AUSTIN — Today Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved $6,948,605 in Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery funds for Matagorda County to improve streets as well as water, sewer, and drainage facilities.

"Hurricane Harvey devastated communities across the Texas Coast," said Commissioner Bush. "These recovery funds are critical to improving local infrastructure that will protect lives, homes and businesses from future storms. We continue to work with our partners in communities across the region to leverage these resources efficiently and effectively to benefit Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey."

With these funds, Matagorda County will remove existing bridge pilings, install sheet piling for bridge abutments, and install a concrete bridge at the Carancahua Street Bridge in the city of Sargent. The county will also repair 2,300 linear feet of roadway along Marlin Drive from Barracuda Street to Albacore Street in the city of Sargent.

Water improvements include installing generators and concrete pads at water plants in the cities of Blessing, Matagorda and Midfield. The county will conduct sewer improvements in multiple cities, including rehabilitating sewer lines and manholes in the city of Markham along 3rd Street near the intersections of Avenue B, Avenue D, Avenue E, and Avenue J. Lift stations in the city of Van Vleck will be rehabilitated, including access road, fencing, electrical and mechanical upgrades. Additionally, in the city of Blessing, the county will rehabilitate sewer lines, manholes, and a berm by reshaping and installing off-site borrowed material, concrete anti-erosion blocks, by-pass pumping and will install a generator and concrete slab at a pump station. Lastly, a generator and concrete slab will be installed approximately 700 linear feet south of Cornelius Avenue and FM 2431 in the city of Midfield.

Flood and drainage improvements will be made in the city of Matagorda at three pumping stations. In the city of Van Vleck, more than 47,000 linear feet of drainage ditches and culverts will be repaired or installed.

 These infrastructure improvements will facilitate proper conveyance of storm water to reduce the impact of future flooding and provide continued ingress/egress to the area, facilitate the proper functioning of critical wastewater system components to reduce the impact of sewage contamination and back flow, and ensure the distribution of potable water during emergency situations.

Texas GLO Hurricane Harvey Recovery Funds:

Commissioner George P. Bush and the Texas General Land Office was appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to lead the historic Hurricane Harvey housing recovery efforts funded by $5.676 billion in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The GLO allocated $413 million of the allocation for infrastructure projects to protect communities affected by the storm. The GLO allocated the funds to regional Council of Governments' (COGs) based on a HUD approved needs assessment. The locally-led COGs then conducted methods of distribution (MODs) for determining infrastructure and buyout and acquisition amounts for cities and counties within each jurisdiction. COG boards are comprised of officials from the impacted communities elected in part to prioritize funds allocated for recovery programs. The MOD process requires public engagement and the GLO reviewed each MOD for compliance with federal rules and requirements before approving each plan.

To review the approved MODs, please visit https://recovery.texas.gov/action-plans/hurricane-harvey/index.html.