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Texas Water Development Board approves $2,160,000 for watershed flood protection planning studies

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

AUSTIN – (August 19, 2021) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved financial assistance totaling $2,160,000 in grant funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) for watershed flood protection projects. 

  • $720,000 to the City of Silsbee (Hardin County) to conduct a drainage study to identify and prioritize future construction projects for drainage improvements 
  • $1,440,000 to Willacy County to conduct a watershed study to analyze the drainage characteristics of the area and develop the regional knowledge-based decision support infrastructure to identify and promote the implementation of local flood management controls 

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, 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.