Abstract
In 1968, federal authorization was given for the mouth of the Colorado River project in response to a need for a dependable, navigable channel connecting the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico near the town of Matagorda, Texas. The project included the construction of jetties along Matagorda Peninsula at the channel entrance in 1985, and the diversion of Colorado River discharge from the Gulf into Matagorda Bay in 1992. An evaluation of project impacts on the natural sediment budget is performed within this study to determine the effectiveness of the project at preserving an open, navigable channel while preventing accelerated shoreline erosion. Evaluation is done through inspection of project impacts to longshore sediment transport, and includes both physical and numerical analysis of pre-and post-project conditions at the Colorado River mouth. Assessment of site data reveals that under the dredging schedule used during the first eight years following jetty completion, the project resulted in significant trapping and sorting of sediment transported alongshore. The original design project maintenance dredging plan is presented as a more effective maintenance schedule and is numerically tested based on pre-project objectives.
Heilman, Daniel Jon (1995). The effects of the Colorado River project on longshore sediment transport at Matagorda Peninsula, Texas. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1995 -THESIS -H45.