In April, NBSO Texas had the honor of welcoming the Director-General of Rijkswaterstaat, Martin Wijnen, and his team to Texas. During a great tour organized by the USACE Galveston, we were inspired by visiting sites of the Coastal Texas Project (https://coastaltexasproject.com), including the future site of the storm surge barriers – a complex project where shared expertise will contribute to sustainable design with long-term operation and maintenance in mind.
Guided by the deep local knowledge of our Texan counterparts in coastal safety, we explored shared challenges and opportunities in flood protection, stakeholder engagement, and the design of coastal defenses in the face of future changing conditions.
On the west side of Galveston Bay, we saw firsthand the urgency of protecting densely populated areas and critical infrastructure, ensuring that after a hurricane communities can recover swiftly and also help starting up and rebuilding the economy.
We also explored the design of dunes – where balancing safety and environmental needs with stakeholder satisfaction remains a key challenge – and the ring barrier system around Galveston to protect the city form storm surges.
Many thanks to all local Texas partners for their insights and warm welcome, including:
- US Army Corps of Engineers Galveston
- Gulf Coast Protection District (GCPD)
- Texas General Land Office (TGLO)
- Texas A&M University Galveston, Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas (IDRT) .
And of course many thanks to our Dutch colleagues at Rijkswaterstaat, Ministerie van Infrastructuur en Waterstaat, Rijkswaterstaat International, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the USA, and Deltares.
The exchange reaffirmed how much the Netherlands and Texas have in common – and how much we can achieve together! If you want to know more, check the websites of the organizations named above, the website of the Coastal Texas Project, or reach out to NBSO Texas!
