HCFCD Document Shows It Misled Commissioners, Public on CDBG Funding Worth Hundreds of Millions

5/4/2026 – On May 1, 2026, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) finally submitted a detailed spreadsheet demanded by Harris County Commissioners. It shows key milestones in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) projects receiving $868 million in federal funding.

The data raises two red flags:

  • Only 11 of 28 projects will meet deadlines
  • Construction bids far below initial estimates could leave tens of millions of dollars on the table.

Here is the detailed spreadsheet. The data directly contradicts rosy, high-level claims made by Dr. Tina Petersen, HCFCD’s executive director, in Commissioners Court on January 8, 2026. At that time…

Petersen assured commissioners that HCFCD was “ahead of schedule.”

So, let’s look at the deadlines with the detailed information now in hand. This story has the sad feeling of a football game with the home team down 30 points and only three minutes left on the scoreboard clock.

Deadlines Looming

The 28 CDBG projects are split into two groups with different deadlines:

  • 11 CDBG-Disaster Relief (DR) worth $322 million
  • 17 CDBG-Mitigation (MIT) worth $546 million.

DR projects have, by far, the tightest deadline – February 28, 2027. MIT projects have longer; 50% of that money must be spent by March 31, 2028, with the remainder spent by 2032. So, let’s look at DR projects now and save the MIT discussion for another day.

New Doc Predicts Only Five DR Projects Will Beat 2/28/27 Deadline

Of the 11 DR projects, HCFCD now predicts that only five will beat their deadline. (Estimate “substantial completion” dates shown in parentheses below.)

  • Brookglen Stormwater Detention Basin (SWDB) (12/21/2026)
  • Keegans Bayou SWDB (12/18/26)
  • Arbor Oaks (10/25/26)
  • Lauder SWDB (12/26/2026)
  • Jackson Bayou SWDB (9/3/2026)

Of these five projects, HCFCD is only actually moving dirt on two so far.

  • Arbor Oaks (30% complete with 51% of construction days elapsed)
  • Brookglen (8% complete with 9% of construction time elapsed).

Can they be completed in time? The Arbor Oaks job is a cautionary example. Contractors have completed only 30% of the job in half the allotted time.

Six DR Projects Now Predicted to Miss 2/28/27 Deadline

According to HCFCD’s latest spreadsheet, the six projects below will miss their deadlines. Construction bids on four of the six have not even been awarded yet (Genoa, Kluge, Isom, Dinner).

  • Genoa Red Bluff Regional SWDB (11/72027)
  • East TC Jester SWDB (3/4/2027)
  • Kluge SWDB (6/10/2027)
  • Greens Bayou Midreach Channel Conveyance Improvements (5/11/27)
  • Isom SWDB (6/19/2027)
  • Dinner Creek SWDB (3/24/28)

HCFCD is not moving dirt on ANY of the projects in this second group yet, though a construction trailer is on the East TC Jester Site and clearing reportedly started last week.

Less than 10 months remain on the game clock for the 11 DR projects.

How Reliable are Completion-Date Estimates?

But how much can we depend on HCFCD projections given delays and promises to date? We should remember that under Petersen, HCFCD attempted to build the Mercer SWDB on an expedited basis in ONE YEAR. It took FOUR!

Is There Flexibility in Deadline?

The Texas General Land Office (GLO), which administers US Department of Housing and Urban Development CDBG funds in Texas, has given itself a year after 2/28/27 to close out all DR jobs.

GLO might be able to give up a few months of that year – if projects are close to completion. For instance, several projects in the second group are currently projected to miss the deadline by less than three months.

However, GLO needs the rest of that year to do its work. Beyond that year, it would literally take an act of Congress to extend the deadline. Good luck with that, given the current political gridlock in Washington.

All Construction Bids Lower than Estimates So Far

Close examination of the HCFCD CDBG spreadsheet shows that ALL DR construction bids so far have come in lower than engineers’ estimates. This could create a budget surplus.

A GLO spokesperson says that in cases like that, the money could be shifted to other projects within the group that might have a deficit. Potentially, extra projects might also be possible.

However, at this stage of the game, finding a shovel-ready project that could be bundled into the DR group would be difficult. Any surplus would likely be grouped into a Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program (DRRP) at some future date.

We saw this recently when the GLO allocated unspent funds from disasters before Harvey to Harvey-related projects. That sweetened HCFCD’s DR pot by more than $100 million.

At this very moment, county and GLO officials are scrambling to identify eligible projects. However, construction experts I talked to doubt there’s time to do them before the deadline – even if one or more could be identified.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/4/2026

3170 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.

HCFCD Has Taken 4 Years to Spend 4% of HUD CDBG-DR Funds

4/21/26 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has taken more than 4 years to spend about 4% of the $322 million that HUD allocated to HCFCD for Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). That figure is carved out of a larger total ($868 million) that also includes CDBG Mitigation funds.

Former Texas General Land Office (GLO) Commissioner George P. Bush announced his intention to allocate $750 million of US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds to Harris County on 5/26/21. HUD approved that amount on 3/18/22. Subsequently, it increased when the GLO also re-allocated unused funds from storms before Harvey to Harris County.

Here’s a high-level breakdown as of today.

Source: Texas General Land Office. 4/21/26.

HCFCD has spent only 3.59% of the CDBG-DR project funds to date. That group has the tightest deadline, just 313 days away and involves roughly a third of a billion dollars.

Why Such a Low Percentage So Late In the Game?

To be fair, HCFCD had a lot of dominos to align:

  • A method of distribution (how and where the money would be spent)
  • Feasibility, preliminary-engineering, and final design studies
  • Cost estimates
  • Bids
  • Property acquisition (for some projects)
  • Obtaining GLO and HUD approval for all of the above.

But still…

Unnecessarily Burdensome Processes, Changing Horses in Midstream

Harris County made it more difficult than necessary with its own equity prioritization framework, which changed several times.

Judge Hidalgo and Commissioners Ellis and Garcia also forced out the management team that developed and sold the 2018 flood bond. Their replacement, Dr. Tina Petersen, had a long, steep learning curve and big shoes to fill. She also lost many key employees. That disrupted business continuity and cost institutional knowledge.

Since she took office, spending has gone down consistently as the pace of work slowed, partly as a consequence of a management style she calls “being more intentional.”

Self-Inflicted Wound

Having spent four years bickering about equity, the county now has just 10 months left to actually build all the jobs in order to beat a firm 2/28/27 deadline and avoid losing potentially ALL of the CDBG-DR funds.

According to a document submitted to commissioners court on 4/16/26 by Petersen and aerial photographs that I have taken, it appears that contractors are actually only turning dirt on one of 11 CDBG-DR projects.

Arbor Oaks Construction on White Oak Bayou. Project started clearing last September.

Compare that with the TC Jester Basin project shown below. Both photos were taken on 4/19/2026.

TC Jester East basin
TC Jester East Basin will go in the big treed area in the center. “Construction” was announced last December 5.

Past Experience a Logistical Red Flag

If history is any indication, the vast majority of the CDBG-DR projects will take longer than 10 months to build. Ten of the 11 are large detention basins that typically take one to two years to build. The Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek, finished just last week, took three years. And TC Jester, above, is 55% larger.

If Petersen can pull the projects off before the buzzer sounds, she deserves that $90,000 raise she got last year. If not, she won’t be the only one with egg on her face.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/21/26

3157 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.

HCFCD Confirms Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project Fully Funded Through Construction

3/28/26 – At the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) Board Meeting on 3/26/26, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen updated the board on a number of Lake Houston Area projects including the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. She confirmed it is fully funded – through construction.

However, design of the Diversion Ditch Project has not yet started. It should begin in April and finish by the end of 2027.

A year ago, the preliminary engineering study estimated the cost of the project at $40.7 million. Current estimates put the cost at $43 million, according to Petersen.

Page 18 from Dr. Petersen’s Presentation

Features Included in PER Recommendation

The preliminary engineering report published last year recommended:

  • A diversion structure at the intersection of the Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch to reduce the volume flowing into Bens Branch
  • Channel conveyance improvements to the Diversion Ditch
  • A new outfall to the West Fork San Jacinto River, just west of Woodland Hills Drive/River Grove Park
  • A stormwater detention basin on the south side of the San Jacinto West Fork.
  • Bridge replacements at Kingwood Drive, Walnut Lane, Deer Ridge Estates Boulevard and the pedestrian bridge at Lake Village Drive

The bridges at Northpark Drive will also be rebuilt, but as part of the Northpark Expansion Project.

Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Looking N at the Kingwoodwood Diversion Ditch from over the Walnut Lane Bridge

Relationship to Bens Branch Flooding

The Diversion Ditch splits off of Bens Branch near St. Martha Catholic Church north of Northpark Drive.

Stormwater flow to Bens Branch will be restricted by pipes. That will force more stormwater into the expanded Diversion Ditch. In the process, that would take enough stormwater out of Bens Branch to improve it from a 2-year level of service to a 100-year level.

Bens Branch and Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Red Diagonal = Bens Branch. White = Kingwood Diversion Ditch. Green = new outfall to river.

Diverting water from Bens Branch is important because Bens Branch runs through Kingwood Town Center where 12 people died from Harvey flooding.

Crenshaw Connection

Ironically, funding obtained by US Congressman Dan Crenshaw back in 2024 to widen the bridge shown above at Walnut Lane saved this project from the chopping block – even though it was ranked the most important project in Kingwood by the Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis.

Crenshaw requested funding for the Walnut Lane Bridge in 2023. Congress awarded it in 2024. Then in 2025, the Democratic members of Harris County Commissioners Court passed a motion to reallocate all funding from projects that fell below the top quartile of their equity prioritization framework to projects in the top quartile. That was because inflation had eaten up 25-30% of the purchasing power in the 2018 Flood Bond.

Ramsey to the Rescue

At the time, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE warned that killing projects in Quartiles 2, 3 and 4 could have dire unintended consequences. The Diversion Ditch project fell into Quartile 3.

After the Democrats saw how much partnership funding they would lose by killing projects in the lower quartiles, they relented. In their next meeting, they voted to exempt projects in the lower quartiles that already had partnership funds committed. 

That breathed new life into the Kingwood Diversion Ditch project because it included widening of the Walnut Lane Bridge which Crenshaw had already secured funding for.

HCFCD spokesperson Emily Woodell confirmed the Diversion Ditch funding today. “It was categorized as a partnership project during the bond update presented to commissioners court in August [2025] which means it is fully funded through construction.”

For Updates on Other San Jacinto Watershed Projects

See the video of the SJRA Meeting on 3/26/26 starting at about 1:05:18 into the meeting. Dr. Petersen’s presentation runs roughly 25 minutes to 1:30:00.

It covers a lot of territory including the history of HCFCD, status of the bond program, partnership funding, maintenance programs, gauges, the flood-warning system, and more.

Other capital improvement projects in the Lake Houston Area that she discusses include:

  • Woodridge Village/Taylor Gully – Construction starting in April.
  • Jackson Bayou Detention Basin – Construction starting Q3/2026.
  • Barrett Station Drainage Improvements – Currently in Design Stage.
  • Lake Houston/East Fork/West Fork Dredging – Completed.
  • Lake Houston Gates – Engineering should finish by end of this year.

See Dr. Petersen’s entire presentation for more details.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/28/26

3133 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How Crenshaw Saved Kingwood Project from Chopping Block

1/30/26 – A four-million dollar earmark secured by U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw for widening the Walnut Lane Bridge in Kingwood saved the entire $44 Million Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project from being killed by the Democratic members of Harris County Commissioners Court.

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw gives the thumbs up to the Walnut Lane Bridge project. Widening the bridge is necessary to widen the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (background) which will also help reduce flood risk along Bens Branch.

Crenshaw requested the funding in 2023. Congress awarded it in 2024. Then in 2025, the Democratic members of Harris County Commissioners Court passed a motion to reallocate all funding from projects that fell below the top quartile of their equity prioritization framework to projects in the top quartile. That was because inflation had eaten up 25-30% of the purchasing power in the 2018 Flood Bond.

Ramsey to the Rescue

At the time, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE warned that killing projects in Quartiles 2, 3 and 4 could have dire unintended consequences. The Diversion Ditch project fell into Quartile 3.

After the Democrats saw how much partnership funding they would lose by killing projects in the lower quartiles, they relented. In their next meeting, they voted to exempt projects in the lower quartiles that already had partnership funds committed.

That breathed new life into the Kingwood Diversion Ditch project because it included widening of the Walnut Lane Bridge which Crenshaw had already secured funding for.

Multiple Benefits: A Texas Twofer

But the project will benefit far more of Kingwood than just the people who live in Diversion Ditch floodplains. It will also benefit people who live near Bens Branch. That includes the Villages of Bear Branch, Kings Forest, Hunters Ridge, Town Center, Kings Harbor and Kingwood Greens.

That’s because widening the Diversion Ditch will take excess stormwater out of Bens Branch and allow water to move safely down the Diversion Ditch. The planned improvements will take Bens Branch from a 2-year level of service to a 100-year level.

Bens Branch and Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Kingwood Diversion Ditch in white, new outfall in green, and Bens Branch in red.

That means homes in the Bens Branch floodplains should be safe in anything up to a 100-year storm. Currently, the stream is at risk of flooding parts of its watershed every two years.

Twelve seniors died along Bens Branch in the Harvey flood who lived at Kingwood Village Estates. That’s a third of all the people in Harris County and a fifth of all the people in the state who died as a result of Harvey flooding.

When the Diversion Ditch project is completed, Crenshaw will have helped protect people and property values in approximately half of Kingwood.

Bob Rehak

Crenshaw Support Crucial on Other Projects, Too

The Kingwood Area Drainage analysis found that, based on the number of people who benefit, the Diversion Ditch project is one of the two most important in Kingwood. Another is the Taylor Gully/Woodridge Project which Crenshaw also secured funding for.

In fact, Crenshaw secured funding for 10 Lake Houston Area Projects in 2024 alone.

Editorial Comment: I interviewed Crenshaw in 2018 when he first ran for Congress and have followed his work in Washington ever since. The man is a warrior, scholar and leader. He fights tirelessly to improve the lives of his constituents. He studies issues. And thoughtfully and patiently explains them. There’s no way he could have known what Commissioners Court would do in 2025 when he proposed the Walnut Lane Bridge funding in 2023. Regardless, his proactive effort will improve the safety of tens of thousands of his constituents.

For more information including a timetable for the Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project, see this recent post.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/26

3076 Days since Hurricane Harvey

HUD Clears GLO of Discrimination in Distribution of Harvey-Mitigation Funds

1/29/26 – An investigation by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) found the Texas General Land Office (GLO) did not discriminate against minorities or low-to-moderate income Texans in the distribution of Hurricane Harvey Flood Mitigation Funds. The investigation reviewed more than 80,000 pages of documents.

Two Houston groups – the Northeast Action Collective and Texas Housers – claimed the GLO ignored Houston and Harris County in the distribution of the first tranche of Harvey aid. Houston and Harris County got $0 from the first $1 billion. But the Northeast Action Collective and Texas Housers ignored the fact that ALL of the next $750 million went to Harris County.

Moreover, the GLO announced the $750 million a full month BEFORE the two groups filed their discrimination complaint in 2021.

GLO Cleared

The investigation began on June 25, 2021. The Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity found that “no reasonable cause exists to believe the GLO has violated the Fair Housing Act, Title VI, or the Housing and Community Development Act through its administration of the 2019 CDBG-MIT funds, including the Hurricane Harvey State Mitigation Competition.”

Complainant Allegations

Complainants alleged discrimination on the basis of race and national origin, and that scoring criteria systematically and deliberately advantaged white communities while disadvantaging low- and moderate income (LMI) African-American and Hispanic communities.

GLO Defense

Looking only at the first billion dollars, GLO presented evidence that roughly 1.2 million of the 1.5 million Texans who benefited from the approved projects were Hispanic, Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, or Native American. The GLO also showed that 100% of the awards went to projects in majority LMI areas.

GLO also argued that complainants could not look only at one portion of the grants. Or look only at the first round of Harvey Grants and ignore 2015 and 2016 grants.

Findings

HUD found that the GLO substantially exceeded HUD’s requirement to direct at least 50% of funds to Most Impacted and Distressed (MID) areas. In 2015, 2016 and the first round of Harvey, GLO directed roughly 60% of all HUD funds to MID areas.

GLO later cancelled the second round of Harvey competition and allocated $750 million exclusively to Harris County. The County’s population is 42.9% Hispanic and 18.6% Black – a total of 61.5%. With other minorities, that brought minority beneficiaries for all phases to more than 66%.

CDBG grant spending recommendations
Location of HUD/GLO projects in Harris County as of 2024.

Thus the complainants failed to show a disproportionate impact on minorities. Northeast Action Collective and Housers failed to assess the share of total beneficiaries that were black, white or Hispanic compared to the racial demographics of eligible areas.

Even when looking at just Round One of the Harvey competition, “no reasonable cause exists to believe the GLO’s administration had a disparate racial impact on funding.”

The complainants focused on Houston and Harris County not winning any awards during the Harvey Round One competition. Another section of the 22-page legal brief deals with why. To a large degree, not winning any awards in Round One resulted from the Benefit/Cost Analyses of submitted projects. Smaller jurisdictions just had lower costs per beneficiary. (See page 13.)

For instance, one project submitted by the City would have benefitted fewer than 10,000 people, but cost $94 million. In other words, the City was seeking 18% of Round One funds to benefit less than a half-percent of the City’s population.

HUD determined that “Houston’s poor performance in the Harvey Competition is attributable, at least in part, to its expensive, low-impact project proposals.”

Conclusion

“The facts of this case do not suggest that GLO intentionally discriminated against any racial or ethnic group through its administration of the CDBG-MIT funds,” said the final ruling.

The complainants have 30 days to file an appeal. Click here to read HUD’s complete 22-page finding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/26

3075 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.

We Must Make Addressing “Worst Flooding First” a Campaign Issue

1/7/26 – The final Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) spending numbers are in for 2025. And they show a disturbing story of deception that calls for political change. The latest numbers show that HCFCD is fixing the worst flooding last, not first, as promised. See the two graphs below.

Compare Spending to Flood Height

The first shows flood height. The San Jacinto watershed had the worst flooding in Harris County.

Why vote? Worst flooding in the county.
San Jacinto had worst flooding in county. From Harris County Flood Warning System historical data.

Yet when you look at where the money goes, the San Jacinto ranks nearly last.

HCFCD cumulative spending for each watershed since flood bond as percent of projected expenditures in 2018.

The San Jacinto Watershed has only received 13% of the money allocated to it in the flood bond. Yet almost half of the flood-related deaths in Harris County during Harvey occurred in the San Jacinto Watershed – 15 out of 36. Most of those were elderly.

Why the huge disparity between these two graphs? Unfortunately and unbelievably…

The Democratic majority on commissioners court removed flood-risk reduction as a factor in prioritizing mitigation projects in 2022.

To Change Priorities, Change Leaders

But you can change that at the ballot box this year.

In that regard, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting one of the front runners for county judge this year, Marty Lancton. As a leader of first responders, he has experienced the terrible human toll of flooding as few others have. And he has made flood mitigation one of his top priorities. Most importantly…

Lancton believes in restoring flood-risk reduction as a factor in prioritizing projects.

It’s time we put the worst flooding first, not last. We must improve fairness to restore faith in government.

The Raw Data

Live in another watershed and wonder whether you got shortchanged, too? Here’s where HCFCD spent your money to date.

Projected vs. actual spending by HCFCD since start of flood bond for each watershed. Total includes bond plus partner dollars.

Eight watersheds exceed the average percent spent, while fifteen fall below it. This isn’t accidental. It’s deliberate. And this is the year to fix that.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/26

3053 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Top Flood-Related Stories of 2025: Part III – Mitigation Slowdown Becomes Election Issue

12/30/25 – Part III of the top flood-related stories of 2025 concerns a slowdown in flood-mitigation activity at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and how it is already becoming an issue in the election of a new Harris County Judge. Let’s look at the slowdown part first.

Spending Drops for Fifth Year

The graph below illustrates the slowdown.

HCFCD spending through Q3 2025
HCFCD 2018 Bond spending through Q3 2025. Approximately 60% of bond/partner funds remain unspent 8.5 years after Harvey. The bond was originally sold as a 10-year program.

That slowdown means people live with higher flood risk than necessary.

Potential Loss of $322 Million in Partner Funding At Stake

The slowdown also puts 11 grants totaling $322 million at risk.

That’s the total of Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) to Harris County from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The Texas General Land Office (GLO) administers those grants for HUD.

All have a firm deadline of 2/28/2027, according to the GLO. But most have not even been advertised for bids yet and won’t be until the first quarter of next year.

CDBG-DR projects highlighted in red have not yet been bid or bids have not yet been awarded. All must be completed by 2/28/27.

Only one CDBG-DR project so far is in construction: Arbor Oaks. Brookglen bidding has closed. Three others are still in bidding: Lauder, Greens Mid-Reach, and Keegans. Others highlighted above haven’t even started bidding yet.

It typically takes three to four months from advertising a project for bids until a winner is selected, Commissioners Court approves the award, contracts are signed and a notice to proceed is issued. That leaves less than a year for construction on most of these projects. And many could take longer than a year to build, if history is any guide.

T.C. Jester Project Illustrates Problem

For instance, HCFCD has issued a press release saying that construction of the T.C. Jester East Basin (partially funded by CDBG-DR dollars) will not finish until Q4 of 2028. HCFCD finished the preliminary engineering review in 2021.

T.C. Jester project area on Cypress Creek. The small basin (r) will expand to cover most of the forested area in center.

It’s all part of a bigger story about the slowdown and complacency. Collectively…

“We have lost the sense of urgency that once fueled our flood mitigation crusade after Hurricane Harvey.”

Bob Rehak

According to an HCFCD press release, $20 million HUD CDBG-DR dollars are at risk for one of the three detention basin compartments that will be built on the site above. But the project also involves funding from other sources. State Rep Sam Harless secured $12 million for the project through the Texas Water Development Board.

If the HUD funding falls through, what will happen to the state money? There likely wouldn’t be enough money to complete the project.

Screen capture from HCFCD Press Release Dated 12/5/25. Expected completion is at least 1.5 years after HUD deadline.

Two additional stormwater detention basin compartments on the east side of TC Jester have longer deadlines, but are scheduled to finish earlier in 2028 – ten years after the flood bond and eleven years after Harvey! They involve funding from FEMA (via Congressman Dan Crenshaw).

Any time you get two departments of the federal government (each with their own rules), the state government (with its own rules), and county government (with its rules), things get complicated. And the current leadership in Harris County has added bureaucracy that has contributed to the slowdown.

Lancton Makes Slowdown an Election Issue

The potential loss of funding has already become a campaign issue in the Harris County Judge election year.

Candidate Marty Lancton, now endorsed by Governor Abbott, has jumped on it. He issued this statement.

“The implementation of CDBG funds has taken an unacceptably long amount of time. As County Judge, I will ensure that every Harris County department is thoroughly evaluated to identify and implement process improvements. The Harris County Flood Control District will be among the first departments reviewed.”

Lancton continued, “In developing the current funding priorities, three commissioners and the current County Judge established a project list that did not adequately prioritize initiatives with the greatest potential impact, nor did it sufficiently account for whether projects could realistically be completed within the required timelines.

“As County Judge, I will ensure that taxpayer dollars are invested responsibly and that funding priorities are established based on effectiveness, feasibility, and measurable benefit to Harris County residents. Finally, I will work closely with HUD and the Texas General Land Office to improve coordination and accelerate the implementation of projects that protect and serve the people of Harris County.”

Lancton is a long time leader of first responders and is extremely aware of flood risk.

In major storms, Cypress Creek is usually one of the hardest hit areas in the County. For people who live in that area as well as downstream areas, such as Lake Houston, flood-risk reduction can’t come fast enough.

In the last 125 years, we’ve been hit with major floods 48 times. We were lucky this year. But it’s only a matter of time before one strikes again. We must be prepared.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/30/2025

3045 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Top Flood-Related Stories of 2025: Part II – Regs and Funding

12/28/2025 – This is the second part of a three part series on the top flood-related stories of 2025. Part I covered the major disasters of the year. Part II will cover the government response in terms of regulations and funding for flood mitigation efforts. And Part III will cover the progress of mitigation.

Government Response to Camp Mystic/Guadalupe Tragedy

Hearings on the Camp Mystic disaster last July identified a failure of warning signs (weather reports, alarm systems, etc.) as one of the primary causes. Investigations also discovered that the camp’s operators lobbied for changes to flood maps so that they could build in floodplains. And then they evidently expanded the camp before regulators became aware. Finally, evacuation plans were evidently not well communicated or understood.

In response, the Texas Legislature passed the Heaven’s 27 Camp Safety Act (a reference to the number of young girls who died at Camp Mystic). The act bars camp cabins in high risk areas. It also requires camps to have state-approved emergency plans, regular evacuation drills and disaster alert systems.

Lawmakers approved nearly $300 million “to boost flood preparedness, including $200 million to match federal disaster aid, $50 million for local grants to purchase flood warning equipment and $28 million to improve weather forecasting.” A companion bill also expanded government oversight of youth camps.

FEMA Cancels BRIC Program

In April, FEMA announced that it is ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and canceling all BRIC applications from Fiscal Years 2020-2023.

It also canceled the fiscal year 2024 notice of funding opportunity (NOFO), involving $750 million for grants. 

BRIC was FEMA’s largest pre-disaster mitigation program. Congress established it through the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. Its purpose: to fundamentally shift federal-disaster spending from post-disaster recovery to pre-disaster risk reduction. In other words, to encourage a shift from “Repair” to “Resilience.”

BRIC aimed to prevent disasters by helping communities build to higher standards. Flood-risk reduction grants typically helped finance projects such as:

  • Regional detention and retention basins
  • Flood diversion channels
  • Levee and floodwall construction or upgrades
  • Drainage improvements exceeding minimum code standards
  • Nature-based solutions (wetlands, floodplain restoration)
  • Elevation or floodproofing of critical facilities (hospitals, EOCs, fire stations)

A press release that accompanied the cancellation of the BRIC program called it a “wasteful, politicized grant program.” However, investments in hazard mitigation programs are the opposite of “wasteful,” according to the Association of State Flood Plain Managers. They point to studies showing flood-hazard mitigation investments return up to $8 in benefits for every $1 spent. 

States sued to prevent the cancellation. The lawsuits are still locked up in courts.

Prevention is always cheaper than correction. After Harvey, a Harris County engineering study found 20 times less damage in subdivisions using newer, more stringent building codes compared to those built under older codes.

FEMA Slowdown

Meanwhile, approvals for other types of FEMA grants have slowed. According to The Hill, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Christy Noem has adopted a policy of personally approving all major expenditures that cost $100,000 or more. The Hill article reported $900 million in grants and loans reportedly awaiting Noem’s review.

Separately, in other FEMA news, according to the Washington Post, hundreds of residents signed up for FEMA buyouts after Cat 4 Hurricane Helene devastated the southeast in 2024. Not one has yet been approved. 

HUD/GLO Finish Rebuilding Program

On a more positive note, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) administers U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) flood-mitigation/disaster-relief programs in Texas. The GLO recently announced completion of the rebuilding of more than 9600 homes across the state under its Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP). That total includes mostly homes from its Hurricane Harvey disaster recovery mission. But it also includes homes impacted by Imelda, Laura, and repetitive flooding events in the Rio Grande Valley.

GLO poster celebrating program completion.

Status of Other GLO/HUD Programs

The GLO continued advancing long-term recovery and resilience by administering more than $1 billion in Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Projects. Additionally, HUD approved the GLO’s plan for $555 million to help communities impacted by 2024 Disasters.

The GLO completed reviews and approvals of all remaining project applications under the Regional Mitigation Program (RMP), providing funding for critical infrastructure improvements including drainage systems and flood-prevention measures. In total, the GLO has approved more than 200 RMP projects for more than $1.1 billion.

The GLO also approved more than $135 million in applications through the Disaster Recovery Reallocation Program (DRRP). It utilizes unspent disaster recovery funds from older disasters to help communities with outstanding unmet needs. These investments will reduce risk related to hurricanes, tropical storms, flooding, and other hazards.  

The agency also announced it will be closing applications at the end of the year for both the Local Hazard Mitigation Plans Program (LHMPP) and the Resilient Communities Program (RCP). Both are part of the GLO’s long-term strategy to help communities strengthen local planning efforts, modernize codes, and protect life and property from future disasters.

Montgomery County Updates Flood Regulations

Eight years after Harvey, Montgomery County finally adopted new subdivision, floodplain, and drainage regulations.

The county adopted its new subdivision (development) regulations on March 4, then amended them on May 27 and October 14. MoCo also issued subdivision guidelines and recommendations on November 4.

Commissioners adopted a new Drainage Criteria Manual on August 26. And new Floodplain Management Regulations became effective on October 1, 2025.

While MoCo regs don’t perfectly reflect the Minimum Drainage Standards recommended by Harris County for other counties draining into it, they are a great improvement.

Competing Forces at Work

Flood safety is a constant struggle between competing forces that increase or reduce flood risk. There are so many, the public can hardly know whether it’s winning or losing.

Just because the government appropriates money, doesn’t mean it’s enough or will be spent promptly.

Even if it is, will it actually reduce risk in the face of offsetting factors such as legislative loopholes, grandfather clauses, willful blindness, the profit motive, shifting political winds, and insufficiently mitigated upstream development?

And maybe that’s THE Top Flood-Related Story of 2025. More on that tomorrow.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/28/2025

3043 Days since Hurricane Harvey

San Jacinto Watershed Received Only 2% of Mitigation Dollars since Passage of Flood Bond

10/27/2025 – The San Jacinto watershed has received only about 2% of the county’s flood-mitigation dollars since voters approved the 2018 Flood Bond.

And yet, the San Jacinto watershed:

Yet whether you look at total dollars spent or construction dollars, the 2% figure remains.

San Jacinto Watershed Receives Less than $5 Million Per Year in 5 of 8 Years

According to the most recent figures available from Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), the county has spent $2,071.59 million ($2+ billion) in total since passage of the flood bond in 2018. Yet the San Jacinto watershed has received only $43.65 million of that – 2.11%.

And of the $948.38 million spent on construction since Bond passage, the San Jacinto watershed has received only $19.65 million – 2.07%. See the breakdown by years below:

Data for both graphs sourced from HCFCD Activity Page. *Includes 1 Quarter. **Includes 3 Quarters.

So, whether you look at total or construction spending, the San Jacinto watershed has received less than $5 million per year in five of the last eight years.

So Much for Worst First!

To put those numbers in perspective, compare the size of the watershed to the size of the spending.

The portion of the San Jacinto watershed inside Harris County ranks it as the largest watershed in the county. But that is the smallest portion of the watershed.
Compiled from HCFCD data above.

The County sold the flood bond to voters by saying it would fix the worst areas first. However, that has not been the case.

Shortly after voters approved flood bond language that guaranteed an “equitable distribution of funds,” the County adopted an “Equity Prioritization Framework” that eliminated flood damage and flood risk in the allocation of dollars. Linguists and historians may be interested in reviewing accepted definitions of equity and equitable in Websters Third International and Oxford English Dictionaries. The words sound alike, but are not the same.

Some Other Watersheds Have Received Even Less

But as bad as this is for the San Jacinto watershed, consider other watersheds that have gotten even less.

Screen capture from https://www.hcfcd.org/Activity

In my opinion, the issue with flood-control spending to date is not just slowness, it’s also fairness.

We’ll have a chance to fix that next year. Primary elections for county commissioners and county judge begin in March 2026. And the general election is in November 2026.

We have another hurricane season to get through before then. Don’t count on another as mild as this one.

Posted by Bob Rehak on October 27, 2025

2981 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.

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