Why Doesn't Galveston Take Better Care Of Their Beaches?

[houstonmacbro]

That is the WATER, we are talking about the actual SAND ON THE BEACH ! I could care less about the water, I barely stick a toe in the Gulf. I would like a nicely groomed beach for my kids to run around on . We are not talking about the WATER, the water could be Green as the river that goes through Chicago on St. Patty's Day for all I care. I would like a nice clean beach when I get there. IT IS NOT ABOUT THE WATER, THE WATER IS FINE ! ! ! Fix the beaches.

Well, when I goto resort communities (Miami S. Beach, Puerto Rico, etc.) I like seeing and frolicking in clear water and nice clean beaches. I don't care for Galveston for those two reasons primarily, but if you want one without the other, cool.

[TJones]

Well, when I goto resort communities (Miami S. Beach, Puerto Rico, etc.) I like seeing and frolicking in clear water and nice clean beaches. I don't care for Galveston for those two reasons primarily, but if you want one without the other, cool.

LOL! I just think we should tackle ONE problem at a time. Beach first, Water second.

[webdude]

It is possible to clean the beach sand, but is it humanly possible to clean the water?

What would be required? Like building something to stop the churning or collect sediments somewhere, how would it work? Has it work anywhere else before? Any examples so I can dream of it also happening to Galveston's water?

Edited June 5, 2007 by webdude

[Deut28Thirteen]

I was just looking at some pics of the Island and it is a really beautiful place. Is it that hard to at least keep the beaches (sand) clean? Tourism is still Galveston's money maker so I dont know why they would not want people coming. I love the island and just want to see it clean when ever I go down there. Is the water in this area of the Gulf really brown or is it just that dirty?

S. Padra water

Galveston Water

Edited June 6, 2007 by Deut28Thirteen

[MidtownCoog]

First of all, Padre water is not that blue. The Laguna Madre and Gulf are more clear green.

Second of all, that picture is of Galveston Bay, not the Gulf off of Galveston.

[TheNiche]

First of all, Padre water is not that blue. The Laguna Madre and Gulf are more clear green.

Second of all, that picture is of Galveston Bay, not the Gulf off of Galveston.

Concur. Moreover, the two photos were taken at different angles and are not comparable because the sky is reflected differently.

[WesternGulf]

It is just more proof that some Houstonians can be proud of the wrong things and ridicule or just have an overall ignorance of the things we should be proud of:

Edited June 6, 2007 by WesternGulf

[Deut28Thirteen]

1st, I am proud of what we have and just want to see us improve it, thats not ignorance. 2nd, I might be ignorant on how the sky is reflected but the point is Galveston's Water is not a clear anything and other Gulf areas such as Padre and even the Gulf coast of Florida have nice clear blue or green water thats not brown.

[RedScare]

Galveston Webcams

For those who are stuck at work.

[WesternGulf]

1st, I am proud of what we have and just want to see us improve it, thats not ignorance. 2nd, I might be ignorant on how the sky is reflected but the point is Galveston's Water is not a clear anything and other Gulf areas such as Padre and even the Gulf coast of Florida have nice clear blue or green water thats not brown.

That's the thing. I do not think Galveston's case can be "improved". I believe most of the brown along the coast is a "problem" from the Mississippi Delta all the way to this side of the Gulf. Even on some of the most cloudiest or overcast days, a mile out from the coast of Galveston is just as blue as any part of the southern Texas coast. Plus the disappearing and eroding beach in front of the Seawall is not helping either. The water will naturally reflect what is being washed away from the coast which is the brown clay type sand of the island rather than white sand that you will find on Florida beaches. By the way the whole ignorance was not totally geared towards you. Most comments that I hear about Galveston have to do with the mundane characteristics that you find on the beaten path. Nevermind some of the most historically beautiful neighborhoods in Texas fall on the island that put Houston Heights to shame. (No offense to heights residents, but come on.) All we hear about is how brown the water is, Moody Gardens, gift shops on the Strand, and what people we see on and off of Broadway.

[TheNiche]

Galveston Webcams

For those who are stuck at work.

I always knew that HAIF was addictive...but I did not realize that it was a gateway drug until now.

[TJones]

I always knew that HAIF was addictive...but I did not realize that it was a gateway drug until now.

It all depends on WHICH gateway you want to go through. Now, it is time to choose....

Edited June 6, 2007 by TJones

[moni]

I check the Galveston webcams daily. Doesn't look like a bad place to me and apparently has great appeal to the developers. I have "The Spot" webcams on my daily journal so everyone can see the fun place known as "Galveston".

[TJones]

What I think will finally make a difference, as far as CLEAN beaches, will be the passing of the gambling bill. It will bring Bukoos of money into town for them, and once the city council gets a few letters and suggestion box cards about "why can't you guys comb your beaches ?" They will hop-to on it. I will bide my time.

Edited June 7, 2007 by TJones

[mikeybob2]

What I think will finally make a difference, as far as CLEAN beaches, will be the passing of the gambling bill. It will bring Bukoos of money into town for them, and once the city council gets a few letters and suggestion box cards about "why can't you guys comb the your beaches ?" They will hop-to on it. I will bide my time.

Looks like gambling won't happen..The bills were defeated as announced in the Galveston Daily News last Sunday:

Lawmakers know when to fold on gambling

By Mark Collette

The Daily News Published June 3, 2007

It wasn't exactly a roll of the dice.

When State Sen. Rodney Ellis sat down for a two-hour subcommittee hearing on his gambling bills, he knew no one was taking bets. The bills had no chance. They never even went to the full State Affairs Committee for a hearing.

Yet there are signs that, two to four years from now, things could change.

Bills that would have given voters a chance to decide on the expansion of gambling in Texas sat dead in the water in the 80th Legislature, despite the Texas license plates that fill parking lots at racetracks and casinos in neighboring states, carrying with them billions of dollars.

The bills were dead, despite an about-face from major gaming companies, which have decided that more gambling in Texas is a good thing, even if it initially steals revenue from their casinos in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

[webdude]

Looks like gambling won't happen..The bills were defeated as announced in the Galveston Daily News last Sunday:

Lawmakers know when to fold on gambling

By Mark Collette

The Daily News Published June 3, 2007

It wasn't exactly a roll of the dice.

When State Sen. Rodney Ellis sat down for a two-hour subcommittee hearing on his gambling bills, he knew no one was taking bets. The bills had no chance. They never even went to the full State Affairs Committee for a hearing.

Yet there are signs that, two to four years from now, things could change.

Bills that would have given voters a chance to decide on the expansion of gambling in Texas sat dead in the water in the 80th Legislature, despite the Texas license plates that fill parking lots at racetracks and casinos in neighboring states, carrying with them billions of dollars.

The bills were dead, despite an about-face from major gaming companies, which have decided that more gambling in Texas is a good thing, even if it initially steals revenue from their casinos in Louisiana, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

That sucks. They are the ones stealing revenue from Texas.

[worldlyman]

Galveston is just a neat spot to me. Not just a beach.

Bingo!

I live here in Clearwater, Florida now...beautiful beaches abound in the area for sure. But not one of them is a replacement for funky, eccentric and myriad GALVESTON!

Iron front Strand with its funky and cool shops and coffee houses. Seawolf park. Asian tourists riding tandem bikes. Low-income families fishing off some of the hotel piers. Wind and roller-bladers along an unimpeded and majestic Sea Wall vista. The pedestrian traffic all over especially at the point near a fave restaurant called Fishtails.

Galveston is touristy, industrial, port, tacky, quaint, fun, dirty, pretty, the 'hood, odd downtownish, and haunted ALL AT ONCE. It is a lovely and lively stew that greets you with the view of the Moody Gardens and Village of Tiki Island!

I don't see that here in Vanilla West Coast Florida, so resplendent with "beautiful" beaches. I think St. Pete Beach is kinda cool and all that but...(I mean, where the hell do you find a haunted, Victorian restaurant like Luigi's in Clearwater, Dunedin or Indian Rocks Beaches?)

Clearwater Beach...it's like rated the most beautiful city beach...but it's so BORING and vanilla at night. Galveston? That place has an eerie but EXHILIRATING nocturnal vibe with virtually some sort of supernatural ambience in comparison. How I rate my two beach towns?

"Beach": Clearwater Beach 1, Galveston 0

Varied Shopping: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Architecture: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Bars: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Movie Theater: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Rail trolley: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Spookiness: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Food: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Unhindered Sea Wall: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Buxom bikini babes: EVEN, more or less.

Non-pet rats amok: Galveston 1, Clearwater 0

Scientology Central proximity: Clearwater 1, Galveston 0

When you take "beach" out of the equation, it's clear that Galveston blows away one of America's premier touristy city post card beach towns.

In fairness, I grew up with both Clearwater Beach and Galveston. They are yin and yang to me overall though it's obviously more than just the beach for me. Those negative pickers who bash on Galveston's less-than-Florida aspect miss out on the entire package that the Moody and Enchanted Island is in its entire context. Galveston, unique as it is, has a rich culturally-loaded urban partner called Houston. Clearwater has, um. Tampa. No, Orlando. Yep, I'm diggin' historic fine Cuban cigars, Mickey Mouse and whiny expat New Yorkers who have dominated the proletariat hoagie food culture here.

Furthermore, don't Phoenix, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, St. Louis and other such great but coastless cities wish they can have a wonderful and weird island getaway that Houston has so close by? For Chicago, I guess you could always take a personal yacht to Gary, Indiana.

As said, if you want a fake beach, then come see me. Otherwise take it easy on a wonderful resource like Galveston. Any place can use improvement, Galveston included...but I think it's humorous to see huffing and puffing because it's not "Florida."

Edited June 23, 2007 by worldlyman

[moni]

Thank you worldlyman for your keen insights. I realize that complaints about the beach at Galveston are really made by people who only want the best for the city. The thing is, the majority of people are not even thinking about the beaches in terms of white or brown. Beaches are beaches, colors are colors, I mean...who cares really? Of course the city of Galveston has much to offer besides the beach.

Edited June 23, 2007 by moni

[69Chevy]

The first step to improving Galveston beaches is everyone learning to clean up after themselves. I am there just about every weekend and am amazed at all the garbage left behind at the end of the day. Just last week while riding my bike I saw a woman parked on the seawall changing a child's diaper. On my ride back the woman and her car were gone, but the diaper was lying on the seawall, not 10 feet from a trash can! I agree that more could be done to maintain the beaches, but everyone has to be a part of the solution.

[moni]

The first step to improving Galveston beaches is everyone learning to clean up after themselves. I am there just about every weekend and am amazed at all the garbage left behind at the end of the day. Just last week while riding my bike I saw a woman parked on the seawall changing a child's diaper. On my ride back the woman and her car were gone, but the diaper was lying on the seawall, not 10 feet from a trash can! I agree that more could be done to maintain the beaches, but everyone has to be a part of the solution.

You certainly are right and people should clean up after themselves but a public beach invites everyone, good and bad, just like neighborhoods. Maybe a strict enforcement of the rules and a really high fine for breaking the rules, at least $500. Probably more beach patrols would help. With all the new developments moving into Galveston, you can be sure that those people will become more vocal about beach and seawall littering. Hopefully these kinds of things will discourage the "lower classes", to stay home and mess up their own place. And I don't mean racial classes, I mean "dirty" people, they should keep their nasty selves away from others.

[The New Juniper]

being from california I don't consider galveston beaches to be ugly. Yes florida has beautiful beaches, California decent beaches, but better rugged coastlines. Couyld galveston look better? Probably. But consider it's convenience to Houston I think it nice for them to have galveston. The beaches work and some people just plain like them. If they were so bad beach front homes wouldn't be renting year after year for thousands of dollars per week. Galveston is just a neat spot to me. Not just a beach.

The two issues you address above can and should be addressed separately IMO.

First, Galveston has a lot to offer in terms of land amenities and historic value.

Second, the beaches are crap for the most part and I believe something should be done. Back in the day, and i'm talking about in the 70's & 80's, the beaches were "planed" to remove the seaweed and to give the fresh look. Evidently, (and I have been accused of being many things, but Marine Biologist or Coastal Conservationist are not among them), the seaweed helps fight erosion so they leave it.

Problem is, leaving the seaweed is helping some of the sand stay, but forcing the people to leave (or more accurately, not come at all). I fail to believe, try though we may, there is anything we can do about the less-than-desirable appearance of the water. However, i have to believe we can do something about the way the beaches look that wouldn't threaten the coast line. It has to be possible.

For now, Galveston must sell itself IN SPITE OF its appearance. It seems within reality to sell itself BECAUSE OF its appearance, as well as other attributes....

[rhino]

Does anyone know if Galveston has ever seriously considered just bringing in sand to build up the beaches? I know other coastal communities do that. I'm sure it would be expensive, but I have no idea how expensive. However, all of the pricey construction should be raising the property tax revenue of Galveston - in theory. Perhaps they could use some of the windfall to invest in the beaches. That way they could plow up the seaweed to beautify the beaches since the beach would be replenished with imported sand.

[moni]

Check out http://www.galveston.com/ It is mentioned that the beaches at the seawall have been built up with sand and that they are much wider than they used to be.

[adkat]

I often times frequent Galveston and Surfside as well (down 288 for those of you unfamiliar.) I personally prefer Surfside for lazy beach lounging and swimming. But regardless, it too gets its fair share of trash washing up. Every singe time we visit no matter where we go we always take a garbage bag and clean up the general area. Yes we hate the trash, but looking at it or avoiding it is not going to change it. Freaking pick it up! even if its not your's. You don't have to be in a beach adoption program to care for that which you enjoy

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Does anyone know if Galveston has ever seriously considered just bringing in sand to build up the beaches? I know other coastal communities do that. I'm sure it would be expensive, but I have no idea how expensive. However, all of the pricey construction should be raising the property tax revenue of Galveston - in theory. Perhaps they could use some of the windfall to invest in the beaches. That way they could plow up the seaweed to beautify the beaches since the beach would be replenished with imported sand.

They did that back in the 90's...dredged a bunch of sand offshore and pumped it onto Galveston beaches. I think tens of millions of dollars were spent, and if I recall correctly, it was all washed away within a year by a couple of storms in the Gulf.

Big, big waste of money to try and beat Mama Nature.

[moni]

They did that back in the 90's...dredged a bunch of sand offshore and pumped it onto Galveston beaches. I think tens of millions of dollars were spent, and if I recall correctly, it was all washed away within a year by a couple of storms in the Gulf.

Big, big waste of money to try and beat Mama Nature.

From: Galveston.com, - Over the past three years, the city has been bringing in sand to widen the beaches between 10th and 61st Streets - as much as 150 feet in places - modeled after similar "beach nourishment projects" in Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach.

[69Chevy]

From: Galveston.com, - Over the past three years, the city has been bringing in sand to widen the beaches between 10th and 61st Streets - as much as 150 feet in places - modeled after similar "beach nourishment projects" in Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Daytona Beach.

I have not witnessed the City doing so, but have noticed recently a few areas where the sand was only a foot or two below the Seawall.

Strict enforcement of existing litter laws and then using that revenue to clean up and replenish the beaches seems like a win/win to me.

[wxman]

It's funny how some on this forum have conveniently left out the fact that there is literally...literally 2 ft of seaweed on the beaches right now. I went last weekend and we walked on seaweed so deep that it buried your foot and half your calf which then dumped into the gulf. No sand...seaweed. This was about two miles past the seawall on the gulf side.

For those on here who say "who cares...that's not were the tourists are," well I have news for you; the seawall area was in the same shape. Just not as deep. Something can be done, but nobody cares because it's "natural beauty." Blow that smoke up somebody else's ______. IMO** if the beaches were refurbished and MAINTAINED the influx of tourists would out-weigh the cost of keeping the beaches clean.

[moni]

Seaweed is a valuable crop. Someone should harvest it and make a bundle. Simple enough to contract the cleanup of seaweed to a biomedical company.

[Reefmonkey]

It is a popular, nevertheless wrong misconception that Galveston is muddy because of the Mississippi. If we were muddy because of the Mississippi, then the water out in the Gulf would be muddy too. I can tell you from paddling my surfski just a mile or two off the beach out on West Beach that the water clears up and turns blue pretty fast. It is our own Texas rivers that do it, and it is completely natural. Galveston's water is muddy because of the silt that comes out of it from rivers like the Trinity, Brazos, etc. It is this silt that built up the Island. No silt, no Galveston. The silt makes the water muddy, and the silt becomes beach sand, so it is going to be fine and clumpy?

So how exactly are we supposed to clean up Galveston's beachs when they are naturally supposed to look like that?

As for the sargassum (seaweed) that washes up on the beach, scraping it off would also scrape off a lot of sand, which would contribute to beach erosion, which is a bad thing. Leaving it on not only does not harm the beach, it actually helps build the beach back up, because the seaweed provides a matrix that holds the sand in place and keeps so much of it from blowing away or being washed away.