Since its founding in the late 1960’s, the Houston Sierra Club (Sierra Club) and its more than 5,000 members have been interested in and advocated for flood management that not only “Keeps people out of harm’s way” but also “Works with and not against Nature”.

The Sierra Club understands that Harris County has purposely avoided committing to a final project list or schedule to maintain maximum flexibility after the flood bond election. But for citizens and taxpayers to vote with confidence, the Sierra Club believes they must be assured that both people and the environment will benefit from the bond in very specific ways.

For the Sierra Club to recommend to its members and the public a “Yes” vote on the flood bond election, the County must commit to incorporating several elements into the bond process and projects implemented using bond funds. These elements include:

1) Protection of greenspace – Harris County must emphasize solutions rooted in Houston’s natural ecology by prioritizing the acquisition, preservation, protection, and management of ecologically important land, such as the Katy Prairie and property within floodplains, as greenspace, which may simultaneously accommodate floodwaters and parks, natural areas, and compatible recreation. Consistent with this point, the County must favor off-line detention over in-line detention in order to protect existing streams and rivers and riparian, bottomland, and aquatic vegetation and ecosystems.

2) Decisions based on the latest scientific data – Harris County must commit to a rapid update of Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finalizes the Atlas 14 precipitation frequency maps later this year. To enable the County to make sound, long-term planning decisions using bond funds, the updated FIRMs must document watershed overflow zones, show the 250 and 100-year floodplains, and be used to re-evaluate dam safety.

3) Prevention of future harm – Harris County must expand its flood warning system to include more USGS streamgages within the County and to add upstream gauging stations outside the County. Further, the County must prioritize and create early warning systems within its watersheds similar to or better than the SSPEED Center’s system on Brays Bayou near Rice University and the Texas Medical Center.

4) Neighborhood-centered solutions – To sustain neighborhood-based communities when possible, Harris County must determine, by watershed and with public input, when to prioritize residential buyouts versus offering financial support to elevate residences.

5) Maximize transparency and public involvement –Within one year of the election, Harris County must finalize a prioritized list of bond projects by watershed with an associated timeline, which must then undergo public review and comment.

6) Continued monitoring for optimal decision-making – Harris County must implement an audit to gauge the degree of success by the County and city in issuing post-Harvey re-construction permits that are consistent with FEMA’s “substantial damage” guidelines. The County also must create a system of post-flood protocols to ensure rapid implementation of FEMA guidelines in permitting and the calculation of substantial damage estimates, which will be implemented after future flood events.

For questions about this statement, please contact Evelyn Merz at 713.644.8228 or 713.201.4061 (cell) or Brandt Mannchen at 832.907.3615.