By Ken Kramer, Water Resources Chair, Lone Star Chapter, Sierra Club
As we enter the 2020 hurricane season (officially June 1 through November 30), memories of the extensive flooding in the area during Hurricane Harvey are fresh in the minds of many Houstonians. Indeed, even after almost three years, many people have not recovered from the devastating effects of Harvey. Moreover, some families have experienced new, more localized flooding events since Harvey, and this summer could well bring more floods to parts of the area.
Despite the passage of a $2.5 billion flood mitigation bond issue in Harris County, and federal flood management and recovery funding for the area, more action and funds are needed to prepare for future floods and reduce the risk of flooding in the Houston area, wherever possible. Environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and Galveston Bay Foundation believe that “green infrastructure” – low-impact development, preservation of open space and natural drainage areas, and other nature-based flood solutions – is key to reducing flooding and its negative impacts.
Although these “nonstructural” or “green” alternatives to traditional flood management approaches have gained some traction in recent years – even in the Houston area – they are not yet the norm. Engineering and construction interests – and the political officials they influence – play a large role in the shaping of flood management policy at the local and state level, which has historically translated into structural approaches like channelization (which may do little more than move flooding from an area upstream to one downstream).
Now, however, the implementation of a new state and regional state flood planning process in Texas (created last year by Senate Bill 8) offers the opportunity for a wider group of people – representing diverse interests – to re-shape flood policy, and perhaps elevate the role of nonstructural flood mitigation measures. However, the reality is that whether flood policy remains business as usual or moves to a more sustainable and resilient approach will depend upon which individuals are chosen to represent various interests on the new regional flood planning groups.
That’s where you come in.
Are you interested in helping shape the future of flood management in the Houston area? The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), the state agency overseeing implementation of the flood planning process, has made an open solicitation for people who would like to be members of the flood planning group for their planning region.
The Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA - a federal government designation that includes Harris County and nine other counties around Harris) is actually split among four flood planning regions (which are based primarily on watersheds and not political boundaries). However, all of Harris and Montgomery Counties, almost all of Galveston County (except for the Bolivar Peninsula), and parts of Brazoria, Fort Bend, Liberty, San Jacinto, and Waller Counties are in Flood Planning Region 6. Most of the rest of the Houston SMSA is in Flood Planning Region 8, with small portions of some outlying counties in Flood Planning Regions 3 and 10. If you live outside Harris and Montgomery Counties and want to determine in which flood planning region you reside, check out TWDB’s large format map of Flood Planning Regions online.
People seeking to be members of a regional flood planning group must be able to represent one of several different “interests” required to be represented on such groups. These interests include not only local governments and state agencies but also agricultural interests, environmental interests, industries, small businesses, electric generating utilities, and “the public.” TWDB will designate the initial members of each of the 15 regional flood planning groups in the State. Once chosen, however, the groups themselves may add more representatives of these interests as well as representatives of other interests such as land trusts to the planning group.
Anyone seeking to be a member of a flood planning group must complete and submit an online nomination form to TWDB. Nomination forms are due July 2.
If you would like assistance in completing a nomination form or additional information about participating in the flood planning process, contact Teal Harrison – harrisont@nwf.org – with the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) or Danielle Goshen – dgoshen@galvbay.org – with Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF). NWF, GBF, Hill Country Alliance, and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club are partners in the Texas Living Waters Project, one of whose priorities is advancing the use of green infrastructure in flood management. A Regional Flood Planning Fact Sheet will be available on the Project website during the week of June 1.
Please don’t wait until the next time your street is underwater! If you want to help move the Houston area toward a more effective approach to reducing flood risk, consider seeking a membership spot on your regional flood planning group!