On January 10, 1997, the State of Texas received federal approval of the Coastal Management Program (CMP) (62 Federal Register pp. 1439 - 1440). Under federal law, federal agency activities and actions affecting the Texas coastal zone must be consistent with the CMP goals and policies identified in 31 TAC Chapter 26. Requests for federal consistency review were deemed administratively complete for the following project(s) during the period of February 10, 2025 to February 21, 2025. As required by federal law, the public is given an opportunity to comment on the consistency of proposed activities in the coastal zone undertaken or authorized by federal agencies. Pursuant to 31 TAC §§30.20(f), 30.30(h), and 30.40(e), the public comment period extends 30 days from the date published on the Texas General Land Office web site. The notice was published on the web site on Friday, February 28, 2025. The public comment period for this project will close at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, 2025.
Federal License and Permit Activities:
Applicant: City of Corpus Christi
Location: The project site is located in Oso Bay, at South Bay Park, in Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas.
Latitude and Longitude: 27.691613, -97.317788
Project Description: The City of Corpus Christi proposes to replace the failing retaining wall and shoreline protection at South Bay Park with a sand beach, a vegetated articulating block mat (ABM) revetment, and a rock groin system. The proposed system will closely mimic the historical shoreline, add resilience with the installation of rock groins, provide an ecological uplift from existing site conditions, and create the only official public recreational access point for Oso Bay.
Approximately 1,980 cubic yards (CY) of sand and 371 CY of rock will be placed into Oso Bay for the proposed beach and rock groin shoreline stabilization concept. The shoreline will also include approximately 127 CY of vegetated concrete articulating block mattress (ABM) revetment, which will be placed on top of geotextile fabric to reduce settlement. The ABM revetment will be approximately 6-inches thick and occupy approximately 0.022 acres below the high tide line (HTL). Sand fill will total approximately 0.527 acres, and rock fill for the rock groin will total approximately 0.100 acres in Oso Bay. All fill material in Oso Bay will total approximately 0.65 acres.
The Project will also remove an existing storm drain and install a new drainage outfall east of the rock groin. Moreover, additional repairs will be implemented, such as park upland sidewalks, and one walkway ramp, to allow the community safe access to the proposed sand beach.
The rock groins will be constructed west and east of the sand beach. The western rock groin will be approximately 74 linear feet (LF), and the eastern rock groin will be approximately 99 LF in length. The two rock groins will have a crest elevation of +3.5 feet (ft) North American Vertical Datum (NAVD), approximately 2.5 horizontal (minimum) to 1 vertical side slope. The groins will be approximately 8 feet wide at the top of the crest and have an average base width of 25 feet, as illustrated in Attachment A. The rock will be placed on geotextile fabric on the bay bottom to help reduce settlement.
Sand fill is proposed to be placed between the rock groins at a maximum elevation of +2.75 ft NAVD for shoreline stabilization and beach sand creation. Fill material will be provided by a contractor and will be tested for total organic carbon, total petroleum hydrocarbons, ammonia, grain size distribution, and percent solids. Construction machinery such as tracked excavators, front-end loaders, dump trucks, or dozers will access the Project Area from existing roads adjacent to South Bay Park and the landside. No vessels, other aquatic construction machinery, or dredging are proposed to minimize aquatic disturbances.
The proposed Project aims to restore the historical shoreline of South Bay Park by creating a stabilized shoreline with a sand beach, vegetated ABM revetment, and a rock groin system. The Project will not impact any special aquatic resources such as seagrass, oyster reefs, or wetlands. The Project will provide an ecological uplift by placing a rock groin that provides increased availability of hard substrate as a habitat for other estuarine and marine organisms and provide a sand beach for public access to Oso Bay and foraging grounds for shorebirds. Since the Project’s main goal is to restore the existing shoreline, and it does not result in the loss of special aquatic sites, compensatory mitigation is not proposed.
Type of Application: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit application #SWG-2024-00550. This application will be reviewed pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Note: The consistency review for this project may be conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as part of its certification under §401 of the Clean Water Act.
CMP Project No: 25-1126-F1
Further information on the applications listed above, including a copy of the consistency certifications or consistency determinations for inspection, may be obtained from the Texas General Land Office Public Information Officer at 1700 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701, or via email at pialegal@glo.texas.gov. Comments should be sent to the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program Coordinator at the above address or via email at federal.consistency@glo.texas.gov.