It’s Time to Admit HCFCD is Broken

4/22/26 – Today was the last straw. I have concluded that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is broken.

I’ve been writing for several days about Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) projects supposedly “under construction” that aren’t. Some people might call that:

• Lying
• The left hand doesn’t know what the right is doing
• Poor word-smithing or
• Fuzzy communication designed to create the illusion of progress.

But I suspect we all can agree that it’s certainly misleading and unpardonable from a public agency.

The TC Jester East Stormwater Detention Basin 1-B makes an excellent example.

TC Jester East Basin 1-B Still Not in Construction

The TC Jester East Basin received “authorization to use government funds” on 10/30/25 – six months ago.

The construction schedule they published on 12/5/26 originally said construction would start in Q2 2026 and finish in Q4 2028 – almost two years after the Texas General Land Office deadline of 2/28/2027.

After discussions with Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE, HCFCD changed the finish date on the HCFCD website to Q2 2027.

But when Dr. Tina Petersen, HCFCD’s executive director, testified before Commissioners Court on 4/16/2026 to explain how she would beat the deadline, she said that TC Jester was “in construction.” So, I went to check on 4/19/26. It was not. I saw only a construction trailer onsite. No excavators, bulldozers, dump trucks, clearing or dirt moving. Just virgin forest.

So, I posted about the apparent contradiction on 4/20/26. The very next day, I received an email from HCFCD that seemed to contradict me.

• The headline trumpeted: “Construction of Compartment 1B of the T.C. Jester East Stormwater Detention Basin is Underway!”
• Copy said, “Construction crews are accessing the site at Cypresswood Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard. Residents are urged to respect all warning signs.”
• The image showed an excavator digging dirt with a construction worker in the pit.
• Further, the email said that the site was receiving “funding up to $25.9 million through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR).” However, HCFCD’s website says the amount is $20.8 million. And Petersen’s presentation to commissioners on 4/19/26 said $23.3+ million.

But it gets even better. Toward the bottom of the email, the copy says, “Anticipated Schedule: Construction Start Q1 2026.” In other words…

HCFCD anticipates starting in the past.

So, I drove to the job site again today to photograph the traffic cones, flag men, construction equipment, and bustling bulldozers now onsite. Was I surprised?

Visit to Job Site Shows Construction Still Not Started

A few pickup trucks were parked outside the construction trailer. That’s it.

See photos from the rest of the visit below. I took all of these on 4/22/26.

If HCFCD hopes they can fool commissioners into believing that they are farther along on this project than they actually are, it’s backfiring. At this point, there probably isn’t enough time to build this project before its 2/28/27 deadline. Even HCFCD’s own construction completion date of Q2 2027 admits that.

Petersen must be banking on deadline extensions that may not come.

Smoke Screen Designed to Delay “Day of Reckoning”?

Commissioners have already approved several construction contracts associated with this funding. And HCFCD has issued multiple press releases saying those projects are in construction. But are they really?

Or, are the announcements a smokescreen for Petersen to buy more time and postpone her “Day of Reckoning,” as Rodney Ellis called it in the 4/16/26 Commissioners Court Meeting?

Such announcements mislead and could cost Harris County taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding.

If this were private-sector financial communication, investors would howl to the Securities and Exchange Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, FDIC, Federal Reserve and law enforcement.

Within the context of pressure to get these projects moving quickly or face the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars, HCFCD put out false information that masks the potential risk.

On April 16, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said to Petersen, “I just lost my confidence in you.”

So have I.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/22/26

3158 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.