The Texas Coastal Spine project includes the examination and feasibility analysis of storm surge risk-reduction measures for the Houston/Galveston Region, Matagorda, and South Padre Island. The project aims to minimize economic damage from coastal storm surge, inland and Gulf shoreline erosion, loss of threatened and endangered critical habitats, and disrupted hydrology. This will be accomplished through a multiple lines of defense strategy that combines structural, nature-based, and non-structural aspects to form resilient, redundant, robust, and adaptable strategies that promote life safety. The project also identifies nationally significant environmental restoration strategies along the entire Texas coast. These ecosystem restoration projects focus on restoring fish and wildlife habitat, improving hydrologic connectivity, creating and restoring oyster reefs, and implementing sediment management. The project is currently in the study phase, with a record of decision scheduled for 2021.
Moderator: Michelle Hummel (University of Texas at Arlington)
Panelists:
- Coraggio Maglio (USACE Galveston), Chief of Hydraulics and Hydrology Branch
- Kelly Burks-Cope (USACE Galveston) Research Ecologist
- Tony Williams (Texas General Land Office), Environmental Review Coordinator
- Meri Davlasheridze (TAMU-Galveston), Assistant Professor at Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
This Innovations in Nature-Based Systems for Coastal Protection web panel series brings together distinguished panels of experts to discuss projects that are at the forefront of nature-based coastal hazard reduction systems in the U.S. and around the world. Scientists, engineers, and managers working on these projects will discuss successes and lessons learned, including their planning and implementation and engagement with the community.
Hosted by the NSF-sponsored Coastlines and People (CoPe) Research Coordination Network, all web panels occur noon-1:30 p.m. EST. Please register at the link above. Contact Dr. Ming Li at mingli@umces.edu, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, if you have any questions.
