Coastal Erosion Planning & Response
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Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act A REPORT TO THE 86TH LEGISLATURE Texas General Land Office George P. Bush, Commissioner Cover Imagery, clockwise from top: Breakwaters at Virginia Point; lifeguard stand on Galveston Island beach; newly constructed dune ridge along County Road 257, Brazoria County; newly forming foredunes at McFaddin Beach; Marsh Mania Event 2017 at Dickinson Bayou (Imagery courtesy of Galveston Bay Foundation); freshly planted marsh mounds at Galveston Island State Park. needed and the CEPRA Program is establishing new opportunities to coordinate and leverage funding sources to implement larger, more impacting projects. The GLO’s Coastal Resources (CR) Division recently released the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan (Master Plan). The GLO is amending the CEPRA rules to allow Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funds to be used in coordination with CEPRA funds to construct Tier 1 projects outlined in the Master Plan. CEPRA is also teaming up with CR’ Resource Management team to leverage a historic amount of civil and criminal penalty funds from the Deepwater Horizon spill with Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE) funding sources. George P. Bush, Commissioner, Texas General Land Office However, these funds will not always be available and A MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISIONER are not enough to sufficiently protect the Texas coast. Despite these efforts and new funding opportunities, Honorable Members of the 86th Texas Legislature, I am Texas continues to lack millions of dollars needed to pleased to submit the FY18-19 Biennial Report on the meet project needs of our coastal communities. It is Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) imperative to establish a permanent source for CEPRA Program. This report covers current CEPRA Cycle 10 Program funding. The 86th legislature has the projects and projects that have been completed since opportunity to enact the Hotel Occupancy Tax Bill which the preceding legislative session. The projects would allow 2% of coastal counties state occupancy tax showcased in this report underscore the important work revenue to be contributed directly to the CEPRA the CEPRA Program does in maintaining Texas’ barrier Program account. It is critical that we take this island and bay systems. These features are critical opportunity to secure these funds to sustain the components for ensuring a strong and resilient Texas increasingly important positive impacts the CEPRA coastal ecosystem and economy. Whether it is a natural Program has on Texas’ coast as CEPRA remains a true hazard or economic fluctuation that alters how a coastal steward of Texas’ precious coastal resources. system operates, CEPRA projects help local communities and industry be more resilient to and I am constantly amazed at what was accomplished this recover from continuous coastal change. These last biennium, and I feel certain you will be, too. I look projects act as the first line of defense from hurricanes, forward to our continued partnership in protecting the tropical storms, and high tides, while enhancing security and economy of the Texas coast. The CEPRA recreational, fishing, and hunting opportunities. CEPRA Legislative report may be downloaded at projects also ensure protection of billions of dollars in http://www.glo.texas.gov/coast/coastal- coastal infrastructure and the energy, chemical, and management/forms/files/cepra-report-2019.pdf. tourism industries. For additional information or to request hard copies of The 85th Legislature appropriated $14,271,940 million this report, please contact Kevin Frenzel at to the Texas General Land Office (GLO) to administer 512-463-2482. the CEPRA Program for Cycle 10 projects. CEPRA funds were leveraged against $133 million in matching funds from federal and local sources. To further CEPRA’s positive impacts, additional funds are critically Coastal Erosion Planning & Response Act ii 2018-2019 Report Weeks Marine Dredge Vessel at Galveston Seawall TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 AREAS OF CRITICAL EROSION ............................................................................................................................... 2 ENACTING THE CEPRA PROGRAM ......................................................................................................................... 3 FINANCIAL STATUS OF THE CEPRA ACCOUNT ...................................................................................................... 5 FINANCIAL ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS ..................................................................................................................... 6 FINANCIAL PROGRAM SHORTFALLS ...................................................................................................................... 6 GOMESA FUNDS ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 IMPLEMENTING TIER 1 PROJECTS OF THE TEXAS COASTAL RESILIENCY MASTER PLAN .................................... 7 RESTORATION PARTNERSHIPS MAKING A BIG CHANGE ....................................................................................... 8 THE NEED FOR THE CEPRA PROGRAM .................................................................................................................. 8 ECONOMIC AND NATURAL RESOURCE BENEFITS OF THE CEPRA PROGRAM .................................................... 10 CEPRA PROJECTS EVALUATED IN THE ECONOMIC STUDIES REPORT ............................................................... 13 CEPRA CYCLE 10 PROJECTS ............................................................................................................................... 20 CYCLE 10 PROJECT NAMES AND TYPES .............................................................................................................. 21 BUDM PROJECTS ................................................................................................................................................. 22 BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECTS ...................................................................................................................... 24 SHORELINE PROTECTION PROJECTS .................................................................................................................. 26 STRUCTURE RELOCATION PROJECT ................................................................................................................... 30 HARVEY REPAIR PROJECTS ................................................................................................................................ 31 STUDIES ............................................................................................................................................................... 35 WORKS CITED ...................................................................................................................................................... 38 Marsh Mania 2017 at Dickinson Bayou; photo courtesy of Galveston Bay Foundation LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Texas Gulf Shoreline Change ..................................................................................................... 2 Figure 2. CEPRA Project 1530 McFaddin Beach and Dune Restoration ........................................... 3 Figure 3. CEPRA Project 1601 West Galveston Island Marsh Restoration ....................................... 3 Figure 4. CEPRA Project Number 1572 Dickinson Marsh Restoration ............................................. 4 Figure 5. CEPRA Project 1657 Structure Relocation 214 Jettyview Road Surfside, Texas ......... 4 Figure 6. CEPRA Project 1604 Indianola Beach BMMP Beach Nourishment ................................... 4 Figure 7. Texas Coastal Master Plan Regions and Projects ................................................................. 7 Figure 8. Galveston Island Shoreline Change Rates .............................................................................. 8 Figure 9. Extracted Lidar Post-Harvey ........................................................................................................ 9 Figure 10. Least Tern Nest Locations McFaddin Pilot Project ............................................................ 9 Figure 11. Economic Study Report Project Locations.......................................................................... 13 Figure 12. CR 257 Dune Restoration ....................................................................................................... 14 Figure 13. McFaddin Shoreline ................................................................................................................... 14 Figure 14. Galveston Seawall Beach ......................................................................................................... 15 Figure 15. Dickinson Bayou Marsh Cells A & B ..................................................................................... 15 Figure 16. SPI Beach ...................................................................................................................................... 16 Figure 17. Breakwater Marsh Cells ..........................................................................................................