NEWS BRIEFS
News from the Lake Houston area
Houston-area groundwater conditions approved at GMA 14meeting
BY JISHNU NAIR
GROUNDWATER GOALS ESTABLISHED Language agreed upon at a Jan. 5 meeting established a goal for the amount of groundwater that should be remaining in
Groundwater control districts in Groundwater Manage- ment Area 14 formally approved desired future conditions, or DFCs, for the next ve years at a Jan. 5 meeting for the Gulf Coast Aquifer System, which provides groundwater resources to the Greater Houston area. The new DFCs include a subsidence metric—which mea- sures ground sinkage due to groundwater pumping—for the rst time but includes language making the metric optional. The DFC language was proposed at GMA 14’s previous meeting in the form of a nonbinding resolution. Representa- tives from the ve groundwater control districts in GMA 14 unanimously voted to approve the DFC language. “In each county in Groundwater Management Area 14, no less than 70%median available drawdown remaining in 2080 or no more than an average of 1.0 additional foot of subsid- ence between 2009 and 2080,” the approved text states. According to Michael Turco of the Harris-Galveston Sub- sidence District, the 70%median drawdown would mean water levels in wells would not decline more than 30% until 2080. Counties should not record more than 1 foot of ground sinkage, or subsidence, from 2009-2080. MontgomeryCounty input The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, representing Montgomery County, initially opposed the
regional aquifers in 2080. Desired future conditions: Groundwater goals for 2080:
in place for 5 years
70%median aquifer drawdown remaining no more than an average of 1 additional foot of subsidence from 2009-80
Optional subsidence metric:
SOURCE: HARRISGALVESTON SUBSIDENCE DISTRICTCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
subsidence metric, which was mandatory in a previous draft, and proposed the amendment making it optional. “This is exactly what everyone wants: to have GMA 14 and all the districts sit down and come up with this,” LSGCD General Manager Samatha Reiter said. “It allows the [conser- vation districts] to do what they want in their counties how they see t, based on the best available science.” Reiter said the LSGCD is in the second phase of a four-part study on Montgomery County’s subsidence. According to the Texas Water Code, GMA 14 has 60 days from Jan. 5 to put together an explanatory report for the Texas Water Develop- ment Board detailing the new DFC language.
Harris County commissioner launches crime task force
“Harris County has become synonymous with Gotham City, and it’s sad. I and the brave law enforcement leaders here with
BY DANICA LLOYD
Ramsey said the launch of the task force was a response to an increase in crime, citing more than 600 homi- cides countywide in the past year. Agencies in attendance included four county constable oces and six city and neighborhood police departments. According to the release, ocials discussed successful tactics, shared their departments’ needs and identied potential areas of collaboration.
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey met with representatives from several local law enforcement agencies Jan. 13 to discuss crime reduction strategies, according to a news release. Ocials said Ramsey plans to host regular task force meetings and, based on the information shared, develop recommendations for the court to consider moving forward.
Ramsey
me are ready to get our cities and county back from the dangerous individuals who are overrunning them. There’s a lot of great minds coming together here, and I’m excited to see all that will come of this,” Ramsey said in a statement.
Houston approves $4million vaccine outreach contract despite some pushback
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ
said. “For example, there may be no medical providers in that ZIP code. They may have transportation barriers. They may have low income. They may be linguistically isolated.” However, a number of council members questioned elements of the contract and its cost at the Jan. 12 meeting, and six council members ultimately voted against the contract. The contract with Lopez Negrete Communications outlines seven key services: identify hyperlocal priority zones; conduct qualitative and quantitative research; develop insights and messages; strategy development; cre- ative solution development and production; cross-channel implementation; and measurement and optimization. It was approved with the support of 11 council members.
The city of Houston approved a $4 million contract Jan. 12 for marketing and media services to promote COVID-19 vaccines and testing in Houston-area schools and communities. Houston Health Department ocials said the outreach will be designed to encourage parents to give consent for their children to take part in campus-based testing as well as for their children to be vaccinated. The outreach will target specic ZIP codes with low vaccination rates, said Porrio Villarreal, public information ocer with the Houston Health Department. “We have about 40 dierent ZIP codes where people are vulnerable because they may have an array of barriers,” he
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LAKE HOUSTON HUMBLE KINGWOOD EDITION • JANUARY 2022
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