Current News 2009 News Archive November 25, 2009 November 24, 2009 September 30, 2009 September 18, 2009 August 26, 2009 July 21, 2009 July 8, 2009 June 30, 2009 June 22, 2009 June 18, 2009 June 3, 2009 April 24, 2009 April 1, 2009 March 27, 2009 2008 News Archive December 8, 2008 September 18, 2008 July 2, 2008 May 29, 2008 April 16, 2008 March 31, 2008 March 25, 2008 March 21, 2008 March 3, 2008 February 13, 2008 February 8, 2008 2007 News Archive 2006 News Archive 2005 News Archive 2004 News Archive December 21, 2004 November 05, 2004 October 18, 2004 September 16, 2004 September 15, 2004 September 01, 2004 August 19, 2004 August 03, 2004 August 03, 2004 July 28, 2004 July 16, 2004 July 06, 2004 June 28, 2004 June 21, 2004 June 10, 2004 May 27, 2004 May 17, 2004 May 10, 2004 May 03, 2004 Apr. 26, 2004 Apr. 19, 2004 Apr. 05, 2004 Mar. 24, 2004 Mar. 22, 2004 Mar. 08, 2004 Mar. 07, 2004 Mar. 01, 2004 Feb. 18, 2004 Feb. 11, 2004 Feb. 05, 2004 2003 News Archive Media Contact Info		District Partnership Program Wins EPA's 2004 Gulf Guardian Award July 6, 2004 A stormwater quality partnership program that is sponsored in part by the Harris County Flood Control District recently took 1st Place in the Environmental Protection Agency's 2004 Gulf Guardian Awards, Government Category. Mighty Tidy, a refuse skimmer boat, is the bright pink focal point in this program for which the District has provided over $240,000 in operating and maintenance costs this year alone. Entry Description From the Gulf Guardian Awards In June 2003, the Port of Houston Authority, the Harris County Supplemental Environmental Program, the Harris County Flood Control District, and the nonprofit group Buffalo Bayou Partnership, launched the largest stormwater pollution cleanup program in Harris County, Texas history. By providing substantial initial and continuing operations funding and in-kind services for the skimmer boat Mighty Tidy, there is now a massive and continuing cleanup of floatable pollution from the watersheds serving more than 400 square miles that empty into the Port of Houston and flow south to the significant national estuary of Galveston Bay and then into the Gulf. This project is helping restore Buffalo Bayou to an ecologically functional system. Fish and other wildlife no longer suffer the effects from eating debris or getting caught up in and then dying in floating trash flushed from Houston area streets. Beyond the dramatic visual improvement of three major bayous and the port, the water quality is improving without the toxicity created during the breakdown of floating debris. Natural habitat along Buffalo Bayou and Galveston Bay stretching to the Gulf is no longer contaminated by floating trash. More than 1,000 cubic yards of floatable litter have been collected to date - nearly double the anticipated amount. An unexpected result is the overwhelmingly positive visibility achieved through a launch media event with more than 250 attendees, a "Name The Skimmer" contest at area schools for the winning Mighty Tidy name, and a visually bold (pink) and unforgettable vessel resulting in regular, very positive media and public attention on the issue of floatable pollution. Building Partnerships, Building Progress The Mighty Tidy is yet another example of the District working hard to keep Harris County's waterways flowing and clean.