Post by lesfreese on Apr 9, 2010 7:37:35 GMT -6
ANGLETON — Brazoria County is one of six counties that could participate in a study on what approach is best to prevent the kind of tidal surge problems that occurred on the upper Gulf Coast during Hurricane Ike in 2008.
Commissioners in March approved participation in the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District Inc. after Harris County commissioners voted to limit the group’s authority to cover only a study into what some call the “Ike Dike,” said Jim Wiginton, the Brazoria County district attorney’s civil division chief.
Gov. Rick Perry’s office has recommended the study to determine the feasibility of a partially portable levee system to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from future storm surges. The 17-foot-tall “Ike Dike” could extend 60 miles from High Island to south of San Luis Pass and could be integrated with Galveston’s existing seawall. No work has been done on the dike and no studies are yet commissioned.
“Theoretically, this group could seek some government funding to do a study to discover whether it would work or not,” Wiginton said. “The idea is that this would somehow get us around the surge issues we had with Ike.”
Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson, Liberty, and Harris counties are participating in the coalition, Pct. 1 Commissioner Donald “Dude” Payne said. The group will look into both state and federal funding of up to $600,000, but there are no plans to spend any specific amount, Payne said.
The coalition has no taxing authority and there is no cost to the county to be a member, he said.
“This just gives us a seat at the table,” Payne said. “We don’t want to be left out. We want a representative at the table to know what’s going on, and to see if there’s anything else we can do to protect the residents of our county.”
Along with the possibility of an “Ike Dike,” the coalition could look into levees in Brazoria County, Payne said.
The group hasn’t had its first meeting, so information is preliminary, he said.
“Maybe they can come in and shore up our levees,” he said. “It’s unknown right now what they’re going to do, but we know they’re not going to do anything without federal or state funding. Right now, they don’t have any money. There won’t be any action taken if they don’t get any funding.”
No date has been set for the first meeting, but it could be in April, Wiginton said.
Hurricane Ike plowed ashore on Sept. 13, 2008, and caused about $30 billion in damage, including serious damage to Surfside Beach and subdivisions on the island. Ike destroyed several miles of CR 257, which also is known as Bluewater Highway, and work to repair and improve that road continues. The storm flattened or ravaged thousands of homes and businesses in coastal counties.
“It seems the group right now is limited to a study,” Wiginton said. “Now they’ll meet to see if there’s going to be any type of serious engineering or discussion.”
Commissioners in March approved participation in the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District Inc. after Harris County commissioners voted to limit the group’s authority to cover only a study into what some call the “Ike Dike,” said Jim Wiginton, the Brazoria County district attorney’s civil division chief.
Gov. Rick Perry’s office has recommended the study to determine the feasibility of a partially portable levee system to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from future storm surges. The 17-foot-tall “Ike Dike” could extend 60 miles from High Island to south of San Luis Pass and could be integrated with Galveston’s existing seawall. No work has been done on the dike and no studies are yet commissioned.
“Theoretically, this group could seek some government funding to do a study to discover whether it would work or not,” Wiginton said. “The idea is that this would somehow get us around the surge issues we had with Ike.”
Brazoria, Galveston, Chambers, Jefferson, Liberty, and Harris counties are participating in the coalition, Pct. 1 Commissioner Donald “Dude” Payne said. The group will look into both state and federal funding of up to $600,000, but there are no plans to spend any specific amount, Payne said.
The coalition has no taxing authority and there is no cost to the county to be a member, he said.
“This just gives us a seat at the table,” Payne said. “We don’t want to be left out. We want a representative at the table to know what’s going on, and to see if there’s anything else we can do to protect the residents of our county.”
Along with the possibility of an “Ike Dike,” the coalition could look into levees in Brazoria County, Payne said.
The group hasn’t had its first meeting, so information is preliminary, he said.
“Maybe they can come in and shore up our levees,” he said. “It’s unknown right now what they’re going to do, but we know they’re not going to do anything without federal or state funding. Right now, they don’t have any money. There won’t be any action taken if they don’t get any funding.”
No date has been set for the first meeting, but it could be in April, Wiginton said.
Hurricane Ike plowed ashore on Sept. 13, 2008, and caused about $30 billion in damage, including serious damage to Surfside Beach and subdivisions on the island. Ike destroyed several miles of CR 257, which also is known as Bluewater Highway, and work to repair and improve that road continues. The storm flattened or ravaged thousands of homes and businesses in coastal counties.
“It seems the group right now is limited to a study,” Wiginton said. “Now they’ll meet to see if there’s going to be any type of serious engineering or discussion.”
