A Texas-Sized Makeover: McFaddin Beach
The McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson County is home to Texas’ largest freshwater marsh. But Hurricanes Rita, Humberto, and Ike spurred a chain of events that mired the marsh’s delicate ecosystem with threats.
Storm surges from hurricanes decimated shoreline and destroyed any natural dune structure that served as barrier between the freshwater marsh and the Gulf of Mexico. Without a natural dune system to serve as protection, salt water floods the marsh and results in the loss of marsh habitat at the rate of 15–45 feet each year.
Last month, the Texas General Land Office, in partnership with Jefferson County, celebrated the completion of beach nourishment and ridge restoration along a 3-mile stretch of beach at McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge. This stretch of beach was chosen because it is the most prone to erosive events and served as a template for much needed restoration efforts along the entire stretch of McFaddin Beach from High Island to Sea Rim State Park.
“Having a healthy marsh is critical to storm surge protection.”
— Commissioner George P. Bush
The process included nourishing the beach and creating an 8-foot-tall ridge by hydraulically dredging sediment from a source located 1.5 miles offshore.
The project compliments a previous project completed in 2015 which put in a temporary berm to further slow the rate of marsh loss. These projects combined offer a more robust solution to threats against the McFaddin National Wildlife Reserve.
Long term, the state plans to restore 17 more miles of coastline.
