Engineering to block the next surge tide

Houston Chronicle:

A Galveston oceanographer envisions a day when residents of coastal areas near Houston have less to fear from hurricanes.

Protecting the region from a hurricane’s storm surge, says William Merrell of Texas A&M University at Galveston, is simple: Extend Galveston’s seawall to the island’s West End, build a similar structure along Bolivar Peninsula and construct massive Dutch-like floodgates at the entry to Galveston Bay.

Merrell’s “Ike Dike” idea, which would cost at least $2 billion not including land acquisition expenses, has gained momentum in recent weeks.

Gov. Rick Perry’s post-Ike Commission for Disaster Recovery and Renewal reviewed the concept and unanimously recommended that the state fund a feasibility study to look at flood control efforts along the entire Texas coast.

“When I first heard about it, I thought it was a pretty outlandish project, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I think we need to look into something like this,” said Bill King, a former mayor of Kemah who is a member of the Ike commission.

“The benefits are obvious. To protect the entire Gulf Coast from a storm surge would be an incredible benefit.”

The idea of hardening the upper Texas coast is alluring to policymakers because it could protect the country’s second-largest port and one-quarter of the nation’s petroleum refining capacity, as well as the biggest population center on the Gulf Coast.

The upfront cost may seem high, but storm surge damages caused by Ike along the upper Texas coast may have exceeded $10 billion, and that was for a hurricane that came in too far north to cause maximum damage to Galveston Island and heavily populated communities along western Galveston Bay.

At this point, however, the $2 billion to $5 billion idea is more concept than solid plan because it lacks a detailed engineering analysis, and Merrell hasn’t deeply considered environmental issues.

Environmentalists familiar with the dike proposal say the large retractable gates it would require on Galveston Bay, as well as smaller ones at San Luis Pass and the Intracoastal Waterway, would inhibit fish migration and raise a host of other potential environmental impacts.

But perhaps even more significantly, said Jim Blackburn, an environmental attorney and coastal expert based in Houston, the dike proposal would give carte blanche to developers and businesses to continue building in sensitive areas around Galveston Bay. “I don’t personally think this is the solution to this area’s incredible vulnerability to hurricanes,” Blackburn said.

...

You might know the environmentalist would put critters ahead of people. The proposal does appear to pass the cost benefit analysis test. I don't think the sea gates will be closed normally which means the concerns about migratory critters seems misplaced. It is also likely that oil rigs, the structures will actually enhance the lives of some of the critters.