2025 Q3 HCFCD Spending Figures Show Continuing Decline

10/7/2025 – Newly posted spending figures on the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) website for the third quarter of 2025 show a continuing slowdown in spending. Last quarter, HCFCD spending fell below where we started after the flood-bond election in 2018 … almost to a quarter of what it was at the peak under previous management.

HCFCD spending by Quarter since 2018 — *From data reported by HCFCD.*

Adjusted for 25% inflation during the period shown, the drop off is even more dramatic. Yet we have more than $3 billion waiting to be spent for flood-mitigation projects.

HCFCD explained the delays by saying it is troubleshooting and working through issues related to each of the projects on its plate. When asked for details, a HCFCD spokesperson cited environmental and Army Corps permitting as examples.

HCFCD on Track to Spend $80 Million Less This Year than Last

These three screen captures from the HCFCD Activity page show the slowdown.

*The first shows incremental spending since the start of the 2018 flood bond.* *Last period reflects nine months.*

*The second shows that spending in 2024 totaled $246 million.*

*And the third shows that in the first 9-months of 2025, HCFCD spent only about half ($125 million) of the 2024 total.*

At the current rate, annualized 2025 would equal $167 million. That’s $80 million less than last year’s total – a third less.

Only $2.1 Billion Spent after 7 Years

This graph shows that flood-bond spending to date totals almost $2.1 billion out of the $5.2 that voters and partners have pledged.

*Screen capture from Microsoft Power BI chart on HCFCD Activity page showing breakdown of spending to date.*

Out of that, spending in 2025 Q3 totaled approximately $33 million

*During the third quarter, HCFCD spent at a rate lower than before the bond*, *especially when discounting for inflation.*

Importance of Speed: Inflation and Deadlines

The first graph above (spending by quarter since 2018) shows two distinct trends: one up and the other down. The difference largely coincides with a management change in 2021.

But HCFCD has more than $3 billion at its disposal in flood-bond and partnership funds.

The decline in the rate of project spending continues to concern flood victims. Not only do delays expose residents to more flood risk, delays also take a toll in inflation. Partially as a result, County Commissioners have already adopted a plan that trims the flood-bond project list. In making cuts, they focused on three primary factors:

Expected benefits that didn’t materialize
Projects that failed to attract matching funds
Projects that had low equity scores.

But there’s another threat: looming deadlines from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In May 2021, GLO Commissioner George P. Bush announced that Harris County would receive $750 million.

Since then, the total has risen. HUD awarded HCFCD $541 million in CDBG-Mitigation grants and $322 million in CDBG-Disaster Relief Grants for a total of $863 million.

However, the Disaster Relief grants come with a firm deadline of 2/28/27 – less than 15 months away. One former HCFCD employee told me that it typically takes 2 years to develop a detention-basin project. But another one told me HCFCD can put the pedal to the metal and do it in less time – if pushed.

The question at this point is, “Can HCFCD’s current management push hard and fast enough to get the jobs done before time runs out?” All of the HUD money is on a reimbursement basis. So, not finishing projects in time puts hundreds of millions at risk.

Of the Disaster Relief projects that have received authorization to use government funds so far, one is in construction – Arbor Oaks on White Oak Bayou.

In sharp contrast, according to the GLO, Phase II of the Brookglen Stormwater Detention Basin received authorization to use government funds in August 2024. And HCFCD anticipates advertising it for bids in November 2025.

Harris County’s purchasing database shows that, so far this year, HCFCD has only bid six capital improvement projects. Now it must bid and complete more than 30 projects in the next 2+ years to avoid losing close to a billion dollars.

Even my Weird Nephew Izzy understands that math. He called today and said, “We dug ourselves into a hole without digging many holes, Uncle Bob.” Longtime readers may remember that Nephew Izzy applied for the job of HCFCD executive director in 2021. Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t get the job. For Izzy’s take on all this, come back tomorrow.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/7/2025

2961 Days since Hurricane Harvey