Update: 4/10/25 – After reading this post, the media liaison for HCFCD emailed me to say, “One correction to your post today – Dr. Petersen testified as a resource on the bill, not against it.” Listen to her testimony at the link provided and you be the judge.
4/9/2025 – The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee heard testimony today on HB2068. HB2068 attempts to reconstitute the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) into one with wider authority to address flooding that originates outside Harris County.
It would also give the governor authority to appoint a board for the reconstituted district that would replace Harris County Commissioners Court, which has severely politicized flood mitigation much to the detriment of those who live on the periphery of the county.
The committee heard live testimony from three people. All spoke against the bill. They included Stephen Costello, the City’s former Chief Recovery Officer under the late Mayor Sylvester Turner. They also included Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD and Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia testifying against HB2068 in today’s House Natural Resources Committee hearing.
The essence of Costello’s testimony was “HCFCD is working. Don’t mess with it.” He called the District a good partner for the City of Houston. And that may be true in certain areas.
Petersen and Garcia both bragged about HCFCD’s track record under their leadership, including their ability to take politics out of decision making.
Their testimony stood in stark contrast to brutal confrontations in Harris County Commissioners Court during the last two months. Commissioners, including Garcia, have raked Petersen over the coals. They complained bitterly and repeatedly about budget shortfalls totaling hundreds of millions of dollars that have jeopardized their pet projects.
No one seems to know where the current budget or projects stand. And that has made it impossible for commissioners to prioritize projects for any budget remaining.
Regardless, Petersen touted the county’s failed IT systems as a positive. She estimated it would cost the District $75 million to replace them if Flood Çontrol were a stand-alone entity.
Petersen also failed to mention the four-year slowdown in HCFCD activity.
Rep. Dennis Paul, the bill’s author, teed up his bill by explaining how much flooding originated outside the county. However, neither Costello, Petersen, nor Garcia addressed that point.
The failure to address such an obvious point may have been a fatal flaw in their arguments. Any casual observer could see the disconnect.
In fact, 10 of the 22 watersheds in Harris County originate outside the county, including most of the largest ones. Excluding cooperative efforts with people in those areas dooms large parts of Harris County to repetitive flooding. Especially those on the periphery of the county.
Harris County Watershed map
Electronically Filed Comments Overwhelmingly Support Bill
Many county residents have received virtually no support from HCFCD during Petersen’s tenure because of deliberate diversions of funds to low-income areas. Residents who remain living with high flood risk did not share Petersen’s and Garcia’s appraisals of their own performance, judging by their written comments.
However, a number of people from Porter, Conroe, and even as far north as Cleveland also favored the bill. All had been flooded. And all sought the kind of support that an expanded District could provide.
Only one other bill discussed in Natural Resources today received more comments than HB2068. It was a quarrying bill relating to the Lower Colorado River Authority. The rest received only a handful of comments. Most received 0 to 3.
That in itself seems like it would argue for closer scrutiny and debate.
Bill Not Debated in Committee, Fate Up in Air
However, at the end of the testimony, the chairman left the bill “pending in committee.” That could mean they will just let it die. Or it could mean they will debate it and pass it out of committee to the full house for a vote at a future date.
Rep. Paul’s bill does not yet have a companion bill in the Senate.
More news to follow when it becomes available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/9/2025
2780 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250409-Garcia-Testifying-in-Natural-Resources.jpg?fit=1100%2C621&ssl=16211100adminadmin2025-04-09 22:02:242025-04-10 13:43:46Natural Resources Committee Hears Testimony on HB2068
4/8/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul has authored a bill, HB2068, which would transform the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) by reconstituting its management and potentially expanding its geographic scope. Fifteen other state representatives have expressed their support by signing on as “co-authors” of the bill. Most represent parts of the San Jacinto River Basin.
The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources committee will hold hearings on the bill tomorrow. We need to make sure the bill doesn’t die a quiet death by never making it out of the committee for a vote by the full House. So please write today to express your support.
Why We Need HB2068
Water doesn’t respect political boundaries. Back in 1937 when the legislature created HCFCD, that wasn’t a huge problem. Most of the region’s population lived within Harris County.
But since then, the Houston area has grown to encompass all or parts of seven counties. Having the state’s only flood control district focusing primarily on the area inside Beltway 8 no longer serves the needs of the region.
For instance, in the San Jacinto watershed, an area half again as large as Harris County drains past Kingwood. Yet Kingwood has received only $230 in capital improvement construction projects from HCFCD. Ever.
But during Harvey, Kingwood also had the highest flooding in the county. And it has flooded several times since then.
Meanwhile, eight other watersheds favored by certain Harris County Commissioners have received more than $740 million…just since 2018.
Their formula for allocating funds relies heavily on race and income. The majority of County Commissioners now in control do not even include flood damage or risk in their current formula for prioritizing flood-mitigation projects.
Plus, certain commissioners have vowed not to allow HCFCD to spend money on projects outside of Harris County, where many of the County’s flooding problems originate.
How HB2068 Could Change That
HB2068 modifies the legislation that originally created HCFCD. The modifications do two basic things. They:
Replace Harris County Commissioners Court as managers of HCFCD with a board appointed by the governor. (See Section 1D Page 3.)
Allow surrounding counties to join the reconstituted district voluntarily after approval by their Commissioners Courts and voters.
Thus…
HB2068 would enable the reconstituted district to serve all people of the river basin and give them a way to address their flooding issues together.
Flooding does not respect political boundaries. HB2068 bridges those boundaries.
Remember public comments must be submitted before the end of the meeting. To be safe, do it now! And do it here. You are limited to 3000 characters. I suggest something that expresses the key points above under:
Why We Need HB2068
How HB2068 Could Change That.
They include 2000 characters.
If you are pressed for time, just say, “I support this bill.”
Please DO IT NOW!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/8/2025
2779 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Upper-Lower-River-Basin-Map.png?fit=900%2C1034&ssl=11034900adminadmin2025-04-08 12:59:262025-04-08 22:39:32Action Needed: Support HB2068 NOW!
4/7/25 – Last Saturday, 2.5 inches of rain turned the Meritage construction site in Atascocita into Lake Meritage. But by this morning, contractors were draining Lake Meritage into a City of Houston storm sewer.
Close examination of aerial photos shows a series of trenches cut under silt fences to let the water drain from the site quickly and bypass the usually slow filtration process that the fences provide.
Contractors had also cut a series of trenches within the site to move trapped stormwater toward the street. And an excavator was scooping muddy stormwater from the beginnings of a detention basin into yet another trench that led toward the exit rows.
Lake Meritage 24 Hours After Storm
Here’s what the site looked like 24 hours ago.
Meritage Phase II (right) on April 6, 2025 24 hours after 2.5 inch rain
Pictures and Videos Taken Another 24 Hours after Storm
Here’s the same area today.
Meritage Phase II (right) 24 hours after photo above.
Where did all the water go?
Interior channels brought the stormwater toward the street…The excavator (center left) was scooping buckets of water out of the detention basin and dumping it into another channel that led toward the street.…and a series of shovel-wide trenches let water leak out from under the silt fence.
Much of the muck flowed through a roadside swale to a storm sewer inlet. See below.
10-Second Video by Michelle Chavez, who lives next to the Meritage construction site.
But not all of the muck stayed in the swale. The next ten-second video shows part of it running down the street. There was so much at one point that contractors had to partially block it off.
Another 10-second video showing stormwater entering street. Supplied by passing motorist.
Motorist tracks overflowing silty stormwater down street for another 18 seconds until it flows into City storm sewer inlet.
When I drove by about an hour after the last video was shot, the flow through the street had ended and someone had installed a screen over the inlet that’s clearly not on the video. The screen could make them appear compliant with their Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan.
Silt Fence Repairs Not a Priority
Unfortunately, the contractors did not drain the water invading neighbors’ yards. And repairing damaged silt fences that protected neighbors from the muck was not their highest priority.
Broken silt fence and runoff on neighboring properties as of noon 4/7/25.
To File a Complaint
Practices like those above are usually discouraged by the Harris County Engineer and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
If you’re concerned about runoff that floods your property or potentially clogs your storm drains, please file a complaint.
Harris County Engineer
Phone: 713-274-3600 Monday Through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250407-DJI_20250407131009_0059_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-04-07 17:51:082025-04-07 18:08:34Lake Meritage Drained into City Storm Sewer
Natural Resources Committee Hears Testimony on HB2068
Update: 4/10/25 – After reading this post, the media liaison for HCFCD emailed me to say, “One correction to your post today – Dr. Petersen testified as a resource on the bill, not against it.” Listen to her testimony at the link provided and you be the judge.
4/9/2025 – The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee heard testimony today on HB2068. HB2068 attempts to reconstitute the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) into one with wider authority to address flooding that originates outside Harris County.
It would also give the governor authority to appoint a board for the reconstituted district that would replace Harris County Commissioners Court, which has severely politicized flood mitigation much to the detriment of those who live on the periphery of the county.
Three people testified in person AGAINST the bill. But 192 provided written comments FOR the bill. Still, the bill’s fate is unclear tonight.
Three In-Person Testifiers All Against Bill
The committee heard live testimony from three people. All spoke against the bill. They included Stephen Costello, the City’s former Chief Recovery Officer under the late Mayor Sylvester Turner. They also included Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD and Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia.
The essence of Costello’s testimony was “HCFCD is working. Don’t mess with it.” He called the District a good partner for the City of Houston. And that may be true in certain areas.
Petersen and Garcia both bragged about HCFCD’s track record under their leadership, including their ability to take politics out of decision making.
Their testimony stood in stark contrast to brutal confrontations in Harris County Commissioners Court during the last two months. Commissioners, including Garcia, have raked Petersen over the coals. They complained bitterly and repeatedly about budget shortfalls totaling hundreds of millions of dollars that have jeopardized their pet projects.
No one seems to know where the current budget or projects stand. And that has made it impossible for commissioners to prioritize projects for any budget remaining.
Regardless, Petersen touted the county’s failed IT systems as a positive. She estimated it would cost the District $75 million to replace them if Flood Çontrol were a stand-alone entity.
Petersen also failed to mention the four-year slowdown in HCFCD activity.
See the entire testimony here. HB2068 starts about 1:18 into the video.
Strange Failure to Address Author’s Claims
Rep. Dennis Paul, the bill’s author, teed up his bill by explaining how much flooding originated outside the county. However, neither Costello, Petersen, nor Garcia addressed that point.
The failure to address such an obvious point may have been a fatal flaw in their arguments. Any casual observer could see the disconnect.
In fact, 10 of the 22 watersheds in Harris County originate outside the county, including most of the largest ones. Excluding cooperative efforts with people in those areas dooms large parts of Harris County to repetitive flooding. Especially those on the periphery of the county.
Electronically Filed Comments Overwhelmingly Support Bill
Many county residents have received virtually no support from HCFCD during Petersen’s tenure because of deliberate diversions of funds to low-income areas. Residents who remain living with high flood risk did not share Petersen’s and Garcia’s appraisals of their own performance, judging by their written comments.
194 people submitted comments electronically. You can read them here. Of the 194, only two were against HB2068. The other 192 strongly favored it. Virtually all of them came from the Lake Houston Area.
However, a number of people from Porter, Conroe, and even as far north as Cleveland also favored the bill. All had been flooded. And all sought the kind of support that an expanded District could provide.
Only one other bill discussed in Natural Resources today received more comments than HB2068. It was a quarrying bill relating to the Lower Colorado River Authority. The rest received only a handful of comments. Most received 0 to 3.
That in itself seems like it would argue for closer scrutiny and debate.
Bill Not Debated in Committee, Fate Up in Air
However, at the end of the testimony, the chairman left the bill “pending in committee.” That could mean they will just let it die. Or it could mean they will debate it and pass it out of committee to the full house for a vote at a future date.
Rep. Paul’s bill does not yet have a companion bill in the Senate.
More news to follow when it becomes available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/9/2025
2780 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Action Needed: Support HB2068 NOW!
4/8/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul has authored a bill, HB2068, which would transform the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) by reconstituting its management and potentially expanding its geographic scope. Fifteen other state representatives have expressed their support by signing on as “co-authors” of the bill. Most represent parts of the San Jacinto River Basin.
The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources committee will hold hearings on the bill tomorrow. We need to make sure the bill doesn’t die a quiet death by never making it out of the committee for a vote by the full House. So please write today to express your support.
Why We Need HB2068
Water doesn’t respect political boundaries. Back in 1937 when the legislature created HCFCD, that wasn’t a huge problem. Most of the region’s population lived within Harris County.
But since then, the Houston area has grown to encompass all or parts of seven counties. Having the state’s only flood control district focusing primarily on the area inside Beltway 8 no longer serves the needs of the region.
For instance, in the San Jacinto watershed, an area half again as large as Harris County drains past Kingwood. Yet Kingwood has received only $230 in capital improvement construction projects from HCFCD. Ever.
But during Harvey, Kingwood also had the highest flooding in the county. And it has flooded several times since then.
Meanwhile, eight other watersheds favored by certain Harris County Commissioners have received more than $740 million…just since 2018.
Their formula for allocating funds relies heavily on race and income. The majority of County Commissioners now in control do not even include flood damage or risk in their current formula for prioritizing flood-mitigation projects.
Moreover, HCFCD under the leadership of Harris County Commissioners Court refuses to release comparative flood risk data in their possession.
Plus, certain commissioners have vowed not to allow HCFCD to spend money on projects outside of Harris County, where many of the County’s flooding problems originate.
How HB2068 Could Change That
HB2068 modifies the legislation that originally created HCFCD. The modifications do two basic things. They:
Thus…
Flooding does not respect political boundaries. HB2068 bridges those boundaries.
How to Express Your Support
The Natural Resources committee will meet on Wednesday April 9, 2025 to hear testimony on HB2068.
Remember public comments must be submitted before the end of the meeting. To be safe, do it now! And do it here. You are limited to 3000 characters. I suggest something that expresses the key points above under:
They include 2000 characters.
If you are pressed for time, just say, “I support this bill.”
Please DO IT NOW!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/8/2025
2779 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Lake Meritage Drained into City Storm Sewer
4/7/25 – Last Saturday, 2.5 inches of rain turned the Meritage construction site in Atascocita into Lake Meritage. But by this morning, contractors were draining Lake Meritage into a City of Houston storm sewer.
Close examination of aerial photos shows a series of trenches cut under silt fences to let the water drain from the site quickly and bypass the usually slow filtration process that the fences provide.
Contractors had also cut a series of trenches within the site to move trapped stormwater toward the street. And an excavator was scooping muddy stormwater from the beginnings of a detention basin into yet another trench that led toward the exit rows.
Lake Meritage 24 Hours After Storm
Here’s what the site looked like 24 hours ago.
Pictures and Videos Taken Another 24 Hours after Storm
Here’s the same area today.
Where did all the water go?
Much of the muck flowed through a roadside swale to a storm sewer inlet. See below.
But not all of the muck stayed in the swale. The next ten-second video shows part of it running down the street. There was so much at one point that contractors had to partially block it off.
When I drove by about an hour after the last video was shot, the flow through the street had ended and someone had installed a screen over the inlet that’s clearly not on the video. The screen could make them appear compliant with their Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan.
Silt Fence Repairs Not a Priority
Unfortunately, the contractors did not drain the water invading neighbors’ yards. And repairing damaged silt fences that protected neighbors from the muck was not their highest priority.
To File a Complaint
Practices like those above are usually discouraged by the Harris County Engineer and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
If you’re concerned about runoff that floods your property or potentially clogs your storm drains, please file a complaint.
Harris County Engineer
Phone: 713-274-3600 Monday Through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM
File a complaint online at: https://epermits.harriscountytx.gov/External_Complaints.aspx
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
For instructions to file a complaint, visit: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/complaints.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2025
2778 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.