Chris Levitz, PE, CFM
713.914.6353
Chris.Levitz@URS.com
Abstract
URS Corporation
10550 Richmond Avenue, Suite 155
Houston, TX 77042
Sylvan Beach – The Restoration of a Historical Bay Beach System
Sylvan Beach Park currently has multiple features, including two 500-foot pocket beaches. The
Park is located in the City of La Porte (just east of Houston, TX) and is on the western shore of
Galveston Bay. Prior to the award winning Sylvan Beach Restoration Project’s construction,
which began in 2009, stopgap measures of concrete rubble and a broken wooden bulkhead were
being used to alleviate erosion along what was left of the Park’s shoreline. As a result, the
Project’s primary goal was to prevent further shoreline erosion, while also restoring and
nourishing the historical beach that was no longer present.
Historic Sylvan Beach Park dates back to the 19th century where it served as a popular attraction
near a railroad stop in La Porte that brought visitors from all over the country. It continued its
popularity well into the 1920’s, but began a steady decline as a direct result of the completion of
the Houston Ship Channel in 1928. In 1961, Hurricane Carla eroded the final remains of the
beach, which left the Park with only a newly eroding clay bluff.
URS worked with the City of La Porte, Harris County and the Texas General Land Office (GLO)
to develop a design and find necessary funding to restore the Project area. The shoreline
protection design was developed to have multiple types of armoring work together and function
as system. This system allows for erosion protection while also increasing public access to
Galveston Bay and the park area. The limestone revetment was the key to the shoreline
protection, but offshore of the revetment is where the two 500-foot long pocket beaches were
constructed utilizing two 200-foot limestone groins per pocket beach. The result of this project
was a 75-foot wide beach with sidewalk access, modern lighting and seating for hundreds of park
visitors.
Upon initial completion of the Project, the City of La Porte reported Park attendance more than
tripled and inquiries regarding new business opportunities in the area have increased. Harris
County has seen such an increase in visitors due to the popularity of the restored Park, that
further enhancements have been systematically added.
One of the more significant
enhancements currently underway with Harris County is a beach nourishment project to restore
the dry beach to the original construction dimensions.
This beach nourishment scope is based on beach monitoring data collected by the GLO. Further
data will be collected upon completion of nourishment efforts prior to the summer of 2013. The
pre-construction, post-construction and monitoring survey data give a unique look at a young bay
beach system transitioning from clay bluff to an isolated beach system whose only source of
sand in its sediment budget is from beach nourishment.
Potential future enhancements to the Project may lead to a self-sustaining bay beach system that
allows for beach nourishment material to be recaptured from the self-contained system.
Mr. Levitz has over seven years of experience working on an assortment of civil engineering
projects, including work for the FEMA, GLO, USACE and many other clients. He specializes in
the design and analysis of coastal structures and associated systems. He has completed coastal
projects along the entire Texas coast and in other regions of the United States. His experience
includes modeling (wave analysis and sediment transport modeling), design (erosion control
structure, coastal roadways and coastal levees), permitting (USACE Section 10/404) and
planning (USACE initial appraisal studies, levee certification analysis and permitting plans)
efforts.