By Natalie Frels
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March 28, 2025
To view the unique discover, click on right here. To: All Businesses Teams and People Date of publication: March twenty eighth, 2025 That is to offer discover that the Texas Common Land Workplace (GLO) will conduct an analysis as required by Government Order 11990 and Government Order 11988, in accordance with HUD laws at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Administration and Safety of Wetlands to find out the potential impact that Hays County single household catastrophe restoration Home-owner Reimbursement Program (HRP) and Home-owner Help Program (HAP) actions in wetlands and surrounding Federal Flood Threat Administration Normal (FFRMS) floodplains can have on the human surroundings. The GLO was allotted HUD funding to assist deal with unmet housing wants on account of the 2024 Texas extreme storms and flooding, together with Hurricane Beryl (Beryl). On Could 15, 2024, a request was declared for a significant catastrophe resulting from extreme storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes, and flooding starting on April 26, 2024, and continued for a number of weeks. From July 5 to July 9, 2024, Beryl brought on in depth wind injury, flooding, and energy outages throughout a number of areas, significantly alongside the Texas Gulf Coast and inland communities. Wind gusts exceeding 90 mph and rainfall totals surpassing 15 inches in some areas led to vital injury to properties, infrastructure, and companies. The State of Texas Neighborhood Growth Block Grant Catastrophe Restoration (CDBG-DR) will fund two residential housing applications for eligible county residents whose properties sustained injury from the 2024 disasters. The HAP supplies funding primarily for low-to-moderate-income householders with direct development help for storm-impacted owner-occupied single-family residential housing. The actions lined by this program embody demolition, rehabilitation, reconstruction, manufactured home alternative, or new development and their related elevation, mitigation, utility, website enhancements, and relocation help, as wanted. The HRP supplies funding for low to moderate-income owner-occupied single-family housing (together with manufactured housing). It permits householders to be reimbursed for sure out-of-pocket bills together with Small Enterprise Administration catastrophe house loans, incurred for repairs to their dwelling together with elevation, wells and septic wants, reconstruction, rehabilitation, manufactured home alternative, and mitigation. The dimensions of the proposed website, proposed variety of items, and mission footprint will not be presently identified, nonetheless, as particular websites are recognized, they are going to be assessed for potential impacts associated to land use, floodplains, and wetlands. Mitigation measures can be utilized as crucial to attenuate opposed results. Inside Hays County, Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) efficient maps embody 26,763 acres (6.2%) within the 100-year floodplain Particular Flood Hazard Space (SFHA) Zones A/AE/AO, 11,808 acres (2.7%) within the regulatory floodway, and 0 acres (0%) throughout the Coastal Excessive Hazard Areas Zone V/VE. Zone X encompasses 5,689 acres (1.3%) of Hays County throughout the 500-year floodplain and 388,631 acres (89.9%) of Hays County exterior all SFHA-designated floodplains. Roughly 7,052 acres (1.6%) inside Hays County are designated as wetlands. This consists of freshwater emergent wetlands, freshwater forested/shrub wetlands, freshwater ponds, lakes, and riverine wetlands. The extent of the FFRMS floodplain can be decided at a site-specific degree utilizing the 0.2 % flood strategy (0.2PFA) or the freeboard worth strategy (FVA) when acceptable. As well as, siting throughout the Restrict of Average Wave Motion (LiMWA)/Coastal A Zone can be decided on the site-specific degree. Actions throughout the LiMWA will carry the identical mitigation and safety technique as siting inside a coastal high-hazard space (Zone V/VE). The floodplains and wetlands inside Hays County serve essential environmental features that contribute to the county’s ecological well being and neighborhood resilience. These areas present floodwater storage and conveyance, serving to to soak up and gradual floodwaters, which reduces downstream flooding and protects close by properties and infrastructure. Moreover, they help groundwater recharge and discharge, sustaining native water provides and sustaining the bottom circulation of rivers and streams. The pure vegetation inside these floodplains and wetlands additionally performs a key position in erosion management, stabilizing soils, and stopping sedimentation in waterways. Moreover, these areas contribute to water high quality upkeep by filtering pollution and sediments, in the end bettering each human and ecological well being. In inland counties, they assist regulate watershed well being, agricultural water retention, and riparian connectivity, guaranteeing the steadiness of native water techniques and ecosystems. Past their ecological significance, these floodplains and wetlands maintain intrinsic values that profit the neighborhood. They supply leisure alternatives reminiscent of climbing, fishing, birdwatching, and kayaking, contributing to tourism and outside enjoyment. These areas additionally function academic and scientific assets, providing alternatives for analysis and environmental schooling on hydrology, ecology, and resilience. There are three main functions for this discover. First, individuals who could also be affected by actions within the FFRMS floodplain and wetland and those that have an curiosity within the safety of the pure surroundings ought to be given a possibility to precise their issues and supply details about these areas. Commenters are inspired to supply different websites exterior of the FFRMS floodplain and wetland, different strategies to serve the identical mission function, and strategies to attenuate and mitigate mission impacts on the FFRMS floodplain and wetland. Second, an ample public discover program will be an essential public academic device. The dissemination of data and request for public remark in regards to the FFRMS floodplain and wetland can facilitate and improve Federal efforts to scale back the dangers and impacts related to the occupancy and modification of those particular areas. Third, as a matter of equity, when the Federal authorities determines it would take part in actions going down within the FFRMS floodplain and wetland, it should inform those that could also be put at better or continued danger. Written feedback have to be acquired by GLO on the following deal with on or earlier than April 14th, 2025: Texas Common Land Workplace ATTN: David Camarena, Director Neighborhood Growth & Revitalization (CDR) Division PO Field 12873, Austin TX 78711-2873 A full description of the mission may additionally be reviewed from 9 A.M. to five P.M on weekdays on the deal with above. Feedback may additionally be submitted through e mail at env.opinions@restoration.texas.gov.