Proposal to Expand the Flood Control District Has Many Benefits
2/1/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul from the SE Houston area has introduced HB 2068, a bill that could eventually unite the counties within the San Jacinto River Basin into a regional flood control district. HB 2068, if approved, would modify the 1937 legislation that created the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
Here’s how the main modifications would work.
Two Big Changes: Leadership and Geographic Scope
The original legislation put control of HCFCD into the hands of the county judge and commissioners. Paul’s bill would let the governor appoint a board that controls District operations instead.
It could also expand the flood control district by letting surrounding counties join forces, but only after their leaders and residents approve. To join the district, a county’s judge and commissioners would first have to put the proposal on a ballot and voters would have to approve it.
Why Changes are Necessary
People both inside and outside of Harris County could all benefit. We need HB 2068 for several reasons.
Take Politics Out of District Operations
Since the election of Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2018, operations of HCFCD have become increasingly politicized. We now have politicians reportedly telling engineers how to do their jobs. That has driven off some highly talented professionals and slowed down operations.
Fairness for All
The politics have also skewed the focus of HCFCD efforts. HCFCD now directs flood-mitigation efforts primarily to areas with low incomes as opposed to areas with the worst flooding. During Harvey, Kingwood for instance:
- Had the highest flooding in the county
- Experienced almost half the deaths in the county.
The community was virtually cut off from Houston for 11 months when half of the I-69 bridge over the West Fork was destroyed.

In the wider Lake Houston Area:
- 44% of all the businesses in the chamber of commerce were damaged.
- More than 13,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Many never recovered.
- The UnionPacific Railroad lost its bridge over the West Fork.

And yet since Harvey, HCFCD has spent $2.1 billion on flood control projects without constructing one in the Republican-dominated Lake Houston Area.
In fairness, HCFCD has done some maintenance here. It has also conducted several studies; it just hasn’t acted on any of them.
Need to Serve Entire River Basin
Ten of the 23 watersheds in Harris County originate outside the county. But Hidalgo, Ellis and Garcia have been reluctant to spend money outside of the county – even to help reduce flooding inside the county.

An area 50% larger than Harris County drains through Lake Houston. Realistically, we can’t fix flooding here without the cooperation of the people upstream in Montgomery, Liberty, Waller, Grimes and other Counties.

Floodwaters don’t respect county or municipal boundaries. As development expands within surrounding counties, their residents will also experience flooding problems if they haven’t already.
Only One Chance to Do It Right
Ask the people of Plum Grove in Liberty County how the massive unincorporated Colony Ridge development affected flooding in their community. The first approximately 12,000 acres in Colony Ridge were developed with almost no stormwater detention basins. Fixing that now would require expensive buyouts. And that’s not likely to happen.
Drainage ditches have already eroded into people’s back yards. And FM1010, the major north/south artery through the area has been washed out for almost eight years.

As development accelerates outside of Harris County, flood control in surrounding counties will become increasingly important.
Regardless of their impact downstream, residents of surrounding counties must do something to secure their futures for themselves before they too develop intractable flooding. Prevention is always less expensive than correction.
HB 2068 lets people in surrounding counties experience growth without the growing pains.
It could give them instant access to a highly knowledgeable, already developed, fully functional staff of flood control experts…without building their own.
For surrounding counties, that could mean faster solutions. Also, a lower percentage of their flood-control dollars would go to building staff and a higher percentage could go to building mitigation projects that actually reduce flooding.
Potential Benefits for All Texans
People of a region have more to gain by working together than by working in disconnected cells.
- Because floodwaters don’t stop at jurisdictional boundaries, a regional approach to flood control is the only one that has a chance of success.
- HB 2068 lets people make their own choices…when it’s right for them.
- It’s fair to all.
- We’ll have the best minds in the state working to solve our flooding problems without bumping into political boundaries.
- Surrounding counties don’t have to spend years building organizations with the expertise to make a difference. They can start now.
- The more people a project benefits, the easier it is to attract matching funds from Federal sources.
I see one other benefit for Texas, which finished its first statewide flood plan last year. If successful, this could become a model for other river basins throughout the state.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/1/25
2713 Days since Hurricane Harvey