Posted on July 31, 2026
Port Houston has applied for federal approval to dispose of material generated by maintenance dredging across the full length of the Houston Ship Channel.
The application covers dredging along approximately 52 miles of channel, extending from the Upper Turning Basin through Galveston Bay to the entrance channel and the Gulf.
Material would be placed in approved disposal areas, including the offshore Galveston Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site, located about 3.7 nautical miles from shore.
The application would allow Port Houston to use a range of dredging equipment, including hopper, pipeline, cutterhead and mechanical dredges, as well as bed-levelling machinery to address localised shoaling.
Maintaining the authorised channel dimensions is central to the operation of Houston’s container, petrochemical, energy and bulk terminals.
The programme is separate from the recently completed expansion works under Project 11 and is intended to preserve navigable depth across the widened and deepened waterway.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has opened a public consultation on the application until August 27.
The Corps said the permit remains subject to environmental, endangered-species, fish-habitat and Texas coastal-management reviews.
