Bahia Grande: Wetland Restoration Project
Bahia Grande is a 6,000+ acre shallow
basin that was inundated prior to the construction of the Brownsville Ship
Channel in the 1930's and the subsequent construction of Highway 48 from Port
Isabel to Brownsville. For the past
70 years, the basin has been dry and has
become a tremendous source of airborne dust in surrounding areas. The U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service has recently acquired the Bahia Grande property and
proposes to re-flood and restore the area. Hydrological restoration will occur
by the construction of a channel or channels designed to take advantage of the
normal tidal regime in the area and permit adequate tidal exchange of salt water
to maximize water circulation as well as allow migration of marine organisms
into and out of the basin. These actions will significantly increase
productivity of this currently dry and barren system by providing important
nursery grounds for recreationally and commercially important aquatic species
such as shrimp, crabs, and finfish which are important to both consumptive and
non-consumptive users. Engineering and hydrological studies indicate that under
favorable conditions, water may inundate approximately 6,500 acres of the Bahia
Grande. A topographic survey has determined that much of the Bahia Grande basin
lies below mean sea level and would be inundated with seawater during low tides.
Additional acreage would be inundated by high tides, storm surges or periods of
high rainfall.
Partners: Ocean Trust, Ducks Unlimited, Gulf of Mexico Program, NOAA-Fisheries, NOAA-Community Based Restoration Program, Gulf Ecological Management Sites Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Texas Coastal Program