The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expanded two offshore sites for dredged-material disposal near Corpus Christi, Texas, under a final rule issued September 28 that takes effect October 28.
The rule expands the Corpus Christi Ship Channel site from 0.61 to 1.05 square nautical miles, while the Corpus Christi New Work site grows from 1.39 to 5.57 square nautical miles. The former’s expansion is southwestward; the latter’s extends in four directions.
Both sites lie 1.7–2.7 nautical miles offshore in water depths of 35–55 feet. EPA said the changes will provide long-term disposal capacity for suitable material dredged from the Corpus Christi Bay area.
EPA said the expansion does not approve disposal from individual projects. The agency said it and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) must evaluate proposed material against marine-protection criteria, with USACE required to authorise disposal under Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act, subject to EPA review and concurrence.
EPA said it and USACE will conduct environmental monitoring roughly every 10 years under the updated site management and monitoring plan, assessing water and sediment chemistry, bioassays, bioaccumulation and benthic infauna.
EPA expects the sites to receive suitable material from the Port of Corpus Christi’s channel deepening project and other authorised applicants. The agency estimated that the deepening project would generate about 46 million cubic yards of material from new work and 7.8 million cubic yards from maintenance work.
EPA’s estimates concern projected dredging volumes, not quantities approved for offshore disposal. USACE anticipates combining beneficial use, placement in confined upland areas and ocean disposal.
The separate ship channel improvement project, completed in 2025, deepened about 36 miles of channel from 47 to 54 feet and widened it from 400 to 530 feet. The project’s dredged material—approximately five million cubic yards—was used to restore marshes in Corpus Christi and Nueces bays.
