For any questions on the current conditions, ask a lifeguard or park representative.
Alongside the seaweed, sea beans, and seashells that often wash up along Galveston’s coast, you may have noticed another natural visitor this season: driftwood. Large pieces of wood have been appearing daily, scattered across the shoreline in greater numbers than we’ve seen in years.
This increase is tied to a recent release of water from Lake Livingston, located northeast of Galveston. As the water was released, it carried fallen trees and branches into the Trinity River, which flows into the Gulf. Combined with earlier inland flooding, this movement has created a steady flow of driftwood reaching the beach.
Once the wood arrives, it often sits for several days. These pieces are waterlogged and extremely heavy, which means they must dry out before crews can safely begin the cleanup process. The Coastal Zone Management team is actively working to remove driftwood as conditions allow.
Driftwood is more than a visual change to the beach. It can be a safety concern for swimmers, surfers, and anyone enjoying the shoreline. It also complicates efforts to manage seasonal seaweed, since many of the tools used to move or relocate seaweed can be damaged by large debris.
While the sight of driftwood may seem unusual, it's part of the natural movement of water across Texas. By understanding where it comes from and how it travels, we can better appreciate how inland activity shapes our coastline.
We’ll continue sharing updates about coastal conditions through Visit Galveston and the Park Board, and we encourage beachgoers to stay aware while enjoying the shoreline.
The Flag Warning System is used to advise beach patrons of the current water conditions and any applicable environmental warnings. The flag colors described below are part of a national system employed to help beach-goers understand the current conditions in the always dynamic environment of open water.
Indicates that conditions are calm. Swim with care.
Indicates caution should be used when entering any body of water. This flag is flown for normal conditions to remind swimmers to stay alert.
Flown when conditions are determined to be out of the ordinary, such as presence of strong wind, strong current or large surf. Adult swimmers should stay in water no more than waist deep and non-swimmers and children should be kept along the surf line.
Indicates a potential problem with jellyfish, Portuguese man-o-war, stingrays or other marine life that could be a hazard for swimmers. Purple flags will be used in combination with other flags.
Indicates there is an environmental warning for air and/or water quality. Orange pennant flags will be used in combination with other flags. Check Texas Beach Watch for more details.
The Galveston County Health District, in conjunction with the Texas General Land Office (GLO), monitors recreational coastal waters for elevated levels of the bacterial indicator enterococcus. A beach water advisory is issued for the beach adjacent to the testing site when water quality standards for the bacteria are exceeded. The Galveston County Beach Watch program samples 52 monitoring stations along Galveston Island, the Bolivar Peninsula and one site on the Texas City Dike.
