BEAUMONT — After a coastal restoration program is completed there should be better protection against tidal surge, improved water flow, benefits to marine animals and vegetation and protection against erosion.

The Jefferson County Commissioners Court approved an easement on Texas Parks and Wildlife Department land to the county to construct the siphon under the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway on the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area to restore marsh. The item was approved at the regular meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners Court meeting Monday afternoon.

The installation of the two siphons is a portion of a four-part approach of the coastal restoration:

• Saltwater baffles in Keith Lake
• A beach ridge at McFaddin Beach
• Beach dunes at McFaddin Beach

County Judge Jeff Branick said the siphons will slow saltwater intrusion from the north to the lower elevation marshes.

“It will revitalize the flow of water from the north to the south and reduce salinity, help marine vegetation and marine life and slow erosion,” he said. “The last five years I’ve been pushing for this.”

The county is working in concert with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The $6 million project was made possible through the BP oil spill lawsuit settlement.

“The salt bayou system is widely recognized for its fishing, hunting and wildlife viewing opportunities,” the study read. “The area is extremely important for commercial and recreational fisheries productivity and for wintering and migratory bird habitat. The area is one of the largest extant wetland areas in the entire state and sustains a very high level of productivity.”

The study recommends the following projects necessary for long-term sustainability of the ecosystem:

• Restoring the historic beach ridge where it is missing from High Island to Sabine Pass.
• Reducing the ability of Gulf waters from the Sabine Neches Ship Channel to feed directly into the ecosystem via Keith Lake
• Increasing freshwater inputs on the salt bayou system by installing siphons across the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
• Beneficially using dredge material to restore elevation to eroding marsh in salt bayou unit, J.D. Murphree Water Management Area.

“This project is being done through collaboration between Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and private industry, and is acting as an example of how private and public sectors can combine seemingly disparate needs to create a project that benefits public lands and natural resources.”