Dredging the San Bernard River mouth

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 Treasury has already received the $10.766M Deepwater Horizon spill RESTORE ACT funds (this is not tax money) allotted to the “Lower San Bernard River Eco System" project.

 

The plan now is to dredge the San Bernard starting at the ICW and digging out to the Gulf to a distance of 1600’ beyond the beach. A jetty is not planned but rather utilizes maintenance dredging every 5 - 7 years for 25 years paid for by Port Freeport and Brazoria County. Cost of building a jetty is twice as much, and even then, would require maintenance dredging due to sand and sediment accumulating along the up drift side and eventually flowing into the jetty and clogging it.