Industrial Benefits of Controlling Saltwater Intrusion in the Neches River

Abstract

The Lower Neches Valley Authority in Texas uses the Neches River to supply water to its agricultural, industrial, and municipal customers. Temporary saltwater barriers are currently being used to prevent saltwater intrusion on the lower Neches River from the Gulf of Mexico. This study estimates the industrial benefits of a proposed federal permanent saltwater barrier. Introduction The Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA), which includes the Jefferson, Hardin, and Tyler Counties of Southeast Texas, distributes fresh water to municipal, industrial, and agricultural water users through a system comprised of five major pumping plants and approximately 400 miles of canals and associated structures (Hebert 1994). The LNVA was created in 1933 as a Conservation and Reclamation District. The sources of the fresh water delivered by LNVA are the Neches River and the Pine Island Bayou, a tributary of the Neches. Saltwater intrusion is a documented problem that has persisted in the lower reaches of the Neches River for quite some time. Because of the Neches River’s proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, and because it has been dredged to about 40 foot depths to support the deep water ports of Beaumont and Port Arthur, an unimpeded avenue has been created for the upstream movement of saltwater from the Gulf. If allowed, the saltwater may encroach upon the intakes of LNVA, thereby jeopardizing the fresh water supply for its users. The Beaumont-Port Arthur area, one of the world’s largest petroleum and petrochemical complexes, has twenty-six (26) industries that use about 45% of the LNVA water and also employ a large portion of the local workforce (Hebert 1994). The type of industries ranges from refining, petrochemical, and tire and rubber to raw products for resin. Because there are no alternative sources of water for the industry, the industrial sector is entirely dependent on the LNVA water and cannot accept water with more chloride than 150 Parts Per Million(PPM) for processing and 250 PPM for cooling