Gulf

MATAGORDA ISLAND . Matagorda Island is a sand barrier island averaging two miles wide and about fifty miles long in Calhoun County (at 28°14' N, 96°38' W); Cavallo Pass separates the island from Matagorda Peninsula. Matagorda Island separates Espíritu Santo Bay and San Antonio Bay from the Gulf of Mexico and is intermittently separated from St. Joseph (San José) Island by Cedar Bayou, a sometimes open, sometimes closed water passage that was intentionally plugged in 1979 to protect Mesquite Bay from contamination after an oil spill. It was partially reopened by Hurricane Allen in 1980 ( see   HURRICANES ) and further cleared by dredging in 1988.