The Freeport Harbor Maintenance and New Work ocean dredged material disposal sites (ODMDSs) are located off Freeport Harbor in Brazoria County, Texas. USACE contracted ANAMAR to provide an updated version of the latest (2011) SMMP for these sites. The updated SMMP anheres to the new SMMP format for Galveston District and addresses the recent expansion of the Maintenance ODMDS placement area and the recently permitted dredging of Freeport LNG Development’s Quintana Island Terminal berthing area.
The larger placement area is expected to better avoid the potential for excessive mounding that could present a hazard to navigation and will accommodate current and projected volumes of dredged material by allowing placement over a larger area than the previous placement area had available. Results of sediment transport modeling conducted by ANAMAR in 2018 indicated that significant impacts are not likely to occur to biologically sensitive areas.
The updated SMMP also addresses a recent change to the designation of this site and to the New Work ODMDS by EPA Region 6, allowing dredged material from the entire vicinity of Freeport Harbor to be disposed of at these ODMDSs, including non-federal projects such as the previously-mentioned Freeport LNG Development berthing area.
The newly updated SMMP complies with MPRSA Section 102(c)(3) and is designed to allow the safe and efficient disposal of dredged material at the Freeport Harbor ODMDSs while minimizing the effects to coastal resources. The new SMMP provides up-to-date information on site characteristics, management objectives and conditions, disposal history, timing and techniques of disposal, and the results of past monitoring surveys.
Accomplishments