New Feasibility Funding for Texas Waterways

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District will receive new feasibility funding for the Houston Ship Channel and Coastal Texas studies; continued funding for the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay study, as well as continued Operation and Maintenance funding for the Texas waterways in the president’s fiscal year 2016 budget.

“The district’s programs are well funded in FY15 with potential growth in FY16 particularly with respect to our Construction General and General Investigations funding,” said Col. Richard Pannell, USACE Galveston District commander in a press release.

“In 2014 Congress authorized a total of nine new starts across the country; two of those are in the Galveston District. This year we will be moving forward into the feasibility phase of both Houston-Galveston Ship Channel improvement and Coastal Texas storm damage reduction studies.”

“The 2016 Civil Works budget for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reflects the administration’s priorities to support and improve the nation’s economy, protect the American people and restore our environment,” said the Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works. “This budget supports the core mission areas of coastal and inland navigation, reducing flood and storm risks and restoring aquatic ecosystems.”

The USACE Galveston District was established in 1880 as the first engineer district in Texas to oversee river and harbor improvements. The district is directly responsible for maintaining more than 1,000 miles of channel, including 250 miles of deep draft and 750 miles of shallow draft as well as the Colorado River Locks and Brazos River Floodgates. Its main missions include navigation, ecosystem restoration, emergency management, flood risk management and regulatory oversight.