Coastal Bend to receive $22.5 million in Deepwater Horizon funds

The Coastal Bend will receive $22.5 million to restore water quality and freshwater inflows as part of the RESTORE Act, the law created to respond to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout and spill. The money was recently approved by the RESTORE Council as part of a $302 million grant package.
“Water was the most injured natural resource in the Deepwater Horizon spill, and improving freshwater reaching the Gulf through its Texas watersheds will directly benefit every living creature in the Gulf, from plankton to people and everything in between,” said Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales in a statement about the funds. “When the environment allows fish, birds and turtles to thrive, it creates the coast that Texans and families from far and wide treasure as their vacation destination.”
The money will help set up best management practices and pay for repair and enhancement of drainage channels and outfalls and construction of living shoreline features to reduce erosion. 
“In the more than 10 years since the Deepwater Horizon spill, tens of millions of dollars have been allocated and spent to improve the coastal areas,” said Toby Baker, executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “We’re excited to announce this latest round of funding and look forward to seeing continued restoration and improvements to the Gulf Coast.”
The $22.5 million allotted to the Texas Coastal Water Quality Program is part of $302 million allotted to Bucket 2 of a four-bucket project. The other projects approved in Bucket 2 include: The Texas Land Acquisition Program for Coastal Conservation, which will use $24.3 million to secure high-quality coastal zone properties in Texas such as urban green corridors, properties near rivers, and prairie and wooded wetlands.
The Shoreline Protection Through Living Shorelines Program, which will use $12.25 million to support the construction of large-scale living shorelines that will enhance the resiliency of coastal Texas through stabilization. This includes the creation of habitats for fish and oysters, removal of excess nutrients and sediments, protection of seagrass, and water quality improvements.
The Chenier Plain Ecosystem Restoration Program with $20 million to restore and conserve high-quality coastal habitats within the Cheniere Plain complex of Texas.
For more information on coastal restoration funding for Texas, visit RESTORE the Texas Coast.