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San Bernard to be dredged
The mouth of the San Bernard River could once more open into the Gulf of Mexico
by the end of this year, representatives of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers
told residents gathered at a meeting last Friday.
Ben Boren, Operations Project Manager for the Corps Galveston District,
explained that the original mouth of the river became clogged with sediment,
causing the mouth to migrate down the coast at a rate of 1 to 1.5 feet per day.
He showed slides of the river in 1974 up through 2007, showing how far the mouth
has migrated.
The closure of the mouth has caused a problem at the Brazos River flood gates,
he said, because since the water can no longer flow into the Gulf, it flows into
the Intracoastal Waterway and creates a crosscurrent.
Tom Lizardo, representing Congressman Ron Paul’s office, said the reopening of
the San Bernard was Paul’s number one priority this year, and Paul had arranged
for Lizardo to bring Assistant Secretary of the Army John Woodley from
Washington to tour the area and see the problem first hand.
“Sec. Woodley then took it on as his personal interest,” Lizardo said.
Rather than looking at the reopening of the river as a new and separate
project, which would require additional studies and funding, the Corps of
Engineers is using the river’s impact on the Intracoastal as a reason to
undertake the work as a maintenance project.
The currents at the flood gates have become so severe that there are 165
incidents a year where vessels run into the gates or other structures, compared
to an average of 35 per year on other waterways.
“Because of the impact on the Brazos River flood gates, we can do this project
under our existing authority using our current operations and maintenance
budget,” said Col. David Weston, Commander of the Galveston District.
Weston cautioned that because the estimated $4.5 million to fund the project is
being taken from the existing budget, an emergency, such as failure of the locks
on the Colorado River, or a major hurricane, could set back the project, but “we
are committed to getting this project done.”
As it stands now, the project could begin in October, with a completion time of
45 to 60 days.
The Corps will start at the Intracoastal Waterway and dig a channel 10 feet
deep and 100 feet wide across the spit of sand at the original location where
the San Bernard flowed into the Gulf.
The channel may have to be dredged every 8 to 12 years, he said. The cost of
constructing jetties is too expensive.
Sand from the dredging will be allowed to drift downstream to replenish the
beaches.
Some of those present questioned whether the sand could be used along Surfside
Beach, which is also in need of replenishment.
“Economically, it’s just not possible,” Weston said. The distance the sand
would have to be moved would make it cost prohibitive, and would have to be
undertaken by some other entity, such as Brazoria County.
The Texas Department of Transportation is also working with the Corps of
Engineers in sponsoring the project.