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Task Force approves CAPRA Cycle 14 submissions, public raises erosion hazard at Corley bay ending
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Summary
The Shoreline Task Force voted to recommend three CAPRA Cycle 14 grant applications — beach renourishment, expanded beach-and-dune monitoring, and a bayside living shoreline for streets including Corley — after a resident warned of an immediate erosion hazard at the Corley street ending.
At a special meeting, the Shoreline Task Force voted to recommend that City Council submit three grant applications under the Coastal Erosion Planning and Response Act (CAPRA) Cycle 14: a beach renourishment project (in partnership with the General Land Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers), an expansion of the annual beach-and-dune monitoring program to more frequent LIDAR surveys, and a South Padre Island bayside living-shoreline project focused on up to 10 street endings where bayside erosion is most severe.
The motion to approve submission was made by a task force member and seconded; the motion passed by voice vote.
The CAPRA discussion followed a public comment earlier in the meeting from resident Mike Lindstrom of West Corley Drive, who said recent heavy rain had “significantly eroded the ending of the street” and urged the city not to wait for a planned renovation. Lindstrom told the task force: “I don't think it can wait for a planned renovation of that bay ending because it's now a hazard.” He said the undercutting created a safety risk for people using benches, bikes or boats at the street ending and that he had photographs.
City staff described the CAPRA package and the program's requirements: proposals for CAPRA Cycle 14 are due May 1, staff said; beach renourishment projects carry a minimum 25% local match and other project types require a 40% match. Christina told the group CAPRA typically makes about $40,000,000 available annually.
On the bayside living-shoreline proposal, staff said preliminary feasibility work and designs had been done previously (with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funding) focusing on the west side of Tompkins Channel. The current CAPRA proposal would narrow the focus to right-of-way street endings (staff identified about 10 streets, more on the northern side) and pursue designs to replace previous short-term riprap fixes with sloping, vegetated living-shoreline solutions for erosion control and flood protection. Staff noted right-of-way widths vary (staff said a 50-foot width in some places) and that deeper engineering/permitting work will be needed to define how far seaward the work can proceed before reaching existing Tompkins Channel lease areas.
On monitoring, staff recommended contracting for LIDAR drone surveys for two years rather than buying equipment; the intent is to create seasonal baselines and post-storm comparison data. Several members asked procedural and technical questions about procurement and prior contractors; staff said they would put monitoring work out for proposal.
The task force voted to forward the CAPRA applications and requested a mayoral letter of support for the submissions.
Public comment on Corley was explicitly noted by staff as part of the sites under consideration for the bayside proposal.
