CWA Executive Director Gary Oradat (right) emphasizes his environmental commitment to TPWD Program Leader Woody Woodrow (left) during a November 3, 2006 interagency field review of Luce Bayou.
Bottomland hardwoods of Luce Bayou will be avoided by the preferred alternative route. 
The lower reach of the Luce Bayou channel near the backwaters of Lake Houston will not require channel widening.
The Luce Bayou Project Team is committed to developing an environmentally compatible project that will avoid impacting ecologically sensitive areas of Luce Bayou while providing water to meet the needs of the public. To achieve this goal, the Coastal Water Authority (CWA) has actively engaged resource and regulatory agencies in the planning process. Early, upfront agency consultation has been instrumental in project alternative analysis and environmental screening to identify the preferred alternative for the Luce Bayou Project.
Key resource agency meetings were held to discuss the purpose and need of the project, preliminary alternatives, relevant environmental issues, and potential mitigation concepts. Initial meetings were conducted with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) in 2005 to discuss the proposed Luce Bayou Project and potential environmental impacts. The Luce Bayou Project Team conducted follow-up meetings with Mr. Woody Woodrow of TPWD on August 22, 2006 and Ms. Moni Belton and Ms. Catherine Yeargan of USFWS on September 26, 2006 to seek input and direction from the local natural resource agencies in order to develop an environmentally acceptable project.
Following these informational meetings, TPWD and USFWS joined CWA and local landowners on November 3, 2006 for a field review of private, previously inaccessible areas along Luce Bayou. Upon inspection of these secluded, pristine bottomland hardwood areas, resource agency leaders voiced immediate concerns about potential habitat impacts that would occur from channel modifications required for proposed water flows and bank stabilization. Due to these potentially significant impacts, the resource agencies decided that the proposed constructed canal south of Luce Bayou would be an environmentally preferred alternative.
Soon after the interagency field review, the Luce Bayou Project Team conducted an USACE pre-application meeting on November 9, 2006 with Ms. Kristi McMillan and Mr. John Machol to discuss the support of the resource agencies for the canal alternative south of Luce Bayou. Based on the consensus of the regulatory and resource agencies, the original Luce Bayou conveyance alternative was eliminated from further consideration.
The preferred alternative for the Luce Bayou Project is to transfer water from the Trinity River to Lake Houston via a 3-mile long pipeline and an approximately 23-mile canal with discharge into Luce Bayou near the confluence of Lake Houston. The original Luce Bayou Project that is described as a recommended water supply strategy in the State Water Plan was modified extensively to avoid impacting sensitive habitats along the Luce Bayou corridor. The lower reach of the Luce Bayou channel in urban areas near the backwaters of Lake Houston will accommodate the projected increase in water flows and will not require channel widening.
CWA will work further with USACE and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to obtain a permit for construction activities that occur in waters and wetlands for the Luce Bayou Project. CWA will also coordinate with the Texas Commission on Water Quality (TCEQ) to obtain water quality certification. Water rights have already been obtained to convey water from the Trinity River to Lake Houston. In addition to the regulatory agencies, CWA will continue coordination with environmental resource agencies such as USFWS, TPWD, Trinity River National Wildlife Refuge (TRNWR) and Texas Historical Commission (THC) to resolve environmental issues throughout the permitting process. CWA is also working with the TWDB to fulfill environmental requirements for project funding.
CWA will continue to conduct frequent agency consultation as the project moves forward. Planned environmental and engineering studies in continued partnership with resource and regulatory agencies will refine the alignment of the preferred alternative to avoid and further minimize environmental impacts of the Luce Bayou Project. CWA will seek input from the regulatory and resource agencies to develop an acceptable mitigation plan as compensation for any unavoidable environmental impacts. Please see the Luce Bayou Agency Consultation Process for a summary of our agency coordination efforts.
Public Involvement
CWA encourages public involvement and participation throughout the planning and permitting process. Input from the public, environmental organizations, government agencies, landowners, and other interested groups will be considered during project development. An Environmental Assessment will be prepared for public review and comment. Environmental studies should be completed by April 2010 for USACE permit application submittal. Please read our FAQ for more information.
Please view the community calendar for upcoming events. For more environmental information, please contact Anne Profilet.