Still, some general information about the value of ports can be shown. In 1992, Texas seaports handled roughly 378 million tons of cargo. The GIWW now extends along the entire length of the Texas coast. The GIWW transports 100 million tons of goods annually. It links Texas ports to U.S. and international destinations.
Barges travel through the GIWW into ports like Houston.
A role of the Committee is to find environmentally and economically acceptable dredge disposal sites. Finding these sites is difficult because many people oppose having dredged materials placed on their land. Potential sites become uneconomical if dredged material has to be transported too far. So far, the Committee has identified and acquired roughly 1,800 acres of upland sites that could be used for disposal of dredged material, but as many as 3,000 more acres could be needed. Erosion control is also needed.