USA: Corps to Launch Sand Management Cost Shared Study

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District partnered with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees to launch the implementation of the Sand Management Cost Shared Study.

The district and the Galveston Park Board of Trustees pursued a sand management cost-shared study following the establishment of a partnership last year to develop a science-based sand management strategy that could potentially prevent erosion of the island’s shoreline and reduce the long-term cost of beach maintenance.

“The district annually dredges and maintains the navigation channel and jetties at the Galveston Bay entrance,” said Civil Engineer Robert VanHook, USACE Galveston District. “Using state-of-the art modeling and analysis techniques, we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to identify opportunities to reduce dredging requirements and mitigate beach erosion and improve the use of the limited sand sources available. We’ll also be reviewing ways to incorporate the beneficial use of sediments in the channel and exploring methods to reduce the transport of beach sediments to the channel.”

The study will include the application of existing tools to create and test hypothetical solutions and forecast the impact on the coastline. Data obtained from the study will enable decision makers to determine the best structure for managing sediment on Galveston Island and enable staff to proceed with a detailed strategic plan.

“The sand management plan will play a critical role in managing one of our most important natural and economic assets – the beach,” said Park Board Executive Director Kelly de Schaun. “This program will allow us to test possible solutions before implementing them.”

According to VanHook, the study will build on previous work including the first Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay, Texas – Shoreline Erosion Feasibility Study, Bureau of Economic Geology studies, previous beach nourishment designs and will reference ongoing Corps efforts such as the Regional Sediment Management Program, the Monitoring Completed Navigations Projects Program, the Coastal Inlets Research Program and the Dredging, Operations and the Environmental Research Program.

The total cost of the study is $200,000, half of which will be funded by the district while the other half will be paid for by funds from the Industrial Development Corporation of the City of Galveston.

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Press Release, November 22, 2013