Aransas County has started the Cedar Bayou dredging project that will, once complete, result in substantial benefits to the coastal and estuarine ecosystem and marine fisheries habitat.
Cedar Bayou is located near Rockport, Texas and is a tidal inlet between San Jose Island and Matagorda Island, two undeveloped barrier islands.
It is an ephemeral tidal inlet system that has historically been opened and closed depending on environmental forcing conditions and from man-made impacts.
Historically, when open, the inlet has provided tidal exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and Mesquite Bay, allowing passage of juvenile fish to the Mesquite Bay system.
According to the county officials, Cedar Bayou dredging and restoration is extremely important for a fish rich ecosystem, which drives the economy of Aransas County and beyond.
The Cedar Bayou was restored back in 2014, but then Hurricane Harvey hit and caused a lot of damage. “The decline of the ecosystem, the fish and the crabs, shrimp have steadily gone downhill since then,” commented Aransas County Judge Burt Mills . “So, now we’re going to get it dredge and open so we can have the bays fresh and green and clear again.”
The expected completion date of the Cedar Bayou dredging works is November 1, 2021.