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Your Monthly News & Updates
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How's the Water? 2019 Basin Highlights Report Available Online
The H-GAC Clean Rivers Program publishes an annual report for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality summarizing the state of water quality in the region.
The 2019 Basin Highlights Report includes a water quality summary and trends analysis for all segments in the H-GAC Clean Rivers Program region. It also provides updates on related water quality projects and outreach activities. The report is accessible online with interactive maps, photos, and graphics.
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Our Great Region Awards Application Open
Through July 31
The application is open through
Wednesday, July 31. Plans, programs, projects, or polices that implemented or are implementing a strategy of the
Our Great Region 2040 plan within the 13-county H-GAC planning region in the past three years are eligible to apply.
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H-GAC Releases Latest 2018 Regional Growth Forecast Estimates
H-GAC recently released its
2018 regional growth forecast estimates. The release includes data on population and jobs down to the Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ), Census Tract, and 3 square-mile grid level. It also includes data on current and future parcel land use. The data is available for download, as well as for display as maps and tables.
View, download, or interact with forecast data using the following links:
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BIG Spring Meeting - June 4
Topics will include the BIG Implementation Plan (I-Plan) revisions and Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) updates.
For more information, contact
Steven Johnston
at 832-681-2579.
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Managing Stormwater Workshop - June 12
H-GAC and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension will host a free stormwater workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 12, at the John Hargrove Environmental Complex, 5800 Magnolia Street, Pearland. Managing Our Stormwater from Gutter to Stream will cover nature-based techniques to clean and conserve stormwater for people and wildlife at any scale: backyard to urban/suburban/industrial to regional.
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Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable July 8
Save the date for the next
Parks and Natural Areas Roundtable from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Monday, July 8, at H-GAC Conference Room A, Second Floor. Attendees will learn about projects at the City of Houston, including riparian buffer conservation and restoration, and Mont Belvieu's criteria manual for stormwater detention, including requirements for aesthetically pleasing or recreationally capable amenities.
The Roundtable meets the second Monday of March, July, and September with field trips scheduled in May and November. The group is open to anyone who is interested in participating.
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Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable - July 23
H-GAC hosts quarterly roundtables to help local governments, chambers of commerce, and economic development interests promote the economic revitalization of downtown areas.
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Disaster Debris Webinar - July 30
H-GAC is offering a multimedia-guided webinar from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 30, for participants to explore considerations in disaster debris management for wildfire and other debris generating incidents. The webinar will examine lessons learned from past incidents, including tornadoes, the Bastrop and Tri-County fires in 2011, and challenges in debris operations as a result of terrorism-related incidents.
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Disaster Debris Workshop - August 16
H-GAC's Disaster Debris Workshop will be from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, August 16, at H-GAC, Conference Room B, Second Floor. This half-day workshop will be guided by a multimedia presentation and will be available via webinar. The workshop will focus on the following topics:
- Findings from the Hurricane Debris and Impacts on Landfills Report
- Findings and recommendations regarding debris management from the Report of the Governor's Commission to Rebuild Texas
- Lessons learned and trends in disaster debris management
- Recent changes in regulations, guidance, and legislation
The workshop will provide participants an opportunity to discuss concerns and share best practices and lessons learned from past debris management response and recovery efforts.
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Solid Waste Workshop Series on Food Donation - August 22
H-GAC's Solid Waste Workshop Series continues from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, August 22, at H-GAC Conference Room B, Second Floor. The workshop, cohosted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will focus on food waste, specifically how to begin using food donations in communities to reduce waste and feed people in need.
H-GAC's Solid Waste Workshop Series provides information on a variety of solid waste topics. The final workshop in the 2019 series is November 21, and will focus on special waste streams.
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Texas Homeowner Assistance Program Continues
Individuals affected by Hurricane Harvey may qualify for assistance through the
Texas Homeowner Assistance Program
to repair, rehabilitate, or rebuild if they owned their home, it was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, and it was their primary residence at the time of the storm, among other eligibility factors. Applications for the Homeowner Assistance Program take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Applications are available online or may be completed in-person. For more information, visit
recovery.texas.gov/hap
or call 1-844-893-8937.
Get Involved With Trash Free Texas
Trash Free Texas works to keep trash out of area waterways by working with communities and organizations across the state to connect people to places that need routine litter cleanup activities. Local governments and organizations can get involved with this Adopt-a-Spot online interactive mapping application that identifies locations that are littered frequently and need to be adopted and matching those spots with volunteers to keep them cleaned up. For more information about submitting new spots or adopting a spot in the Houston-Galveston region, contact Becki Begley at 713-993-2410.
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Texas Citizen Planner Training
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is offering a Texas Citizen Planner training to emphasize integrating hazard mitigation approaches with local planning practices. The event will be June 4 and 5, at the Galveston County Extension Office (inside Carbide Park), 4102-B Main Street, La Marque. The project is funded in part by a Texas Coastal Management Program Grant approved by the Texas Land Commissioner pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Award No. NA18NOS4190153. For information, contact Celina Gauthier Lowry at 281-560-3970.
Hurricane Outlook Community Preparedness Webinar
The Texas General Land Office will host a webinar focusing on hurricane preparedness at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 4. Dr. Gerry Bell, Lead Seasonal Forecaster with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will will provide a briefing on the 2019 hurricane outlook, followed by questions and answers. For more information, contact Jonah Chen.
Galveston Bay Foundation Rain Barrel Workshops
The Galveston Bay Foundation is hosting a series of rain barrel workshops Saturdays, June 15 and July 13. Registration is $35 and includes admission to the workshops, a 35-gallon rain barrel, and a RainRecycle connector kit. For more information, including locations, visit www.galvbay.org/rainbarrel
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Texas A&M Forest Service Vegetative Control Goals Workshop
The Texas A&M Forest Service will present Achieving Vegetative Control Goals workshop from 9:30 to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 15, at Jones State Forest, 1328 FM1488, Conroe. Landowners can learn more about forest health management, woodland aesthetics, wildlife enhancement, and wildfire prevention. The event is free; however, registration is required. For more information, contact Conner Murnane at 936-273-2261.
Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Therapy
Texas A&M Forest Service offers three opportunities to participate in Naturally in Nature-Forest Therapy during the summer at Jones State Forest. During these free sessions, participants will learn to increase physiological relaxation. Sessions are from 8:45 to 11 a.m. at Jones State Forest, 1328 FM1488, Conroe. Saturdays, June 8 and July 13, are for adults and children. Saturday, August 3, is for adults only. Registration is required.
Texas AgriLife Readiness for Resilience
Texas A&M Agrilife Extension will host
Readiness for Resilience: A Smart Technology Roadmap for Texas workshop on
Tuesday, July 9, at the University of Houston Student Center, 4455 University Drive, Houston. Community leaders, stakeholders, and technology experts will convene and discuss post-Harvey regional project directions, case studies, public-private partnerships, and funding opportunities at this workshop.
Registration information will be available soon.
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling Summit
Registration is now open for the
State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) 2019 Summit
October 7-9 in San Antonio. Approximately 200 to 300 professionals representing private sector companies, governments, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and trade associations attend the summit each year. The summit features educational sessions, equipment demonstrations, roundtable discussions, and training opportunities.
Exhibitor
applications and various
levels of sponsorships
are available.
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Rural Utilities Service Water & Environmental Programs
Applications will be
accepted on a continual basis until funds are exhausted. Entities wishing to apply for assistance or needing additional information should contact:
USDA Rural Development State Office
Federal Building, Suite 102
101 South Main, Temple, TX 76501
(254) 742-9700/TDD (254) 742-9712
Local water and sewer departments having workforce challenges to recruit and retain qualified workers within the Houston-Galveston region are encouraged to contact
Traci Nolen at 713-993-2468.
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Additional Funding Opportunities
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
H-GAC has a
Facebook page where information about current and upcoming events is posted. Please visit and like H-GAC's page. While there, visit other H-GAC pages on Facebook, including
Recycling,
Trash Bash,
Regional Data Lab,
Bacteria Implementation Group (BIG),
West Fork Watersheds Partnership, and
Cedar Bayou Watershed Partnership.
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: Turtles at Oyster Creek Park in Sugar Land.
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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