The Lower Neches Valley Authority was established in 1933 by the state legislature as a district to store, control, conserve, and utilize the water of the lower Neches River valley in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

. The LNVA, the second river district created by the state of

, is currently one of 23 river districts in the state. It includes all of Jefferson, Hardin, and

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counties and parts of

Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or cryptocrystalline chalcedony and other mineral phases,Kostov, R. I. 2010. Review on the mineralogical systematics of jasper and related rocks. – Archaeometry Workshop, 7, 3, 209-213PDF/ref> ...

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

, and

Chambers Chambers may refer to: Places Canada: *Chambers Township, Ontario United States: *Chambers County, Alabama * Chambers, Arizona, an unincorporated community in Apache County * Chambers, Nebraska * Chambers, West Virginia * Chambers Township, Hol ...

counties.

Governance

The LNVA is governed by a board of nine directors appointed by the Texas Water Development Board. Until 1943 the authority was without any facilities to produce revenue. Since 1943 the irrigation system has been renovated many times. It supplies water to the cities (except

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

), industry, and rice growers of Jefferson County and portions of Chambers and Liberty counties. The LNVA has also cooperated with the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

in planning, financing, and constructing several large multipurpose dams on the Neches River and

Angelina River The Angelina River is formed by the junction of Barnhardt and Shawnee creeks northwest of Laneville in southwest central Rusk County, Texas. The river flows southeast for and forms the boundaries between Cherokee and Nacogdoches, Angelina and ...

. Other projects sponsored by the authority include the construction of a permanent saltwater barrier on the Neches River, a comprehensive water-quality management program, and the construction of boat ramps and other recreational facilities on area waterways.

The system

Canals

The LNVA system includes of canals covering a . The canals deliver fresh water to "...eight cities and water districts, 26 industries, and over 100 irrigated farms..." Water is drawn from the lower Neches River and

Pine Island Bayou Pine Island Bayou is a tributary of the Neches River located in southeast Texas. It runs about 55 miles from the northwest corner of Hardin County, Texas and flows in a southeastern direction through western Hardin County, turning east and definin ...

in north Beaumont, with 21 large pumps delivering between 20,000 and 110,000 gallons of water a minute; it has a capability of delivering more than one billion gallons of water a day. Up to maximum

Salt water barrier

Prior to construction of the permanent barrier, the LNVA installed temporary barriers across Pine Island Bayou and the Neches River upstream of their confluence 36 times between 1940 and 2000, to prevent contamination of their waters from salt water. A permanent saltwater barrier across the Neches River is located downstream about one-half mile from the confluence of Pine Island Bayou and the Neches River. It is about eight miles north of Beaumont. The barrier, constructed between 2000 and 2003, prevents saltwater contamination during periods of low river flows. The permanent saltwater barrier project had a budgeted cost of $50 million, with the federal government paying 75% of the cost and the LNVA responsible for the remaining 25%. The barrier, over 1,000 feet long, includes a 650-foot-long overflow barrier; five forty-five foot wide

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; and a fifty-six foot wide navigation lane regulated by two thirty-foot sector gates. It also allows the conservation of 200,000 acre-feet per year of freshwater upstream in Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The salt water barrier project also provides recreational opportunities. Public launching ramps are located on the Jefferson County side of the barrier. The area has a walking trail and playground. The state of Texas created its sixty-first (61st) canoe paddling trail in 2014, with the trail head at the salt water barrier. It progresses north into waters included in the

Big Thicket National Preserve The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily-forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. This area represents a portion of the mixed pine-hardwood forests of southeast US. The National Park Service esta ...

References

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External references

"Lower Neches Valley Authority"
Texas History Online
Current Conditions: "LNVA Saltwater Barrier"
USGS Government of Texas Canals in Texas Irrigation canals River authorities of Texas