Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership Meeting - August 5 (Online)
H-GAC will host an online Cypress Creek Watershed Partnership meeting from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, August 5
. During this public meeting, H-GAC staff will discuss progress on a project to address water quality issues in the Cypress Creek Watershed and plan for continued coordination.
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Chocolate Bay Public Meeting - August 13 (Online)
H-GAC and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality invite area stakeholders to a public meeting to provide input and feedback to help create a plan to reduce high concentrations of bacteria found in the Chocolate Bay Watershed, including Chocolate, Halls and Mustang bayous. The meeting will be from 2 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, August 13,
via webinar.
During the meeting, participants will review and discuss a draft plan to address the bacteria in the impacted watershed. Using the report data and other input, local stakeholders will work to create a plan to identify and address bacteria impairments across the basin, including watershed management tools and options available to residents, businesses, and governments to reduce the impairments.
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Cotton Bayou Public Meeting - August 20 (Online)
H-GAC will host a public meeting to discuss water quality in the Cotton Bayou Watershed from 2 to 4 p.m.
Thursday, August 20.
This meeting will be presented as a webinar.
H-GAC and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have been working on a long-term project to address the high levels of bacteria in Cotton Bayou. The first step is to analyze bacteria level trends and possible causes.
At this meeting, H-GAC will provide an update on its latest findings and hear from people who live, work, and enjoy the outdoors in the watershed. Local knowledge about potential sources of bacteria and other pollutants is essential to developing effective voluntary strategies to improve water quality in Cotton Bayou.
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Solid Waste Workshop Focusing on Waste Diversion - August 26 (Online)
H-GAC's next
solid waste workshop
will be from 9 to 11 a.m.
Wednesday, August 26.
The workshop will focus on waste diversion and will be presented as a webinar. Topics include uniform recycling, construction materials reuse, composting, and food waste diversion.
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Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable - September 14 (Online)
The roundtable meets the second Monday of March, July, and September with field trips scheduled in May and November. This group is open to anyone interested in participating.
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Parking Workshop - September 18 (Online)
Save the date for the next
Livable Centers Workshop from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Friday, September 18. This workshop will be conducted online and will focus on parking.
Whether in a small town or big city, Parking is a key component to how business is conducted in the Houston-Galveston region. Learn howto invigorate Main Streets, Downtowns, or Town Centers with parking solutions that leverage communities' existing resources, enhance community context, and build community partnerships that promote new investments based on community needs. Participants can gain free-expert insight, hear local case study examples, and find opportunity for future partnerships.
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Parks and Natural Areas Awards Application Opens September 1
PNA awards
honor projects in four categories: Projects Over $500,000; Projects Under $500,000; Planning Process; and Policy Tools. Winning entries serve as models for planning and project implementation for parks and natural areas in the region. The application period will open
Tuesday, September 1,
and will close at 5 p.m.
Wednesday September 30.
Winners will be notified in December. The awards ceremony will be in February 2021. For more information, contact
Andrea Tantillo
at 832-681-2507.
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Flood Mitigation Project Clearinghouse Now Available
The Texas Water Development Board, the Texas General Land Office, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management launched a website with information on flood mitigation funding opportunities for Texas' communities. The site includes an online Request for Information Form that entities can submit to get feedback on what state and federal financial assistance programs could be the best fit for their flood mitigation needs. The site also includes funding opportunities, general project and entity eligibility by program, upcoming events related to flood mitigation financial assistance, and other resources. For local governments interested in using the clearinghouse to access project ideas, visit the
Texas Flood Clearinghouse website
or call 512-463-8725.
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Texas Main Street Designation Applications Open
The Texas Historical Commission is accepting applications from cities interested in becoming designated
Main Street communities
. Each year, the Commission may select up to five cities for official designation. Communities selected this year will enter the program in January 2021. Main Street is an economic development program focusing on small business development using historic preservation and reuse of historic properties as primary tools.
Full applications
are due
Monday, August 31.
Main Street communities
in the region are Bay City, Houston-Emancipation Avenue, Huntsville, Rosenberg, and Sealy.
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2021 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards
Each year, the Governor's Office and commissioners from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality honor the state's most outstanding environmental projects through the
Texas Environmental Excellence Awards
. Winners from across the state exemplify how Texans set the standard for ensuring clean air, clean water, and the safe management of waste. The
application period for the 2021 awards
is now open. See the
winner videos for 2020
. Applications will be accepted through
Friday, September 25
.
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Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Resilient Texas Website
Texas communities working on long-term recovery from Hurricane Harvey can find Infoshare resources at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service's new
Resilient Texas website.
Visit the site for both new and previous information shared in weekly emails. FEMA's Texas Recovery Office partnered with AgriLife on the site and will continue to provide resources both in email and for the website.
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Get Involved With Trash Free Texas
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STAR Recycling and Composting Summit
The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling will combine its annual recycling and composting conferences this year in an
all-virtual event
October 5-7. The Rethinking Recycling event will feature online tracts and panels covering the most pertinent topics in the recycling and composting industries. More information, including registration, will be available soon.
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Harvey Households Covered by FEMA Group Flood Insurance Need to Buy Standard Insurance by October 24
These three-year policies end
Saturday, October 24,
so policyholders must plan now to switch to a standard flood insurance policy to ensure continuous coverage. Those who received a GFIP policy as part of their FEMA disaster assistance after Harvey but don't buy a standard flood insurance policy won't receive federal disaster assistance for home repairs if they experience another flood event.
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Funding Sources
All content, including links to websites, is for informational purposes only. Users of this content are responsible for checking its accuracy, currency, and suitability.
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More Information and Programs
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Mapping Applications
Facebook
Twitter
Find the latest information about activities around the region at H-GAC's Twitter feed
@HouGalvAreaCog
. H-GAC's water resources program also offers Twitter updates on water quality issues in the region
@HGACwater
.
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Banner Photo: Park in a North Houston parking lot.
Would you like us to consider featuring your municipality, program, or regional photo on the C&E Planning Update banner? Just forward your picture to
Andrea Tantillo
, along with some information about the subject and the photographer, and you might see it in a future month's newsletter.
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Houston-Galveston Area Council
713-627-3200
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