Posted on April 10, 2023
Nueces County was one of seven coastal counties that received funding from the Texas General Land Office, according to a Wednesday news release.
The funding, $6 million, will go to projects through the land office’s Coastal Management Program Grant Cycle 28.
The projects that were awarded in Nueces County include a parking lot for Bob Hall Pier, early-warning systems for coastal flooding and monitoring sediment and nutrients.
Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said preserving the state’s shorelines and communities is a top priority of hers. In the release, she said it is an honor to award “well-deserved” funding to the projects.
“From assessing how major storms impact coastal erosion and restoring dunes on public beaches, to expanding the Oyster Shell Recycling Program and developing smart, self-sustaining early-warning systems for coastal flooding, these projects will benefit Texas’ coastal communities for generations to come,” Buckingham said.
Eleven of the projects, $1.4 million in federal funds, will improve the management of the state’s coastal resources and ensure the long-term ecological and economic productivity of the coast using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration funds. The projects will help improve amenities for beach access in several locations and provide resources to collect information to improve coastal management.
The other four “Projects of Special Merit” will receive $4.6 million in state funds through the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. The bulk of these projects will provide money for continued partnerships between the land office, partner agencies and research universities to improve coastal water quality and increase public beach access.
Bob Hall Pier parking project
The county will replace the parking lot at Bob Hall Pier, which was damaged by Hurricane Hanna in July 2020.
The project will move the location of the parking lot from behind the beach to behind the dunes in an already paved area in Padre Balli Park. Moving the lot will reduce stormwater runoff from entering the water and reduce possible vehicle encounters with endangered species.
The majority of the design is currently underway and funded separately.
Projected budget: $1,750,000
Start date: May 1, 2023
Project completion: April 30, 2026
Smart and self-sustaining early–warning systems for coastal flooding
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi will develop smart and self-sustaining early-warning systems for coastal flooding with state-of-the-art low-power Tiny Machine Learning and energy harvesting solutions.
The project will embed sensors, Tiny Machine Learning and connectivity into energy-harvesting-powered devices for sustainable, accurate and real-time monitoring, prediction and pre-warning of flooding paths and risk levels.
Commencement of work on this project is contingent upon approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The university funded $67,556 of the budget.
Projected budget: $167,375
Start date: October 21, 2023
Project completion: March 31, 2025
Monitoring and analysis of sediment and nutrients and their associated pollutants
Coastal bays and estuaries are often subject to nonpoint source pollution, such as runoff from oil or pesticides, from adjacent watersheds. Enrichment of nutrients can cause excessive algal blooms, exceedances of the dissolved oxygen standard and serious community issues.
Adequate sediment supply from adjacent watersheds is important to maintain shoreline geomorphology, sustain critical coastal habitats, reduce coastal flooding and island breaching potential and protect infrastructure. Fine sediment supplies are also often accompanied by loadings of various pollutants such as nutrients and bacteria that are associated with them.
Texas A&M University-Kingsville will monitor sediment and nutrients loads into the Nueces and Corpus Christi bays and address identified pollutant data gaps. The project will produce a comprehensive data set and analysis to determine crucial parameters to measure sediment and nutrient loads in the area and contribute to the understanding of the overall coastal morphology changes and ecosystem functions.
Commencement of work on this project is contingent upon approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The university funded $67,111 of the budget.
Projected budget: $167,071
Start date: October 21, 2023
Project completion: March 31, 2025
