NEWS RELEASE – APRIL 28, 2021
CONTACT: Deanna Spruce, Aransas County Public Information Officer, pio@aransascounty.org, (361) 790-9496
C.H. “Burt” Mills, Jr. Dream becomes Reality
“Cedar Bayou will welcome back fishing, a healthy ecosystem, and people to Aransas County.”
Exciting news! The Cedar Bayou project is starting! Judge Burt Mill’s opening of the bayou is about to commence!
In order to restore our fish rich ecosystem, we will have a temporary closure effective May 1, 2021 of the Eastern portion of Cedar Bayou. This portion will be closed to the boating public. The bayou is being dredged out and heavy equipment will be running in the area. The expected completion date will be November 1, 2021. We apologize for any inconvenience but the end result will reap substantial benefits to our area.
Where is Cedar Bayou and why the project? Cedar Bayou is located near Rockport, Texas and is a tidal inlet between San Jose Island and Matagorda Island, two undeveloped barrier islands.Cedar Bayou is an ephemeral tidal inlet system that has historically been opened and closed depending on environmental forcing conditions and from man-made impacts. Historically, when open, the inlet has provided tidal exchange between the Gulf of Mexico and Mesquite Bay, allowing passage of juvenile fish to the Mesquite Bay system. The inlet is approximately 3 miles in length. The southerly end connects to the Gulf of Mexico, while the northerly end connects to Mesquite Bay, which in turn connects to the San Antonio Bay and Aransas Bay through shallows and small connections then continues to several other bays in the Aransas-Mesquite-San Antonio Estuary system. Vinson Slough, a 22,000-acre wetland complex historically connected to Cedar Bayou, is on the back side of San Jose Island and connects with Aransas Bay. This connection was closed in 1979 to protect it from an oil spill using sand. Lack of quality flow of seawater has resulted in numerous adverse impacts, including a decline in the health of the wetlands and an overall reduction in the population of fish, crab and shrimp in the coastal areas. C. H. “Burt” Mills, Jr.’s project will remove the barrier and restore the historical connection between Cedar Bayou and Vinson Slough. Their connection to the Gulf of Mexico will result in substantial benefits to the coastal and estuarine ecosystem and marine fisheries habitat.
Why is this project important? Cedar Bayou restoration is extremely important for a fish rich ecosystem, which drives the economy of Aransas County and beyond. Over the years, Judge C.H. “Burt” Mills championed the project to open it in 2014 and then Hurricane Harvey closed it once again. With the assistance of the Aransas County Long Term Recovery Team; it was necessary to seek the assistance of FEMA in order to make this project a reality and help restore the economy and ecosystem of the area. FEMA approved the request and agreed to fund the re-opening of Cedar Bayou. With federal assistance of $6.4 million the inlet will now be dredged and opened. In addition $1,000,000 from TPWD’s Fisheries Enhancement Program. “TPWD’s Fisheries Enhancement Program Director Dr. Christopher Mace indicated that the NOAA Grant Management Division has approved the use of $1,000,000 from the Hurricane Harvey Fishery Disaster Grant, in conjunction with the FEMA funds for the Cedar Bayou Dredging Project.” Local fishing Guide David Nesloney had this to say about the pass when it was open: “You can catch a limit of trout everywhere. Not just certain areas. I mean everywhere. The water is absolutely gorgeous. We could go out in my airboat right now and catch a limit of trout or redfish. We could go gigging flounder and catch the heck out of them. Ask the shrimpers that trawl in the surrounding bays and they will all say it’s better than it has been for a long, long time. The blue crabs have returned too. The little crabs are the staple of the wintering whooping crane, which is an iconic bird in these parts. Our birding tours are a big show again with five busy boats. It’s done a heck of a deal for this whole community.”
This will provide a huge boost to the economy, ecosystem, fishing, tourism, and birding. This will also aid the endangered Whooping Cranes that feed off the crabs in Cedar Bayou. Thank you to our community, FEMA, Congressman Michael Cloud, the Aransas County Long Term Recovery Team, the Aransas County Navigation District, State Senator Kolkhorst, TPWDs Fisheries Enhancement Program and everyone that supported this project. Judge C.H. “Burt” Mills had a dream and these folks helped make it a reality!
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