The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Trinity River Authority came together to host a public open house, held on Wednesday, March 20, at the Jack Hartel Building in Liberty, as part of their efforts to gather feedback for the creation of a Vision Plan for the Port of Liberty.
The goal of this Vision Plan is to pinpoint the most beneficial uses for the lands associated with the Port of Liberty, focusing on aspects such as economic development, environmental conservation, and multi-modal transportation, including the vital element of Trinity River navigation.
Emphasizing the importance of engaging with community residents, Vanassa Joseph, Communications Director for the Trinity River Authority, underscored the open house as an opportunity to gain insights and perspectives of various stakeholders and local residents regarding the future development of the Port of Liberty.
“We had one gentleman here talking about recreation – wakeboarding and things like that,” Joseph said, highlighting the diverse range of interests and needs being considered. “All of those things just go right into getting this work done for the community and the surrounding communities. So what is it going to mean economically through the creation of new jobs. What’s it going to look like for the community as a whole?”
Despite the need to still determine a funding source for the project, Joseph expressed hope that the vision for the project will gain momentum as it moves forward.
“We certainly hope to get enough traction to work toward making it happen. TRA is committed, as is the Corps of Engineers, which is why we’re out here tonight,” she said.
Among the proponents of enhancing the navigability of the Trinity River is Liberty businessman David Leonard, who also serves on the TRA Board. Leonard is enthusiastic about the project, even though it will require multiple moving parts to come together to see the dredging of the Trinity River and the creation of port terminals to receive and ship goods on river barges. He believes that once the Trinity River is dredged and in use, the river traffic will help prevent the build-up of more silt.
“I think this project is an excellent idea. I think it’s something we need to look at. I think that if we get enough barge traffic back and forth, it’s going to take care of a lot of the silt problems that we have talked about in the past,” he said.
During the open house, Leonard engaged in discussions with Dan Opdyke and Steve Cappellino, both representing Anchor QEA, about the potential use of silt from the Trinity River for coastline restoration.
Opdyke, senior managing engineer, explained that Anchor QEA has a contract with the Texas General Land Office, which is looking for sand and silt material for coastal restoration projects in the lakes, reservoirs, streams and rivers.
“They asked us to watch what’s going on with this project as a potential source of material. If they are going to be dredging, then they would like the material to be used for coastal restoration,” Opdyke said.
Throughout the open house, residents and stakeholders were invited to speak to TRA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers representatives and to share their insights and suggestions as the Vision Plan comes together. Their suggestions were placed on large sheets of paper and included such things as maintaining the natural habitat for migrating and native animals, adding lighting at the Port of Liberty and increasing the access to the river. Some of the concerns they want addressed are riverbank erosion, low water flows, preservation of wetlands.
If you missed the open house, it is not too late to provide your insight into the project. Comments can be submitted by emailing: CESWG-Port-Of-Liberty-VisionPlan@usace.army.mil.
According to the USACE website, “The Port of Liberty, Texas Vision Plan and Economic Analysis will analyze and identify best and highest uses for current Port facilities for development and expansion for the next 5-20 years. The Vision Plan is a living document designed to be adaptable in projecting future growth and commerce taking into consideration the environmental, economic, and social aspects of the site and community.”
Wakeboarding? You have to be kidding me. But, an even worse idea, and far more costly, is the idea of barge traffic. That pipedream vanished long ago. Dredge it, and it will silt in and have to be dredged again. And again. All this talk of a navigable Trinity goes back to 1852 or so, with the idea of thirty something locks and dams, some of which were constructed. Of course, there is a dam now that prevents the idea of a navigable river from Dallas to the coast.
A lot of people have gotten rich over this idea. Dredging the Trinity, with the hope that it will not silt in and need it again, will be a windfall to lawyers, engineers, dredging companies, planners and many others. Ignoring history comes at a cost.
Maybe wakeboarding isn’t such a silly idea after all. A lot less expensive to be sure.
Some people not all in Liberty County have been paying a Navigation tax for years but not the whole County why? Where has that money gone? Maybe in a Swiss bank account. I think the State and Federal Gov. needs to look into this because it smells fishy. You’re right about what you said. Might be something our new State Rep. can do.
Neal
March 26
I was not at the open house so I don’t know everything that was discussed. Just reading this article jogged my memory of the past when barges were navigating the river to the port. I’ve been in the river when barges come thru. They push a lot of water that places boaters at risk and they will cause erosion. Erosion is the nature of loaded barges and turbulence of the tug boats that push them. Barges will run aground. Wind and pilot error will dictate this event. I saw it in the river and in the Intracoastal waterway. I’m at the salt water barrier often. It is a narrow passage that pipeline work barges squeeze thru. Barges will eventually cause damages there. As far as silting is concerned, it occured back then and will continue under the new plans. Periodically the river had to be dredged. Silt is not just generated from the port south. It also comes from up river. Natural process. Barges will have to come from the ship channel area. So dredging will have to occur from there across the trinity bay to the mouth of the river. Also periodically dredged. Environmentally safe? I’m not against port redevelopment but all options should be addressed.