By Ken Kramer, Water Resources Chair, Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club

The Region H Water Planning Group held a public hearing via webinar and telephone conference call on April 23 on the draft revised Region H water plan (known as the Region H Initially Prepared Plan or IPP). See the edition of The Water Column posted to the Houston Sierra Club Group website in late March and included in the April Bayou Banner for background on the regional water planning process.

No public comments were made during the public hearing. However, comments on the Region H IPP may be submitted in writing or via email by 5 PM on June 28. Instructions on how and where to submit written comments are included in the notice of the public hearing.

At the public hearing a representative of the primary consultant to the Region H Planning Group – Freese and Nichols – gave an overview of the planning process and the revised Region H Plan. His slide presentation with that overview may be found on the Region H website at:

http://regionhwater.org/meetings/documents/Materials_20200423_Hearing.pdf

The full text of the Region H IPP is also available on the Region H website in two parts: Volume 1 (the main body of the Plan) and Volume 2 (the appendices). Please note if downloading that Volume 2 is an especially large file. Both volumes are in PDF format.

In April the Sierra Club prepared an overview of some of the key points about the 2021 Region H Water Plan, including positive features that merit support and concerns that warrant comment. More extensive formal Sierra Club comments will be prepared and posted to the Houston Sierra Club Group website in mid- to late-May.

Any questions about the Sierra Club’s perspective on the Region H Plan may be sent to me at kramerkenw@gmail.com.