page_title: Lavaca Bay
section_title: Ecosystem
hierarchical_section_title: Lavaca Bay / Ecosystem
caption_attribution_description: Seventy acres of salt marsh were created in Lavaca Bay, Texas, as a result of a cooperative natural resource damages settlement with NOAA, co-trustees, and Alcoa, using the latest science from the NOAA Galveston Laboratory. As part of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, this new marsh adds to the foraging area of endangered whooping cranes. To learn more about natural resource restoration, visit: &lt;a href="http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Office of Response and Restoration&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/topics/coasts/restoration/" rel="nofollow"&gt;Natural Resource Restoration&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/weeklynews/jan09/athos.html" rel="nofollow"&gt;Restoration Plan for Delaware River Announced&lt;/a&gt; (Original source: &lt;a href="http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/images.html" rel="nofollow"&gt;National Ocean Service Image Gallery&lt;/a&gt;)
context_page_description: Lavaca Bay is a northwestern extension of the Matagorda Bay system found mostly in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The ports of Port Lavaca and Point Comfort have been established on the bay, and are the main areas of human habitation. Linnville was located on the bay until its abandonment after the Great Raid of 1840, and the major port of Indianola was found near the confluence with the main Matagorda Bay, until the town's final destruction following the massive hurricane of 1886. Smaller communities include Olivia, Alamo Beach and Magnolia Beach. Lavaca Bay is approximately 82 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, about 121 miles southwest of Houston, and 145 miles southeast of San Antonio.
  The bay is noted for its superfund site, caused by mercury pollution from the heavy industry in Point Comfort, across the bay from the largest settlement of Port Lavaca. Although fishing has declined in recent years due to fears of contamination, the bay supports a large finfish population, and the efforts of environmental organizations and the federal government have pressured Alcoa to reduce the polluted areas.
context_section_description: Lavaca Bay hosts a wide range of finfish including Black drum, Flounder, Redfish, Sheepshead and Speckled trout, however it suffers from mercury pollution. An Alcoa plant in Point Comfort dumped an estimated 67 pounds (30 kg) of mercury into the bay per day in the 1960s, affecting 64 square miles (170 km²). A mercury superfund was established at the site, and the processing of oysters and blue crab in certain locations was prohibited. A study revealed that the bay's detritus is more than ten times as contaminated as nearby Keller Bay.
  The pollution issue is a main concern of citizens of Calhoun County, and has attracted demonstrations against industry in Point Comfort. However, Alcoa has worked with state and federal officials, spending $110 million to reduce the size of the superfund site, as part of a 2005 settlement. Cooperation aims to create 70 additional acres of salt marsh and 11 acres of oyster reef habitat.
  Locals have estimated that the only area still affected by contamination is just offshore from the Alcoa plant. Signs warning boaters of the water's toxicity are found at the site. The stigma attached to the bay due to reports of pollution has discouraged fishing, enabling a healthy population to develop.
caption: Additional salt marsh added to the bay.
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