and stream segments identified in subparagraph
(B) of this paragraph.
(i) Adjacent to the Trinity River, the boundary includes
wetlands within the area located between the mean high tide line on
the western shoreline of the river and Farm-to-Market Road 565 and
Farm-to-Market Road 1409, and wetlands within the area located between
the mean high tide line on the eastern shoreline of that portion of
the river and Farm-to-Market Road 563.
(ii) Adjacent to the Neches River, the boundary includes
wetlands within one mile of the mean high tide line on the western
shoreline of the river, and wetlands within the area located between
the mean high tide line on the eastern shoreline of that portion of
the river and Farm-to-Market Road 105.
(2) The boundary with the State of Louisiana. The boundary
with the State of Louisiana begins in Orange County at Morgans Bluff,
the northernmost extent of tidal influence, along the adjudicated
boundary between the State of Texas and the State of Louisiana, as
established by the United States Supreme Court in Texas v. Louisiana,
410 U.S. 702 (1973); thence it continues in a southerly direction
along the adjudicated boundary out into the Gulf of Mexico until it
intersects the seaward boundary.
(3) The seaward boundary. The seaward boundary is that
line marking the seaward limit of Texas title and ownership under
the Submerged Lands Act (43 United States Code, §1301 et seq.),
as recognized by the United States Supreme Court in United States
v. Louisiana et al., 364 U.S. 502 (1960).
(4) The boundary with the Republic of Mexico. The boundary
with the Republic of Mexico begins at a point three marine leagues
into the Gulf of Mexico where the line marking the seaward limit of
Texas title and ownership under the Submerged Lands Act (43 United
States Code, §§1301 et seq.) intersects the international
boundary between the United States and the Republic of Mexico, as
established pursuant to the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (February
2, 1848) between the United States and the Republic of Mexico; thence
it continues in a westerly direction along the international border
with the Republic of Mexico until it meets the International Toll
Bridge in Brownsville.
(5) The excluded federal lands. The excluded federal
lands are those lands owned, leased, held in trust by, or whose use
is otherwise by law subject solely to the discretion of the federal
government, its officers or agents.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §27.1 adopted to be effective November 19, 1993, 18 TexReg 8221; amended to be effective December 27, 1994, 19 TexReg 9877; amended to be effective November 3, 1995, 20 TexReg 8661; amended to be effective December 15, 1997, 22 TexReg 12076; transferred effective December 1, 2022, as published in the Texas Register October 28, 2022, 47 TexReg 7301; amended to be effective July 10, 2023, 48 TexReg 3672 |
