The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District staff executed a modification to the West Fork San Jacinto River Emergency Debris Removal contract June 7, 2019, to dredge an additional 497,400 cubic yards of material that was deposited in the mouth of the San Jacinto River from Hurricane Harvey.
“ This contract modification will ensure a decrease in threats to critical infrastructure and lower the risk to potential loss of life ,” said Charles Wheeler, USACE Galveston District project manager . “ This is an ongoing contract that is part of a Federal Emergency Management Agency mission assignment. ”
According to USACE Galveston District officials, the dredged material will be placed at the existing location referred to as Placement Area 2, which is located approximately 10 miles upriver.
The additional dredging is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019, with the demobilization of the equipment completed by early 2020.
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.