The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District has published a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Port Corpus Christi’s proposed Channel Deepening Project.
To ensure that all of the issues related to this proposed project are addressed, the Corps will conduct public scoping meetings, at which agencies, organizations, and members of the general public present comments or suggestions with regard to the range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered in the EIS.
The proposed 14-mile Channel Deepening Project would be located within the existing Corpus Christi Ship Channel, starting near the southeast side of Harbor Island and extending beyond the currently authorized terminus in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico.
Deepening the channel will allow it to accommodate fully laden very large crude carriers (VLCCs) that draft approximately 70 feet. The proposed project does not include channel widening, but some incidental widening may be done in order to meet side-slope requirements and to maintain channel stability.
“ The Channel Deepening Project will create approximately 46 million cubic yards of dredged material, ” said Jayson Hudson, regulatory project manager at USACE Galveston District . “ The applicant, the Port of Corpus Christi Authority, is proposing to use suitable material to create near-shore feeder berms that will nourish eroded beach areas and to reestablish sand dunes on San Jose Island that were breached by Hurricane Harvey. ”
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