The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, will host a charette with coastal storm risk management subject matter experts from across the nation to discuss the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study state-federal shared visioning and partnering opportunities at the USACE Galveston District headquarters Aug. 10-12, 2015.
“ We’ve made progress toward launching a study that will help us develop a comprehensive characterization of the entire Texas coast and examining the feasibility for recommendations of coastal storm damage risk management and ecosystem restoration projects coast wide ,” said Dr. Edmond Russo Jr., deputy district engineer for Programs and Project Management for the USACE Galveston District. “ We’re working with partners to determine study needs that also meet the Corps’ planning guidelines.”
Discussions between state and federal members will focus on best avenues to engage key counties and cities in the coastal Texas region and identify partnering opportunities that address coastal storm risk management and ecosystem restoration.
According to Russo, the purpose of this study is to develop a comprehensive outline of the Texas coast that can assist in examining the feasibility for recommendations of coastal storm damage risk management and ecosystem restoration projects.
“ These meetings continue to foster partnering relations on shared objectives for managing Texas coastal priorities on current and future potential partnered studies and projects ,” said Russo. “We offer a variety of federal programs to assist the public with the preparation of comprehensive plans for the development, use and conservation of water and related land resources along the Texas coast. These programs are either available on a 50 percent federal/50 percent non-federal cost-shared basis, such as under the General Investigations and Planning Assistance to States Programs, or offered at full federal expense, such as under the Floodplain Management Services Program.”
Proposed state and federal partnering initiatives along the Texas coast included a status update of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Reconnaissance Study, which addressed a summary of the study process, policy guidance, partnering engagements to date, accomplishments and the proposed way forward.