Texas Water Development Board approves $10,525,745 to the Harris County Flood Control District (Harris County) for a flood mitigation project

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AUSTIN – (December 15, 2022) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved by resolution financial assistance in the amount of $10,525,745 to the Harris County Flood Control District (Harris County) from the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF). The District will use the assistance for the construction of a flood mitigation project.

With the financial assistance approved today, the District will construct channel improvements and expand the storage volume of an existing dry-bottom detention basin to reduce flood risk along Sims Bayou. This mitigation project will remove 567 homes from the floodplain in Harris and Fort Bend Counties and help contain a 100-year storm event. 

The approved project is eligible for FIF funding under category 2 of the 2020 Flood Intended Use Plan. This category was designated for planning, acquisition, design, and construction activities to implement flood mitigation projects.

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.