Posted on June 4, 2025
With hurricane season approaching, the multiple arms of the Salt Bayou Marsh Restoration master plan are poised to be tested, as storms likely will reveal the work’s ability to withstand potential flooding, wind and storm surge, in addition to protecting nearby infrastructure.
That was the goal of the project when biologists formulated the plan in 2013 amid a desperate need to restore and fortify Southeast Texas’ coastline and the diverse ecosystems. The 139,000-acre landscape includes the largest contiguous estuarine marsh complex in Texas.
There were issues of erosion from storms and other natural disasters and increased salinity of the freshwater marsh due to storms and shipping channel traffic. Together, those issues threatened the fabric of the ecosystem and the multiple species of fish, birds and other wildlife that call the Salt Bayou watershed home or a port of call on their migratory path.
Primarily, the efforts focused on a 20-mile swath of beach and dunes in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge Beach, hydrologic restoration of the Salt Bayou Watershed and J. D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area, as well as work along the Intracoastal Waterway.
The project was truly an “it takes a village” endeavor with multiple federal, state, local and recreational organizations contributing to the cause. They included Jefferson County’s Commissioners, Engineering Department and Drainage District 6; Texas General Land Office; Texas Commission for Environmental Quality; Texas Parks and Wildlife; U.S. Fish and Wildlife; the Army Corps of Engineers; Homeland Security; the Environmental Protection Agency and more. Ducks Unlimited also contributed to the work.
But today, the work that started in 2013 is essentially complete.
Hydrologic restoration of the watershed included installation of two siphons that reconnect freshwater flow from north of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the coastal wetlands to the south. The siphons help flush saltwater out of those wetlands, preventing “erosion and conversion of marshes to open water,” according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation website.
It was a vitally needed effort to preserve the watershed, which “provides foraging and nesting habitats for numerous species of birds along one of the most important migratory flyways in the world, as well as essential nursery habitat for ecologically, commercially and recreationally important species of fish and invertebrates,” the site states.
Dredge material was added to the marshlands in the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area to restore it to its proper elevation and mitigate salinity impacts. Breakwaters have been installed along the Intracoastal Waterway and Keith Lake, which will also help with tidal surge impact and the natural freshwater flow needed to maintain the Salt Bayou ecosystem.
Work to restore and renourish the beachfront, ridges, dunes and berms on 20-miles of coastline extending from Sea Rim State Park to High Island was the final and perhaps largest component of the overall plan and key to offering protection from storm surge that impacts the wetlands and surrounding communities and infrastructure.
“The majority of those projects are all completed,” Texas Parks and Wildlife Natural Resource Specialist Stephen McDowell said. “I believe they were looking for funding to complete the last 5 miles of the coastal restoration.”
In terms of hurricane preparation and potential impacts from major storms heading into the season, there isn’t much to be done.
“There’s not a whole lot left for us to do, because these projects were designed to withstand hurricanes,” McDowell said. “We knew going in that (these areas) are going to face natural disasters, so we tried to think like Mother Nature and prepare for them to withstand 30, 50, 100 years of storms and prevent sea level rise and coastal/marsh loss.”
They will, however, be repairing some cracks and damage to the breakwaters that have been impacted by barges butting up against them.
“We have some areas mapped out to get additional funding so we can get those back up to the size and strength that they should be,” he added. “At this point, it’s more about monitoring the areas, fixing what needs to be fixed and seeing how the designed plans really hold up.”
They’ve already seen some of the beach berms withstand major storms and tidal surge in recent years, while others haven’t held together as well. It’s data they’re collecting to assess what changes might need to be made in the future, with ongoing renourishment along the coastline as needed.
The McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge project was not just the biggest coastal restoration effort in Texas, it was the largest in the nation. And it recently was among four projects named a “2025 Best Restored Beach” by the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association.
“Literally a quarter century of partnerships plus Deepwater Horizon funds and offshore oil and gas revenue sharing came together to help conserve the upper Texas coast,” Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick was quoted in a news release.
It’s work that overcame multiple obstacles, including mere accessibility to its remote location and working around or removing dilapidated oil and gas infrastructure materials.
But restoring the 20-mile coastline was a critical component of maintaining the region’s significant industrial support, rich ecosystem, mitigating coastal and inland flooding and the ability to withstand sea level rise.
“We’re constantly looking to the future to keep this land and be able to pass it down to our grandchildren,” McDowell said.
