By Evelyn L. Merz
There is a major change planned in the near future for the Harris County Flood Control Task Force. The change is that it is being replaced by the Harris County Community Resilience Task Force (CRTF). The key challenge is making sure that the old adage of “The more things change, the more they remain the same” can be overcome.
Currently, I represent the Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club on the Harris County Flood Control Task Force (HCFCTF).
The current membership of the HCFCTF is dominated by representatives of engineering consulting firms and home-building/real estate interests and contractors (such as engineering and landscape design) who are beholden to the Harris County Flood Control District. Even some non-profits can be strongly influenced by engineering and construction interests. The proposed bylaws for the CRTF would reduce the number of members from about 30 to 17. Five of the members would be appointed by Commissioners Court and those five members would constitute the selection committee for the remaining twelve members.
The major change is that the final twelve members would have to include at least one member from EACH of the sectors of (1) Housing/Land Use, (2) Health, (3) Engineering/Construction, (4) Urban Design/Planning, (5) Environment, (6) Community Leadership, (7) Social Justice, and (8) Other Regional Infrastructure. Furthermore, at least three of the members “must represent low-income neighborhoods, historically underrepresented communities and/or one or more socially vulnerable populations AND at least three members must have technical expertise in equitable, environmentally sustainable infrastructure resilience and/or flood mitigation.”
These required minimums in diverse representative and expertise have the potential to shift the focus of the infrastructure perspective to a “greener”, more sustainable, more fair design. But it will hinge on how the members of the CRTF are selected. The engineering, construction, and homebuilding sectors are strongly protesting.
The engineering, construction, and homebuilding industry has expressed reservations about the ratio of “technical” to “community” representatives on the new CRTF. Some requested that there be a 50%/50% ratio. However, “technical” is not restricted to engineering, construction, and homebuilding. “Technical” could refer to biology, chemistry, soil science, etc. And with respect to engineering, not all engineers work for engineering consulting firms or construction. There should be a concerted effort to engage with engineers who are open to non-structural options and who are NOT contractors beholden to the Harris County Flood Control District.
The newly constituted Task Force would meet six times per year. It is to review and provide feedback to Commissioners Court on resilience-related items and projects, plus create a resilience plan. Flood mitigation will be an important item.
The community-based CRTF will be supported by a seven-member Infrastructure Resilience Team, composed of representatives of seven different Harris County departments. This team will not vote on issues being considered by the CRTF.
The Houston Sierra Club submitted written comments on the draft bylaws for the CRTF. Our complete comments are available at Houston Group Comments below.
The complete draft bylaws and a guide can be accessed via hyperlinks under the heading “Reviewing the Bylaws” at https://cjo.harriscountytx.gov/Community-Resilience-Task-Force
The Houston Sierra Club’s biggest concern about the new structure is that neither the CRTF nor the Infrastructure Resilience Team requires a representative of the natural sciences.
If the goal of the CRTF is to review and provide feedback of plans, projects and priorities from a resilience and sustainability standpoint, then an understanding of natural sciences is necessary. The basis of green infrastructure is working with natural systems. There should be a representative on the CRTF with expertise in native plants, wildlife, ecology, and be familiar with non-structural alternatives such as bioengineering. The Infrastructure Resilience Team should add a department that deals with greenspace/natural systems to the list. Its representative should have expertise with natural science (botany, wildlife, etc.) or non-structural design or bioengineering.
There is a very short timeline on the new CRTF bylaws. Notices of the change were first released on July 20th and written comments were due on July 30th. A vote for approval of the bylaws by Commissioners Court is expected in August.
Houston Group Comments
TO: CRTF@cjo.hctx.net
FROM: Evelyn L. Merz, Houston Regional Group Sierra Club
RE: Draft Community Resilience Task Force Comments
DATE: July 29, 2020
Dear Sir or Madam:
On behalf of the Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club, I am submitting these comments regarding the draft bylaws of the Community Resilience Task Force (CRTF), which is intended to replace the existing Harris County Flood Control Task Force (HCFCTF). Currently, I serve as a member of the HCFCTF as a representative of the Houston Regional Group of the Sierra Club.
The current membership of the HCFCTF is dominated by representatives of engineering consulting firms and home-building/real estate interests and contractors (such as engineering and landscape design) who are beholden to the Harris County Flood Control District. Even some non-profits can be strongly influenced by engineering and construction interests. The proposed bylaws for the CRTF have the potential to shift the focus of the infrastructure perspective to a “greener”, more sustainable, more fair design. But it will hinge on how the members of the CRTF are selected.
These points in the proposed bylaws are welcome:
- Meetings are open to the public.
- Meetings dates and location will be posted on-line.
- Each meeting will have time allotted for public comment. This requirement is especially important to be explicitly stated in the bylaws. Even as a member of the HCFCTF, I was not allowed to speak before a vote on a controversial issue.
The five court-appointed members will be the selection committee for the remaining twelve members of Task Force. The process for identifying the selection pool for the twelve is unclear and appears to lack transparency.
The 7-member Infrastructure Resilience Team (IRT) is proposed to consist of one representative from each of the following Harris County departments: Engineering, Flood Control, Community Services, Toll Road Authority, Public Health, Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and Economic Equity and Opportunity. If the goal of the CRTF is to review and provide feedback of plans, projects and priorities from a resilience and sustainability standpoint, then an understanding of natural sciences is necessary. None of the seven named departments is likely to send a representative with a natural sciences expertise. A department that deals with greenspace/natural systems should be added to the IRT and that person should have expertise with natural science (botany, wildlife, etc.) or non-structural design or bioengineering.
We have a major concern about the eight competency areas and the requirement that there should be at least one representative from each competency area on the list of twelve CRTF members chosen by the five-member selection committee. There is no slot for a representative with competency in the basis of green infrastructure, which is the natural sciences. We need a representative with expertise in native plants, wildlife, ecology, and familiarity with non-structural alternatives such as bioengineering. People with competency in Urban Design/Planning are not substitutes for people with science competency. Even the Appendix A description for the competency needs for the Environment representative does not note a requirement for natural sciences competency. If one of the major tasks of the new CRTF is flood control design and you are looking for options that are sustainable, you have to consider the impacts on natural systems. That requires a knowledge of those systems.
Concerns have been raised because the CRTF does not specifically address representation from the 22 watersheds in Harris County. The current HCFCTF does have watershed representatives, but definitely not from all 22 watersheds. Only a few are represented: Cypress Creek, Buffalo Bayou, Brays Bayou, and White Oak Bayou. Better watershed representation is desirable, but it would probably be difficult to add another layer of watershed qualification on top of the proposed goals of balancing the composition of the CRTF. One option would be to have an adjunct watershed committee with representatives from each of the 22 watersheds, It could be regularly briefed and provide input on items that affect watersheds.
The engineering, construction, and homebuilding industry has expressed reservations about the ratio of “technical” to “community” representatives on the new CRTF. Some requested that there be a 50%/50% ratio. However, “technical” is not restricted to engineering, construction, and homebuilding. “Technical” could refer to biology, chemistry, soil science, etc. And with respect to engineering, not all engineers work for engineering consulting firms or construction. There should be a concerted effort to engage with engineers who are open to non-structural options.
From my personal experience serving on the current HCFCTF, I have never heard any discussion among the engineers, construction, or homebuilding representatives that suggested an alternative to anything proposed by the HCFCD. Although the current roster of the HCFCTF has heavy representation of engineering, construction, and homebuilding, they agree with each other and always agree with the Harris County Flood Control District. Increasing the number of engineering-related positions on the new CRTF would not necessarily lead to more sustainable infrastructure if the positions were populated with people who have a vested interest in current standard procedure.
There is a minor correction needed in Article VI, #45-c. It states that the chair of the CRTF will “oversee the activities of any Work Groups or Subcommittees (as defined in Article III (G) above…”. However, there is no Article III (G). I believe it should refer to Article III (E) #25.
If you would like to discuss these comments further, please contact me at 713-201-4061 (cell) or 713-644-8228 or via e-mail at elmerz@hal-pc.org.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment upon the draft bylaws of the CRTF.
Sincerely,
Evelyn L. Merz
Conservation Chair
Houston Regional Group Sierra Club