Tag Archives: Army Corps of Engineers

Army Corps to present Ike Dike options

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

About time. Later this month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will recommend a multi-billion-dollar plan to help protect the Texas coast — the Houston area in particular — from hurricanes. When it will become a reality, however, is anyone’s … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on August 8, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Early voting starts today. The Harris County Flood Control District on Monday released its complete list of projects that would be funded by the county’s $2.5 billion flood infrastructure bond proposal, two days before early voting on the measure begins. … Continue reading →

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Two views of the flood bond referendum

Posted on July 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

View One, from Joe B. Allen and Jim Blackburn: Vote for it because there’s no real alternative. Proposition A — the proposal to allow Harris County to issue $2.5 billion in flood control bonds — will be on the ballot … Continue reading →

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Feds approve $5 billion in Harvey aid

Posted on July 6, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Almost a year after Hurricane Harvey dumped historic rains on Texas, the state will receive more than $5 billion for a range of flood control projects, repairs and studies, the Trump administration announced Thursday. […] [About $1 billion] will … Continue reading →

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More details on the flood bond referendum

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

This is the longer version of the original story. Through at least two-dozen public meetings across the county’s watersheds, County Judge Ed Emmett said residents have a crucial role to play as they provide feedback for the projects they think … Continue reading →

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The Cornyn Ike Dike bill

Posted on May 21, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where credit is due. With hurricane season right around the corner, Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said Wednesday he is introducing legislation to expedite a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study on a coastal barrier to mitigate storm damage … Continue reading →

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We’ll be voting on flood control bonds in August

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Not my first choice, but it is what it is. Harris County Commissioners Court voted Tuesday to seek a special election on Aug. 25 for what likely will be a multi-billion-dollar bond package that, if approved by voters, would be … Continue reading →

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How about we excavate those reservoirs?

Posted on March 22, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Okay by me. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is quietly exploring the possibility of excavating dirt from Addicks and Barker reservoirs, reviving an oft-discussed proposal that would allow the reservoirs to hold more storm water and keep it out … Continue reading →

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City buys out some flooded homes

Posted on October 28, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Expect to see more of this. Houston City Council on Wednesday approved funding nearly 60 home buyouts across three flood-prone neighborhoods, the first such step from City Hall in recent memory. The city typically leaves buyouts to the Harris County … Continue reading →

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What the Harvey needs are from the state

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not just about recovery. The long term needs, including mitigation against future events like Harvey, is where the real money will need to be spent. More than one month after Harvey’s deluge hit, local officials, including Mayor Sylvester Turner … Continue reading →

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What should the people living near the dams have known?

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

More than they were told, is what they’re saying. A federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers claims government officials knew for years that water impounded behind Addicks and Barker dams would flood thousands of suburban homes during … Continue reading →

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Can our dams handle the load?

Posted on September 29, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Pretty important question, wouldn’t you say? The state climatologist is warning that Texas dams will become less able to withstand extreme weather events like Hurricane Harvey, which are expected to occur more frequently as the earth’s atmosphere and oceans warm … Continue reading →

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Let’s review those flood control regulations

Posted on September 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Seems like a good idea, wouldn’t you say? The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to review Harris County’s flood control regulations to gauge whether they sufficiently neutralize the flood risk posed by the region’s booming development, a question … Continue reading →

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Will we spend on some flood mitigation projects?

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe. We’ll see. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is calling for the construction of flood control infrastructure in the Houston area — things he said should have been built “decades and decades ago” — including … Continue reading →

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Lawsuits filed over dam releases

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This ought to be interesting. A group of flooded-out Harris County homeowners and businesses sued the federal government on Tuesday, accusing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of knowingly condemning their properties by releasing water from the Barker and Addicks … Continue reading →

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What is the environmental impact of building an Ike Dike?

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe we should try to figure that out. Plans for building a massive storm-surge protection system for the Houston area are rushing ahead before officials determine whether the project could harm Galveston Bay, environmental groups say. The Sierra Club and … Continue reading →

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Obama signs Cornyn flood mitigation bill

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

The title to this post is a bit of an overbid, but this is still a good thing. President Obama on Monday signed into law a bill that could help expedite the long process of constructing a hurricane protection system for … Continue reading →

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Cornyn files bill to speed up floodgate construction process

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Credit where credit is due. U.S. Sen. John Cornyn filed legislation Wednesday that he says would expedite the long process of constructing a hurricane protection system for the Texas coast, including the particularly vulnerable Houston region. But while local officials … Continue reading →

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Don’t expect Congress to pay for a Gulf Coast floodgate system

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

I sure don’t. After nearly a decade of bickering and finger pointing, Texas scientists and lawmakers finally seem to agree that building some version of a “coastal spine” — a massive seawall and floodgate system — would best help protect … Continue reading →

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On drainage and flooding

Posted on April 20, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Two items of interest from Gray Matters, both on the subject of the week. First, from Cynthia Hand Neely and Ed Browne of Residents Against Flooding: Man-made, preventable flooding has surged dirty, sewage-ridden water through Houston living rooms three times … Continue reading →

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Those damn dams

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

In case you didn’t have enough to worry about. Here’s the deal with what could be a terrible threat to Houston: most of the time, it isn’t. In fact, it’s a 26,000 acre recreational greenspace on Houston’s west side. It … Continue reading →

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Paxton asks judge to block EPA water rules in Texas

Posted on September 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

The basic story: Texas has asked a federal judge to block enforcement of a new rule that expands authority over which water bodies the U.S. government can regulate. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the request Tuesday in an 88-page … Continue reading →

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Bayou trails update

Posted on September 6, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Coming along nicely. Houston’s Bayou Greenways 2020 initiative will build 150 miles of hike and bike trails along the city’s nine waterways, a $220 million effort that Mayor Annise Parker says is “one of the most exciting things I’ve had … Continue reading →

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Who needs wetlands?

Posted on September 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Development is all that matters, right? More than 38,000 acres of wetlands vanished in greater Houston over the past two decades despite a federal policy that “no net loss” can be caused by encroaching development. That’s an area about the … Continue reading →

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Another floodgate proposed

Posted on September 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Third time’s the charm, right? Academic leaders have long beseeched government officials to learn from the damage caused by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and harden the upper Texas coast against future threats. Finally, on Monday, Texas Land Commissioner George P. … Continue reading →

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Bayou battle

Posted on January 5, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Another one of our local disputes that has been picked up by national interests. A Harris County Flood Control District proposal, submitted to the Army Corps of Engineers in April, would reconfigure and stabilize about a third of the semi-natural … Continue reading →

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Radack finally gets to implement his feral hog plan

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I can’t wait to see how well this works out. Locally sourced pork finally may be on the menu for needy Houston-area families as Harris County Precinct 3 launches its most ambitious effort yet to eradicate feral hogs damaging parkland … Continue reading →

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Who needs flood control?

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Not Harris County, apparently. Harris County, despite a history of costly floods, appears likely to scale back its flood control work in the coming years in the face of declining federal funding. In a typical year, the county gets about … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to stop Grand Parkway

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see how it goes. The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit to block construction of the Grand Parkway in west Harris County until federal and state officials conduct a new analysis of the flooding consequences. The environmental group says … Continue reading →

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No hog hunting

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Bummer. Remember the plan Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack floated to allow bowhunting of feral hogs in George Bush Park, both as pest control and boon for the local food banks? The Army Corps of Engineers, which had say-so on … Continue reading →

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