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More than $5 million in federal stimulus money will help in the restoration of West Galveston Bay’s rapidly dying marshes, officials said Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration selected the project as part of a $167 million effort to create jobs by rebuilding damaged wetlands, shellfish beds and coral reefs along the nation’s coasts and the Great Lakes.
The money for West Galveston Bay will be used to rebuild 328 acres of marshes with dredged sand. It will be the largest in a series of restoration projects for an area that has lost more than 5,200 acres of marsh since the 1950s because of erosion, sea-level rise and subsidence — the sinking of soft soils.
The intertidal wetlands are critical because they act as nature’s speed bumps against wind and waves. They also serve as a productive nursery for a variety of sea life, including white and brown shrimp, blue crab and red drum.
“I am confident this grant will greatly benefit the ecosystem — and the economy — of West Galveston Bay,†said Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who will oversee the project.
The General Land Office, which Patterson heads, will contribute $600,000 to the project, and NRG Energy will donate $250,000 in plants.
The project is expected to create 100 jobs, officials said.
Ben Rhame, coordinator of special projects for the land office, said engineers would design the rebuilt marsh for a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
Construction should begin in November at Jumbile Cove and Galveston Island State Park, with October 2010 as the targeted completion date.
“It’s very much needed,†said Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, an advocacy group.
Still, Stokes said he was disappointed that the federal government funded only one project in Texas. Of the 50 funded projects, California has 10, Washington six, Florida four and Louisiana two. Overall, however, only six projects received more money than the one in Texas.
“At least we got one good one,†Stokes said.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said the agency received more than 800 proposals and acknowledged that the awards don’t cover all the needs. “But at the local level, this will make a difference,†she said.
matthew.tresaugue@chron.com
More than $5 million in federal stimulus money will help in the restoration of West Galveston Bay’s rapidly dying marshes, officials said Tuesday.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration selected the project as part of a $167 million effort to create jobs by rebuilding damaged wetlands, shellfish beds and coral reefs along the nation’s coasts and the Great Lakes.
The money for West Galveston Bay will be used to rebuild 328 acres of marshes with dredged sand. It will be the largest in a series of restoration projects for an area that has lost more than 5,200 acres of marsh since the 1950s because of erosion, sea-level rise and subsidence — the sinking of soft soils.
The intertidal wetlands are critical because they act as nature’s speed bumps against wind and waves. They also serve as a productive nursery for a variety of sea life, including white and brown shrimp, blue crab and red drum.
“I am confident this grant will greatly benefit the ecosystem — and the economy — of West Galveston Bay,†said Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who will oversee the project.
The General Land Office, which Patterson heads, will contribute $600,000 to the project, and NRG Energy will donate $250,000 in plants.
The project is expected to create 100 jobs, officials said.
Ben Rhame, coordinator of special projects for the land office, said engineers would design the rebuilt marsh for a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.
Construction should begin in November at Jumbile Cove and Galveston Island State Park, with October 2010 as the targeted completion date.
“It’s very much needed,†said Bob Stokes, president of the Galveston Bay Foundation, an advocacy group.
Still, Stokes said he was disappointed that the federal government funded only one project in Texas. Of the 50 funded projects, California has 10, Washington six, Florida four and Louisiana two. Overall, however, only six projects received more money than the one in Texas.
“At least we got one good one,†Stokes said.
NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said the agency received more than 800 proposals and acknowledged that the awards don’t cover all the needs. “But at the local level, this will make a difference,†she said.
matthew.tresaugue@chron.com
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