Successful completion of Texas’s largest beach nourishment project

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham yesterday celebrated the completion of the largest beach nourishment project in Texas – the McFaddin Beach Nourishment and Dune Restoration Project Phase II, which encompasses 14.5 miles of restored dunes and beaches.

Situated on the Texas Chenier Plain in Jefferson County, the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge is home to the Salt Bayou ecosystem, the largest contiguous estuarine marsh complex in Texas.

This ecosystem is approximately 139,000 acres of habitat ranging from freshwater to estuarine marsh, coastal grasslands, tidal flats, creeks, basins, and associated aquatic vegetation.

“The completion of the McFaddin Beach project is a crucial milestone in the GLO’s work to help our beaches rebound naturally from hurricanes and various storms that threaten our coastline,” said Commissioner Buckingham.

Texas’s largest beach nourishment project was implemented by the GLO’s Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) project managers who oversee various coastal restoration projects and studies, including beach nourishment, habitat restoration, shoreline protection, and debris removal.

The project’s engineer of record was HDR Engineering, Inc. with dredging and beach work constructed by Weeks Marine, Inc and planting work completed by RES, LLC.