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The water color referred to isn't just around Galveston; it's typical of much of the Gulf Coast from Brownsville (hee hee) to at least the mouth of the Mississippi. We are talking about hundreds of miles, many of which that are remote and untouched by civilization (and yet appearing the same as locally). Assuming it's just around Galveston shows a distinct lack of knowledge.
Even if it was just around Galveston, there still is no issue. Many are okay with the color, and believe or not, used to it. And many have swam in the Gulf for decades with no problems.
The originating message is full of misguided assumptions: 1) there being a problem, 2) assuming others are motivated to attempt to fix this "problem", and 3) that the proposed solution would even work (it wouldn't, because you would be fighting against nature and the contour and currents of the Gulf).
Murky water can exist even on MS, AL and FL beaches, especially when the weather is stormy, with waves sufficiently choppy to stir up their sediment, or when storms inland bring down huge volumes of sediment.
Galveston will have a chance to have clear water, and the technology is in existence currently. Many other projects have "fought" nature, and prevailed (Hoover Dam, Panama Canal, Dubai artificial islands, Jinshan beach, etc); the Texas attempt can prevail as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by shortel
Galveston has a lot of high bacteria count days. Its not always that safe.
So do all other beaches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghost Town
China is getting more advanced now, partially due to heavy subsidizing from the government.
In 15-20 years USA won't be able to catch up.
I would really like to cut down welfare, food stamps, section 8 and foreign expenditures on Israel, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, etc and invest in a project like this to transform Gulf Coast into paradise. But unfortunately this never gonna happen.
That, or people actually got to start paying taxes, if they want to see benefits that will reward them in the long-run. You get what you pay for.
Just spreading the word. Don't shoot the messenger.
It might; then again, Galveston is home to extremely rich and powerful families, like Tillman Fertitta. It doesn't seem to extreme for this sort of project to be undertaken.
Read the Google Book explanation again; the artificial beachfront uses REAL sea-water, just stripped of the sediment via the settling pool. The barriers help to protect that area of purified beach from the murky sea-water elsewhere. They implemented the technology only on a section of their coast; such tech doesn't have to be implemented the EXACT same way as in China. There will obviously be modifications along the way, modifications that will allow the tech to, in fact, take care of the Mississippi effluence, and rid the Gulf of murkiness for good.
And yes, China has far worse beach problems than Texas. That means that if even they can have such great success, then there is no reason that Texas can't have even greater success.
China did it, Texas can too.
...
Yes, Texas has discolored rivers that flow into the ocean; so does Florida and Alabama. And the Brazos River empties SOUTH of Galveston; it isn't a problem for the island.
The main issue will come from sufficiently large rivers like the Mississippi, which dump huge volumes of sediment into sea; other smaller rivers empty into the Gulf, but are either small, or first past through bays (as many of Texas's rivers do). These small rivers aren't the problem.
Im not "shooting the messenger", just criticizing the ridiculous idea presented in the message.
So Tilman Fertitta has a net worth of $2.4 billion. How many Tilman Fertittas would we need to donate their entire fortunes to build an offshore dam tens of miles long, and whats in it for them?
Im aware how the technology works. Yes, its real sea water. But its also completely confined once its been rid of sediment/pollution, hence we would need a huge offshore dam if you wanted to keep "Galveston water" clear. Im still waiting on the plan to clean 388 billion gallons of water a day. And that would only fix one part of the problem. There are countless other rivers in the area dumping sediment into the gulf.
Or, the fact that China has bigger water quality issues than us means that China that much more reason for pursuing the project than we would have. Lets not forget that China has a ridiculous amount of money that they've been throwing at all types of construction projects the last decade or so.. Heck, they build entire major cities that just sit abandoned in western China. Texas doesn't have that kind of money.
What China did would be like the equivalent of us walling off Stewart Beach.
The sources of the rivers in Texas vs Florida are completely different. Texas/Louisiana rivers flow through the muddy, clay filled plains, picking up lots of sediment with them. Floridas beaches are apparently white from the quartz that washes down the rivers from the granite mountains in the Appalachians. Im not sure how the local "small" rivers don't add to the murky problem.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CyberSamurai
Murky water can exist even on MS, AL and FL beaches, especially when the weather is stormy, with waves sufficiently choppy to stir up their sediment, or when storms inland bring down huge volumes of sediment.
Galveston will have a chance to have clear water, and the technology is in existence currently. Many other projects have "fought" nature, and prevailed (Hoover Dam, Panama Canal, Dubai artificial islands, Jinshan beach, etc); the Texas attempt can prevail as well.
So do all other beaches.
That, or people actually got to start paying taxes, if they want to see benefits that will reward them in the long-run. You get what you pay for.
Yes, the technology to have (confined) clear water is currently in existence.. but to make something so large scale as to build it around the entire island would be insanely cost prohibitive. And the idea of a satellite filter/sediment settling chamber between the Mississippi River and Galveston actually cleaning the water enough to make a dramatic impact on the local waters around Galveston is completely ridiculous. Thats not how that technology works. (you do realize there has been a big problem with Dubai's artificial islands sinking, right?)
Our best bet would be to just build a Crystal Lagoon at Stewart Beach.
This idea is neck and neck with the idea of building a dome over the city of Houston.
Nope.
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Originally Posted by Dopo
It would be much cheaper to build a rail line loop through Galveston and a rail line to Hobby airport.
That would put Galveston in a new level
Good idea.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clever nickname here
This is what Florida white sand beaches look like and why people refer to Texas sand as brown.
1.) Not all Florida beaches have sand like that. Its mainly the Panhandle areas with such blinding white sand; the sand in other beaches is not as white. You won't find sand like that in other US beaches either.
2.) Texas beaches still don't have brown sand; as shown in the videos, and seen with the dunes present, the sand clearly is a tan/beige color.
Im not "shooting the messenger", just criticizing the ridiculous idea presented in the message.
So Tilman Fertitta has a net worth of $2.4 billion. How many Tilman Fertittas would we need to donate their entire fortunes to build an offshore dam tens of miles long, and whats in it for them?
Im aware how the technology works. Yes, its real sea water. But its also completely confined once its been rid of sediment/pollution, hence we would need a huge offshore dam if you wanted to keep "Galveston water" clear. Im still waiting on the plan to clean 388 billion gallons of water a day. And that would only fix one part of the problem. There are countless other rivers in the area dumping sediment into the gulf.
Or, the fact that China has bigger water quality issues than us means that China that much more reason for pursuing the project than we would have. Lets not forget that China has a ridiculous amount of money that they've been throwing at all types of construction projects the last decade or so.. Heck, they build entire major cities that just sit abandoned in western China. Texas doesn't have that kind of money.
What China did would be like the equivalent of us walling off Stewart Beach.
The sources of the rivers in Texas vs Florida are completely different. Texas/Louisiana rivers flow through the muddy, clay filled plains, picking up lots of sediment with them. Floridas beaches are apparently white from the quartz that washes down the rivers from the granite mountains in the Appalachians. Im not sure how the local "small" rivers don't add to the murky problem.
1.) The idea is not ridiculous. It seems very utopian, but it can be done, and allows for the best of both worlds; clear-water beaches AND peaceful coexistence with the habitat.
2.)Tilman Fertitta, and other rich entrepreneurs with care for Galveston, can undertake such a project, and they will look forward to Galveston being an even greater tourist destination than they could imagine.
3.)It depends on how the technology is implemented. If done on only a subset of Galveston's coastline, then, yes, a dam would be needed to keep the water clear. But the grander version, the one designed to take care of the Mississippi, would do the job such that all that silty water is cleansed, and cleared out.
4.)China has a bigger reason maybe, but it still doesn't change the fact that many Houstonians would love access to crystal clear beaches, without having to make long drives to Destin, FL. That is a big enough motivation for this project. Sometimes, for great QOL, these types of measures just have to be undertaken.
And Texas clearly has plenty of money, given all the talk of great economy, being home to such a vital industry; just hasn't been used in ways that benefit the greater good, QOL wise. That, and people in the state don't believe in spending a little bit more in order to allow for great benefits to the society.
5.)Florida's rivers flow through large areas of forest down the Appalachians, and as the leaves drop trees, those rivers get stained with tannins. They become what are known as "black-water" rivers; these stained rivers empty through many areas of Florida; the sediment load is sufficiently small as to not have much of an effect.
While Texas's rivers do have sediment loads from all the clay, many of them don't go directly to the Gulf; they wind up emptying into bays, wherein the sediment is deposited to build up all the estuarine environments (from the bays to the backsides of the barrier islands). Naturally, oyster reefs would have done part in keeping the sediment settled, and not being in suspension, keeping the water relatively clear; the removal would likely have increased turbidity of the water. Regardless, the sediment load becomes too little to even matter in causing murky waters, by the time you reach the Gulf-side areas of Galveston.
Those Texas rivers that do empty into the Gulf, like the Brazos, empty south of Galveston, meaning that the sediment is carried away from the island.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasTallest
Yes, the technology to have (confined) clear water is currently in existence.. but to make something so large scale as to build it around the entire island would be insanely cost prohibitive. And the idea of a satellite filter/sediment settling chamber between the Mississippi River and Galveston actually cleaning the water enough to make a dramatic impact on the local waters around Galveston is completely ridiculous. Thats not how that technology works. (you do realize there has been a big problem with Dubai's artificial islands sinking, right?)
Our best bet would be to just build a Crystal Lagoon at Stewart Beach.
The Crystal Lagoon is a nice first step, but when you are ready to go for the gold, and rid the Gulf of sediment for good, this undertaking is always waiting.
You have no concept of how much it would cost. And that dam around the beach would be history after the first hurricane.
Maybe that's why said construct will be designed with hurricanes in mind?
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