It happens every year. Large chunks of seaweed break away from the Sargasso Sea and drift with the currents into the Gulf of Mexico. The Sargassum weed is transported by the gulf stream to the Texas coast, typically in the spring and early summer months, and washes up in huge deposits on the beach. Rich in sealife, the weed starts to decay on the beach, and residents and visitors want it removed.
Lee Crowder is the manager of Bolivar beach cleanup for the Galveston County Road & Bridge Department, and he keeps his six pieces of heavy equipment busy cleaning the beach at all times. Starting on the Bolivar end of the peninsula each week, his crews scoop up the seaweed and deposit it to rebuild the dunes. They continue down the beach and, by week’s end, have cleaned all the way to High Island. The following Monday, the process starts all over.
At times, the volume of seaweed on the beach can be very large and removal is slowed, but the crews stay busy. They also have to deal with the vehicles, canopies, and campers that are set up on the beach. Maneuvering around these obstacles slows the cleanup. And often, a section of recently cleaned beach is invaded again by a new influx of the weed, giving the appearance that nothing was done.
Mr. Crowder also receives complaints from individuals concerned about the amount of beach sand removed with the seaweed. The beach crews are aware of this concern and try to minimize the amount of sand mixed with the seaweed. The operators of the front end loaders that scrape the beach are instructed to float along the sand surface, and the large tractor-mounted rakes are fitted with wheels to keep the rake tines above the sand. All cleanup activities are compliant with the Galveston County Dune Protection and Beach Access Plan.
It may not be a pretty site, and it’s not exactly the soft sand we would like to sink our toes into, but it is the nature of the gulf. There are still treasures to be found in the seaweed. So come back again…it will have passed.
Posted in 
Although the seaweed is a nuisance, the kids and I had fun with it. If you shake it out, you will get lots of small shrimp. And, released the shrimp back into the ocean, which otherwise would have died on the beach. We always carry a rake, so we can clean a spot.
What is the seaweed cover like in mid-August?
We have been in May, June, and Sept and had 4-6ft of it to cross to the water. Any ideas of what to expect in mid-August.
Tnx for your work.
We spend the last week of June by Jamaica Beach and no matter which beach we went it was all the same amount of sargassum. The cities over there do their best to clean up but what I don’t understand is that nobody talks about that huge amount if garbage at the beaches. I understand the sargassum is nature but the garbage is human made and much worse than seaweed problems. I found only a handful seashells but it is unbelievable how dirty the beaches are. It seems nobody realizes or gets bothered by this. Within 10 minutes of walking it seemed that toothbrushes and plastic caps, bottles of sun lotion, diapers and so on was most popular. Galveston and miles down the coast is the most dirtiest I have ever seen!!! There are garbage containers everywhere but we have seen people dumping their garbage out of their cars directly on the beach sand. And we ask ourselves why nature does send seaweed??? Weird…..
There is a big movement on Bolivar Peninsula to educate and try to alleviate the garbage problem. Some of it is actually thrown overboard from boats, but many people will not walk 5 feet to a barrel to deposit their trash. We have signs stating the fines and people that ride the beach letting people know about the laws. People have even been given garbage bags so the would not have an excuse. By next summer I expect to see a much improved Bolivar Beach!
How the seaweed right now at crystal beach 7-04?
Some people will always find something to complain about. The crews did a great job skirting around all the beach-goers when I was there in June. On the last two days we were there, the wind shifted, and we hardly had any seaweed at all. It was really nice on the beach! I LOVE CRYSTAL BEACH! Wish I lived there year round.
PS Did anyone find my silver/gold starfish earring at Sandy Shores beach?????
Hubby and I are considering the option of going to crystal beach instead of sea wall. I’m wondering if sea weed thick in the water there like it is at sea wall. Any info you could give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
We were fishing spots yesterday and today from Freeport to enf od Boliar and seaweed was thick everywhere
Loved the information about the sargassum weed–I will definitely look closer at it as I step over it on my way to the beach and hopefully gripe a little less about it!–Thanks!
The washed up sea weed is what rebuilds a beach and protects a beach from losing more ground to the sea. I think it is foolishness to remove it…….
Thanks Lee. It is greatly appreciated.
Thank you Lee Crowder for all you do for everyone on the peninsula…Great job!!!!
Thank you Tom! Very informative article.
Been in Gilchrist for two days. Seaweed is terrible. Trash cans are full. I can’t pick up trash from the beach because there is no where to put it.
I read that your machines run all the time to keep beaches clean. I have observed them unused since I’ve been here. I’m not enjoying my vacation. I’m embarrassed for our beaches.