Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan 2023

The 2023 Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan is the state’s third plan aimed at addressing coastal vulnerabilities. The Texas General Land Office (GLO) implements the plan under the Texas Land Commissioner, Dr. Dawn Buckingham at the time of publication. The GLO mission is to “restore, enhance, and protect the state’s coastal natural resources,” and the Coastal Resiliency Master Plan helps fulfill this mission. The Master Plan provides a framework for identifying key issues of concern for the Texas coast, and developing proposals for priority projects to enhance coastal resilience. The underlying planning framework ensures a holistic approach to coastal hazards and actions that requires collaboration across all levels of government, as well as community engagement.

The first statewide Coastal Resiliency Master Plan was published in 2017 (just before Hurricane Harvey), and another was developed in 2019. There was an interim update report published in 2020, with the 2023 report being the most recent full plan. Each master plan is accompanied by a technical report, which includes environmental background, methodology for the vulnerability assessment, resilient design, sediment, ecosystem services, coastal modeling, and socioeconomic analyses. Throughout each plan, the GLO emphasizes that the Texas shoreline is diverse and vulnerable: sea-level rise, erosion, storm surge, water quality, and habitat loss are common issues on the coast. Texas also leads the nation in energy production, and so sees the health of the shoreline as reflective of the health of Texas’ and America’s economy and security. 

The 2023 Plan includes updated coastal modeling and monitoring data. The Harte Research Institute performed sea-level rise and ensemble storm surge modeling along the coast, including a 1.6 and 4.9 foot sea-level rise scenario out to the year 2100. These scenarios reflect science updated since the 2019 Plan. The Plan is also informed by analysis from the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) and geohazard mapping, both of which incorporate the 1.6 - 4.9 ft of sea-level rise range from the Harte research. Development of the plan required extensive community engagement, which served as platforms to create a more holistic plan, and communicate about the projects proposed within the Plan.

The 2023 Coastal Resiliency Master Plan identified three categories of priority coastal vulnerabilities, each with sub-categories the Plan aims to address through proposed projects. These priorities include:

  • Land Change
    • Degraded or Lost Habitat
    • Bay Shoreline Change
    • Gulf Shoreline Change
  • Flooding
    • Storm surge
    • Inland flooding
    • Tidal flooding
  • Degraded Water Resources
    • Degraded Water Quality
    • Degraded Water Quantity

The planning framework for the 2023 Plan created these priority categories through analysis of social, economic, and natural drivers of coastal conditions, as well as the pressures that create vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities were analyzed and evaluated by the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and paired with the current state of the Texas coast to create strategies that respond to ecological, societal, and administrative needs. The individual projects in the Plan are nested under each of these strategies. There are 121 tiered projects, with Tier 1 being the top priority (these projects mostly address erosion, storms, and water resources). Projects were designed to result in long-term actions, coordination across government, and multiple benefits across priority coastal vulnerabilities. There are 10 project categories:

  • Managing coastal habitats
  • Managing gulf shorelines
  • Managing bay shorelines
  • Improving community resilience
  • Adapting to changing conditions
  • Managing watersheds
  • Growing key knowledge and experience
  • Enhancing emergency preparation and response
  • Addressing under-represented needs
  • Maintaining coastal economic growth

The total proposed cost for all tiered projects is $1.87 billion.  Projects are additionally subdivided by the 4 planning regions, which are defined by coastal watershed boundaries and county lines. There are several multi-region projects, and a small number of coast-wide projects. Some example regional projects include living shorelines, seawalls, dune restoration, and flood sensors. Coastwide projects include data collection, coastal monitoring, planning, and beneficial use of dredged material. Rollout of the Master Plan included a Story Map and GIS Data Viewer, which visualizes the environmental data used to create the Plan. Tiered projects can be viewed with overlain sea-level rise, storm surge, and geohazard data, and data is downloadable.

The 2023 Master Plan was developed in partnership with AECOM, the Harte Research Institute for the Gulf of Mexico Studies, Hollaway Environmental + Communication Services, and the GLO Technical Advisory Committee. Future plans will be updated on a 4-year cadence, with the next plan to be published in 2027.

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Publication Date: March 2023

Related Organizations:

  • Texas General Land Office

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  • Adaptation plan

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