r

AN ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION STUDY OF THE CHENIER PLAIN COASTAL ECOSYSTEM OF LOUISIANA AND TEXAS was prepared PL
Team, Office of
Biological Services, U.S.

for the National Coastal Ecosystems Fish and Wildlife Service.

principal investigator.

James G. Gosselink, Louisiana State University, was

Funding was provided by the Office of Research and

Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Copies of Volume

(Narrative Report)

FWS/OBS-78/9, Volume
III

II

(Data

Source Appendix) FWS/OBS-78/10,and Volume

(Atlas)

FWS/OBS-78/11,

may

be obtained from:

National Coastal Ecosystems

Team

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

NASA-Slidell Computer Complex

1010 Gause
Slidell,

Blvd.

LA 70458

4
1

Contents of Volume HI

Plates:
1

and IB
2

Index Maps
Pleistocene Erosional Surface

- The

3Aand3B 4A
and 4B

Chenier Plain Habitat Groups

Chenier Plain Wetland Habitats
Canal and Point Source Discharges
Special Features

5A and 5B -

6A and 6B The
Biological Services

Program was established within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service to supply scientific information and methodologies on key environmental issues that impact fish and wildlife resources and their supporting ecosystems. The mission of

the program

is

as follows:

To

strengthen the Fish and Wildlife Service in ib role as a primary source of information on national fish and wildlife resources, particularly in respect to environmental impact assessment
gather, analyze, and present information that will aid decisionmakers in the

To

identification

and resolution of problems associated with major changes

In

land and water use.

To

Interior

provide better ecological Information and evaluation for Department of the development programs, such as those relating to energy develop-

ment
Information developed by the Biological Services Program Is Intended for use in the planning and decisionmaking process to prevent or minimize the impact of development on fish and wildlife. Research activities and technical assistance services are based on
analysis of the Issues, a determination of the decisionmakers involved

and their informa-

tion needs, and an evaluation of the state of the art to Identify information gaps and determine priorities. This is a strategy that will ensure that the products produced are

disseminated are timely and useful.

Projects have been initiated in the following areas: coal extraction and conversion; plants, geothermal, mineral, and oil-shale development; water resource analysis,

power

including stream alterations and western water allocation; coastal ecosystems and Outer Continental Shelf development; and systems inventory, including National Wetland In-

ventory, habitat classification and analysis, and information transfer.

Washington, D.C., which

Program consists of the Office of Biological Services In management; National Teams, which provide the Program's central scientific and technical expertise and arrange for contracting biological services studies with states, universities, consulting firms, and others; Regional Staff, who provide a link to problems at the operating level; and staff at

The

Biological Services
is

responsible for overall planning and

certain
studies.

Fish

and Wildlife Service research

facilities,

who conduct

in-house research

9445-

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PLATE 3A

CHENIER PLAIN HABITAT GROUPS

LEGEND
I I

AQUATIC
WETLANDS

-permanently Hooded, non-vegetofed inland open woler ond neorshore Gull habilots,

-'-I

-pefiodieolly llooded landj (hotocteriied by

emargem

vegetation

See Pime ^

[$>>:-:]

AGRICULTURE
RIDGES

-culti.ot.d ..oplond

ond imp,o..d

po>to..

ill
I I

AND UPLAND
-land o..a>

FOREST
ond

-naturally vegaiaied cheniers, levef, jpoil Pleistocene islands, and prairie surface.
inda.ttiol .

bonk

URBAN
BASIN

developed

lo, ,e>id.ntial

BOUNDARY

piEPAKD niDK xmmo stats molocicxl suhvet i7-js, i:)i.< OKtHOPmrto oiiUKMCus. uvmhzd pukte. NASA HICa ALTITVnt T/iLH <L01 INDLUlfD FBOTDCUMI

12345678 Km

PLATE 4

CHENIER PLAIN WETLAND HABITATS

LEGEND
I

NON-WETLAND HABITATS
<atd by
I

^SM

salt

marsh

>olh

cordgroit [Spartino atterntdoral,

wilh lollgrcii pi.litMi.

.pitoH ond bloclro.k'tW

|

nr 4 /-ixiru

BR ACKIoH
..
I

ki A ncu MAKOM

-infartidol

and loltgran
,

morihei ond oiiociolBd imall pond* domiootad by iallmadow eofdgrai 10 % ; lolinitiej generally li thon

Spartino potani]

INTERMCDIATC
cncCI_l ki A

.Ti-r.. .i-r^i A Ti-

ii nri MARSH

-mofiKoi ond oijocioted small pondi, periodically flooded with nearly (rosh wofer, bulooiiionolly by brocklsh woler, Domifiold by loltmeadow cordgrou, bulltongoe (Sagittorio folcota).

mm CD

rKtOn

DCU bulttongue, and MAKon -morihe* flooded olligotorweed

and jeoshore popolum Poipolum voginolu"' !. by frejh water, and with a diverse floro dominoted by motdoncone (Ponicom hemitomon l.
( [

Alternonthero philoxeroidet ).

iny^i ir\r-rN a nrtj IMPOUNDcD MAKon

Ik.

-morihe* surrounded by dike*, spoil bonki, or natural lavooi (hot modify normal flooding. These exist in saline to froih oreos. They may be permotiently Uoodod or pumped dry, but all ore dominated by native emergent wetlond vegelolion (as opposed to impounded ogriculturol lond).

tupelo (Nyiso oqoatka).

BASIN

BOUNDARY

G.

1912.

amiaxoax:*L a

ES FISH AM) UUJylin SEUVtCZ, A F THF CXFHIFR PLAIK OlASTAL GOOSYFTQI OF SIOK-lBlil. AUWSI W79.

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'

PLATE 5

CANALS AND POINT SOURCE DISCHARGES

LEGEND
INDUSTRIAl AND MUNfCIPAL POrNT SOURCE DISCHARGES OguIF oil CO port ARTHUR REFINERY TEXACO INC.PORT ARTHUR PLANT JEFFERSON CHEMICAL CO INC-PORT NECHES PLANT

NECHES BUTANE

TEXACO
PURE GULF

INC PORT NECHES

AMERIPOL INC OIL CO BEAUMONT REFINERY STATES UTIL CO -SABINE POWER STATION BRITISH PETROLELJM CORP -PORT ARTHUR REFINERY JEFFERSON COUNTY-FWSDI

PORT ARTHUR-MAIN PLANT PORT ARTHUR LAKESIDE PARK

GROVES. GROVES,
CITY CITY

OF SOUTH PLANT OF NORTH PLANT

PORT NECHES
JEFFERSON COUNTY WCID9 EAST PORT NECHES

CANALS

PLATE 38

CHENIER PLAIN HABITAT GROUPS

CD

-'

'.''Jf^'

Grand

PLATE 4B

LEGEND

CHENIER PLAIN WETLAND HABITATS

I I

""
EZ]

NON-WETLAND HABITATS
SALT

MARSH

-i'!!i::<;rrJ.''.',n:.';"M" r:irv:3'btr:srv.?^:;r-^5Vcr-,:ir'''''"with loltgratt Diitichlii tpicoto l

[

3<n5'^-i:^^ "-'""iI.

CZZl BRACKISH

MARSH

tT.'oul"'""'

""'' itiocioled imoll pondt dominotad 8nefolly leit fhon 10%^

by oltmodow cordgrc

[Sporlino

pof nl)

INTERMEDIATE
FRESH MARSH FKCOn IVlMKOn
IMPr^l IMnpn IMf UUINUtU

MARSH

o..<,ti=l.d .moll pond,, p;,Hi||, (|d.d -ilk .p,|, F,.,^ .,., Illy by brocliiih -ol.r Do,.i,d by .ollm.odo. iprdgroii. bulHongui [Sogittorio folcoto), and iihore pQipol
,k..

ond

-r"''^" (iod.d by i,.,h ,oi.r, cr^d with o di..,,, iic, d,ii.d bulllona.,.. .nd .lli8olp,-.,d |*ll.,npnih.,o pl,il...ij.. idti)

bT^

con*

Pofticuiw

hamitam

U< a MAKbM

^m

SWAMP FOREST ";:',:V^'~,1^l''''' "" " BASIN BOUNDARY

by dlk.,. ipoil boftki, 0. notutpl lv thot modify normal (loodine ThMO oilti I?C^M T"';."' lo f,..h or.o. m .oU. Th.y mo, b. pm..,| flood.d o. pomp.d dry. b>,i oil or. dommol.d ">!' "'""" '"'8"' "Ollond .ogelolion |o, oppo.id lo impoui>dd osrkullurol londl-

^"ound'd

"^ '"""">

"^ ^''''y--" "'"''>" ''"-'' ond

>

CHABIE. a., K.

1'

aWlACTItllSTlCS OF tH LOUISUWA
:CCI1.TV1UL

O
SIT10H Bl1.Lmil

EXmiMEVT

tu.

I.

'/EWnCAIION BK CHASuac AKD LOUISIANA STAtt uvivnsirr cbrh UCTUKD MSOOICE ^DMIOIEL.
.

Jt-,

AJTO

TBS.

17I. orvUDUXDriAL ttOLOCIC A " "" jojls coastal icm, ulviston- Houston uu. cwuxrt. UWIVUSIT1 OF tixas a:

AusnH.

3tfD0
FUFAUD rod vszttD stats QiAUmuzATiaH ? unisuiu AHii Tvuii.
?

2 2 4

4 6

5Mi

hrh-T'-rV-r'-T

8Km

PLATE 56

CANALS AND POINT SOURCE DISCHARGES

LEGEND
AND MUNICIPAL POINT SOURCE DISCHARGES AMOCO PROD COINDUSTRIAL
CO. STEED FISH CO. ZAPATA PROTEIN

GULF COAST ALUMINUM

R.

GULF PROD

PPG

GRACE INC INDUSTRIES

UKE

CHARLES 6&C

HOLLYWOOD WEST LAKE

LAKE CHARLES A (LOUISIANA MUD CO INC. DRESSER MAGCOBAR
TENNESSEE GAS PIPEUNE CO CONTINENTAL OIL CO

CITIES SERVICE POWERHOUSE

HERCULES INC
CERTAIN-TEED INC

GULF MENHADEN CO LOUISIANA MENHADEN CO.

HUNT
TEXAS

OIL

CO
CRUDE PROD.

AMOCO

PROD CO

BIG THREE IND MOBIL OIL-WELLS CONTINENTAL CARBON

PACIFIC OIL

AMOCO PROD CO. OUN CORP BRINE PROD.

SHELL OIL CRUDE PROD.

KCS

RAILWAY IDEAL CEMENT

AMOCO AMOCO

PRODUCTION CO PRODUCTION CO.

>PG
_

INDUSTRIES
OIL REFINERY
ICE

TEXACO INC. SEA COAST PRODUCTS

PHILLIPS PETROLEUM CO.

DRESSER INC.
CO.

AMOCO
GULF

PROD. CO.

CONT

TEXACO-WELLS AMOCO PROD CO

OIL WELLS

SERVICE

OLIN CORP.

SHELL OIL CO SUPERIOR OIL CO-LOWRY GAS PLANT AMOCO PRODUCTION CO

AMOCO

PROD CO-

ARCHEOlOGICALIireS
HTE

DEKDimOII

PLATE 6B
COLON!
VECIES VREIEMT
lETD

COMMOH *ND SCIENTIFIC NU

SPECIAL FEATURES

LEGEND
153

sens

ARCHEOLOGICAL
BIRD

SITES

"

NESTING COLONIES

OYSTER REEFS

CEOSCIBa

TOSBK. AgOffiOLOGICAL SITES tK 03ASTU. LOUIS [N. s?oa;. c. TMAi ucHEO")cic- msewoi uuoi^iow. ITNIVlMm 01 ICUS AT UISTW.

BIRD NRSTIMC CDLCW DAT* TAICDl FROM THE ttXAS COUWIM. UATSII tlW Casn 19)l-l97b. TEM3 FAMLS AJTO inLELire DEPAITWEKT. 1911, ,* BP. SER. IS. WO POBTKOT . J.W. i9?7. msTwc cotoiiES or seabimjs mo wadwc >iw>s, C0A5IM. ICDISIMi laiSISSIFPl MID AULUKA. U.3, nSB An uiunin SDvia. ivs/obs - 7i/o'.
OTSTI*

MET lOOUICBS HOB LOUISIAXA l/lLOUfl AKD nSREUEs, niAS rocs add recreation, ahd oiEnn, ~ 1M. COOPERMIYI GULF OF MEKICO E.
SmjDt TEIA3; iiIIA ceSCWPTIOS. U.S CDWttlta, BOAAIlOi. (ten. HWS CIK-J

r.a.

p.

JRDARID

mil IrtllB STATIS PISH AND UILDLIFE 5EVICI. AK ECOLOCICAL CHUUmuZAIIO!' STUDT OF TTU CKiyiEX PUIH COASTAL iconnEKor lodisua axd tuas.

FWS/OM-Il/lI. JWDsr 1979.

3000

ftepyct

Grand
/.a/te

^eNTAo
191
.razj"

o
CALCAS/e^P^V^^
SAS/A/
16*\V

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^/^
*ASWh/fe
/.aJke

2945-

^ft

^^-rr*

S
STATE

'^lA'A

V
^4

.x-l
Ut
^IN

WILDLIFE REFUGE

f
/cai"fe?*-

^>/R

8ASIM
3
I

12
1 I

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2930-

Biological Services
FWS/OBS-78/11
August 1979

Program
COLLECTIOinI

An Ecological Characterization Study

Chenier Plain Coastal Ecosystem of

of the

Louisiana and Texas

VOLUME

III

ATLAS

Interagency Energy-Environment Research

and Development Program

OFFICE OF RESEARCH
U.S.

AND DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

AND Fish and Wildlife Service

U.S. Department of the Interior

MBL/WHCl

0301 003flE3fl

fl