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The contract has been awarded and will begin dredging soon. Below is an excellent report by Scott Jones, who is heading advocacy for the Galveston Bay Foundation. It looks like good news, but we really need to keep eyes on the actual dredging once it begins.
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The Corps awarded the contract for maintenance dredging of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) from the Galveston Causeway to Bastrop Bayou. See the press release at http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Media/...-contract.aspx. The good news is that approximately 118,000 CY of dredged material that would have gone to PAs 62 and 63 (the barrier island placement areas) will now be used beneficially in Galveston Bay Foundation’s Pierce Marsh Complex located adjacent to Jones Bay between Bayou Vista and Harborwalk.
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3. The bottom line is that in this cycle, the Corps’ contractor will place much less material into PA 62 and no material will be placed in PA 63. I am hopeful that the results will be much better than they were in the last cycle in Winter 2011/2012 because (1) less material needs to be dredged (I believe mainly due to a shorter time period between the dredging cycles), (2) 118,000 CY of the material will be used beneficially, and (3) the Corps has a better plan for the placement (see item 4 below). Improvements to the plan are the result of discussions between the Corps, the state and federal resource agencies and GBF.
Here are some more details that I received in a reply from Seth Jones of the Corps and from the pre-construction conference call:
1. The exact start date has not been finalized, but it sounds like the dredging will begin in mid-January. No exact end date can be set yet, but there is an environmental window deadline of February 28th for the work to be completed in the PA 62/PA 63 area. This is designed so that any placement of dredge material will occur when the seagrass is dormant.
2. Volume of dredged material to be discharged into PA 62 this cycle: approximately 38,000 CY. In the last cycle, approximately 160,000 CY was discharged into PA 62 across 7 discharge points.
3. Volume of dredged material to be discharged into PA 63 this cycle: none. In the last cycle, approximately 260,000 CY was discharged into PA 63 across 3 discharge points.
4. This cycle, the Corps has designed the placement into PA 62 to reduce the amount of material that will reach the open water. There are 3 discharge corridors located on the emergent land portion of PA 62. The corridors will have earthen berms with wiers to allow dredged material to settle out behind the weirs. The corridors have been located at the widest section of the placement area to maximize buildup of dredged material to reinforce the islands that protect the GIWW and the shorelines of Greens Lake and adjacent lands.
5. It is difficult to quantify the approximate thickness of material that may reach seagrasses adjacent to PA 62. The reduction of CY placed at PA 62 is substantial and they have designed the placement to further reduce the amount of sediment that may reach the seagrasses.
6. Seth said that they avoid placing material in areas where known oyster reefs exist and that they do not expect the placement to cover any known oyster reefs. He said they would double-check their oyster surveys to see if there are areas of consolidated reef in the placement area. Note: I sent Seth the 2011/2012 photo from your blog page that shows the oyster shell and I gave him the link so he could view the video that shows oysters. I also forwarded him your follow up email about reef locations.
I am cautiously optimistic that we will have a better outcome this cycle.
Thanks-
Scott
1.
The Corps awarded the contract for maintenance dredging of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) from the Galveston Causeway to Bastrop Bayou. See the press release at http://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Media/...-contract.aspx. The good news is that approximately 118,000 CY of dredged material that would have gone to PAs 62 and 63 (the barrier island placement areas) will now be used beneficially in Galveston Bay Foundation’s Pierce Marsh Complex located adjacent to Jones Bay between Bayou Vista and Harborwalk.
2.
3. The bottom line is that in this cycle, the Corps’ contractor will place much less material into PA 62 and no material will be placed in PA 63. I am hopeful that the results will be much better than they were in the last cycle in Winter 2011/2012 because (1) less material needs to be dredged (I believe mainly due to a shorter time period between the dredging cycles), (2) 118,000 CY of the material will be used beneficially, and (3) the Corps has a better plan for the placement (see item 4 below). Improvements to the plan are the result of discussions between the Corps, the state and federal resource agencies and GBF.
Here are some more details that I received in a reply from Seth Jones of the Corps and from the pre-construction conference call:
1. The exact start date has not been finalized, but it sounds like the dredging will begin in mid-January. No exact end date can be set yet, but there is an environmental window deadline of February 28th for the work to be completed in the PA 62/PA 63 area. This is designed so that any placement of dredge material will occur when the seagrass is dormant.
2. Volume of dredged material to be discharged into PA 62 this cycle: approximately 38,000 CY. In the last cycle, approximately 160,000 CY was discharged into PA 62 across 7 discharge points.
3. Volume of dredged material to be discharged into PA 63 this cycle: none. In the last cycle, approximately 260,000 CY was discharged into PA 63 across 3 discharge points.
4. This cycle, the Corps has designed the placement into PA 62 to reduce the amount of material that will reach the open water. There are 3 discharge corridors located on the emergent land portion of PA 62. The corridors will have earthen berms with wiers to allow dredged material to settle out behind the weirs. The corridors have been located at the widest section of the placement area to maximize buildup of dredged material to reinforce the islands that protect the GIWW and the shorelines of Greens Lake and adjacent lands.
5. It is difficult to quantify the approximate thickness of material that may reach seagrasses adjacent to PA 62. The reduction of CY placed at PA 62 is substantial and they have designed the placement to further reduce the amount of sediment that may reach the seagrasses.
6. Seth said that they avoid placing material in areas where known oyster reefs exist and that they do not expect the placement to cover any known oyster reefs. He said they would double-check their oyster surveys to see if there are areas of consolidated reef in the placement area. Note: I sent Seth the 2011/2012 photo from your blog page that shows the oyster shell and I gave him the link so he could view the video that shows oysters. I also forwarded him your follow up email about reef locations.
I am cautiously optimistic that we will have a better outcome this cycle.
Thanks-
Scott
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