Lower Neches Valley Authority

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), 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 in planning, financing, and constructing several large multipurpose dams on the Neches River and Angelina River. 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 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 The barrier, over 1,000 feet long, includes a 650-foot-long overflow barrier; five forty-five foot wide tainter gates; 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. ==References==

• "Lower Neches Valley Authority", Texas History Online • Current Conditions: "LNVA Saltwater Barrier", USGS