The long-awaited "Ike Dike" coastal spine project off the Texas Gulf Coast is a step closer to reality. Last week, Congress passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes federal agencies to start planning for a 31-billion-dollar coastal barrier to protect the Texas coastline from storm surges. The "Ike Dike," named after the devastating hurricane that hit Galveston in 2008, would include a concrete gate system spanning a nearly two-mile gap between Galveston Island and Bolivar Peninsula.
The bill passed with strong bipartisan support, including all of the southeast Texas delegation. Congressman Brian Babin (R), whose district includes parts of the coastline, is among those cheering its passage. "With this bill, we are on our way to get the Ike Dike, and the coastal spine and storm surge protection for the upper Texas coast will become a reality," Babin tells KTRH. "Now, our job is to make sure our Texas Senators Cruz and Cornyn shepherd this thing through the Senate, and get it over to the president for his signature."
While this bill marks a step forward for the Ike Dike, there won't be any shovels in the ground (or the ocean) anytime soon. The WRDA authorizes planning for the project, but it does not appropriate the funding, which has proven a thorny issue in the past. Once that happens, there are still environmental and community impact issues to resolve. "While it seems like a huge endeavor, it has been done many times before," says Dr. Sam Brody, Texas A&M-Galveston professor and flood expert. "I just got back from the Netherlands, and I stood on one of their many dikes, which is in the same spirit as the Ike Dike."
Brody tells KTRH the project is even more important here, because of the massive population and resources of the Houston-Galveston area. "We have so many critical financial assets at stake here--from jet fuel to oil and gas production to manufacturing--that have ramifications for the whole country," he says. "So I think it is well worth the investment to protect the coastline to keep water out of people's homes and businesses."
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimates the Ike Dike will take about 18 years to complete. Brody believes it can't happen fast enough. "There is a sense of urgency," he says. "Because there are always storms brewing in the Gulf, and I would hate to see another Hurricane Ike level event happen, and us have to say to ourselves we should have acted faster."
Photo: Moment RF