EPA Expands Two Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites Off Corpus Christi

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a final rule that expands two ocean dredged material disposal sites offshore of Corpus Christi, Texas, to secure long-term capacity for material dredged from Corpus Christi Bay. The rule, published in the Federal Register of Monday, September 28, 2026, modifies the Corpus Christi Ship Channel (CCSC) and Corpus Christi New Work (CCNW) ocean dredged material disposal sites (ODMDSs) and takes effect on October 28, 2026.

The action amends 40 CFR part 228, the criteria for the management of disposal sites for ocean dumping, by revising paragraphs (j)(16) and (j)(17) of § 228.15, which lists dumping sites designated on a final basis. It was issued under the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) and signed on September 14, 2026 by Walter Mason, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 6. The rule carries docket number EPA–R06–OW–2025–3359 (FRL 13119–02–R6).

Two existing sites enlarged, not a new one designated

EPA chose to expand the boundaries of the two existing sites rather than designate a new ocean disposal site or multiple sites off the coast. Dredged material was first disposed at the CCSC location in 1969, before the MPRSA was enacted in 1972; the site was designated on an interim basis in 1977 and on a final basis in 1989. The CCNW site was designated in 1988 for the U.S. Navy’s Homeport Project at Corpus Christi/Ingleside, which was never built, and was later re-designated for one-time disposal of native channel improvement material.

• CCSC ODMDS: expanded 0.5 nautical miles (nmi) to the southwest, from 0.61 to 1.05 square nautical miles.
• CCNW ODMDS: expanded 0.5 nmi northwest, 0.6 nmi northeast, 0.4 nmi southeast and 0.8 nmi southwest, from 1.39 to 5.57 square nautical miles.
• Depths of the modified sites range from 35 to 55 feet of water, and they lie between 1.7 and 2.7 nmi offshore.

Volumes tied to the ship channel deepening

The Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project (CCSCIP) generated approximately 41 million cubic yards (MCY) of new work dredged material and is expected to generate about 208 MCY of maintenance material over the life of the project. The proposed channel deepening project is expected to add roughly 46 MCY of new work material and 7.8 MCY of maintenance material. EPA said the amount disposed at the sites is expected to increase because of authorized private development projects and limited upland capacity, and that only material found suitable for ocean disposal under national and regional testing guidance would go to the modified sites.

Reviews, consultations and public comment

EPA published the proposed rule, draft environmental assessment and draft Site Management and Monitoring Plan on March 12, 2026 (91 FR 12126), accepting comments until April 13, 2026. The agency received discrete comments from eight commenters and made no substantive changes to the final documents. Consultations concluded with concurrence from the National Marine Fisheries Service (January 28, 2025), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (June 6, 2025, with the West Indian manatee found not likely to be adversely affected), the Texas General Land Office (April 21, 2026) and the Texas Historical Commission (August 8, 2025).

Limits and monitoring

EPA stressed that modifying the site boundaries does not approve disposal of dredged material from any specific project. Before any dumping, EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) must evaluate the material against the marine protection criteria at 40 CFR part 227, and USACE must authorize the disposal under section 103 of the MPRSA, with EPA Region 6 review and concurrence. The sites will be managed under an updated Site Management and Monitoring Plan, with periodic environmental monitoring roughly every 10 years. The 2024 Texas Integrated Report places the sites in an impaired water body, assessment unit TX–2501_06, listed for a fish consumption advisory for mercury, although EPA said 2020 monitoring found no significant water quality issues.

The expansion gives dredging contractors, the Port of Corpus Christi and federal agencies a larger, monitored outlet for material from one of the busiest ship channels on the Gulf of America, while leaving project-by-project permits and marine-environment safeguards in place.

Source: Federal Register, Vol. 91, No. 186, September 28, 2026, Rules and Regulations, p. 61138 (official reference: FR Doc. 2026–19745).