After Years of Grassroots Advocacy, Army Corps Agrees to Dump Project 11 Waste at Sea, Retire Disposal Sites on Land
Testing has found harmful chemicals in dredge spoils pulled from the ship channel
HOUSTON — In a historic victory for communities neighboring the Houston Ship Channel, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has agreed that polluted dredge material generated by the Project 11 channel expansion will be disposed of two miles offshore instead of on land.
USACE’s plans are outlined in a letter from the Port of Houston Authority sent to area lawmakers and obtained by the Healthy Port Communities Coalition (HPCC), a group of organizations that advocate for the health and safety of communities like Pleasantville, where USACE had previously planned to dump the dredge material.
Additionally, according to the Port Houston letter, USACE also plans to retire its existing Glendale and Filterbed land-based dump sites in Pleasantville.
“This letter brought a smile to my face and will bring a sigh of relief to the people who call this community home,” said Bridgette Murray, founder and executive director of the HPCC-member organization Achieving Community Tasks Successfully (ACTS). “While port communities will continue to face other challenges that can harm public health and quality of life, their residents won’t have to worry about adding another potential threat. It is a victory for the everyday people, experts and advocates who attended many meetings, spoke at many port hearings and tirelessly lobbied the Port and the Army Corps to find a better way.”
In its letter, the Port wrote that USACE had determined that offshore disposal is “the least cost, environmentally acceptable option for the dredged material from construction and advanced maintenance is to beneficially place the material offshore at the USEPA-approved Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site.” The disposal site is located two nautical miles from the Galveston Entrance Channel.
While the mounds of dredge material may seem harmless to the naked eye, what they could contain tells a different story.
In 2024, samples taken from the perimeter of the dump sites showed the existence of the cancer-causing chemical arsenic, along with cadmium and benzopyrene. The arsenic levels in one sample were 45 times higher than what is considered safe. The testing was conducted on behalf of HPCC, the Environmental Defense Fund, Lone Star Legal Aid and the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice.
About the Healthy Port Communities Coalition
HPCC advocates for healthy and prosperous Houston Ship Channel communities. The coalition’s nine member organizations work to expand transparency at Port Houston, reduce pollution through zero emissions technology, and protect people’s health through protective standards and enforcement. HPCC recognizes the importance of an informed and active local community and provides residents with information to advocate for themselves and their communities.
More about HPCC: healthyportcommunities.org