{"id":1632,"date":"2015-05-05T22:17:53","date_gmt":"2015-05-06T03:17:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.savebuffalobayou.org\/?p=1632"},"modified":"2017-10-15T17:03:39","modified_gmt":"2017-10-15T22:03:39","slug":"revised-plan-to-destroy-buffalo-bayou-announced-public-has-till-june-5th-to-comment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savebuffalobayou.org\/?p=1632","title":{"rendered":"Revised plan to destroy Buffalo Bayou announced: Public has till June 5th to comment"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Screen<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Photo by Jim Olive<\/em><\/p>\n

May 5, 2015<\/p>\n

Updated May 15, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, May 5, 2015, the US Army Corps of Engineers posted a new public notice<\/strong> <\/a>announcing a revised permit application<\/a> from the Harris County Flood Control District to destroy nearly 1.5 miles of one of the last natural stretches of Buffalo Bayou in Houston. The flood control project, called the Memorial Park Demonstration Project<\/strong><\/a>, is in a historic natural area with high cliffs and sandstone formations hundreds of thousands of years old.<\/p>\n

Comments must be submitted by June 5, 2015.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Flood Control District’s first application was announced in a public notice last April, and public comments were received through June 30. The comments were overwhelmingly negative. The revisions to the permit application are in response to those comments.<\/p>\n

The Corps is now soliciting comments from the public, governmental agencies and officials, and other interested parties in advance of making a determination about the permit application.\u00a0 The Corps requests that comments be limited to the clarifications and updates made by the Flood Control District to the Memorial Park Demonstration Project plans, monitoring plan and planting plan, as well as the District\u2019s responses to comments received by the Corps and made by the Corps. The summary of updates and clarifications are contained in the following document under the “Response to Comments” tab on the Corps’ website:<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.swg.usace.army.mil\/Portals\/26\/docs\/regulatory\/PN%20May\/Response.201201007Rev.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

You can read the revised plan here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Houston and Harris County taxpayers are funding $4 million of this destructive “restoration” project, which would shorten, reroute, dredge, and channelize the bayou, eliminating a healthy riparian zone<\/a> and rebuilding it using “natural, stable, channel design” methods prone to failure. The River Oaks Country Club, which owns the entire south bank of the “restoration” project, is paying $2 million. Riparian zones are crucial to the cleanliness of our waters, and are generally protected by policies and programs of our state and federal governments.<\/p>\n

The north bank of the project is mostly Memorial Park and the Hogg Bird Sanctuary, with some private property in between.<\/p>\n

All comments and requests for additional information should reference file number, SWG-2012-01007<\/strong>, and should be submitted by June 5 to:<\/p>\n

Dwayne Johnson<\/strong><\/p>\n

Regulatory Branch, CESWG-RD-P<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers<\/strong><\/p>\n

P.O. Box 1229<\/strong><\/p>\n

Galveston, Texas 77553-1229<\/strong><\/p>\n

409-766-6353 Phone<\/strong><\/p>\n

409-766-6301 Fax<\/strong><\/p>\n

swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

And send a copy of your comments to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The TCEQ, which asked critical questions about the project in its comments<\/a> to the Corps, must certify that the project complies with state water quality standards.<\/a><\/p>\n

Lili Murphy
\nTexas Commission on Environmental Quality
\nWater Standards Team
\n401 Coordinator, MC-150P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087<\/p>\n

lili.murphy@tceq.texas.gov and
\n401certs@tceq.texas.gov<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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