This project, Phase I of a multi-phase project, will conduct pre-construction activities including all necessary surveys, alternatives analysis, project engineering and design, preparation of construction plans, and securing permits to protect the estuarine salinity gradient, marsh habitats, and submerged aquatic vegetation in Powderhorn Lake. Subsequent phases of the larger project will include protection of the Matagorda Bay shoreline from La Salle Bayou south to Boggy Bayou protecting an additional 300 acres of marsh and seagrass habitat (Fig. 3).