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Overview

The Southwestern Division operates and maintains three of the nation’s top ten federal channels serving U.S. ports: Houston, Beaumont, and Corpus Christi in Texas. Texas ranks first in foreign imports for waterborne traffic, according to the Waterborne Commerce Statistics Center. The Division is home to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System, transporting more than 12 million tons annually, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, moving more than 91 million tons annually. Waterways in the region carry more than 509 million tons of commerce each year, making SWD the second-largest Corps region for waterborne commerce.

Mission
The Division’s navigation mission ensures channels are maintained at authorized depths and widths, dredged materials are managed properly, storage capacities remain sustainable, and locks are operable to avoid unscheduled closures. Projects include coastal and inland navigation, harbors, channels, waterways, and infrastructure connecting deep- and shallow-draft channels.

Key Texas Gulf Coast Activities

  • Houston Ship Channel deepened to 45 feet in 2005.

  • Texas City Ship Channel deepened to 45 feet in 2011.

  • Corpus Christi La Quinta Channel extension (1.4 miles, 39 feet) completed in February 2014.

  • Sabine-Neches Waterway study: deepen channel from 40 to 48 feet and extend offshore channel 13 miles (completed July 2011).

  • Freeport Channel deepening study from 45 to 55 feet completed February 2013.

  • Brazos Island Harbor study approved to deepen Brownsville Ship Channel from 42 to 52 feet.

Southwestern Division Facts

  • 1,500 miles of channels (615 miles coastal; 885 miles inland and intracoastal)

  • 15 deep-draft coastal ports

  • 13 shallow-draft coastal ports

  • 5 inland public ports

  • Texas ports support nearly 1.4 million jobs, generating $82.8 billion in personal income

  • Texas maritime activities generate ~$2.4 billion in direct, induced, and indirect state and local taxes

  • McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System trades with 42 countries

  • Current and future exports help stabilize the dollar, reducing the federal deficit

  • Gulf Intracoastal Waterway provides intermodal linkage through domestic and international markets

  • SWD handles the largest tonnage of foreign cargo off-loaded in the nation

 

Civil Works Mission Areas