Project Description
The project will construct 7,920 linear feet of breakwaters along the northern shoreline of the GIWW in coordination with the Big Boggy National Wildlife Refuge in Matagorda County. Protecting the shoreline would sustain productivity of approximately 1,800 acres of tidal marsh, protect wildlife such as estuarine-dependent birds and fish, decrease sedimentation in the GIWW, and benefit East Matagorda Bay users. The shoreline protection project is part of a larger, partnership effort to protect and restore Big Boggy Marsh. Big Boggy NWR is working with the USFWS Coastal Program, Ducks Unlimited, Matagorda Bay Foundation, General Land Office, and East Matagorda Bay users to restore features in the tidal marsh that were historically present and improve conditions for fish and wildlife. In addition to protecting Refuge shoreline from GIWW erosive forces, the partnership is planning to restore hydrologic connectivity that will improve water quality and fisheries passage, and restore tidal marsh elevations in approximately 200 acres within the marsh through beneficial use of dredged material.