HoustonFacing the Future

Smart Planning for Inevitable GrowthStormwater and Water Quality

The Challenge

o Population Growtho Development/Redevelopment

Pressureso Locationo Impervious Covero Drainage Infrastructure

o Changing Regulations

Existing Challenges

o Structural Floodingo Backlog of Infrastructure Improvementso Impaired Waterwayso Non-regulated dischargeso Enforcement staffing

Current Tools

o Design Standards and Land Use Restrictions

o Permitting/Investigation/Enforcemento Infrastructure Investmento Operations/Maintenance Practiceso Reporting and Education

Constraints

o Laws, Ordinances and Regulationso Existing Infrastructureo Topographyo Available Funding

Goal

It is the desire of the

City of Houston, the Bayou City,

to improve the quality of our waterways, at a minimum,

to meet the State of Texas

Water Quality standards.

Benefits

This goal has multiple benefits:o Assures the public that using our bayous and

waterways for recreation is “safe”o Enhances the environment and habitat for wildlife

including the nation’s largest migratory flywayo Reduces the costs of the water purification processo Improves aesthetics and overall quality of life

experience of residents and visitors

City Efforts

o Capital Investment – Comprehensive Drainage Plan/ Regional Detention

o MS4 Permit – Storm Water Management Program

o Total Maximum Daily Load Activities

City Efforts

o Operations/Maintenance Practiceso Revise Standards and Ordinanceso Public Educationo Green Building Resource Center

Regional Detention

o Multi-use Basins provide:o Reduced Risk of Flooding o Efficiencyo Opportunities for multiple partnerso Open Space and Parkso Water Quality Benefitso Ecosystem Benefits

Keith-Weiss Park

A 500 acre park with 112 acres of detention ponds, hike and bike trails, fishing piers, bridges, and wildlife and bird watching opportunities.

Green BuildingResource Center

o Free to the Publico Information on Green Building

Strategies:o Reduced energy consumptiono Water reuse and conservationo Healthier living and work spaces

Long Term Goals

o Challenge the “way we’ve always done it” mentality

o Engage the regulated community (developers, builders, residents, etc.)

o Address both Quantity and Quality

Long Term Goals

o Search out opportunities for incentives – enforcement isn’t the only tool

o Low Impact Development techniques can have significant water quality benefits

o Be willing to try or allow implementation of new concepts and applications

No single entity can protect

and heal our waterways –

it takes the

entire community

HoustonFacing the Future

Increasing City Infrastructures While Reducing Environmental

ImpactsInfill Development Tools

The Problem

The population is expected to grow by more

than one million people by 2020.

In order to have a sustainable city structure,

the city needs to develop or re-develop

under-utilized properties.

Solutions

INFILL DEVELOPMENT TOOLSBrownfields Redevelopment Program

Municipal Setting Designation (MSD)

Tax Increment Redevelopment Zones (TIRZs)

Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority

(LARA) and Houston Hope

BrownfieldsRedevelopment Program Improves the quality of life by promoting the beneficial

redevelopment of eligible property that have been hindered by the

presence of environmental contamination.

Often supported by Federal Programs.

The program can help eligible sites:

Identify potential environmental issues Assess the extent of the issue Cleanup or remove the issue (limited cases) Redevelop the Brownfield in a beneficial manner

What are Brownfields Abandoned Buildings, Former Commercial Or Manufacturing Sites, Vacant Lots, Or Other Types Of Property

Who is Eligible Properties that will be redevelopment in a manner that will benefit

the community, such as: Housing For The Elderly Or Disadvantaged New Businesses That Create Jobs Or Shopping Opportunities Parks

Success Stories

Since September 2005, 24 new sites have come into the Program.17 will become park space,2 will provide affordable housing,1 will provide housing for the elderly, 1 will become an educational organic garden, 1 will become a hotel/resort, and 2 are City-owned properties that will be

cleaned up and sold for development.

Municipal SettingDesignation (MSD) The Texas legislature authorized Municipal Setting Designations in

2003/Houston City Council passed enabling legislation in 2006. An MSD specifies that the contaminated groundwater under an

individual parcel, is prohibited from use as drinking water.

Why Support a MSD It protects the public from drinking the contaminated groundwater It encourages cleanup of contaminated sites through participation

in a State or Federal program It promotes redevelopment of under-utilized properties

Why Prohibit Drinking Water Use

State regulations require contaminated groundwater to be cleaned up to the strict levels that allow future drinking water use.

However, if no one is using the groundwater, and another source of drinking water is available, the MSD statute allows alternative cleanup levels.

What must the site do Participate in a state or federal clean-up program Request City support of MSD application If City supports, site submit application to TCEQ TCEQ grants or denies MSD If MSD granted by TCEQ, City files restriction on property deed

Success Stories

Houston Pavilion, a downtown entertainment, retail, and office complex

Value Place, an extended stay hotel chain opened on Sam Houston Parkway

Redevelopment Authority These are local government corporations that get their powers from

the Texas Transportation Code CH. 431; They have the power to:

issue bonds and notes; hire consultants (legal, financial, engineering); and, work with developers to further the TIRZ's goals and objectives

Current TIRZs Currently, the City has twenty-two TIRZs, 15 were city-initiated 7 initiated through the petition process

TIRZ

Special districts created by City Council to attract new investment to an area.

Taxes attributable to new improvements (tax increment) are set-aside in a fund to finance public improvements in that zone.

Reasons for a TIRZ

To address inner city infrastructure needs Unique neighborhoods needs To fully engage local community in a planning process

How they work New construction in a zone produces an incremental

increase in tax revenue above the base amount. The incremental tax revenue is returned to the zone for

projects associated with public improvements of the zone for the duration of the zone.

Eligible Project Costs

capital costs (the acquisition and construction, and building rehabilitation costs); financing costs (including all interest); real property assembly; relocation costs; professional services; and, creation, organization and administrative costs

TIRZ Powers land use controls; design standards (in special cases); recommendations for the administration of the zone; and, powers to implement a project and financing plan

Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority LARA is a 13-member board appointed by the Mayor,

City Council, Harris County and the Houston Independent School District.

LARA acquires tax delinquent properties and then develops them as truly affordable homes.

Foreclosed lots in designated neighborhoods are made available to participating builders through LARA.

The builders work with Houston Hope or Homebuyer Assistance Program (HAP) to build affordable housing

Houston Hope

Helps qualified low to moderate income homebuyers secure a mortgage loan from an Affordable Lending Partner

Help with Down-Payment Assistance up to $37,500.

Success Stories Houston HOPE has helped hundreds of families to own quality

affordable homes in re-energized areas of the city And closed 130 homes in 2008 and provided $3.2 millions in down

payment assistance

Infill Development Tools Help evaluate potential contaminated sites Help cleanup and redevelopment of

contaminated sites Help improve infrastructure by keeping new

tax revenues in its zone Help redevelop historic neighborhoods by

replacing tax delinquent and not repairable properties with new construction

Help new qualified homebuyers purchase homes

HoustonFacing the Future

Increasing City Infrastructure While Reducing Environmental

ImpactsElectricity and Water

The Problem

Houston’s population is expected to grow by more than one million people by 2020.

City infrastructure needs to grow with the population.

We need to continue to reduce environmental impacts while facilitating growth.

Solutions

PlanStart building infrastructure now for future

needs Conserve

Maintain and optimize existing resources Repair

Identify and fix problems

Water and Electricity These two mainstays of modern life are

interconnected. Power is required to produce high-quality

drinking water and to provide it to customers throughout Houston.

Power is required to collect and treat wastewater from customers across the city.

Water and Electricity

Drinking Water and Wastewater operations consume nearly half of the power used by the City government.

Energy costs account for approximately 20% of typical water/wastewater operating costs, and nearly 10% of the total bill.

Water is integral to the electric generation process.

One of the main uses of water in the power industry is to cool the power-producing equipment.

This water cools the equipment, but gets too hot to be released back into the environment.

The hot cooling-water is cooled in very large cooling towers and evaporation occurs and water is lost.

Electricity and Water

Electricity and Water

Production of electrical power is one of the largest uses of water in Texas.

Texas power plants withdraw over 13,000 million gallons per day*.

That’s the volume of Lake Houston every 4 days.

* USGS

Water/ WastewaterEnergy Usage

WasteWater

▬348

MillionkWh

In 2007

DrinkingWater

▬

241MillionkWh

In 2007

Water/ WastewaterEnergy Usage

Drinking Water Operations

Optimizing water levels in clear wells to increase pump efficiency.

Use less water to make water – more efficient backwash of filters and sludge thickeners saves power, water, and chemicals.

Use solar powered circulators in Lake Houston.

More Examples

Providing drinking water from surface water uses 1/3 less electricity than from groundwater.

Decommissioning inefficient and redundant groundwater plants also saves electricity. 19 groundwater treatment plants and 27 wells have

been decommissioned. 25 groundwater treatment plants and 43 wells are

scheduled for decommissioning over the next five years.

Wastewater OperationsGroup Aggressively looks for opportunities to

reduce electrical energy consumption. It is a standard practice to:

replace regular motors with high efficiency motors for pumps, blowers, and mixers

replace/retrofit old-type aeration systems with high efficiency systems

Examples Participate in the “Energy Share Load

Management Program” offered by CenterPoint Energy

Replace motors on 24 Recycle Activated Sludge pumps and 4 influent lift station pumps with Variable Frequency Drives.

Upgrade 64 conventional aeration mixers with high efficiency mixers and motors.

A new, high efficiency, fine bubble aeration system will be installed at the Southwest WWTP

More Examples A Combined Heat & Power (CHP) system is

in the design stage for the Almeda Sims sludge drying facility.

CHP is being considered for the 69th Street Wastewater Treatment Plant (the City’s largest plant).

The city is participating in the Clinton Foundation Project which is evaluating all Wastewater Treatment Plants in the city for energy savings.

Examples from the City The City will use the Clinton Climate

Initiative’s Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program on 271 facilities, which will save more than 20 percent in utility and operating costs annually.

Install a 100-kilowatt solar energy system on the roof of the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center. A pilot program will install about half of the system in 2009.

More

Replace traffic signals with LED lights to save electricity.

Initiated a weatherization program as part of our neighborhood revitalization campaign. This program will improve the energy efficiency of homes in inner city neighborhoods.

Other Methods

Commercial Energy Conservation CodeNew code took effect August 1, 2008 Minimum requirements for the energy-efficient

design of all buildings except low-rise residential buildings.

More Stringent than the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)

Energy Conservation Reducing electrical usage in throughout

water and wastewater systems. Using solar power for George R. Brown and

Lake Houston circulators. Replace traffic lights with LED lights. Helping neighborhoods weatherize their

homes. Develop stringent energy conservation

codes.

Questions?