Army Corps proposes new hurricane protection plan for Texas
HOUSTON (AP) - The Army Corps of Engineers has proposed 14-foot-high natural sand dunes in the latest version of its up to $32 billion plan for protecting the Houston-Galveston areas from hurricane-related storm surges.
The Houston Chronicle reports the plan calls for establishing roughly 44 miles of dunes and floodgates to run from High Island to San Luis Pass, as well as ecosystem restoration farther south.
The sand dune field is among a series of revisions the Corps recently made to the draft coastal barrier alignment released last year.
The update is more ambitious than the so-called "Ike Dike," proposed by Texas A&M researchers and named for the 2008 hurricane that flooded parts of Galveston.
The Corps will submit a final proposal for the coastal barrier to Congress for funding in 2021.
Information from: Houston Chronicle, http://www.houstonchronicle.com
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