A levee protecting the three bays surrounding Brownwood had been proposed by 1961, after Hurricane Carla. Built along islands formed from Ship Channel dredging, it could turn Scott, Crystal, and Burnett Bays into freshwater lakes.

Plan of proposed levee or floodwall around Burnett, Crystal, and Scott Bays, January 1975. Courtesy U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District.

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