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North Padre Island (Packery Channel), Nueces County, Texas

Storm Damage Reduction and Environmental Restoration Project
 
Proposed Packery Channel looking toward Corpus Christi Bay.   Proposed Packery Channel looking toward the Gulf.
 
Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Mayor of Corpus Christi Henry Garrett wield the shears that cut the ribbon, signifying the opening of Packery Channel October 6, 2006. To the right of the mayor is an exuberant Mark Scott, city councilman from the North Padre Isle area. to the left is County Commissioner Chuck Cazales who represents the Padre Island area also.   Nearly completed Packery Channel project as seen from the air
     
Introduction
The City of Corpus Christi, TX, local sponsor for the project, has expressed an interest in reopening Packery Channel.   The local sponsor has developed a plan, known as the locally preferred plan, consisting of a jettied entrance extending 1400 feet into the Gulf of Mexico and a channel 140 feet wide and 9 feet deep.   The channel would extend from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Corpus Christi Bay in the area of the previous channel.

Project Status
A Reconnaissance Report was completed in December 1998 identifying a Federal interest in pursuing feasibility studies for environmental restoration.  Nueces County, the local sponsor at that time, had already contracted for several major engineering and environmental studies, in anticipation of possibly constructing the reopening of Packery Channel as a permit action.   The plan that had been developed by Naismith Engineering, Inc. for Nueces County, became known as the local sponsor’s preferred plan.  In March 2000, the City of Corpus Christi became the local sponsor for the project in an agreement with Nueces County.

The Water Resources Development Act of 1999 (WRDA 99) directed the Secretary to carry out a project for ecosystem restoration and storm damage reduction at North Padre Island, if the Secretary determined that the work is technically sound and environmentally acceptable.     Pursuant to this legislation, the District received guidance from HQ USACE to develop a Project Report to determine if the sponsor’s locally preferred plan was technically sound and environmentally acceptable.   The report was completed and forwarded to HQ USACE in December 2000 stating that the project was technically sound, but did not meet Corps of Engineers standards and criteria and that environmental acceptability could only be determined after completion of the EIS process.   Based upon this report, the District was given approval to proceed with efforts to bring the sponsor’s plan into compliance with Corps of Engineers standards and to continue with the environmental studies.   A contract was awarded in July 2003 for construction of the project to Luhr Bros./King Fisher Marine, a joint venture.   Official dedication of the project was held October 6, 2006.

Public Involvement
The initial Corps’ sponsored public scoping meeting was held on September 7, 2000 at the Bayfront Plaza Convention Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.   Several people spoke in the open forum, both for and against the project.   All comments were recorded officially by a court reporter.    Written comments were also accepted for a 30 day period following the scoping meeting.   All concerns are were considered in the formulation of the redesign of the project.

Additional public meetings were held  during the preparation of the EIS.

Project History
The Galveston District reviewed the local sponsor’s preferred plan for the reopening of Packery Channel.   A Project Report was prepared and sent to Corps headquarters (HQ USACE) in December 2000.   The report indicated that the local sponsor’s plan was technically sound, but did not meet Corps of Engineers standards and criteria.   The report also stated that environmental acceptability could only be determined after completion of the environmental studies and preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The District was given approval to proceed with a redesign of the local sponsor’s plan for the reopening of Packery Channel to meet Corps of Engineers standards and criteria.  The District also continued with the environmental studies and the preparation of an EIS.

Although the initial wave modeling study performed in 1996 conformed to Corps of Engineers criteria, the criteria was changed in 1998.   A new wave model study was conducted in accordance with the new criteria using 25 years of historical data.   Purpose of the model is to determine sediment transport along the coastline which will  result in the design length and orientation of the rock jetties, requirements for renourishment of the beach on the south side of the jetties and the frequency of the cycles for maintenance dredging.

A Final Project Report was submitted to HQ USACE in March 2003 showing technical soundness in the design and environmental acceptability via a completed environmental impact study.   A construction contract was awarded to Luhr Brothers/King Fisher Marine, a joint venture, on July 30, 2003 in the amount of $21,375,044.

Construction was started in September 2003 with the dredging of Reach 2 from Highway 361 bridge to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.   Construction work of the south jetty was damaged by tidal surges caused by Hurricane Emily in July 2005 and construction work of  the north jetty was damaged by tidal surges caused by Hurricane Rita in September 2006 as well as damages to the concrete cellular mat slope protection on both sides of the channel.

Supplemental funds in the amount of $1,000,000 was received in March and $1,500,000 was received in June 2006 to make repairs caused by the hurricanes.  Hurricane damages caused the project to be extended until October 2006 for completion.





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Updated: October 10, 2006