INTRODUCTION

 
       Coastal industries are highly dependent upon water transportation. Water is an efficient
means for moving raw materials to industry and for shipping finished products to markets. The
development of navigation channels and associated industry in coastal waters and shorelands has
destroyed vast areas of productive wetlands. This study analyzes inland canals as a method of
pro-
viding navigation access without large-scale alteration of wetlands. Subject to the limitations ex-
pressed below, the study substantiates the hypothesis that widespread wetland alteration is not a
necessary part of coastal industry siting and navigation development.
                                     Purpose and Objectives
       The growing demand for navigation access, dredged material disposal sites, and industrial
development has increased concomitant with public policy restrictions against large-scale altera-
tion of productive wetlands. As the State agency with primary responsibility for managing the
coastal public lands and implementing the policies designed for their protection, the General
Land
Office is investigating alternatives to traditional industrial navigation development which can
reduce
channelization and filling of valuable wetland systems. This study was initiated by the General
Land
Office through the Texas Coastal Management Program. The purpose of the study is to
investigate
the feasibility of the inland canal alternative and formulate a methodology which can be applied
to
an analysis of energy facility siting on the Texas coast.
 
       The objectives of the study are threefold. First, the hypothesis that the inland canal is a
feasible alternative to traditional navigation developments must be tested. Second, a usable
methodology to locate and design an inland industrial canal with least environmental impact
must
be developed. Third, the information of most value in applying this methodology and in
determin-
ing the impacts of an inland canal project must be compiled.
 
       Given these objectives, two audiences are expected to find the study results to be interesting
and useful. Industry will find it opportune to incorporate the study results into future
development
decisions. Governmental entities responsible for managing coastal resources will find the study
con-
clusions of use in reviewing plans for coastal industrial navigation developmens.
 
 
                                  SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
 
       The inland industrial canal concept can be a feasible alternative for industrial siting on the
Texas coast. This determination is based on the analysis of a hypothetical case study of an inland
industrial canal located in the Brazosport area of Brazoria County, Texas.
 
                                         Cost Feasibility
1. The financing of land purchase, canal construction, and site preparation would be a profitable
    venture for the private investor. Site improvements, including the installation of utilities, are
    necessary to the marketability of the project, but result in a less profitable private investment.
 
2. Public financing of the project would likewise be feasible, and would be desirable for the
utility
    system. Public ownership of the project through a navigation district would confer unique
    financing advantages. Federal funding of canal construction, while reducing local public or
    private investment costs, would cause an inexpedient project delay.
 
3. Feasibility of the concept is contingent upon acquisition of a large parcel of land providing
    7,000 to 10,000 net salable acres. This finding is based on the magnitude of project costs, the
    existing real estate market, and experience of similar developments.
 
 
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                                       Design Feasibility
I1. The inland industrial canal approach can successfully reduce wetland alteration and dredged
   material disposal problems often associated with traditional industrial navigation projects.
2. A conceptual design which incorporates excavated and dredged material into industrial site
fillI
   and flood protection levee construction is a practical solution to disposal of dredged material
   and to hurricane and river flood hazards. it would not be economical to transport material
   dredged at the lower reaches of the canal to the industrial site. This material would have to be
   placed within the canal right-of-way.
 
3. Routing of the canal on a drainage divide or low coastal ridge would minimize the detrimental
   modification of surface runoff flows to wetlands and reduce sedimentation in the canal. Long-I
   term maintenance dredging requirements for an inland canal may be lower than for bay or
 
4. Potential environmental impacts which should be closely studied in inland canal design
include:
   a. upland habitat loss and habitat isolation;
   b. the modification of upland sheetfiow runoff to point source flow;
   c. modification of the flow rate and volume of intermittent streams if their diversion under the
       canal is required;
   d. saltwater intrusion into the water table adjacent to the canal;
   e. the potential for the flow of hazardous spills to escape the canal and enter adjacent wet-
       lands; and
   f. concentrated air pollutant levels resulting from aggregation of industries.
 
5. Potential social and economic impacts detected in the hypothetical case study include:
   a. the possible creation of a short-term municipal fiscal deficit in the project area due to new
       residents and infrastructural requirements; and
   b. stress on existing transportation and water supply systems;4
   Public interaction throughout the planning process is essential to protection of community
   character and social structure.
 
 
                                    Governmental Assistance
       Numerous governmental assistance programs available to alleviate the adverse impacts
caused by project development have been identified. Programs relevant to the case study include
the
Coastal Energy Impact Fund, construction grants for wastewater treatment works administered
by
the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Water Quality Board, funds provided under
the
Clean Air Financing Act, EPA water quality enhancement bonds, and funds provided by the
Economic Development Administration. Participation in these and other programs will depend
on
the allocation of funds and ability to qualify.
 
 
                                     Assessment Procedure
       The environmental assessment procedure, which combines aspects of least impact corridor
identification and the Activity Assessment Routine of the Texas Coastal Management Program is
a
useful environmental planning tool. The ecological systems diagram analysis is effective in
screening
the potential ecological alterations of a project, but a quantified data system based on field sam-
pling would be essential to the application of environmental analysis beyond the conceptual
stage.
The number of judgments required to assess the ecological impacts is lessened with a systematic
approach, even in a qualitative systems analysis; the need for discretion, however, is not
eliminated.
 
 
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                                      STUDY APPROACH
 
       The feasibility of the inland industrial canal concept was assessed according to three factors:
 
       1. the cost of developing an inland canal and associated industrial site with features corn-
           parable to traditional industrial navigation developments;
       2. the economic, environmental, and social impacts of an inland canal development; and
       3. the relative ability of an inland canal approach to minimize adverse impacts associated
           with traditional industrial navigation developments.