http://www.brazoriacountynews.org/happenings.html
San Bernard River project impact
study completed
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its environmental impact statement
last week on the proposed dredging at the mouth of the San Bernard River,
finding that re-opening the channel will have a beneficial impact on wildlife,
vegetation and overall quality of the river.
The Corps must now set two public hearings before the work can begin. Once the
public hearings have been held and the final environmental assessment is signed,
work on dredging can begin, sometime this fall.
The study found that some wildlife will be temporarily affected by the
dredging, but that when the project is complete it will result in more habitat
for the birds, which include the piping plover, listed as a threatened species.
Approximately 1.1 acres of habitat will be destroyed, but 2.5 acres will be
created. The re-opening of the mouth of the river will also create new sand
dunes and wetlands areas.
The Corps decided to undertake dredging the mouth of the San Bernard because of
the impact its closure has had on water traffic safety. With the mouth closed,
water coming down the San Bernard flows into the intracoastal waterway and
causes a cross current at the Brazos River gates.
The Corps will dredge the river mouth 100 feet wide and 10 feet deep close to
its historical location.
The San Bernard mouth began to silt over when the Brazos River channel was
created in 1939. Since then the San Bernard mouth has drifted and eventually
became completely clogged with sand.