BAYTOWN, Texas, May 18, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- The Port of Houston Authority (PHA) and Baytown Mayor Pete Alfaro hosted a Goat Island restoration celebration today at the Baytown Nature Center. The island, once an important recreational part of Baytown, was the victim of subsidence. Those attending the event were provided with information regarding the status of the restoration. The 200-acre Goat Island will be located in Crystal Bay, one quarter mile from the Nature Center.
"Baytown is truly blessed with this environmental milestone," said Mayor Alfaro. "We celebrate a restoration that complements the Nature Center."
PHA Commissioner Jimmy Burke explained how the widening and deepening of the Houston Ship Channel created an opportunity to restore Goat Island. "The Port along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, are involved in a precedent setting project to create over 4,200 acres of marshland," said Burke. "The port authority takes seriously its stewardship of the environment and its responsiveness to the community. Goat Island is an excellent example of this."
Restoration of the island is the result of an innovative effort to use dredged materials from the Houston Galveston Navigation Channel by the Beneficial Uses Group (BUG), a coalition of local, state, and federal government agencies formed in 1990. Members of the BUG include Port of Houston Authority, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Marine Fisheries Service, Texas General Land Office, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Work has already begun on the restoration with the construction of containment dikes. Roughly 300,000 tons of rock were used for the dikes. Four million cubic yards of dredged material will be used to restore the island. Two pods, connected by a breakwater, will be constructed. The north pod will be 80 acres in size. The south pod will consist of 130 acres. Restoration is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. Recreational craft should avoid the area during construction.
Goat Island will serve as a habitat for area wildlife, including numerous fish and bird species. The island will act as a barrier between the channel and shoreline. It will also shelter the Burnet and Crystal Bays residential areas of Baytown from ship wakes and natural wave action, thus protecting existing wetlands (and homes) on the shores of these bays.
During the event, a 1944 aerial photo of the island was displayed. The landmass was once accessible by foot. Early subsidence eliminated foot access and the island was formed. The island was used to pasture goats, hence the name Goat Island. Eventually subsidence and erosion took its toll and the island vanished.
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