The USACE Galveston District plays a key role in America’s well-being by keeping waterways open for navigation and commerce. A priority is deepening and widening waterways, such as ports, ship channels, and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, for the safe and expeditious accommodation of commercial waterborne traffic. The Galveston District is directly responsible for maintaining more than 1,000 miles of channel, including 270 miles of deep draft and 750 miles of shallow draft. Dredges are constantly at work keeping vital marine arteries open for waterborne traffic carrying cargo ranging from crude oil to coffee. Other priorities include construction of jetties or breakwaters to protect harbor and inlet entrances and the locks along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at the crossing of the Brazos and Colorado rivers.
In the photo: The Port of Houston ranks first in the nation in foreign waterborne tonnage; first in U.S. imports; and second in the nation with respect to foreign and domestic tonnage.