By Brandt Mannchen
Houston has winked at floods for years. Now it’s time to pay the piper. Some say that floods are acts of “God”. If so, “Flood damages” are acts of “People”. We must “think outside the box”.
For decades we have done the same thing with flood control: “wider and deeper”. Thousands of people still flood each year. Our leaders want to do more of the same. That dog won’t hunt! To “think outside the box” you must have the political courage to say, “No”, we must change and protect our environment”. This phrase isn’t at the center of flood control policy. It must be.
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says the Katy Prairie must be protected. That’s great! But other elected officials are silent. Now is the time for more than words. Harris County must actively protect the Katy Prairie from development and not leave it to State and Federal government. Being this “responsible” is “think outside the box” action.
We need a “new day” for Harris County and flood control. That new day must put the focus of “ecosystem restoration” at the center of efforts to live in our naturally rainy environment.
Buyouts should be the number one priority. Once land is bought you can protect it, construct flood projects, and provide for recreation and wildlife. Without acquisition land is developed or re-developed, people flood again, and public and private monies are wasted.
We must support regulatory controls and ecosystem restoration for sand and gravel mining sites on the San Jacinto River. Don’t dredge. This leads to inflated hopes of no flooding, more development, and ecological damage to aquatic areas, wetlands, and fish habitats.
Buyout along the San Jacinto River 100-year floodplain and get “people out of harm’s way”. This is our drinking water river. Leave the natural filter and sponge of bottomland hardwood forests in place. Where there is no natural forest, plant native trees to restore the river.
Protect Buffalo Bayou, Armand Bayou, Luce Bayou, and lower Greens Bayou as the last, best, natural streams left in Harris County.
More think “outside the box” ideas include: abandon fitting the 100-year flood within the banks of streams; assume 100% buildout and 80% hard surface for watersheds when flood modeling; require pier and beam for all new and rebuilt structures; place flood level signs at road crossings on all rivers, streams, and ditches; require all property ownership and rental documents reveal flood history; buyout the 100-year floodplain in 50 years and the 500-year floodplain in 100 years; acquire 30 to 50% of each watershed for flood buffers; require a 100-year sea level rise buffer; and protect farm, ranch, forest, and wildlife lands around our cities and counties.
Finally, we all must work together and spend more of our money on watershed planning, public education and participation, flood prevention and control, and regulatory efforts. We must all plan for and implement climate change impact mitigation due to more rainfall, more and more intense rainfall events, more and more powerful storms, and sea level rise.
If we work with, and not against Nature we can make the Houston Area safer. Remember, Nature bats last. Floods don’t give second chances.
Brandt Mannchen