PHA on fast track toward sound solutions
Two homes – one in La Porte; one in Shoreacres – have been chosen as test sites for the accelerated first phase of the Port of Houston Authority (PHA) sound mitigation pilot program.
PHA has indicated to La Porte and Shoreacres officials that it plans to implement a pilot program to install sound mitigation improvements in as many as 12 homes in those communities, located adjacent to the Bayport Channel’s north shore.
The pilot program is designed to address effects of sound being generated at the Bayport Container Terminal. This effort is part of the port authority's ongoing commitment to the Bayport community.
At their March 25 meeting, port commissioners awarded a professional services contract to W. D. Schock Company, Inc. to develop and implement Phase 1 of the Bayport sound mitigation pilot program.
The contract with W. D. Schock includes development of policies, procedures, and refinement of pilot program documents; property owner outreach and execution of homeowner agreements; environmental testing; engineering design and specifications; construction management-oversight; post-modification testing; and owner acceptance and sign-off. Included in the contract is the Phase 1 program of expedited sound mitigation for two homes. WDSCO will manage the mitigation of these two homes on a turnkey basis.
During the week of April 7, WDSCO met with owners of the first two test homes. Supplementary measurements began the week of April 14 and the installation of sound mitigation improvements in the homes begins after that. When the work is done, an acoustical evaluation of the sound mitigation measures will be conducted on the homes; results analyzed and assessed, and a determination made of the effectiveness of the mitigation. That process is expected to take about 5½ months to complete.
Since the first two homes are part of the test phase of the pilot program, and the work is intended in part for evaluation purposes, these homeowners have not been asked to enter into easement agreements in connection with the sound mitigation work on their homes.
If the measures on the first two homes are successful, similar improvements are expected to be installed under the pilot program in as many as 10 other test homes. The full pilot program should be completed by August 2009.
To read a copy of the 90-page feasibility study prepared by W.D. Schock Company for the pilot sound mitigation program, click here.

Bayport Opening Phase in operation
The opening phase of the Bayport Container Terminal is operational. Hundreds turned out on February 8 and February 10, 2007 for a grand opening, briefings and tours of the facility that celebrated "The Berth of Bayport"
Ned Holmes, Port of Houston Chairman Emeritus, led a list of speakers who told of the economic, employment and environmental benefits Bayport will bring. The February 8 celebration included the christening of the CMA CGM vessel Blue Whale, by its Godmother Annette Edmonds and the unloading of the first container from the ship by PHA Chairman Jim Edmonds and PHA Executive Director Tom Kornegay. PHA employees and members of the community were given the opportunity to learn about and tour the facility at a similar event held two days later. Chairman Edmonds and U.S. Congressman Gene Green were among the featured speakers.
For further information or updates on Bayport Container and CruiseTerminal construction, visit our Bayport FAQs page or call our Good Neighbor Hotline at 713-670-1000.

Transportation Planning
As the Bayport Terminal becomes fully operational, we are also working diligently with Harris County and the Texas Department of Transportation to plan future road improvements for the Bayport area. Appropriate transportation infrastructure planning, combined withPHA’s environmental stewardship policies and practices, will ensure continued smart growth in the region.

Background
For more than 90 years, the Port of Houston has been your neighbor. As we conduct our day-to-day business, we are always mindful of the community that we all share in. Today, the port looks forward to expanding our business capabilities, all the while maintaining high standards for being a good neighbor.

In 2007, the Barbours Cut terminal posted yet another record year by handling more than one million containers. Barbours Cut serves the Port of Houston well, but rapid market growth puts intense pressure on the facility, stretching it beyond its storage capacity. Barbours Cut is at the brink of gridlock, and the port needs more space to meet projected growth and to further contribute to our economy.

To relieve this growth pressure and meet the demands of our customers, the Port Authority is building the Bayport Container and Cruise Terminal. This $1.4 billion project will develop in a market-driven timeline and is an engineering marvel.

Read the federal district court's ruling on Bayport.

View the Bayport master plan.

View the Bayport Phase 1 plan.

The Bayport Plan — good for the economy and the environment

As we move forward with the Bayport Terminal expansion project, we continue to work to address all community concerns regarding this proposed facility, all the while setting a standard in the maritime industry for environmental stewardship and community responsiveness.

The Bayport facility represents good business for the Houston-Galveston region. Bayport will generate almost 12,000 jobs over the first 10 years. Added economic impact to our region means more than $1 billion in new business revenues and more than $40 million in new tax revenues — each year.

Bayport has been designed with the highest environmental standards and procedures. Our plans go well beyond the letter of the law, and we push to exceed standards and requirements for protecting the environment as well as responding to considerable community input.

The goal of the Bayport environmental plan is to exceed all applicable local, state and federal requirements. The Port of Houston Authority has an industry leading environmental program that we are very proud of, and we are designing Bayport with state-of-the-art features.

Addressing function, Bayport operates under a four-part stormwater discharge system that is designed beyond any local, state or federal requirements. During the construction phases, the port will use best management practices to control erosion and minimize the level of solid particulates in stormwater runoff.

Tthe four-part system collects all rainwater runoff to prevent potential material from the terminal grounds from reaching the bay. The Galveston Bay system will be protected by capturing the first inch of rainfall from the facility and diverting it into a holding pond. The first flush pond will trap suspended solids, thus decreasing the discharge of sediments into the channel and bay.

To illustrate the point, Barbours Cut and other terminals across the country do not currently have this specially designed four-part system. When it rains, water runs through the terminal's trench system and is directed to the bay. We sample stormwater at Barbours Cut and have never — never — exceeded any regulatory limits. And those successful returns are collected from a source that does not have the high level of protection that Bayport will have.

To further decrease the rate of stormwater discharge associated with concrete pavement at the new terminals, the port authority is constructing the South Terminal Retention Pond. This basin will protect Pine Gully by capturing and holding stormwater in excess of one inch, then releasing it slowly. Additionally, the retention pond will have a created wetland, further filtering water before discharging it into Pine Gully.

Again, with environmental protection in mind, terminal areas that could potentially impact stormwater — such as the equipment and crane maintenance and equipment parking areas — will have isolated drainage basins. After removing any suspended solids and oil and grease, the stormwater will be released into the first flush pond.

Bayport's ecological value

Addressing value, the Port of Houston and the Army Corps of Engineers are creating 4,200 acres of marshland as part of the Houston Ship Channel project, the Bayport project also will include marshland as part of its mitigation plan. The port authority will create up to another 200 acres of marshlands in Galveston Bay from dredge material. These marshlands act as a nursery for marine life and provide excellent bird watching and fishing opportunities, thus increasing the recreational value of Galveston Bay.

The Port Authority has purchased 173 acres near the Armand Bayou Nature Center. This site will be protected as a conservation easement, creating nearly 70 acres of emergent freshwater wetlands, enhancing 12 acres of existing wetlands, preserving 23.7 acres of forested upland and restoring 71 acres of upland coastal prairie.

At this site, the port authority will replace the nearly 20 acres of jurisdictional wetlands at a rate of nearly 3.5 to 1. The Army Corps of Engineers determines the total mitigation acreage, and the port is ready to comply with the Corps' replacement requirements, whatever they may be.

This improvement and dedication of an environmental easement will benefit the community and the nearby Armand Bayou Nature Center and help to preserve a natural area for generations to enjoy.

The Port of Houston Authority is not planning and has not requested deepening the channel to 50 feet. For that matter, the Army Corps of Engineers has no such plans, either.

If the Army Corps of Engineers ever decided to deepen the Houston Ship Channel and the Bayport Channel to 50 feet, the Corps would need to complete a separate environmental impact statement. For example, the Houston Ship Channel is currently being deepened to 45 feet from 40 feet. This action required Congressional approval in the Water Resources Development Act, a bond election approval by the voters of Harris County, completion of an EIS by the Corps and annual appropriations by Congress.

The Port of Houston is committed to maintaining established International Standards. In 2002, the Port of Houston became the first U.S. port to achieve compliance with ISO 14001. We received that designation based on voluntary environmental management systems implemented at Barbours Cut and the Central Maintenance facility.

Since opening day, Bayport has been ISO 14001 compliant. This new facility, a jewel to our economy, our environment and our community,will continue to meet ISO 14001 standards because we are planning and will construct this terminal to be a stellar example of environmental stewardship now and in the future.

The port authority believes that the water quality plans for Bayport exceed all current governmental standards and help to raise the bar for all future environmental protection — protecting our bay, our community and all of Texas.

Bayport's economics

Last updated: 11/13/08

Port of Houston Authority
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Phone: 713-670-2400

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