Texas Congressman Randy Weber has announced that the Office of Gulf Coast Restoration in the Department of the Treasury plans to award a $27.1 million Direct Component grant to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the FY19 RESTORE Flood Protection Program.
According to Weber, the goal of this program is to protect the Texas Gulf Coast Region from flooding through the planning and implementation of five identified flood protection projects:
1. Aransas County – Bay Shore Drive Erosion Mitigation and Shoreline Stabilization – This project is for engineering, design and construction to repair and rehabilitate failed and damaged groins, revetments and bulkheads along Aransas Bay in Reaches 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7. This will protect 2,195 feet of a 1.3 mile public roadway (Bay Shore Drive) and the utility easement from flooding and damage.
2. Hidalgo County Drainage District #1 – Raymondville Drain Project Phase 2 – This project is for planning, permitting, and construction to clean and remove obstructions from the existing Raymondville Drain, a 60-mile drain/canal designed to provide stormwater drainage for a 130.5 square mile area of the Gulf Coast Region.
3. Village of Surfside Beach Groin – This project is for engineering, design, permitting, and construction of a terminal groin (i.e., structure made of rock or other material placed perpendicular to the shore) and an angled groin to stabilize the beach and restore its historical recreational and natural resource values. These groins will provide coastal flood protection for existing infrastructure, roads, and private properties.
4. Galveston County – Texas City Hurricane Protection Levee Repair Phase I – This project is for planning, engineering, and construction to address the most critical deficiencies in the Texas City Hurricane Levee as described in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2012 inspection report. The project will decrease the risk of hurricane damage to the communities and industries protected by the Texas City Hurricane Levee, a 22.1 mile system of earthen levees and concrete floodwall.
5. Town Resaca – This project is for dredging, design, and construction of bank improvements and stormwater interceptor units. The overall project will improve community resiliency by increasing capacities in the water drainage system and improve water quality all the way to the Lower Laguna Madre.