Texas Water Development Board approves $44,693,945 from the Flood Infrastructure Fund for watershed flood protection planning studies

For immediate release. Contact: Media Relations at 512-463-5129

AUSTIN – (December 17, 2020) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved financial assistance totaling $44,693,945 in grant funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) for watershed flood protection planning studies.

$4,445,825 to the City of Austin (Travis County) to update regulatory floodplain information within the City’s jurisdiction
$731,250 to Caldwell County to conduct a regional flood planning study
$1,485,000 to Cameron County Drainage District No. 3 (Cameron County) to conduct a complete restudy with 2D modeling of the District’s jurisdiction and surrounding area
$4,656,000 to Chambers County to conduct a regional flood planning study to identify and evaluate flood mitigation measures
$5,433,750 to Dallas County to evaluate the entire Inland Port watershed area, which includes several member cities and Dallas County
$5,613,300 to the City of Harlingen (Cameron County) to conduct a regional flood planning study
$215,000 to Hays County to conduct a regional flood planning study to help improve regional data and knowledge of the Onion Creek watershed
$150,000 to the City of Iowa Colony (Wichita County) to develop a master drainage plan, which will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the existing drainage conditions and an accurate understanding of the drainage infrastructure
$375,000 to the Jackson County County-Wide Drainage District (Jackson County) to complete a flood planning study for the Dry Creek watershed and a portion of the Lavaca River in Jackson County
$6,375,000 to Jefferson County Drainage District No. 6 (Jefferson County) to update previous flood planning studies for Taylor and Hillebrandt bayous and develop a new study for the Pine Island watershed
$618,750 to Karnes County to conduct a regional flood protection planning study to identify flood prone areas and develop mitigation options
$585,000 to the City of Laredo (Webb County) to conduct a regional flood planning study with a major focus on the Manadas and Zacate Creek watersheds
$7,983,000 to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council (Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy counties) to conduct a regional flood planning study to advance the region’s resilience and robustness through improved drainage data, collaboration, and capacity
$612,478 to Midland County for a regional flood planning study to understand the impact of rapid urban development and population growth on the floodplain and flood risk
$337,500 to the City of Stephenville (Erath County) to conduct a regional flood planning study that will include a dam safety assessment
$427,500 to Wharton County for a regional flood planning study for the Caney Creek basin
$4,649,592 to Williamson County for a regional flood planning study to establish a new engineering standard with consistent technical data

The approved projects are eligible for FIF funding under category 1, flood protection planning for watersheds, of the 2020 Flood Intended Use Plan. This category of funding was designed to support studies that conduct planning of entire watersheds to better inform the development of structural and nonstructural strategies.

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 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.