Save Our Beach

Public meeting has been set on the Sargent Beach restoration project.  All are welcome - please get in your letters of support - Note that the public meeting is hosted by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, the Texas General Land office, Matagorda County and Atkins Global (the prime contractor on the project).  This is OUTSTANDING!! More on the public meeting from GLO -  Dave, thanks for reaching out. I can tell you that there is an upcoming public meeting scheduled for Friday November 6 th   at 5:30pm, tentatively at the fire station in Sargent (I’ll let you know if the location changes). This meeting is being organized by Judge McDonald and Commissioner Pollard and is for the purpose of discussing the long-term Sargent Beach stabilization measures project and the present Corps of Engineers permit application relating to that, for which Public Notice was posted on October 20 th   – you may view the public notice which includes the 30% preliminary design of the project online at the foll

 Letter 3 Your Name Address City, State   Zip Code Date Central Evaluation Unit/Evaluation branch Regulatory Division, CESWG-RDE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers P. O. Box 1229 Galveston, TX 77553- 1229 Re: SWG-2018-00678        Sargent Breakwater and Beach Nourishment Project   Dear Ms. Taylor, I write to today to support SWG-2018-00678 Sargent Breakwater and Beach Nourishment Project. Please approve a permit for this project as soon as possible. Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely, Your Name (printed) LETTER 4 Your Name Address City, State   Zip Code Date Central Evaluation Unit/Evaluation branch Regulatory Division, CESWG-RDE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers P. O. Box 1229 Galveston, TX 77553- 1229 Re: SWG-2018-00678        Sargent Breakwater and Beach Nourishment Project   Dear Ms. Taylor, I write to today in support of SWG-2018-00678 Sargent Breakwater and Beach Nourishment Project. I am a [resident – own property-

The public comment period is open for Army Corps of Engineers for the Sargent Breakwater Project! - this was facilitated by Kent Pollard and our county commissioners as this sometimes takes 18 months for them to get around to posting public comment - but they got it done in 2 months!!   Now we have to do our part.  The project is posted here: https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/2387210/swg-2018-00678-matagorda-county-gulf-of-mexico-matagorda-county-texas/ You need to send public letters of support to:  swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil You must reference the project in the subject line: File # SWG-2018-00678 ALL LETTERS MUST HAVE A SIGNATURE. If the letter isn’t signed, the Corps does not consider it. - - how to put a signature in email Letters may be mailed to the address provided Letters may be faxed to 409 766-3931 Letters may be emailed to  SWG_public_notice@usace.army. mil You may also send an email with the body of your letter in it, rather than an attachme

I wondered what had happened to that project and might that have a more positive impact on our beach if it was done.  So they had funding and it looked like it was on track for this year - and then the piping plover  and black rail birds got in the way.  From the Friends of San Bernard River site - they already had all the money - The required permit needed to start the process of dredging open the mouth of the  San Bernard  has stalled at the  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service  because of the  piping plover  and  black rail  bird species. These two birds are listed on the  Endangered Species Act  because dredging and dredge spoil placement is believed to have adverse effects on their critical habitat. If and when this determination is modified, which is considered likely, a  60 day permit  will be issued, then  Brazoria County  has  180 days  to finalize and another  30 days  to award dredging bids. Best guess, at this point, is early  2021  for opening the mouth.    The  Texas Treasur

From a 2004 publication on coastal erosion - it does point at that the breakwaters are Holley beach would be a good solution.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237783629_National_Assessment_Of_Shoreline_Change_Part_1_Historical_Shoreline_Changes_And_Associated_Coastal_Land_Loss_Along_The_US_Gulf_Of_Mexico Sargent Beach (Fig. 20) is a good example of accelerated erosion. Since the mid-1800s, Sargent Beach has retreated almost 700 m at an average rate of -4.4 ± 2.2 m/yr. That rate has increased to -6.4 m/yr since the 1970s. Here the beach is steep, narrow, and composed of many clam and oyster shells that normally grow in the bays but not in the open Gulf. The absence of dunes and presence of a low overwash terrace that forms the backbeach are clear indicators of the rapid erosion and frequent storm waves that are responsible for the rapid land loss. Sargent Beach is far from sand sources and engineering projects and yet there is an unmistakable connection between updrift activiti

The permit is in process at the Galveston District Army Corps of Engineers for the initial project phase. I have asked Rhonda Gregg Hirsch from Atkins which is the lead contractor on the project to do an updated presentation on what will happen with the project.   She would like to do that presentation when the Army Corps opens the permit process up for public comment The schedule is tight - only 30-days for public comment so there won’t be a lot of notice before the meeting. She wants to remind everyone that we need to all to send a letters of support. And important to remember, this first phase of the project would be constructed from the cut moving up the shoreline to just west of the fishing pier. Future phases would extend the project moving east along the shoreline. The Army Corps is fully aware of the damages caused by the recent storms and is engaged.  So there you have it - I will soon be posting about the meeting and the letters - and we need to be ready to act!!