Sabine-Neches Estuary

The Sabine-Neches Estuary, commonly referred to as Sabine Lake, is located in the northeastern part of the state along the Texas-Louisiana border.  It is the freshest estuary along the coast, receiving an average of 54 - 60 inches of precipitation per year, and is the smallest of Texas' seven major estuaries with an area of 45,320 acres.  Typically, the estuary receives 14 million acre-feet of freshwater inflow per year from it's major rivers, the Sabine River and the Neches River, and runoff from surrounding coastal watersheds.  The estuary is surrounded on the Texas side by Orange and Jefferson counties and is located within the boundaries of the Region I, or East Texas, Regional Water Planning Group but also is affected by planning activities of Region D, or the North East Texas Regional Water Planning Group.

Selected Sabine-Neches Estuary Studies

• Pothina, D., and C. Guthrie.  2009.  Evaluating Inverted Siphons as a Means of Mitigating Salinity Intrusion in the Keith Lake/Salt Bayou System, Jefferson County, Texas.  Prepared for the Environmental Protection Agency Gulf of Mexico Program.  Texas Water Development Board, Austin, Tx.  105pp.
• Kuhn, N.L. and G.Chen.  2005.  Freshwater inflow recommendation for the Sabine Lake Estuary of Texas and Louisiana.  Texas Parks and Wildlife, Austin, Tx.  71pp.
• TDWR.  1981.  Sabine-Neches Estuary: A study of the influence of freshwater inflows.  LP-116.  Texas Department of Water Resources, Austin, Tx.  213pp.