Lake Houston - Humble - Kingwood Edition | June 2023

ENVIRONMENT

Houston City Council vote nets $29M for Lake Houston-area dredging, sand traps

DREDGING 101 Roughly $29 million in state grant funds will provide for the mechanical and/or hydraulic dredging of sand and sediment from Lake Houston and its surrounding canals, as well as the proper disposal of the debris. The work will consist of:

BY HANNAH BROL

May 10 newsletter from Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin—who represents Houston City Council District E— more than 4 million cubic yards of silt and sediment has been dredged from Lake Houston and its tributaries since 2018 at a total cost of $222 million. These e orts were paid for through federal, state and local funding sources, including: • Federal Emergency Management Agency • Texas Water Development Board • Harris County • City of Houston What’s next?: According to Martin’s newsletter, the additional funding will allow dredging activities to start on the east side of Lake Houston and its various canals and channels. The funds will also go toward the imple- mentation of a pilot program testing the ecacy of sand traps upstream of Lake Houston.

An additional $29 million in state grant funds will be going toward ongoing dredging e orts in Lake Houston and its surrounding canals, following unanimous approval by the Houston City Council on May 10. Term to know: Dredging is the removal of sediments and debris from the bottom of lakes, rivers, harbors and other bodies of water. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, dredging is a routine necessity in waterways worldwide because sedimentation—the natural process of sand and silt washing downstream— gradually lls channels and harbors. The background: Following Hurri- cane Harvey in 2017, ood mitigation e orts ramped up in the Greater Houston area and particularly in the Lake Houston area. According to a

Loading and hauling from

The removal of tree stumps

Cutting and removing partially uprooted or split trees

The collection of debris laden sand

public waterways to disposal sites

SOURCE: STATE REP. CHARLES CUNNINGHAM, R HUMBLE COMMUNITY IMPACT

Per the newsletter, building sand traps is a proactive approach to capturing much of the silt and sediment coming down the various tributaries feeding into Lake Houston well before it ever reaches. The details: According to a May 10 news release from state Rep. Charles Cunningham, RHumble, the grant will provide for the mechanical and/ or hydraulic dredging of sand and sediment from public property, as well as the proper disposal of the debris. The work will consist of:

• Loading and hauling from public waterways to disposal sites • The removal of tree stumps • Cutting and removing partially uprooted or split trees • The collection of debris laden sand Quote of note: “Consecutive disasters have negatively impacted our Lake Houston communities, particularly in the last two decades,” Cunningham said. “This project will help divert ood water away from homes and strengthen the ability of residents to respond to future disasters.”

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LAKE HOUSTON HUMBLE KINGWOOD EDITION • JUNE 2023