Harris County Flood Control Solicits Ideas for Flood Bond Package on New Portion of Website

Harris County Flood Control District has just launched a new portion of its website designed to explain the proposed $2.5 billion flood bond package. Residents will go to the polls on August 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, to vote on the package. For details about the bond package, access the site at https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/.

The site is organized by all watersheds in Harris County. For people new to the Lake Houston area, we live within the San Jacinto watershed. Within each watershed, the site also talks about:

• Potential project types
• Community engagement meetings
• Community input
• Frequently asked questions

One of the more interesting features of the site is an interactive map with icons representing the locations of potential projects. Clicking on an icon reveals the type of project under consideration at that location, the number of people affected and more.

Transparency and Equity Among Goals for Flood Bond

Remember several important things: In addition to flood mitigation, two goals of this project are transparency and equity. The county wants to ensure that the bond money helps each watershed throughout the area, and that money is spent in ways that will help the largest number of people and yield the greatest benefit. That’s why you see the population numbers for each watershed and the number of people affected by each project as you click on icons throughout the map.

More Projects Than Dollars To Do Them

The county has far more potential projects than dollars. Some projects currently under consideration may not make the final cut. Likewise, other projects not yet listed could make the final cut. According to Matt Zeve of Harris County Flood Control, “Our staff is working furiously to define projects for the bond.”

Community Input Meeting for Flood Bond on June 14

Zeve says the County is also soliciting citizen input through community meetings and the website itself. Mark your calendar. One of the first meetings will be in Kingwood at:

Kingwood Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods Drive
Kingwood, Texas  77345

June 14, 2018
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Citizens can also submit input through the website.

“The Harris County Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by working with our partners and local stakeholders to evaluate, develop, and implement flood damage reduction plans and then perform long-term maintenance of drainage infrastructure,” says the site.

Flood damage reduction plans and projects can include:

• Modifications of streams and bayous to increase the amount of stormwater they carry
• Creation of detention basins to store excess stormwater
• Nonstructural flood mitigation tools
• Any combination of the above

Types of Flood Bond Projects Currently Under Consideration

Currently, the vast majority of projects fall into the following categories. Types of projects eligible for bond funding include:

• Voluntary Home Buyouts – The purchase of flood-prone structures from willing sellers in areas that are too deep in the floodplain to benefit from structural flood risk reduction projects, or in areas where flood risk reduction projects are not feasible.  This process includes the demolition of the structure and relocation of the seller to higher ground.
• Storm Repair – Major maintenance projects that restore the designed function and capacity of a channel or stormwater detention basin.
• Subdivision Drainage Improvement – Partnership projects with the Harris County Engineering Department and a Municipal Utility District to provide drainage improvements to subdivisions in unincorporated Harris County.
• Local Projects – Flood risk reduction projects such as channel modifications or stormwater detention basin construction using only Harris County Flood Control District funds.
• Partnership Projects – Flood risk reduction projects such as channel modifications or stormwater detention basin construction using a combination of Harris County Flood Control District funding and funding from local, state, or federal partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Prioritization of Projects

Make sure you read the Frequently Asked Questions. One asks, “How will projects be prioritized?” Answer: “High on the priority list are construction-ready projects with federal funding partners (such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency) that give the County “the most bang for its flood control buck.”… Consideration is also given to areas that have a lower level of current protection as compared to other areas in the county.”

The county will give highest consideration to projects that meet the following criteria:

1. Provides the greatest potential flood risk reduction benefits relative to the community’s population
2. Causes NO increase in existing flood risks upstream or downstream
3. Offers potential for multiple benefits, in addition to flood risk reduction
4. Features long-term viability and relatively low maintenance
5. Includes a clearly defined drainage issue and flood risk reduction benefit
6. Uses readily available, proven engineering techniques and industry standards
7. Poses NO undue burden on disadvantaged communities
8. Minimizes adverse impacts on the environment

Submit Your Flood Bond Ideas Now

If you have ideas to contribute, submit them now so that they can receive the full consideration they deserve. Remember: when it comes to “equity,” historically the San Jacinto watershed has received 0% of flood mitigation budgets, but we suffered 13% of the damage in the region during Harvey. For an excellent discussion of equity and needs throughout the region, see the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium’s report.

The consortium’s report provides an excellent summary of the needs of the San Jacinto watershed.

Posted on May 31 by Bob Rehak. Thanks to Clay Crawford the tip.

275 Days since Hurricane Harvey