Trees are being removed from a Fort Bend LID No. 2 levee and are upsetting some Sugar Land residents who live by them, walk the trails and appreciate the shade the trees provide.

Some two weeks ago the trees began coming down as “normal maintenance after a storm comes through,” said Andre McDonald, Fort Bend LID No. 2 president. The LID No. 2 board authorized the removal of all damaged, dead and diseased trees, which are unstable and pose a safety risk and that’s when the protesting e-mails began flying.

One e-mailer wrote: “Unfortunately, I will really miss the shade and beauty of the area. It was something I have enjoyed the past 15 years living in Commonwealth and running the levees. It is a shame any time we loose a tree.

“I am never ‘for’ the loss of a tree or any clearing of our green space, but I also know how we would respond if our homes were flooded by the Brazos because the levees were not properly maintained.”

Another e-mailer wrote that “there used to be trees shading up 70 to 80 percent of the trail...now maybe 10-20 percent will get decent shade coverage.”

And another said in an e-mail: “The trees have been removed, ALL of them. Apparently the reason for this is because the trees compromise the integrity of the levies. Am I wrong in not wanting to believe that every single tree must go and that there is absolutely no alternative or additional method that can be employed to preserve the integrity of the levy?”

“The eco system is being destroyed. My husband and I called this levy Paradise Path - it was peaceful and beautiful” -- and running between the trees you could “see deer, rabbits, and birds. It was a favorite running route for people wanting to get off the hard concrete, away from the traffic and into nature and the shade of the trees. It was also a favorite place for people to walk their dogs.

“Walking and running out in nature are great for fitness and stress relief. I hope there is a way to restore and preserve Paradise Path.”

The LID No. 2 levy is part of the internal system for drainage and runs from Commonwealth across Knightsbridge and Elkins toward Sugar Land Memorial Park.

McDonald said, Fort Bend LID No. 2 “is the oldest LID in Fort Bend County. It was founded in 1975 and construction probably began some time in 1978 or 1979. It is the reason there is a First Colony.”

The LID president said he understands why homeowners don’t like the trees being removed but “there’s not another tree on any levee in Fort Bend County. They’ve all been removed because they cause levee problems.

“We are examining taking down all the trees. We’ve put this off for years trying to figure a way out of it because they are beautiful. But we’ve waited as long as we can and have to do something because of this threat of mandatory flood insurance.

“If I’ve got levees that aren’t maintained to the highest standard, how can I make the argument that we should be exempt from what everyone else has to do.”

Removing trees from levees because the roots compromise a levy “is an issue all around the country. If I could do anything to save the trees, I would but I’m not going to make 10 people happy and put 10,000 at risk,” McDonald said.

Another e-mailer reported that McDonald said “the FEMA levee improvement project is a reaction to Katrina and there are a number of other communities up in arms nationwide about how this is being addressed.”

Further the writer said: “McDonald told me that this pass through was just to remove storm damaged trees. I told him that was a stretch and there were more than just damaged trees coming down.

“He said that this is just the beginning. When the FEMA levee project starts, every tree within 15 feet of the levee toe (base) will be removed. I told Andre I thought the roots would help hold the levee together but he said the roots can compromise a levee by creating water channels, according to FEMA.”

The issue that’s all around the country, McDonald said, is saving trees but the biggest fly in the ointment is the possibility of homeowners having to buy flood insurance even though they live in levee protected areas.

With that in mind, the levee improvement districts got together and along with Fort Bend County spent some $45 million to build levees a foot higher than the current FEMA requirements. They hoped their efforts would let them exempt homeowners from any forthcoming mandated flood insurance. But the House recently passed Bill 3121, and the Senate passed another and now both bills are in committee waiting to become one bill legislators in each body can agree on.

The House bill not only mandates flood insurance for all living in flood-prone areas, it allows premiums to increase 10 to 15 percent and could cost some homeowners as much as $2,500, Sugar Land City Council members were told at a meeting last July.