ROCKPORT, Texas (AP) — Dredging has been completed on a South Texas bayou in a years-long environmental project to remove silt and improve the water flow for fish.
Cedar Bayou near Rockport reopened Thursday after dredging that started in May.
Aransas (uh-RAN’-zuhs) County Commissioners Court adopted the more than $9 million project in 2009. The pass that once separated San Jose and Matagorda islands silted in years ago, cutting off the Aransas Bay system’s connection to the Gulf of Mexico.
The dredging has provided flow to nearby Vinson Slough (sloo) on the backside of San Jose Island.
Cedar Bayou is now solely a fish pass.
Experts say a closed pass naturally diminishes spawning opportunities for fish and other marine organisms.
