Texas Water Development Board approves $750,000 to the Nueces River Authority for a flood mitigation evaluation

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

AUSTIN – (March 31, 2026) – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) today approved financial assistance in the amount of $750,000 in grant funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) to the Nueces River Authority*. The Authority will use the assistance for a watershed flood protection planning project.

With the assistance approved today, the Authority will generate basin-wide geographic information system (GIS) datasets integrating flood risk, land cover, soils, ownership, and ecological value for approximately 24,000 square miles; establish three stakeholder-working groups aligned with the Texas Parks and Wildlife designated ecoregions; and develop ecoregion-specific Nature Based Solutions project portfolios that include needs assessments, alternatives analyses, prioritization frameworks, and preliminary design concepts for select high-priority sites. The Authority will also produce a replicable evaluation methodology, integrate results into The Nature Conservancy Nature Based Solutions GIS toolbox, and deliver findings to regional and state planning groups to support future funding, implementation, and incorporation into the Region 13 Flood Plan.

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 mitigation, and agricultural water conservation projects.

*The Nueces River Authority serves all or parts of 22 counties in South Texas: Uvalde, Live Oak, McMullen, Dimmit, La Salle, Webb, Zapata, Nueces, San Patricio, Jim Wells, Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, Bexar, Medina County, Real, Edwards, Kinney, Val Verde, Crockett, Maverick, and Zavala counties.