Constructed between 1962 and 1966, the Matagorda Ship Channel is an approximate 26-mile long deep draft channel from the Gulf of America to Port Lavaca. This project will address the channel’s insufficient width and depth, which limits vessel size and increases the potential for pilot error during times of high winds, waves, and shoaling. (Shoaling occurs when the channel naturally becomes increasingly shallow through the build-up of sediment.) In addition, the width of the existing turning basin also limits vessel size.
The objectives of the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project are to: Increase port efficiencies and reduce transportation costs; utilize dredged material beneficially to protect and/or restore significant ecological and historical resources; and reduce risks to life safety and local infrastructure. This will be accomplished by deepening and widening the channel.
In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and a Validation Report to reassess the recommended plan presented in the 2019 Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement. This process includes reassessing the project’s environmental impacts, costs, and dredged material placement options (Dredge Material Management Plan -DMMP) and incorporates the results of recent seagrass and oyster surveys to help minimize environmental impacts.
A final decision (Record of Decision, ROD) and completion of the Validation Report is anticipated in November 2026. These reports are scheduled to be completed before the project begins construction.