The overview
Titled the Galveston Bay Park, the plan offers a number of protective structures meant to lessen the impact of storm surge, according to a May 27 news release from the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters Center, or SSPEED, out of Rice University.
Among those improvements is what officials call the plan’s centerpiece: a midbay levee system that can extend up to 25 feet above sea level, according to the release.
Specifically, the Galveston Bay project would replace the gate projects planned for Dickinson Bayou and Clear Lake, which are currently part of the Coastal Texas Project being carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, SSPEED Center co-Director Jim Blackburn told Community Impact on June 16.
The project also includes a public park feature that will include over 10,000 acres of land for outdoor recreation, officials said.
The impact
The cost of the project is expected to be around $7 billion and could be built within a decade of when construction starts, according to the release notes.
Blackburn said the project will help defend against larger storm systems, including hurricanes ranging from categories 3, 4 and 5. He added that current projects planned for the area, such as the Coastal Texas Project, are meant to combat up to a Category 2 hurricane.
Officials with both projects have justified the developments through what they would protect, which includes several key industries. The release from SSPEED notes, for example, the area contains 14% of the country’s crude oil refining capacity.
What they’re saying
The project’s plan was developed as part of a collaboration between the SSPEED Center, the cities of Houston and Galveston, as well as Port Houston, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Texas General Land Office, and the USACE, according to the release.
“We applaud all those who are taking steps to identify potential solutions for our region,” Port of Houston CEO Charlie Jenkins said in the release.
Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said in the release it was “long past time to protect the Gulf Coast from powerful storms.”
“I support the work of the SSPEED Center and the Army Corps to try to make the Galveston Bay Park happen. Harris County needs this project to protect people and our economy from storm surge,” Garcia said in the release.
Officials from other entities, such as the Gulf Coast Protection District, or GCPD, which is playing a key role in the ongoing federal projects in the area, have spoken in support of the project as well.
“While the [plan] remains under evaluation, the GCPD and its federal partners will closely examine how elements of this plan could complement ongoing protection efforts,” GCPD Executive Director Coalter Baker said in the release.
Remember this?
This plan is not to be confused with the Coastal Texas Project, also known as the Ike Dike, which will be a series of environmental and infrastructural upgrades throughout the Gulf Coast region consisting of levies, sand dunes, gates and pumps.
While it is separate in terms of planning, officials have noted the new Galveston Bay Park project works “seamlessly” with the plan, according to the release.
The Ike Dike is currently awaiting funding from the federal government, Community Impact previously reported.
Next steps
Blackburn said June 16 the next step is for the project to be accepted by the USACE and for an analysis to see how it could be implemented as part of the larger Coastal Texas Project.
A timeline on when that could be completed was not provided.
