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. Existing problems within the channel include insufficient width and depth, which limits vessel size and increases the potential for pilot error during times of high winds and waves, and shoaling which occurs when the channel naturally becomes increasingly shallow through the build-up of sediment.

The USACE Galveston District, in partnership with the Calhoun Port Authority, is proposing to widen and deepen the Matagorda Ship Channel. This effort aims to improve port efficiency, reduce transportation costs, and enhance navigational safety by addressing limitations in the channel's current width and depth. In addition, this project is expected to strengthen national security by increasing the United States’ energy trade balance and ability to export energy products to support defense priorities in accordance with Executive Order 14156.

In 2023, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began preparing a  Validation Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (V/SEIS) to reassess the recommended plan presented in the 2019 Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement. This process included reassessing the project’s environmental impacts, costs, and dredged material placement options (Dredge Material Management Plan—DMMP) and incorporated the results of recent seagrass and oyster surveys to help minimize environmental impacts.

This Final V/SEIS supplements the 2019 Final Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement for the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project and evaluates the potential environmental effects of proposed modifications to the authorized project. The Final Validation Report and SEIS (V/SEIS) identifies and assesses reasonable alternatives, including the No Action Alternative, to determine whether the proposed changes would result in significant impacts to the human environment. The Final V/SEIS evaluates and compares three different potential depths and widths of the ship channel. The recommended scale would include a deepening to -47 feet (ft.) mean lower low water (MLLW) and widening of the bottom width to 300 ft. of the main channel, deepening to -49 ft. MLLW, and widening of bottom width to 550 ft. of the entrance channel, and a 1,200-ft. diameter turning basin in Lavaca Bay.

The Final Validation Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (V/SEIS) is now available for review. A 30-day waiting period, beginning July 2 and ending August 3, 2026, is in place to allow time for review before USACE issues a Record of Decision. Visit the Project Documents tab on this page to access the final report documents and the public notice.