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Your Monthly News & Updates
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Funding opportunities, workshops, roundtables, and more.
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H-GAC Application for Solid Waste Grants Due October 26
Each year, H-GAC receives pass-through funding from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to fund solid waste grant projects throughout the 13-county region. Funds for this program come from
a portion of the money collected as tipping fees at Texas landfills.
Over the next two years, H-GAC will award $1.2 million in
solid waste program grant funds ($600,000 per year) but will accept applications for both years only during the current grant application period.
The grant application period is open through
Thursday, October 26. The deadline to apply is noon.
For more information about the grant program, contact
Erin Livingston at 832-681-2525.
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New, Updated Interactive Web Applications Available
H-GAC has released a new interactive web application --
Historical Commuting Patterns. This
application visualizes workers' historical commuting patterns between home and workplace in 3 square-mile hexagonal grids throughout the 8-county region. The app analyzes the differences in average commute distances by workers' ages, earnings, and industries. The data is based on 2002-2014 US Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics (LEHD) Origin-Destination Employment Statistics data.
Updates
In addition to the query tool, the ACE application has a new add data tool that allows users to add data to the application by searching for GIS layers in ArcGIS Online, entering URLs, or uploading local files including shapefiles, CSV, GPX, and GeoJSON.
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San Bernard River Watershed Protection Plan Approved
The San Bernard River Watershed Protection Plan (WPP) was recently approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and accepted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Due to elevated fecal bacteria levels in the San Bernard River, recreational activities, such as swimming, may pose increased risk of illness. To protect water quality and reduce fecal bacteria levels in the project area, local stakeholders and H-GAC staff developed the WPP.
The WPP identifies potential sources of bacteria and recommends voluntary solutions to improve water quality. H-GAC and project stakeholders will continue working to implement the plan. Visit the project website to learn more about this effort and view the approved WPP.
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Update on H-GAC's Hurricane Ike Housing Recovery Program
Since Hurricane Ike made landfall in 2008, H-GAC's Hurricane Ike Recovery Program and Rapid Housing Pilot Program have repaired, rebuilt, or replaced 250 single-family homes in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Matagorda, Montgomery, Walker, and Waller counties. Of those, 11 were rental single-family houses. Single-family rental property owners committed to maintaining these homes as rental units for low-moderate income renters for five years.
Repairs on almost 400 multi-family rental units are underway. The first 15 multi-family rental units were repaired in August in Freeport, with 86 more units in progress. Another 312 multi-family rental units are being repaired in Conroe. Both projects are expected to be completed in 2018. Multi-family property owners must maintain these repaired apartment complexes as rental units for low-moderate income renters for 10 years.
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Empowering Entrepreneurship Workshop - October 6
The Gulf Coast Economic Development District will host an Empowering Entrepreneurship workshop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, October 6, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor. This free workshop highlights regional resources and best practices for fostering startup businesses and entrepreneurs in today's economy.
Speakers include representatives from Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), Workforce Solutions, Houston Small Business Development Inc., and the Small Business Development Center.
The workshop is free, and online registration is requested. For more information, contact Joshua Owens at 832-681-2613.
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Solid Waste Generation and Diversion Forecast Workshop - October 10
H-GAC and NewGen Strategies and Solutions Inc. (NewGen) will host a Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Generation and Diversion Forecast workshop from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 10, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor.
The workshop will present findings and answer questions about the
MSW Generation and Diversion Forecast completed earlier this year by NewGen for H-GAC.
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Annual Fall Planning Workshop - October 20
H-GAC's Fall Planning Workshop for Local Governments will be from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, October 20, at H-GAC Conference Rooms B and C, Second Floor.
This annual half-day workshop series for local governments features presentations on best planning practices for communities.
This year's workshop will focus on implementation. Discussion points will include:
- How do you keep your plan off the shelf?
- How do you pay for it?
- How do you do it?
The workshop is free, and online registration is requested.
For more information, contact Amanda Thorin at 713-993-4587.
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Parks and Natural Areas Subcommittee Meeting -
October 23
The next meeting of the Parks and Natural Areas Subcommittee will be from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, October 23, at H-GAC Conference Room A, Second Floor.
The subcommittee will review judges' recommendations for the 2017 Parks and Natural Areas Awards program.
Anyone interested in participating in the committee is welcome to attend. Online registration is requested.
For more information, contact Andrea Tantillo at 832-681-2507.
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Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable - October 24
The next Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable will be from 9:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, October 24, at the Angleton Recreation Center, 1601 N Valderas Street, Angleton. Emily Koller from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) will present information on THC programs, including its new tool, DowntownTX.org.
Online registration is requested.
These roundtables help local governments, chambers of commerce, and economic development interests promote the economy and revitalization of downtown areas.
For more information, contact Clint McManus at 832-681-2513.
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CWI Workshop: Better Public Engagement Practices - October 24
The next
Clean Waters Initiative (CWI) workshop will be from 2 to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, October 24, at H-GAC Conference Rooms B and C, Second Floor. The topic will be Better Public Engagement Practices.
H-GAC's Clean Waters Initiative (CWI) program offers workshops that help local governments, landowners, and residents develop effective strategies to reduce pollution in area waterways.
The workshop is free, and online registration will open soon. For more information, contact
Kathy Janhsen at 713-993-2423.
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Regional Flood Management Council Meeting - October 25
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will discuss the effects of flooding on transportation.
The meeting is open to the public. No registration is required.
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Bacteria Implementation Group Meeting - October 31
The agenda will include a review of the BIG's 2017 Annual Report, updates to total maximum daily load projects, and planning for implementation in 2018.
Scheduled presentations include:
- Satelytics will discuss use of satellite remote sensing imagery to perform environmental monitoring
- Texas Department of Transportation will discuss their recent Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
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Regional Recycling Roundtable to Tour Recycling Facility
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Life After Harvey - November 9
To address the need for communities to perform efficient and timely cleanup of disaster debris, H-GAC provides training and resources to help local governments prepare.
The destructive forces of Hurricane Harvey including wind, storm surge and historic rainfall generated never before seen quantities of debris throughout the state.
This disaster has changed the lives of many Texans forever.
The purpose of this workshop is to explore:
- Lessons learned for debris operations including:
- Debris estimation
- Contracting and Procurement
- Public Information
- Disposal
- Funding sources
- Opportunities to mitigate the natural and built environment
- Long term recovery opportunities
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Save the Date for the 25th Trash Bash - March 24, 2018
Every year, thousands of volunteers clean up trash and debris along area waterways in the largest, single-day waterway cleanup in Texas, the River, Lakes, Bays 'N Bayous Trash Bash.
Trash Bash will celebrate its 25th consecutive cleanup on Saturday, March 24, 2018---an accomplishment that dedicated volunteers have been proud to be part of for more than two decades.
Learn more about becoming a volunteer or sponsor for Trash Bash 2018. For more information, contact [email protected].
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Keep America Beautiful Recycle Bowl
Keep America Beautiful presents Recycle Bowl, a national K-12 competition between schools to invigorate student participation in recycling efforts. The competition runs from October 16 to November 15. Registration is open through Friday, October 13.
America Recycles Day
For 20 years, communities have come together on
November 15 to celebrate
America Recycles Day. Do you have plans for hosting a special event on that day? Log in and
register your event
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Take Care of Texas Video Contest
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) invites children in grades six through twelve to enter the second-annual Take Care of Texas Video Contest. Student videos should be 30 seconds long and portray positive ways Texans can help keep air and water clean, conserve water and energy, or reduce waste. The contest deadline is Friday, December 15, and the public will have the opportunity to pick their favorite videos January 11 through 25, 2018. A panel of TCEQ staff and representatives from Waste Management Texas will choose the first, second, and third place winners from each of the grade groups. Winners will be announced February 20, 2018.
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Bayou Preservation Association Symposium
Tickets are available for the annual
Bayou Preservation Association Symposium at 7:30 a.m.
Thursday, October 19, at the United Way of Houston, 50 Waugh Drive, Houston. Spend the day hearing presentations and engaging in discussion on water quality issues in our region.
Katy Prairie Conservancy Conservation Easement Workshop
The Katy Prairie Conservancy will host a
Conservation Easement Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on October 20, at Midway Barbeque, 6025 Highway Blvd, Katy. The workshop is for landowners, real estate professionals, attorneys, advisors, natural resource professionals, and city or county officials to learn about conservation easements and land preservation.
Online registration is required, and the $15 registration fee includes lunch. For more information about the workshop, contact
[email protected] or 713-523-6135.
Annual STAR Texas Recycling Summit
Registration continues for the
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) Texas Recycling Summit 2017
October 22-25 at the Double Tree Hotel, 6505 N I-35, Austin. This is the only state conference dedicated entirely to recycling and waste diversion activities in Texas. It's also an opportunity to network with professionals from the recycling industry to learn, collaborate, share successes, and support recycling efforts.
DEA Prescription Take Back
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will host its
National Prescription Drug Take Back event in communities across the country from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Saturday, October, 28. The national event aims to provide a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and medications. A list of collection sites is available on the
DEA website.
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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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Community and Environmental Planning Programs
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Mapping Applications
Looking for interactive applications or GIS data related to the H-GAC Community and Environmental Planning Department? Visit H-GAC's interactive applications web page to see the latest information, including Census, Regional Forecast, and more.
Facebook
Find the latest information about activities around the region at H-GAC's Twitter feed
@hgaccog. H-GAC's water resources program also offers Twitter updates on water quality issues in the region, including fish consumption advisories,
@HGACwater.
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Would you like us to consider featuring your municipality, program, or regional photo on the C&E Planning Update banner? Just forward
Andrea Tantillo
your picture, 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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