Matagorda Ship Channel, Texas. Reconnaissance Report.

The Matagorda Ship Channel is comprised of shallow-draft and deep-draft navigation channels in the Matagorda Bay area which connect local harbor facilities to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway and to the Gulf of Mexico. The Matagorda Bay complex is located about 125 miles southwest of Galveston, Texas, and about 80 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. This reconnaissance study is the first phase of a two-phase investigation of modifying the deep-draft channel segments of the Matagorda Ship Channel to provide for more efficient commerce. The purposes of the reconnaissance study phase are to ascertain the degree of Federal interest in potential waterway improvements, to determine the scope and cost of the feasibility study phase, and to contract with a non-Federal agency to share in the cost of the feasibility study. The Calhoun County Navigation District is the potential sponsor for the feasibility study and resulting project.