Seaweed back in Galveston for holiday weekend

Beach visitors near mounds of seaweed on the beach near 19th street Thursday, May 22, 2014, in Galveston. Beach visitors near mounds of seaweed on the beach near 19th street Thursday, May 22, 2014, in Galveston. Photo: James Nielsen, Houston Chronicle Photo: James Nielsen, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Seaweed back in Galveston for holiday weekend 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

Just three weeks after the worst seaweed dump Galveston has seen in years, clean up teams are once again scrambling to get beaches ready for the unofficial start of summer this weekend.

Temperatures forecast in the low 80s for the Memorial Day holiday will make for prime beach weather before the scorching sun takes up full residence next month, but piles of deep red Sargassum are sitting where those beach towels should go.

Officials say there's no panic and they will be ready for the onslaught of beach goers on Saturday with crews at work pushing the seaweed back towards the seawall where it should sit happily decomposing.

"Crews are out every single night, they start at midnight work through the morning hours," said Leah Cast from Galveston Island Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Seaweed is not removed from the beach because it provides a huge environmental benefit to the shoreline, according to Cast.

"We push the seaweed away from the shoreline towards the back of the beach," Cast said. "Come next year and you'll see sand dunes at the back. The seaweed creates a barrier for the sand dunes to form on."

Dunes are an important part of coastal maintenance with many areas along the Gulf putting in specially designed dune restoration programs to encourage them to develop and aid in the fight against erosion.