New State Budget Includes $200 Million for Area Flood Projects, Dredging
6/3/25 – The new 1,056-page Texas state budget includes more than $200 million for Houston-area flood mitigation projects and dredging.
The legislature allocated $50 million for Lake Houston dredging through the Texas Water Development Board and another $150 million for Houston/Harris County Area flood-mitigation projects.
That’s out of a total $581 million appropriated to TWDB for funding infrastructure, flood, wastewater and water-supply projects.
List of Other Local Flood-Mitigation Projects
Other Houston/Harris County flood-related projects include:
- $54 million for the Cypress Ditch Regional Flood Mitigation Project
- $2.5 million for Greens Bayou Watershed Channel Improvements
- $25 million for the Helms Stormwater Detention Basin Conveyance Project
- $2.5 million for the Aldine Westfield Stormwater Detention Basin
- $10 million fir the Lower Clear Creek Watershed Flood Project
- $5 million for Kingwood Diversion Ditch Improvements
- $22.5 million for the Cypress Creek Watershed Flood Mitigation Project #1
- $11 million for Carpenters Bayou Watershed Improvements
- $5 million for Spring Shadows Drainage and Paving Project
- $6.5 million for West Little York Detention Basin Completion
- $10 million for South Mayde Creek Bypass Channel
Dredging Program Must Make Business Sense
For the Lake Houston dredging district (HB1532) to succeed long term, the operation must make business sense. The legislation that formed the district stipulates it cannot impose taxes or fees. So operations must generate a funding stream from the sale of spoils for beneficial uses such as roads, development, and the Ike Dike.
However, in the near term, the dredging money allocated by the legislature could be used to help purchase dredging equipment and set up operations.
Many decisions lie ahead re: equipment, staging areas, staffing, sales of the spoils, maintenance, trucking, and more.
Frankly, I thought we might have to wait until the next session of the legislature in two years before we had a chance at seed money to launch the dredging district.
So, seeing the money in this state budget is a very pleasant surprise…as is the additional $150+ million for other flood-mitigation projects coming to the Houston region!
For More Information
To see the entire 1068-page state budget, click here. (Warning: 10 meg download.)
For the two pages relating to TWDB and flood mitigation projects, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/3/2025
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