Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Engaging the Galena Park Community to Build Resilience to Excess Industrial Pollutant Releases after Hurricanes and Floods in Greater Houston

EPA Grant Number: R840046
Title: Engaging the Galena Park Community to Build Resilience to Excess Industrial Pollutant Releases after Hurricanes and Floods in Greater Houston
Investigators: Chiu, Weihsueh A
Institution: Texas A & M University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2023 (Extended to July 31, 2024)
Project Amount: $799,928
RFA: Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities: Research to Build Resilience (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Safer Chemicals , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Hurricane Harvey demonstrated how natural disasters and changing environmental conditions can substantially increase pollutant releases from industrial facilities. The location of many of these facilities in already vulnerable communities may further exacerbate the public health impacts of these releases. In this study, we focus on the Harris County city of Galena Park, an underserved community in Greater Houston that suffers from frequent flooding and environmental justice issues, as well as being the location of the largest reported chemical spill after Harvey. Our long-term goal is to improve the resilience of this community to hurricane/floodinduced releases of metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). We will accomplish this goal through three Objectives: (1) comprehensively characterize the potential for hurricanes/floods to cause releases of metals and VOCs from use, production, and storage facilities located in Galena Park, thereby resulting in exposures to young children and the elderly; (2) identify/characterize important non-chemical stressors in this neighborhood, including social vulnerability and baseline health data, and their potential to exacerbate health impacts from metal and VOC exposures; (3) identify and evaluate promising structural and non-structural infrastructure solutions to reduce risks from metals and VOCs released by industrial facilities

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

Objective 1 involves two complementary components: (i) identifying and characterizing relevant facilities and populations and (ii) hydrodynamic modeling of hurricane/flood scenarios. With respect to facilities and populations, we developed the Galena Park facilities and chemical hazards dashboard: https://tamu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1776af3892f441109352e7892f556b0f. In all, 126 chemicals were identified that could induce physical, health, and environmental hazards. On average, each facility has 2.4 chemicals that could cause potential hazards. ArcGIS Dashboard affords the opportunity to create sharable community knowledge, and visualizing these “unseen risks” can enhance risk perception and build community resilience. Separately, we collaborated with an external partner to extend previous Environmental Justice mapping and develop a comprehensive, nation-wide Climate Vulnerability Index (CVI) at the census tract scale that includes 184 indicators across 7 domains. The CVI makes available a plethora of publicly available hyper-local data to communities so they can target solutions in ways most tailored to their needs. A link to the CVI is provided here: https://climatevulnerabilityindex.org.

With respect to hydrodynamic modeling, we developed predictions for flooding in Galena Park using the Delft3D-FM (for Flexible Mesh) model. We characterized the susceptibility of the City to flooding under variations in several hurricane parameters, using Hurricane Ike (2008) as a baseline. We first showed that the model replicates the wave heights and water levels observed. Then, altered scenarios are generated by changing hurricane characteristics (specifically landfall location and forward speed) within the HURDAT2 hurricane parameter database used by the 2 Delft3D-FM model. We demonstrated that Galena Park will experience not only transient residential flooding from plausible hurricanes, but also residual floodwaters from industrial areas where pollutants may be released.

In support of Objective 3, we then modeled the impact of the Master Plan on flooding. The results show that both the maximum flood depth and the amount of time the flood lasts are substantially reduced with the installation of GI/NBS. Also, comparing flooding scenarios with and without GI/NBS revealed notable reduction of the severity of flooding, with peak flood volume and areal extent both reduced by approximately 30%. Furthermore, there was a notable reduction in the overall duration of the flood, measured from the onset of flooding to the complete recession of floodwaters.

Objective 2 involves identifying/characterizing important non-chemical stressors in this neighborhood, including social vulnerability and baseline health data, and their potential to exacerbate health impacts from pollutant exposures. We used a modified Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER) method from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect a representative sample from our study site. Three separate risk zones (high, medium, and low) were created in conjunction with Objectives 1 and 3 based on spatial distribution of flooding and contaminant transferal risk. We also accounted for hurricane risk by assigning ordinal scores to each residential property based on their exposure to hurricane storm surge as categorized by NOAA. Analysis revealed that general physical health scores were significantly lower in the medium and high-risk locations. Similarly chronic conditions witnessed a non-significant twofold increased risk in the highest-risk locations compared to the lowest and a non-significant increased risk of cancer diagnosis. The risk maps were also used to identify those lots that are most susceptible to hazardous substance transfer during flood events and target such lots for buyout programs.

Objective 3 involves the identification and evaluation of promising structural and nonstructural infrastructure solutions to reduce risks from chemicals released by industrial facilities. This work was done in close coordination with Community Engagement. We have gathered the necessary secondary spatial data sources, including Precipitation, Tree Canopy, Impervious Surface, Building Footprint, Parcels, Land Use, Traffic Counts, Circulation, Water Features, Watersheds, Flood Plain, Hurricane Risk Area, Sea Level Rise Inundation, and Storm Surge Inundation. Additionally, these data have been integrated with contamination data gathered from other objectives, evaluated, visualized, and presented to community members via ArcGIS Dashboards. Furthermore, the work from the undergraduate landscape architecture studio that worked with the community using Zoom and Social Pinpoint software to develop green infrastructure growth plans for Galena Park was consolidated by a graduate student who worked with the community to finalize ideas from the plans into a Master Plan that builds community strength and enhances quality of life through Green Infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions (GI/NBS).We demonstrated, through multiple simulation and modeling studies, that the GI/NBSbased Master Plan could reduce pollutants and mitigate flood hazards in Galena Park. The design work won a 2023 Merit Award in Planning and Analysis from the American Society of Landscape Architects, Texas Chapter. Further, risk maps using geospatial analytical tools incorporating contamination levels and flood vulnerability were created for each parcel in Galena Park to identify those lots that are most susceptible to hazardous substance transfer during flood events and target such lots for buyout programs.

We executed a comprehensive Community Engagement strategy consisting of a series of deep engagement sessions over the course of the project. Specifically, we engaged with local organization leaders, community stakeholders, and neighborhood residents to develop a Master Plan for the high-risk area within Galena Park identified in Objective 3 that suffers from flood risk and risks due to contamination from exposure to nearby industrial chemicals. The core engaged team who provided feedback and guidance on the Master Plan included members of the Environmental Advocates of Galena Park, the Fire Chief and Emergency Manager in Galena Park City, a member of the County’s Flood Control District, a Community Relations & Events personnel for Harris County, a Senior Policy Advisor for Harris County and 8 other community members and key stakeholders. This Task Force acted as a conduit to communicate the plan's progress and rally the community around planning initiatives as well as provided feedback throughout the plan development process. These members were a significant part of the process because of their direct relationship with key stakeholders within the community. The completed Master Plan included inventory and analysis of site conditions, design strategies for completing the master plan, a conceptual Master Plan, a list of green infrastructure provisions to be included within the plan, details of what the plan should look like when implemented, and a quantified projected impact of the plan’s effect.

Conclusions:

Overall, this Project investigated the effectiveness and feasibility of GI/NBS as a solution to address the confluence of multiple hazards and risks that are often encountered by disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. In particular, areas such as the City of Galena Park experience a “perfect storm” of consisting of: (1) large numbers of industrial sites containing hazard chemicals, (2) high incidence of natural disasters that can both directly impact communities and lead to release of hazardous pollutants, and (3) increasing incidence and severity of disasters due to climate change. Specifically, using a community-engaged research and planning approach, we worked with community to develop a Master Plan that builds community strength and enhances quality of life through GI/NBS. For this case study in Galena Park, we demonstrated through multiple simulation and modeling studies that a GI/NBS-based Master Plan can reduce pollutants and mitigate flood hazards. Such measures are economically advantageous for households and residents that lack resources to rebuild homes and that experience increased healthcare costs due to proximity to industrial sites. In addition, GI/NBS are aesthetically attractive and foster community gathering and outdoor recreation, all of which will accrue benefits well into the future. Furthermore, our approach is transferrable to other communities that deal with flood-related hazards, not only in terms of the community-engagement approach, but also in terms of the specific toolbox of GI/NBS solutions that we have developed. Ultimately, the research and engagement with Galena Park provides a template for creating solutions to environmental problems tailored to underserved and overburdened communities, and which will lead to measurable improvements in community health and well-being.

Journal Articles on this Report : 2 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views
Other project views:	All 28 publications	13 publications in selected types	All 13 journal articles

Publications
Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Rui ZH, Newman G, Sunghoon HA, Kaihatu J, Tianyi WA. An Adaptive Toolkit for Projecting the Impact of Green Infrastructure Provisions on Stormwater Runoff and Pollutant Load—A Case Study on the City of Galena Park, Texas, USA. Landscape Architecture Frontiers. 2023;11(2):72.	R840046 (Final)	Full-text: Landscape Architecture Frontiers Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: PubMed Abstract HTML
Journal Article	Han S, Kaihatu JM. Variability in surge levels in communities adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel industrial Corridor to changes in Hurricane characteristics. Coastal Engineering Journal. 2024;66(2):270-93.	R840046 (Final)	Abstract: Abstract HTML Exit

Supplemental Keywords:

Green Infrastructure, Nature-Based Solutions, community engagement, spatial analytics, performance modeling

Relevant Websites:

Flood-Related and Industrial Chemical Risks in Galena Park, TX - Dashboard: https://tamu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/1776af3892f441109352e7892f556b0f.
Flood Risk Dashboard: Galena Park: https://tamu.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/61f6b533aebd4db381a062f8402ccb76
Climate Vulnerability Index: https://climatevulnerabilityindex.org
Applying nature-based solutions for toxic flooding in the Gulf Coast: https://createnbs.org

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.