Texas Water Development Board approves $6,448,363 in financial assistance for the first Flood Infrastructure Fund projects
For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129
AUSTIN – (December 3, 2020) – Today, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved $6,448,363 in financial assistance for the first-ever projects funded through the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). Passed by the 86th Texas Legislature and approved by voters through a constitutional amendment in 2019, the FIF was created to provide funding for drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects.
“The Flood Infrastructure Fund will strengthen our efforts to protect communities from devastating natural disasters by comprehensively addressing flood issues across the state,” said Governor Abbott. “I thank the Texas Water Development Board, community leaders, and our federal partners for working together to secure funding for these important flood prevention projects. These partnerships between Texas communities and the Texas Water Development Board will ensure a more resilient future for the Lone Star State.”
The grants and zero-interest loans committed today will support flood early warning systems and federal grant matching funds. Bee County, DeWitt County Drainage District No. 1, Uvalde County, and Nueces County Drainage and Conservation District No. 2 received funds for flood early warning system projects. Llano County and the cities of Weslaco, Marble Falls, and Harlingen received assistance for local projects receiving federal grant award matching funds. Importantly, these matching funds will be paired with federal funding programs to bring an additional $5.2 million to Texas.
“Over the last 18 months, our agency conducted extensive outreach and planning to ensure the new Flood Infrastructure Fund program would be able to serve the diverse flood project needs of Texas communities,” said Peter Lake, Chairman of the Texas Water Development Board. “Today’s approved projects are just the first of many projects to be funded through the FIF for communities taking a proactive role in addressing their local and regional flood issues.”
In total, the TWDB will administer $770 million in FIF financial assistance for structural and nonstructural flood projects. Of that $770 million, $231 million (30 percent) is allocated to grants and $539 million (70 percent) is allocated to loans with a zero percent interest rate.
Other FIF applications currently undergoing TWDB review include drainage improvement projects, flood protection planning studies, floodplain mapping projects, stream gage networks, watershed studies, and more. The Board will consider approving subsequent financial assistance commitments at public meetings in the coming months.
The TWDB is the state agency charged with collecting and disseminating water-related data, assisting with regional water and flood planning, and preparing the state water and flood plans. The TWDB administers cost-effective financial assistance programs for the construction of water supply, wastewater treatment, flood control, and agricultural water conservation projects.