Coastal Projects

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: City of Jamaica Beach

Summary: During Cycle 3, preliminary engineering and permitting tasks were conducted for a beach nourishment project that will restore the eroded beach at the City of Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island. Because construction was postponed until after the 2005 turtle-nesting season, the construction phase of the project was carried forward into Cycle 4. The dune restoration phase of the project was completed in August of 2006. The beach nourishment phase could not be constructed during Cycle 4 due to sand source and USACE permit issues.

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: City of Jamaica Beach

Summary: This project will restore the beach site to pre hurricane Ike condition by placing beach quality sand on Jamaica Beach.

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Summary: In September of 2009, the GLO received an Estuary Restoration Act grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for approximately $915,000 to restore approximately 75 acres of inter-tidal marsh complex habitat within a 108-acre area along the north West Galveston Island shoreline adjacent to West Galveston Bay in order to enhance and protect existing estuarine and coastal habitats. This project is being matched with CEPRA money and $100,000 from NRG Texas Power in in-kind plant donations.

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: City of Galveston

Summary: FEMA Public Assistance funds will be combined with CEPRA funds on this Hurricane Ike repair project adjacent to four subdivisions on the far west end of Galveston Island between Jamaica Beach and San Luis Pass. The 5500 Association, Kahala Beach Estates, Terramar and the Sea Isle subdivisions had previous beach nourishment projects constructed in CEPRA Cycle 3 that were damaged by Hurricane Ike. The restoration of the beach to pre-storm condition will help to provide the necessary conditions for the development of a natural dune system.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology (UTBEG)

Summary: This project will update the historical shoreline change rates that were last updated in 2000. These shoreline change rates are essential for identifying critical erosion areas and for identifying areas where coastal protection projects are needed.

Region/County: Jefferson

Recipient: McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge

Summary: This project proposes to place sand fencing along one mile of McFaddin NWR. This is a low-cost methodology to help the dune system adjacent to the refuge rebuild itself after being damaged by Hurricane Ike.

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Summary: In July of 2009, the GLO received an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) grant through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to restore 328 acres of marsh complex along the backside of West Galveston Island in the Galveston Island State Park and Jumbile Cove areas. This project is being matched with CEPRA money in-kind plant donations. The engineering work phase commenced in late July 2009 and the construction phase is presently under way at Jumbile and Carancuhua Coves.

Region/County: Galveston

Recipient: Galveston County

Summary: A carry-forward from Cycle 5, this project will utilize CEPRA and other federal funds to construct a large-scale beach nourishment and dune restoration project extending six miles from the west end of the Galveston seawall along the gulf beach. Beach quality sand obtained from a submerged sand resource at the east end of Galveston inside the South Jetty will be dredged and placed on the beaches of West Galveston Island. This project has been greatly expanded and reworked due to the impact of Hurricane Ike.

Region/County: Cameron

Recipient: General Land Office

Summary: In support of the South Padre Island CEMS Shoreline Stabilization Demonstration Project #1459, GLO is using an independent Professional Services Provider (PSP) to develop performance expectations and establish baseline criteria for general and site-specific project design, installation, and a monitoring plan to measure post-construction project performance success/failure. The PSP will also provide third-party independent review.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: Texas General Land Office

Summary: The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is developing a web site that provides access to a centralized coastal sediment database (TexSed). The database will include available Texas coastal sediment data the GLO has access to. The goal of TexSed is to facilitate the search for information about sediments for beach nourishment, dune restoration, shoreline protection, habitat restoration (marshes, wetlands, and sea grasses) and barrier island enhancement projects, etc.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: Texas Water Development Board

Summary: The Texas Water Development Board will digitize the coastal historical photography on the Texas coast. The project will enable comparative views of coastal regions through historical photography preserved in digital format.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: Texas A& M University - Corpus Christi

Summary: This project is for planning the implementation of the Texas Integrated Ocean Observation System (TIOOS), an environmental information system utilizing data collected in coastal and offshore waters of the Texas Gulf coast. The project will provide a coordinated plan for the integration of the existing environmental, oceanographic, and hydrographic data collection networks along and on the Gulf water of Texas into one unified environmental information system.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: Universtity of Texas at Austin - Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences

Summary: This University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology project will provide data, maps and analyses that are needed to plan the future of the shoreline. State-of-the-art LIDAR technology and analysis methods will be used. Status of the beach/dune system will be determined through the measurement of volumes, dimensions, and morphology, and a storm susceptibility index will be developed.

Region/County: Cameron

Recipient: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Summary: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will help-re-establish a nesting colony of Kemps Ridley sea turtles on the Padre Island National Seashore. Nesting patrols, using all terrain vehicles, will conduct inspections repeatedly each day from the first of April through mid-July and daily from mid-July to mid-August. Also funds will be used to educate and involve the community, support volunteers who aid with turtle observations, conduct media interviews, distribute handouts and posters, and invite the public to view hatchling releases.

Region/County: Coast Wide

Recipient: Texas General Land Office

Summary: Project funds used to contract with a professional service provider to conduct geotechnical investigations, characterize dredged material placement areas, and develop designs and strategies to remove and transport dredged material with beach quality sand to coastal project locations.

Region/County: Upper Coast

Recipient: Railroad Commission of Texas

Summary: The Railroad Commission of Texas plugged 5 abandoned wells in state waters off Jefferson County to eliminate a potential threat of pollution to Texas coastal natural resources.

Region/County: Harris

Recipient: Houston Parks Board

Summary: The Houston Parks Board purchased 27 acres along Sims Bayou. The acquisition allows for the restoration and enhancement of natural features that will restore the site to a complex of habitats typical of the historic Sims Bayou.

Region/County: Matagorda

Recipient: The Nature Conservancy

Summary: The Nature Conservancy will construct approximately 2.5 miles of permanent offshore, rock breakwater structure along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) in Matagorda County along the shoreline of the Mad Island Wildlife Management Area, an estuarine wetland ecosystem managed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. Project completion will result in permanent protection of critically important terrestrial and marine wildlife habitats by mitigating the effects of wave energy on unprotected shorelines and mitigating threats of saltwater intrusion into brackish and freshwater coastal marshes.

Region/County: Calhoun

Recipient: Calhoun Port Authority

Summary: This project provides funding for the County Navigation District to contract with a coastal engineering firm to conduct the surveys and final design for a shoreline protection project and to develop a bid package. The tasks conducted in this phase prepare the project for construction at a later time under subsequent funding cycles.

Region/County: Brazoria

Recipient: Villiage of Surfside

Summary: This project involved the final design and construction of a shoreline stabilization project along the Gulf shoreline at the Village of Surfside Beach, and was partially funded with FEMA Public Assistance funds. Approximately 3,500 feet of rock revetment was installed along the seaward side of Beach Dr. The revetment was designed to provide protection from a two-year storm, yet withstood the estimated 30-year storm impact of Hurricane Ike, protecting Beach Drive, infrastructure, and houses on the landward side of Beach Drive.