The City of South Padre Island together with the Texas General Land Office and the US Army Corps of Engineers will soon commence to install the necessary equipment needed to begin the Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDM) project. The project was approved by City Council on December 15, 2010 at their regular meeting.
The BUDM project will consist of dredging sand from the Brazos Santiago Pass and placing it on the Northern Section of the City of South Padre Island. The project will widen the beach and thus increase habitat for flora and fauna, and increase protection to private property and public infrastructure.
The US Army Corps of Engineers will use heavy machinery to install sections of pipe on the beach to transport 200,000 cubic yards of dredge sand to the planned areas of the beach. Once in place “ramp-like” structures will be constructed to allow beach goers to cross the sections of pipe safely. The project will stretch along the entire length of the City’s beach beginning south at Whitesands Street and going north to the Hilton Garden Inn.
“This project is always a success because of the collaboration of multiple governmental agencies working together to do what is best for the environment while maintaining the Brazos Santiago Pass at a navigable depth to keep the economic benefits of the Port of Brownsville in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Coastal Resources Manager, Rueben Treviño.
The US Army Corps of Engineers have not yet released an exact date and time when to start but expect to complete the project by the end of February.
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Source: southpadretexas, January 5, 2011