On September 1, 2022 the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust published a Request for Proposals for coastal environmental projects in five categories: habitat restoration, environmental research, public education, improving public access, and youth camps. In response to the published advertisements a total of 26 proposals, from 19 entities, totaling 10.5 million dollars were received.
Today, Steven Raabe, Trustee of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust, announces that fifteen projects, from twelve entities, totaling over 5.8 million dollars have been approved for funding.
“We are so fortunate to have received some great project proposals and it was difficult for the selection committee to make their final recommendations,” Raabe stated. “But we are extremely pleased with the quality, scope, and cost effectiveness of the proposals selected as a significant step in furthering the mission of the Trust to research, restore and improve the Matagorda and San Antonio bays area environment,” he added.
The projects being funded, by category, are:
Habitat Restoration (Two projects totaling $771,280)
Oliver Point and Oliver Reef Restoration Project, $271,280, Matagorda Bay Foundation
Matagorda Island Gulf Shoreline Erosion and Pass Cavallo Exchange Restoration, $500,000, Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program
Environmental Research (Nine projects totaling $4,128,353)
Microplastic Distribution and Impacts to Diamond-backed Terrapin, Highlighting Public Education and Future Effects of Sea-Level Rise, $500,000, University of Houston – Clear Lake
Sediment Quality Assessment Survey of San Antonio Bay, $416,817, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Evaluating photodegradation products of plastic nurdles and their toxicity in Matagorda Bay, $499,500, University of Texas at Austin Marine Sciences Institute
Reproductive and developmental toxicity of “Forever Chemicals” to Matagorda Bay’s prey fishes, $396,691, University of Texas at Austin Marine Sciences Institute
Micro-plastics water column and sediment residence times: quantifying the cycling and flux between bay waters and sediment, and the burial history of micro-plastics within the Matagorda and San Antonio Bay Systems, $499,985, Texas A&M University – Galveston
Sediment mercury concentrations in the Closed Area of Lavaca Bay and the risk to wildlife from mercury remobilization during dredging, $497,818, Texas State University
Assessing the risk to ecosystem health from increasing nitrogen and phosphorus levels in Lavaca Bay, $454,162, Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
Assessing the risks of lithium pollution on estuarine fishes, $399,998, University of Texas at Austin Marine Sciences Institute
Assessing multi-trophic impacts of microplastic pollutants across macroinvertebrate food webs in Matagorda Bay, Texas, $463,382, Tarleton State University
Public Education (One project totaling $25,811):
Calhoun County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service | Texas Sea Grant | Calhoun County 4-H – Public Education, $25,811, Calhoun County 4H Sportfishing Club
Improving Public Access (Two projects totaling $694,000):
Bulkhead Improvements at Swan Point, $494,000, Calhoun County
Harbor of Refuge Old Landfill Shoreline Erosion Response and Protection – Phase 1
Engineering, $200,000, City of Port Lavaca
Youth Camps (One project totaling $186,213):
Palacios Summer Day Camp, $186,213, Calhoun County YMCA
The effective time frame of these projects ranges from 12 to 36 months.
“With today’s environmental challenges, it is clear that the significance of these projects to the environmental health of the bay area cannot be overstated. These projects will serve our coastal community – and our state – well,” Raabe stated.
Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust was funded as a result of the settlement of a Clean Water Act lawsuit, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper and S. Diane Wilson v. Formosa. The settlement called for, among other things, the establishment of the Matagorda Bay Mitigation Trust with funding provided by Formosa in the amount of $50 million over a five-year period. The mission of the Trust is to support and fund environmental mitigation projects, studies, and initiatives in the Matagorda Bay and San Antonio Bay ecosystems.
For further information visit the trust’s website at www.MBMTrust.com.