Nearly two miles of Galveston’s West Beach are being reinforced with dredged sand from the Galveston Ship Channel as part of a $23 million, multi-agency project aimed at slowing erosion and strengthening storm protection along the island’s vulnerable west end.
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State and federal officials are fortifying nearly two kilometers of Galveston's West Beach with hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand. The strategy addresses chronic erosion and reduces storm damage.
According to the Texas General Land Office, West Galveston Beach has received nearly 90,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand. The Galveston District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is dredging sand from the Galveston Ship Channel and dumping it along 1.8 miles of beachfront from Sunbather Lane to 11-Mile Road.
The West Galveston Beach Nourishment Project, a partnership among the General Land Office, the Army Corps, the City of Galveston, and the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, is included in this endeavor. A feasibility assessment identified the west end of the island as a primary focus area, prompting the project's mid-July announcement.
Officials said the Army Corps extracts the sand during ship channel maintenance. Instead of being dumped offshore, the sand is being used to rebuild the beach.
“By replenishing the beach with that dredged sand material, we’re strengthening the shoreline,” said Army Corps Galveston District representative Carlos Gomez. He said erosion on the west end of the island removes roughly 7 feet of beach annually.
Storms and hurricanes increase risk. “The greater the amount of sand present,” Gomez said, “the more effective our buffer becomes,” reducing coastal damage from tropical weather.
Officials estimate that the operation will deposit 717,000 cubic yards of sand along the shoreline. Crews began laying sand in September and are expected to finish by late January or early February 2026.
Galveston coastal resources manager Kyle Clark estimated the project's cost at $23 million. A federal Continuing Authorities Program Section 204 allocation and a $13 million Texas General Land Office grant fund it.
Officials said the program protects beachfront assets, infrastructure, coastal habitats, and public beach access. West Galveston is one of the island's most erodible areas, making it a prime target for erosion control efforts.
Dredging through the ship channel will discontinue sand placement in the coming months.
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