Tag Archive for: Coastal Master Plan

GLO Releases Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D. released the 2023 Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan (TCRMP) last month. It proposes a framework that addresses coastal hazards as well as investments that protect natural and man-made coastal environments.  The plan includes 52 Tier 1 priority projects in the Houston/Galveston area including 4 in Harris County.

121 Projects along 367 Miles of Coastline

The beautifully written and art-directed 356-page plan recommends a total of 121 projects prioritized as Tier 1 by the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In developing the plan, the GLO collaborated closely with a Technical Advisory Committee to mitigate issues that negatively impact the Texas coast. 

“Protecting our 367 miles of Texas coastline is vital to our state’s economy,” said Commissioner Buckingham. “The Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan provides a strategic path in prioritizing projects. It will ensure long-term resilience of our diverse coastal ecosystems and protect coastal resources for future generations. I want to thank the hundreds of members of the Technical Advisory Committee for the expertise and leadership they contributed to this comprehensive process.”

The Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan will help protect both coastal infrastructure and natural resources.

The plan’s recommended strategies and projects target areas in need of better protection and restoration.

Texas General Land Office

Plan Updated Every Four Years Addresses Variety of Threats

GLO updates the Coast Resiliency Master Plan every four years. It uses the most current storm surge and sea-level-rise models to illustrate the need and benefit of recommended projects. A list of high-priority coastal resiliency initiatives and projects was developed to address risks such as:

  • Storm surge
  • Inland flooding
  • Shoreline change
  • Degraded water quality and more.

Separate From, Yet Complementary to, Corps’ Plan

The TCRMP is separate from, yet complementary to, ongoing federal coastal protection efforts led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

Federal efforts include the Coastal Texas Program and Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Program, which focus on implementation of the Coastal Barrier System and other storm risk reduction projects.

The TCRMP provides a priority list of projects that could be funded through other federal, state, and local sources to work towards restoration and protection of areas not currently covered directly by the work of USACE.

While the TCRMP does not provide or guarantee funding to projects, it is designed to demonstrate funding need and cost estimates for proposed projects. Project initiatives range in status from conceptual to in progress, so actual costs may vary once implementation begins.

Technical Advisory Committee Helps Produce Broad Range of Materials

The Technical Advisory Committee included hundreds of:

  • Coastal planners
  • Community leaders and decision-makers
  • Coastal scientists and engineers
  • Ports and navigation professionals’
  • Technical experts
  • Resource agency and regulatory staff members
  • Other key stakeholders.

They assessed coastal vulnerabilities with cutting-edge science and data analysis to determine the vulnerability of natural systems to hazards such as floods, storms, and storm surge.

For more information, visit: www.glo.texas.gov/crmp. Components of the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan include:

Story Map Provides Excellent Graphical Introduction

The Story Map gives you an excellent overview of the plan in an easy-to-digest graphical format.

Note the high level of extreme and imminent hazards along the upper Texas Coast. This area includes Galveston Bay.

Brown areas are in extreme danger. Red areas are under imminent threat.

Many of the recommended projects are in this area, including projects at Anahuac and McFadden National Wildlife Refuges.

To address the dangers, the report includes many different types of projects/solutions.

Recommendations span the gamut of green to gray.

See the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan for descriptions of the actual recommended projects and their locations. Thirteen recommendations involve multiple regions. See the links below for more information on each.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/24/2023 based on information provided by the Texas General Land Office

2064 Days since Hurricane Harvey