Patterson Announces Biggest Beach Project in Texas History

TEXAS GENERAL LAND OFFICE
JERRY PATTERSON, COMMISSIONER
Office of Communications • Mark Dallas Loeffler, Director
1700 N. Congress Ave. • Austin, TX 78701-1495 • 512-463-5339 • Fax: 512-475-1415

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 23, 2007

Contact: Jim Suydam
(512) 463-5339
(512) 417-5382 cell
PRESS RELEASE

Patterson announces biggest beach project in Texas history
Three-miles of Galveston beaches — and maybe more — set for renourishment

AUSTIN - Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office Jerry Patterson and Senator Mike Jackson (District 11) today announced a historic project to restore at least three miles of eroded Galveston beaches west of the Seawall. The $13.5 million project will create a 200-foot wide beach from the end of the Galveston Seawall to Spanish Grant subdivision. This project is the biggest in Texas history, and may even get bigger.

"This is the beginning of a new era for Galveston beaches," Patterson said. "In the fight against coastal erosion, this project is a knockout punch. This will be the biggest effort to preserve the Texas coast since the Galveston Seawall, and it might get bigger."

"The State of Texas is incredibly fortunate to have Commissioner Patterson in the General Land Office and Galveston should be particularly proud," Jackson said. "Coastal erosion has had a significant impact on our Galveston beaches and it has been with his leadership that we have been able to craft legislation that brings all levels of government together to accomplish this task. It is a model of what can be done when all parties work together."

Funding for the $13.5 million project will consist of $5 million in state Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CEPRA) funding, $6 million in proposed state Coastal Impact Assistance Program funding, $1.25 million in county Coastal Impact Assistance Program funding, and $1.25 million in local funds.

Patterson and Jackson said the project could grow larger with the addition of more local funding.

Patterson urged Galveston voters to support Proposition 2 on the upcoming November ballot, which if passed, could allow the city to provide the additional funding needed to renourish the remainder of Galveston Island, possibly all the way to San Luis Pass.

"The more sand we use, the cheaper it becomes," Patterson said. "I am going to continue to work with Senator Jackson, the Galveston delegation and local officials to grow this project in the next several weeks. Stay tuned."

Patterson also announced three other large-scale projects to be funded through the CEPRA program:

* South Padre Island - A $2.8 million renourishment of more than a mile of beach on South Padre Island with an offshore sand source. CEPRA grants will pay for $2.1 million of the total project cost.
* Village of Surfside - A $5.7 million shoreline stabilization project that will include offshore breakwaters for the Village of Surfside. CEPRA grants will pay for $1.1 million of the total project cost.
* Sylvan Beach - A $2.5 million shoreline stabilization and beach renourishment project will replace rip-rap and alleviate erosion from Houston Ship Channel traffic with a revetment and pocket parks. CEPRA grants will pay for $1.4 million of the project's total cost.

The announcement is a major success for Patterson's Coastal Texas 2020 initiative, which seeks to unify efforts to leverage local, state and federal money for large-scale beach renourishment efforts.

"When we pull together, we can win the fight against coastal erosion," Patterson said. "Big projects like this don't happen without every level of government working together."

The massive Galveston renourishment project became a reality after the General Land Office led a joint effort to discover a large quantity of beach-quality sand off the coast near Apffel Park.

Jackson noted that every dollar of state money spent on CEPRA projects sees a return both in real economic gain for local communities and additional federal funding to fight erosion.

For example, the $17.3 million in CEPRA funding announced today will be leveraged with local and federal funds to build more than $50 million worth of projects. "That's not a bad return for Texas taxpayers," Jackson said.

Money spent in the battle against erosion also has a real return for local communities. A report by the University of Texas at Austin concludes that the return on investment from $30 million spent on coastal protection in 1999, will be more than $127 million over the next 20 years.

"Building beaches is good for Galveston and for all of Texas," Jackson said.

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Jim Suydam
Press Secretary
General Land Office
512-463-2716
cell 512-417-5382