Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update Public Comment Period Open Through July 

Each year, H-GAC conducts water quality management planning as part of a Clean Water Act Section 604(b) grant program funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The Water Quality Management Plan Update describes activities that provide data and analysis regarding wastewater infrastructure, watershed planning, and sources of nonpoint source pollution that affect water quality in the Houston-Galveston region. Data collected through this project form the foundation of H-GAC’s watershed-based planning efforts in the region.

As part of this process, the Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update is released for a public comment period. The public comment period will close at the end of the day Monday, July 31. The public is invited to provide comments on the report.

The Draft Water Quality Management Plan Update report is available at www.h-gac.com/water-quality-management-planning.

Written comments can be submitted by email to Rachel Windham.

H-GAC developed the inventory by researching and compiling documents and files that are now available for download using the Closed Landfill Information Request form. The research process included reviewing and compiling files from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Central Records, conducting site visits of identified sites, reviewing historical and current aerial photography, obtaining property owner information, and creating site and landfill boundary maps when possible.

More information, including H-GAC’s Closed Landfill Inventory Map and frequently asked questions, is available online.

H-GAC and Livable Centers study sponsors Harris County Precinct 2 and Consor Engineers earned recognition as part of the 2023 American Planning Association Houston Planning Awards Program. The Cloverleaf Livable Centers Study was selected to receive a Silver Award in the Advancing Diversity and Social Change category. The study included an inclusive public engagement process resulting in community-driven placemaking recommendations. The study was completed this year.

Established in 2008, H-GAC’s Livable Centers program works with local communities to reimagine auto-focused infrastructure, policies, and programs to be more multi-modal friendly.

If you own property in Angleton or Austin, Liberty, or Walker counties, please consider completing this important survey..

Conservation Conversations: Regional Peer Exchange – July 10 (In Person)

Join H-GAC for a Regional Conservation Initiative / Parks and Natural Areas event.

Conservation Conversations: A Regional Peer Exchange will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, July 10, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms.

Conservation experts, parks and natural areas professionals, volunteers, and interested stakeholders will gather for small group, facilitated conversations. Discussion topics may include community support and education, conservation easements, data needs and analysis, wayfinding and signage, tree planting, funding, partnerships and more.

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend.

H-GAC’s Regional Conservation Initiative works to support conservation projects that maintain, restore, and enhance natural areas in the 13-county region. H-GAC’s Parks and Natural Areas program serves as a forum for discussion of issues related to parks and natural areas and promotes the annual H-GAC Parks and Natural Areas Awards.

For additional information, email [email protected].

East Fork San Jacinto River Watershed Partnership Meeting – July 12 (Online)

H-GAC, in partnership with the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, will host a meeting of the East Fork San Jacinto River Watershed Partnership from 2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, on Zoom.

Registration is required to attend.

At this meeting, the partnership will use updated model results of sources of bacteria in the project watershed to discuss implementation strategies. This information will help stakeholders develop a Watershed Protection Plan to improve water quality by reducing sources of pollution in the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and its tributaries. 

For additional information, contact Rachel Windham.

WISE Awards Recognition Ceremony –July 14 (In Person)

H-GAC will recognize outstanding projects and programs during the Water Innovations Strategies of Excellence (WISE) Awards ceremony from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Friday, July 14, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms.

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham.

Regional Flood Management Committee Meeting – July 19 (Hybrid)

H-GAC's Regional Flood Management Committee will meet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 19, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms and on Zoom.

Participants are encouraged to attend in person. Registration is required to attend online.

This meeting is pending approval for two continuing education credits from the Texas Floodplain Management Association.

For more information, contact Amanda Ashcroft.

Environmental, Historic Preservation Considerations in Debris Operations Webinar – July 20 (Online)

Join H-GAC for the Environmental and Historic Preservation Considerations in Debris Operations webinar from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, July 20, on Zoom.

Registration is required to attend.

Following a natural disaster, communities are faced with the challenge of managing disaster debris along with the potential loss of lives, homes, property, power, and critical facilities. Emergency protective measures and debris removal are some of the most common categories of activities that may detrimentally affect the environment or historic properties. In historic districts, or when dealing with historic buildings, debris removal activities have the potential to affect air quality and water quality. Hazardous materials may also be present and released. Due to the sensitive nature of debris removal activities in these areas, there are significant consequences for noncompliance.

For additional information, contact Amanda Ashcroft.

Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable – July 25 (In Person) 

Make plans to attend the next Bringing Back Main Street Roundtable from 9:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday, July 25, at Stone's Market, 1840 7th St., Bay City. Join us to learn more about Bay City's Downtown revitalization efforts, including how to attract and support downtown development and how to work with statewide organizations. Networking begins at 9:30 a.m. with presentations and roundtable to begin at 10 a.m. An optional walking tour of downtown Bay City will follow the presentations.

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend. 

For additional information, contact Andrea Tantillo. 

Cotton Bayou Watershed Stakeholder Meeting – July 27 (In Person) 

H-GAC, in partnership with the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, will host a public meeting to discuss the development of an Implementation Plan for the Cotton Bayou Watershed. The meeting will be from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 27, at the Sam and Carmena Goss Memorial Library, 1 John Hall Drive, Mont Belvieu.

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham. 

Natural Resources Advisory Committee Meeting – August 3 (Hybrid) 

H-GAC's Natural Resources Advisory Committee will meet from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, August 4, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms and on Zoom. 

Registration is requested, but not required to attend in person. Registration is required to attend online.

Participants at this meeting will to hear updates on regional activities related to natural resources including the annual update on the region’s Water Quality Management Plan.

For more information, contact Rachel Windham.

Clean Waters Initiative Workshop – August 16 (Hybrid) 

Join H-GAC for a Clean Waters Initiative MS4 (municipal separate storm sewer systems) workshop from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, August 16, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms and on Zoom. 

Registration is requested, but not required to attend in person. Registration is required to attend online. 

For more information, contact Steven Johnston. 

Elements of Placemaking Beyond Aesthetics Workshop – September 14 (In Person) 

Make Plans to attend Elements of Placemaking Beyond Aesthetics from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, September 14, at H-GAC second floor conference rooms. 

Registration is requested, but not required, to attend.

For more information, contact Jose Cantu.

Plastic Free July 2023 Starts Now 

The Plastic Free Foundation encourages everyone to be a part of the plastic pollution solution by refusing single-use plastic when practical and possible. Plastic Free July is a global movement with resources such as videos, products, and posters. The effort also includes information on how you can reduce your plastic consumption, events to attend, and a challenge you can take to show your commitment to reducing plastic pollution. 

NADO Impact Awards Application Period Open Until July 21 

Each year, the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) recognizes member organizations that demonstrate valuable and effective approaches to regional economic and community development through the Aliceann Wohlbruck Impact Awards program. The application deadline is Friday, July 21. Contact Brett Schwartz with any questions.

2024 Texas Environmental Excellence Awards Application Open Until August 25 

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 2023 awards is now open. To see winners from 2013 to 2023, visit the Texas Environmental Excellence Awards webpage. Applications will be accepted through Friday, August 25. 

The Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association is accepting applications for the Great Places in Texas program. This program recognizes neighborhoods, streets, and public spaces and celebrates how planning has played a vital role where we live, work, and play. The program promotes and recognizes great places while celebrating stories of exemplary planning that have resulted in stronger and healthier communities. Categories include Great Neighborhoods, Great Public Spaces, and Great Streets. Sugar Land Town Square in Fort Bend County is a 2022 Great Public Spaces designee.  

EPA, ICMA Brownfields Training Conference 2023 – August 8-11

Registration is open for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and International City County Management Association (ICMA) National Brownfields Training Conference to be held August 8-11 in Detroit, Michigan. The National Brownfields Training Conference is the largest event in the nation focused on environmental revitalization and economic redevelopment. Held every two years, the National Brownfields Conference attracts over 2,000 stakeholders in brownfields redevelopment and cleanup to share knowledge about sustainable reuse and celebrate the EPA brownfields program’s success. This year’s conference will explore the latest techniques, policies, and technologies for brownfield remediation, redevelopment, and reuse. It will also provide an opportunity to network with experts in the field and engage in discussions on current brownfields challenges. 

Houston Audubon Bird Week – September 23-30

Houston Bird Week 2023 celebrates the important role Houston plays in the journey of billions of migratory birds and the everyday lives of resident birds. Houston Audubon and local conservation partners arrange a week of events centered around the region’s birds and wildlife. Events include birding opportunities, watch parties, trivia, movie night, and more. Visit www.houstonaudubon.org/BirdWeek for details.

STAR Texas Recycling Conference – November 1-3

Mark your calendars for the 25th Annual Texas Recycling Summit November 1-3 in San Marcos. The State of Texas Alliance for Recycling (STAR) hosts the summit to bring together more than 200 industry professionals from schools, cities, businesses, and NGOs to collaborate, educate, and network as we collectively advance recycling in Texas. Attendees interact with more than 40 exhibitors and gain useful insights from keynote speakers, workshops and breakout and plenary sessions. Registration opens soon.

Keep Texas Beautiful recently announced winners in their annual awards programs, including the following from the H-GAC region.

The Beautify Texas Awards recognize efforts made by individuals and organizations to enhance their communities and protect Texas’ environment. These awards range in honoring extraordinary volunteers, professionals, youth, educators, businesses, local/civic governments, organizations, and specific projects and programs. Kaye Corey from Friendswood is the winner of the O.P. Schnabel Volunteer of the Year Award, and McRee Ford in Dickinson is the winner of the Ebby Halliday and Maurice Acers Business/Industry Award.

In partnership with the Texas Department of Transportation, the Governor's Community Achievement Awards provide a share of $2 million in landscaping awards for projects along state rights-of-way. The cities of Dickinson and Lake Jackson received the awards this year.

Three Houston-based projects have been selected to receive American Association of Retired Persons Livable Communities (AARP) Community Challenge Grants. These grants fund quick-action projects across the country to improve public places; transportation; housing; digital connections; diversity, equity and inclusion; and more, with an emphasis on the needs of adults age 50 and older.

The University of Houston-Downtown received at grant to provide residents aged 50+ with tablet computers, along with tutorials from university student volunteers on how to use them.

The Citizens' Transportation Coalition (Houston) received a Capacity-Building Microgrant to assess community walkability. This project is to conduct walk audits along Washington Avenue, a busy commercial district surrounded by residential homes. There will be two training sessions and a final in-person community meeting.

Lao American Association of Houston received a Capacity-Building Microgrant to create or enhance a community garden. This project will turn vacant land into a community garden with eight raised beds. It will focus on growing vegetables common in Southeast Asian cuisine that are hard to find in supermarkets and grocery stores in Houston.

All projects must be complete by November 30, 2023.

It’s summertime, and that means beach season. To help ensure your trip to the coast is fun and safe, the Texas General Land Office’s Beach Watch program monitors for fecal bacteria in waters along the Texas coast. Program staff collect and analyze water samples each week from 164 sites, with reports available on a GIS-based map. If high levels of bacteria are found at a site, the GLO monitors the site every 24 hours until bacteria levels reach a safe level for contact recreation.

Take a look at the Beach Watch map before heading out for summer fun this season. It’s also a good rule of thumb to avoid swimming in areas that get little or no circulation, such as along jetties or backwater areas, and to stay out of the water for three days after a rain because pollutants on the ground can wash into waterbodies following a rain.

H-GAC's Community and Environmental Planning Department maintains a list of ongoing funding opportunities for parks improvements and conservation projects.

If you know of a funding opportunity, forward it to Andrea Tantillo.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s Solar for All Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which opens the $7 billion grant competition to fund residential distributed solar programs to serve low-income and disadvantaged communities nationwide. The Solar for All competition, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), will expand the number of low-income and disadvantaged communities primed for residential solar investment by awarding up to 60 grants to states, territories, Tribal governments, municipalities, and eligible nonprofits to create and expand low-income solar programs that provide financing and technical assistance, such as workforce development, to enable low-income and disadvantaged communities to deploy and benefit from residential solar.

The Economic Development Administration launched the Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recompete) competition. Recompete was authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act and is a part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, stimulating private sector investment, creating good-paying jobs, revitalizing American manufacturing, and ensuring no community is left behind. The program is based on the belief that communities know best what they need to address persistent economic distress. EDA will partner with communities and make large, flexible investments based on their priorities.

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.

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, and Trash Bash.