Final rock to be dropped Friday in $5.4M artificial reef project in Gulf

The US army Corps of Engineers Galveston District will place the last of 54 acres of artifical reef in place in Matargorda Bay Friday. The US army Corps of Engineers Galveston District will place the last of 54 acres of artifical reef in place in Matargorda Bay Friday. Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Final rock to be dropped Friday in $5.4M artificial reef project in Gulf 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

Work is due to be completed this week on a $5.4 million artificial reef project designed to bring back oyster beds and revitalize marine life in Matagorda Bay.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District aims to have the final 12 acres of sub-tidal reef in place by Friday, bringing it to a grand total of 60 acres, all constructed of limestone rocks dropped by crane onto the Gulf seabed.

Officials say the federally funded project at Half Moon Reef, about 100 miles southwest of Houston, is vital for the preservation of marine life, as oysters are the key to cleaning our water and attracting fish large and small.

"We have lost a tremendous amount of our reefs in the Gulf of Mexico, one could argue as much as 50 percent," said Mark Dumesnil from the Nature Conservancy, which championed the project. "Really, oysters and reed habitat is a fundamental building block for these bay and estuary ecosystems," Dumesnil said.

Oysters are nature's filter. According to the Nature Conservancy, 15 acres of oyster beds can clean as much water as the entire Houston metro area uses in a day.

It's hoped that the new reef will also cut back on harmful algae blooms like red tide because oysters feed on plankton and also cut levels of carbon and nitrogen.

The rocks are creating 32 artificial reef rows 18 feet wide with an innovative crest elevation which is three foot above the bay bottom.

These reef rows go along the backbone of what used to be the historic Half Moon Reef and are staggered 30 feet, 60 feet and 90 feet apart.

Pilot projects to study the success of the first phase of the reef structure have proved attractive to oysters, which are apparently not picky when looking for a new spot to grow.

"As long as you put hard structure out there for them, they will attach," said Dumesnil.

The new 60 acres at Half Moon Reef is nothing compared to what there once was at that site.

A 1905 study identified several reefs totaling a massive 500 acres, a veritable metropolis for oysters that were, sadly, destroyed in the ensuing 100 years.

Across the state, restoring oyster reefs has become an urgent theme. Scientists say they are the most imperiled marine habitat, with studies showing that 85 percent of the reefs worldwide have disappeared since the late 19th century.

Many formerly prolific oyster reefs now are "functionally extinct" because of overharvesting, pollution and disease.

It's hoped the Half Moon Reef project will provide vital information about how best to restore reefs all along the Gulf Coast.

Houston Chronicle reporter Matthew Tresaugue contributed to this report