O'Quinn I-45 Estuary Shoreline Protection and Marsh Restoration

Project Description

This project conducted project design, including site analysis, site survey, alternatives analysis, soils analysis and other engineering efforts toward a shovel-ready project for future funding at O'Quinn I-45 Estuary. The O’Quinn I-45 Estuary Corridor is an intertidal marsh located near the \nI-45 Causeway, southeast of Bayou Vista, and is part of the greater Virginia Point Preserve complex owned and managed by Scenic Galveston, Inc. (SG), a 501(c)3 all-volunteer conservation organization. The Preserve is permanently protected by deed restriction to habitat conservation and compatible public use. It is located directly across Jones Bay / Highland Bayou from Pierce Marsh, which is a similar-scale wetland conservation protection effort led by Galveston Bay Foundation and The Nature Conservancy of TX. (See attached maps.) The project area includes approximately 1.6+ miles of bay shoreline protection near its junction with Jones Bay and 300-400 acres of potential estuarine wetland restoration, building upon and complementing previous restoration work by Scenic Galveston\n and partners in the Preserve complex. The existing railroad embankments serve as containment for "interior" marsh restoration between I-45 and the railroad, which would be beneficial during construction. However, the historic Jones Bay shoreline closest to Bayou Vista along the Highland Bayou boat channel has largely disintegrated, resulting in near-total "exterior" marsh loss between the railroad embankment and Jones Bay. The goal of this project is to restore habitat function to this portion of the preserve and \nto stabilize the entire shoreline to prevent future loss along Jones Bay, likely utilizing a combination of permanent hard structure breakwaters designed to collect sediment and sacrificial containment berms to protect the new marsh until establishment. This project will create additional habitat with the restoration of estuarine wetlands and protect existing habitat not only for birds but also for many commercially and recreationally valuable fisheries species that support recreational use and local economies --among them: Blue crab, Brown and White shrimp, Southern flounder, Spotted sea trout, Red drum (redfish). Any hard structure associated with breakwater design will also provide substrate for oysters, with attendant water quality benefits.