Tag Archive for: HCFCD

HCFCD Director Tina Petersen Keeps Her Job … For Now

5/15/2026 – At their 5/14/2026 meeting, Harris County Commissioners discussed the job performance of the Flood Control District Executive Director, Tina Petersen, Ph.D. After coming out of executive session, Commissioners announced that they were taking “no action” re: Dr. Petersen.

Petersen has come under increasing pressure to produce results on $322 million worth of projects funded by HUD Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). They have a looming February 28, 2027 deadline. And Petersen’s own data shows many of the projects will miss that deadline, thus jeopardizing federal funding.

Dr. Petersen under pressure as she addressed commissioners

Hidalgo Putting Petersen’s Performance Back on Agenda

Despite taking “no action” on Petersen this week, in a lunch-time press conference yesterday, County Judge Lina Hidalgo, said she was putting Petersen’s performance back on the agenda for the June Commissioner’s Court meeting.

Here is a transcript of the Petersen portion of Hidalgo’s press conference.

Addressing schedule slippage on CDBG-DR projects with tight deadlines, Hidalgo said, “The best I can do is place my trust in somebody else that might bring a different kind of energy, a sense of urgency and a new relationship with our partners at other levels of government.”

Hidalgo referred to Petersen’s “unforced errors” and added, “Every day that passes is a day in which perhaps we’re not working as quickly as we could be working.”

When asked about the probability of meeting the General Land Office deadline of February 28, 2027, Hidalgo replied,

“Given where we are and given the reports we have so far, I don’t see how they [the DR projects] will be done on time.”

Lina Hidalgo

Referring to other leaders at the federal and state levels who will have to make a decision about granting an extension, Hidalgo said, “If they’re anything like me, they will want to see a change [in leadership] as well. So that’s where I’m coming from.”

“I don’t think she’s the right person to continue to see this through. I don’t think that gives us the best shot at inspiring the confidence that the other levels of government will need to bet on Harris County,” Hidalgo added.

Ramsey Remains “Extremely Concerned”

Later, back in the meeting, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey announced that he “remains concerned” about whether Petersen is achieving results and being transparent.

“There have been some delays internally in terms of when we get projects out, when we get projects bid. That’s very clear and we can go through a lot of detail related to that,” said Ramsey. “I think the GLO’s concerned that we’re not doing our job. So that concerns me. I get concerned when they tell me that they’re having trouble getting data.”

Ramsey expressed concerns about how transparent HCFCD was being regarding the status of projects. In referring to a detailed report that commissioners demanded from Petersen in the previous meeting, he said to her, “I shouldn’t have had to come to Commissioner’s Court to get support from this court to ask you to provide information to the GLO.” Then he added, “Every bit of data that we requested … was specifically needed by the GLO and they were not getting it.” 

Speaking to Petersen, he said, “I’m not going to take for granted what you’re telling me. It’ll be verified by Administrator Carter [the country administrator] in great detail in the coming days.”

Ramsey concluded, “Clearly, this is urgent. I’m glad you were able to do a report that we asked for, but I remain extremely concerned.”

Petersen’s Presentation Focused Largely on Need for Deadline Extension

At the end of the meeting, Petersen appeared before commissioners, ostensibly to update them on the status of the CDBG projects. She did produce a series of one-page information sheets that show a timeline for each CDBG-DR project.

However, she did not go into details on those. Nor did she explain any “unforced errors” as Hidalgo called them.

Instead, she focused largely on how frequently she had requested deadline extensions. In her half hour at the podium, Petersen mentioned a need for deadline extensions or more time approximately 30 times.

I felt she was claiming that there was never enough time to do these jobs. What do you feel? Here are:

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/15/26

3181 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 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.

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.

Screen capture from email received 4/21/26

Excited, I drove to the job site again to photograph the traffic cones, flag men, construction equipment, and bustling bulldozers supposedly 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.

TC Jester East Basin 1B will wrap around this pre-existing basin where a construction trailer and a few pickups were parked.

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

Looking E across TC Jester in foreground at treed area where basin will go.
Looking E along Cypresswood Drive. No construction equipment or other entrances in sight.
Looking at intersection of Cypresswood (l) and TC Jester (r) where email warned of equipment accessing the site.
Looking W along Cypress Creek back toward TC Jester. No clearing. No construction equipment.

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. Intentionally or not.

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

So have I. It’s time for new leaders at HCFCD who can get the District moving again.

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.

Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project Delayed Again

3/13/26 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has asked for a 20-month extension on the Kingwood Diversion Ditch Project scheduled to take 24 months. The original period of performance for the contract was from 4/1/24 to 4/1/26. But backup provided to Commissioners Court shows HCFCD doesn’t even expect to give the vendor a notice to proceed until 4/27/26.

The announced reason for the extension request: “…an unforeseen delay in project cost negotiations to remain within budget…”

“Who negotiates with a vendor for two years on a job with a two year deadline?”

Bob Rehak

See Item #148 on the agenda for March 19, 2026 and the explanation sent to commissioners and the EPA (the grantor).

Top Priority or Lowest?

The Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis recommended expanding the Diversion Ditch as the top priority in Kingwood in 2020.

Preliminary engineering on the project began in 2021. But then the Democrats on Commissioner’s Court forced a management change at HCFCD.

The preliminary engineering was supposed to take 330 days, but it took four years instead. Worse, after all that time, it was criticized for not reflecting actual conditions and obvious recommendations. HCFCD blamed the problems on vendor “personnel issues.”

But it took HCFCD another seven months from publication of the preliminary engineering report to the time they officially delivered it to Commissioners Court for formal approval.

Congressman Dan Crenshaw first requested a $1.6 million grant for Diversion Ditch design in 2021. It was approved in the fiscal year 2022 budget by Congress. Now, HCFCD is requesting a two-year extension until December 31, 2027.

From the identification of the need in the Kingwood Area Drainage analysis on 10/20/20 to the projected end date of 12/31/27, 2628 days will elapse (assuming no more delays).

To put that in perspective, the U.S. won World War II in 1348 days.

So, it will take almost twice as long to redesign a channel as it did to win World War II! That takes some real talent! I’m not sure it’s possible to walk a project any slower and not have Commissioners Court notice. To be fair, the Diversion Ditch IS more than three miles long!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/26

3118 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Need for Watershed-Wide Solutions to Ensure Flood Resilience

2/19/26 – Texas 2036 and the American Flood Coalition hosted an informative seminar on 2/17/26. It emphasized lessons learned from other states that help ensure flood resilience. One of the dominant themes of the day was the need for watershed-wide flood solutions. Without watershed-wide solutions, upstream communities can create the conditions of their own future flooding while putting downstream communities on an expensive flood-mitigation treadmill.

About the Sponsors

The mission of Texas 2036 is to enable Texans to make policy decisions through accessible data, long-term planning and statewide engagement. Its goal is to make Texas the best place to live and work. 2036 refers to Texas’ upcoming bicentennial year.

The American Flood Coalition (AFC) is a bipartisan, member-driven coalition working at all levels of government to scale innovative solutions to the country’s toughest flood-adaptation challenges.

A Watershed-Based Approach to Flooding

Dr. Ruth Akintoye kicked off the first presentation with a reminder that the new Texas State Flood Plan is organized along watershed boundaries. And not just sub-watersheds, but entire river basins. That’s because floodwater does not respect jurisdictional boundaries.

A watershed based approach to flooding.
On left: map showing the 15 river basins in Texas. On right, diagram of how rain can fall in one part of a watershed and flood other parts where it did not even rain. Watersheds are large areas that drain to single points.

“This requires communities to collaborate regionally and also to coordinate with the state,” said Akintoya.

Akintoya gave a shout-out to more than 50 Texans for their leadership on flooding issues and securing more than $4 billion to fund flood and water projects across the state. She singled out Congressman Dan Crenshaw by name.

Crenshaw AFC slide
Texas Members of the American Flood Coalition. (Crenshaw Top Row/Middle)

As a group, they’re trying to bring a 360-degree view of flooding to everyone in the state. “Texas is already a leader in how states approach flood resilience,” said Akintoya. “Yet we all know that resilience is not static and it never fully gets checked off.”

Benefits of a Watershed-Wide Approach

Throughout the seminar, speakers kept referring to the benefits of a watershed-wide approach to flood resilience. They include:

  • Comprehensive solutions where the pieces work better together
  • Saving money through various techniques
  • Better flood prediction
  • Increased coordination when pursuing funding from partners at various levels of government.
High-level benefits of a watershed wide flood-mitigation approach

Florida’s Always-Ready Long-Range Plan

Former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, Chris Sprowls, amplified those thoughts. He talked about the passage of Florida’s landmark “Always Ready” legislation. AFC called it “the nation’s most comprehensive state-level flood resilience and adaptation initiative.”

The initiative positioned Florida as a leader in preparing communities for rising flood risks. The Florida Plan looks 30 years into the future. Sprowls talked about similarities between Texas and Florida. Namely, both are hubs for domestic migration.

“People are coming to find a better life for their families and a pathway to prosperity. But the downside of that is that we have to plan further into the future,” said Sprowls.

“In Florida,” said Sprowls, “we think about water from a watershed perspective.” In the past, “we weren’t doing the planning and making the investments really needed to keep our communities safe.”

New Texas Flood Plan Based on River-Basin-Wide Approach

Former executive director of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), Jeff walker, talked about the river-basin-wide approach in the first Texas State Flood Plan. The total cost of recommendations was $51 billion. “But to give some perspective, the losses associated with Hurricane Harvey were over $125 billion. That’s from one storm,” he said.

One of the first things Texas learned, said Walker, was that “a large, large majority of the flood maps were out of date.”

“The FEMA maps did not give a full picture of the risk or pinpoint mitigation measures,” he added.”Except for the larger metropolitan areas, most cities and counties do not have a good picture of flood risks. As you can imagine, many cities need technical assistance to help them identify such risk.”

Even worse, Walker said, “Many entities cannot access funds because they do not have a good plan for how to use them. And there is not a good mechanism for flood funding at the city level – especially small cities – because they do not have a source of [matching] funds for such projects.”

Walker believes one of the biggest impacts of the State Flood Plan is that state, local, and watershed-level districts are finally engaging with one another about projects. “It’s not happening in little silos anymore,” he said. He believes that “gives one dollar the power of two.”

“There are more than 1,200 flood managers in Texas, and some of them hold 3 or 4 hats.”

Jeff Walker, Former Exec. Dir., TWDB

He referred to mayors and city managers responsible for flood projects “they don’t know how to do.” A river-basin-wide flood-control district would put that expertise at their disposal.

Fast Growth Argues For Wider Outlook

Florida’s Sprowls fielded many of the questions during Q&A. Several questions addressed fast growth. “It’s really important to fold vulnerabilities into future development plans,” he said. “As population grows and economic development booms in new areas, you need to understand how risk scales relevant to that development. And you can make smart choices to mitigate that risk.”

Texas State Rep. Dennis Paul sponsored such a bill in 2025 to expand Harris County Flood Control District’s geographic scope, but it never made it out of the Natural Resources Committee. Rep. Paul reportedly plans to introduce it again in 2027.

As awareness grows about the benefits of flood-control districts that cover entire river basins, he may have better luck next time. It’s important. The state flood plan shows that the San Jacinto Basin (Region 6) has the largest flood-mitigation needs in the state…by a wide margin.

From Jeff Walker’s presentation. San Jacinto needs (Region 6 in center) approach $8 billion.

See the entire hour-long seminar on the Texas 2036 website.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/19/26

3096 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Trouble Researching Flood Risk of a Home?

1/27/26 – Are you having trouble researching the flood risk of a home? Yours or perhaps one you are considering buying? Worried that your flood risk may have increased over time? If so, the Houston Chronicle wants to hear from you.

The Chronicle is conducting a brief survey about flood risk. Investigative reporter Yilun Cheng found that 65,000 homes have been sold in Houston area floodplains since Harvey.

During Harvey, 154,170 homes in Harris County alone flooded. That was an estimated 9- to 12-percent of all the structures in the county. See page 13 of HCFCD’s final Harvey Report.

Of the 154,170 homes that flooded, 48,850 were within the 1% (100-yr) floodplain, 34,970 within the .2% (500-yr) floodplain, and 70,370 were outside of any floodplain – almost half the total of those within floodplains.

That troubling percentage prompted a re-examination of floodplain assumptions and flood risk after Harvey. The result was a massive effort by Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to update flood maps. But 8.5 years later, after repeated delays, new maps still haven’t been released. Compare the two timelines below.

2020 screen capture from MAAPnext.org showing release of preliminary maps in early 2022.
Screen captured on 1/27/26. Note also the new narrative about “FEMA is leading the process” in lower right.

And that’s one way you get 65,000 homes sold in floodplains since Harvey. But those are only the floodplains that we know about. That number could easily increase when new maps showing the expanded floodplains are released.

Has Uncertainty Affected Your Flood Risk?

That uncertainty, coupled with the constant need to build, buy or sell homes, could be laying the groundwork for the next natural disaster. The uncertainty makes it difficult to assess a home’s true flood risk and determine whether that’s a risk you’re willing to take.

Are you uninsured? Underinsured? Could you afford flood insurance on top of a mortgage if you suddenly found yourself in a floodplain? Could you afford a total loss if you flooded without insurance?

“Many homeowners don’t learn their property is in a high-risk area until after they purchase it,” said Cheng. “Repeated delays in the release of new flood maps have exacerbated that problem.”

“We’re looking to speak with residents across the Houston metro area, including Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Galveston and other nearby counties. Your story could help others understand the risks and may be featured in our reporting,” says Cheng.

The Chronicle questionnaire has about a half dozen short, factual questions that should take no more than five minutes to answer. Please help. You do not need to subscribe to the Chronicle to participate in the survey.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/27/26

3073 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Ramsey Sounds Alarm Over Deadline That Could Cost County $250 Million

1/9/2026 – On 1/8/2026, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey put Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) on notice that he is concerned about HCFCD’s ability to meet state and federal grant deadlines for an estimated quarter billion dollars of flood control projects. Missing the deadlines could possibly result in the loss of funding.

Ramsey cautioned the court, “If we don’t meet the deadline, $250 million is at risk.” 

Ramsey said he plans to discuss the progress of the projects in every Commissioners Court meeting between now and the February 28, 2027, deadline.

The projects are being funded by Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). The grants originate from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), but are administered by the Texas General Land Office. Project deadlines have already been extended twice and HCFCD has been warned in writing not to ask for more extensions.

The eleven CDBG-DR projects include:

Status from HCFCD as of 1/9/26. Estimated grant values from GLO as of 10/25. SWDB means stormwater detention basin. CCI means channel conveyance improvements, i.e., widening, deepening and/or lining with concrete.

Ramsey’s estimate of $250 million at risk differs from the total grant value of $322 million. He must conservatively assume that at least some of the projects can be completed and are therefore not at risk. However, he didn’t say which he thought were safe.

Typical Timetables

It typically takes 3-4 months to advertise a project for bids, approve the winning bidder, and sign the contract. Once the contractor mobilizes for the job, it can easily take another year or more to complete it. For example, the Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek was started in 2022 on an expedited basis. It was expected to take a year. But it was not yet complete at the end of 2025. So you can see Ramsey’s concern.

In contrast, most of these projects will have less than a year for construction unless HUD grants another extension. In the past, Commissioners have expressed reservations about starting projects they may not have money to complete.

Flood Control’s Reaction to Concerns

Regardless, Flood Control District Executive Director Tina Petersen expressed confidence that she could make the February 2027 deadline.

She thanked Commissioner Adrian Garcia for the recognition that HCFCD is getting seven projects amended into the GLO’s Action Plan. But those are CDBG-Mitigation projects, not CDBG-Disaster Relief projects, which have a much tighter deadline.

Without distinguishing the difference, she then segued to Disaster Relief. She thanked Garcia again for recognizing that the Brookglen bid had just been approved. Brookglen IS a DR project.

She then addressed Ramsey’s concern. “We do have a plan for moving forward with the remainder of the projects,” said Petersen without offering specifics. “Right now, we have four projects out for bid that were originally supposed to be going out this month, but we were successful in expediting the schedule and pushing fast and pushing hard with the cooperation of our purchasing director to get those out in December.”

Petersen continued, “So, we are moving ahead of schedule right now. We have an additional, I believe, five projects left to get out in Quarter One. And right now, we are on track to do so.”

Dr. Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD, addressing Commissioners Court on deadline issue.

Petersen Points to Process Improvements

Petersen then shifted the discussion to process improvements. “We are working closely to identify places where we’re having challenges and then working collaboratively to make sure that we chase those issues down.” 

She specifically mentioned how she was working with the county’s purchasing department to speed up the bidding and approval process and pointed to Item 132 on the agenda. It gives authority to the purchasing agent to award construction contracts to the lowest responsible bidder for 29 CDBG-DR and -MIT projects.

“Every day, every week that we can save in this process makes a difference,” said Petersen. “We think that … will save us between 2 and 6 weeks, and that will matter to us.” 

“Every Single Day Could Make a Difference”

Garcia put a finer point on it. He said, “Every single day could make a difference.”

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones thanked Petersen for her efforts, but also said, “Every time I see you, Doctor Petersen, I feel like there’s a clock ticking in my head.”

This is the best drama in town.

During the meeting yesterday, it became clear that Ramsey was frustrated with the operation and efficiency of many county departments. He wants no more excuses or finger pointing. And he’s doing whatever he can to keep the county from losing that CDBG-DR money.

In a separate phone call Ramsey said, “Don’t tell me what you’re going to do. Tell me what you’ve done. Bid the jobs!”

HCFCD started working on these projects in 2022. But only one is now under construction. With only 13 months left to move millions of cubic yards of dirt, Petersen claims HCFCD is “ahead of schedule,” Incredibly, 9 of 11 projects have still not been awarded to contractors.

To see video of this discussion in Commissioners Court, go to https://harriscountytx.new.swagit.com/videos/371451. Then click on Emergency Supplemental Items, Part 2 of 2 and scroll to 1:44:30 for the start of the discussion.

Part of a Broader Slowdown

The Flood Control District listed only thirteen items on its part of the agenda for the January 8 meeting.

  • Three had to do with interlocal agreements
  • Three dealt with CenterPoint agreements
  • Two dealt with contract modifications
  • Three dealt with buyouts of individual properties
  • One had to do with safety
  • One delegated authority to Harris County Purchasing to award construction contracts to the lowest responsible bidder for 29 CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT projects (Item 132 mentioned above).

After passage of the flood bond in 2018, HCFCD routinely had 80+ items on the agenda. But then in 2021, the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court made a management change. And the rate of project execution has slowed ever since.

From https://www.hcfcd.org/Activity. Data goes through end of 2025. Current rate is less than half of peak.

Now is the time for Dr. Petersen to show that she’s worth her $434,000 annual salary. Can she save a quarter billion dollars? Only time will tell. Now comes the real heavy lifting.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/9/26

3055 Days since 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.

Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin Nearing Completion

12/4/25 – The new 512-acre-foot Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin Project at FM1960 and the Hardy Tollroad is finally nearing completion. The project – originally expected to take a year – took more than three and a half.

Mercer basin timetable
From Rodney Ellis presentation to Community on June 29, 2022.

The impending completion is good news. But the length of time it took is not. It raises serious questions for hundreds of millions of dollars of other projects with tight deadlines imposed by the federal government.

Before we get to that, let’s first look at Mercer.

Mercer Project Announced in June 2022

In June 2022, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis announced the start of the Mercer project next to Mercer Botanic Gardens. He said the twin basins would be done on an expedited basis and take a year.

Photos taken this afternoon show that the excavation work appears to be done, but the landscaping work remains. Specifically, the sides and perimeters of the basins need to be planted with grass to retard erosion.

Close examination of the photos show that recent rains have already washed a significant amount of dirt from the slopes into the bottom of the twin basins.

The first photo shows the two Mercer basins from over Cypress Creek.

Looking S at Mercer Basins. Hardy Tollroad in upper right. FM1960 at top of frame.

Notice how the north basin is partially grassed in. The south basin has no landscaping yet. Neither basin has grass on the perimeter roads or back-slope interceptor swales.

Closer view of south basin (top) also shows erosion on slopes of north basin (bottom).
Reverse angle shows erosion on slopes of north basin also. Note collection of sediment at bottom of ramp (lower right).
Looking N from over FM1960. Wider shot shows erosion in foreground. Luckily, contractor has not yet demobilized equipment.

Implications for Other Projects with Tight Deadlines

As I write this, HCFCD is gearing up to construct eleven other projects related to HUD/GLO Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) grants. They total almost a third of a billion dollars. All eleven must be completed before February 28, 2027 – just 15 months from now.

Yet most of the projects won’t be advertised for bids until the first quarter of next year. And two of the projects won’t even be bid until the second quarter of next year according to HCFCD’s most recent Bid Outlook Calendar published on 10/15/25.

One is the $32.8 million East TC Jester Stormwater Detention Basin. The other is the $29.4 million Kluge Stormwater Detention Basin (not even shown on the calendar). Both fall into Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s Precinct 3.

Ramsey has requested “discussion and possible action on the Harris County Flood Control District Construction Bid Calendar.” See Item 495 on the 12/11/25 Commissioners Court agenda.

According to sources in the Flood Control District, it typically takes 3 to 6 months from the time a project is first advertised until dirt starts flying. That would not leave much time to complete the disaster relief projects. Accordingly…

HCFCD Requests $17 Million for Outside Help

Also on the agenda for December 11 are five items relating to staff augmentation for HCFCD. Items 299, 302, 303, 304, 305 request “engineering services to provide program management, project management, construction management, and inspection services for the development and implementation of CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT projects.” They include five engineering companies and total $17 million:

  • Ardurra Group $5 million
  • Jacobs Engineering $1 million
  • WSP USA $1 million
  • BGE $5 million
  • Quiddity $5 million

I have posted ad nauseam about the slowdown at HCFCD. Let’s hope it doesn’t cost the County the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/4/2025

3019 Days since Hurricane Harvey

HCFCD Construction Spending Continues to Plummet

10/26/25 – Harris County Flood Control District construction spending has plummeted in recent years along with total spending. And a leading indicator – construction contract awards – doesn’t show much hope for improvement anytime soon.

Numbers Tell the Story

I’ve posted before about the decline in total spending. It ramped up sharply after voters approved the flood bond in the third quarter of 2018. But then it started dropping relentlessly. The decline largely coincided with a management change made by the Democratic-controlled commissioners court.

From HCFCD Activity page as of 10/25/25. *2018 included only one quarter. **2025 includes three quarters.

The last bar on the right includes only three quarters. But at the current rate, 2025 will equal about $166 million – down about a third from 2024.

Total spending includes many activities besides construction. But flood risk isn’t reduced until construction is finished. And we see a similar decline in construction spending that started when HCFCD management changed at the start of 2022.

From HCFCD Activity page as of 10/25/25. *2018 included only one quarter. **2025 includes three quarters.

But the graphs above only show activity in the rear-view mirror. Looking forward, the picture is equally bleak.

Approved Bids: A Leading Indicator for Construction

Few new projects have had construction contracts awarded in the past year. Of the 16 construction contracts awarded in the previous four quarters, 14 have been for maintenance to existing assets.

Only two, both in White Oak Bayou, have been for new capital assets – the Yale and Arbor Oaks Stormwater Detention Basins. See below.

Page 2 of HCFCD latest Bid Outlook, transmitted to Commissioners Court for 10/30/25 meeting.

All of the rest simply restore functionality. So…

The prospects for flood-risk improvement in the immediate future look bleak for the vast majority of the county.

HCFCD awarded the construction contract for Arbor Oaks in Q2 this year. But excavation had not yet started as of late September 2025.

Deadline Rapidly Approaching for Grants Totaling $321 Million

The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved 11 projects for Community Development Block Grants in the Disaster Relief category (CDBG-DR).

The 11 projects including Arbor Oaks total $321 million dollars. But to get the money, HCFCD must complete the projects by February 28, 2027, to meet HUD’s deadline.

However, construction will need to be completed by December 2026 – thirteen months away – because it generally takes two to three months to administratively close out CDBG grants.

But according to HCFCD’s most recent bid outlook, flood control won’t even advertise eight of the 10 remaining projects until next year. And another slipped off the radar altogether.

CDBG-DR projects approved by HUD, but not yet bid by HCFCD. SWDB = Stormwater Detention Basin. CCI = Channel Conveyance Improvements.

Phase II of the Brookglen Stormwater Detention Basin received authorization to use government funds in August 2024. Yet HCFCD doesn’t even anticipate advertising it for bids until November 2025 – 15 months. That’s more time than HCFCD has to complete construction.

Little time remains to complete projects of this magnitude. And HCFCD has not explained how it will complete them before the deadline. HUD has already said they will not grant any more extensions.

This represents a real risk. Harris County residents could lose $321 million of Federal funding for important flood damage reduction projects.

Hidalgo Says Audit Revealed Contracting Irregularities

Meanwhile, according to a Houston Chronicle story published on 10/22/25, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo “called for renewed scrutiny of the Harris County Flood Control District after a recent audit found transparency issues in its contracting process.”

The Chronicle reported that Hidalgo said, “What we found was there was no paper trail. There was no qualifications, information, selection committee, evaluation scoring — no documentation whatsoever.”

The Chronicle story added, “Flood control initially promised to reform its contracting process by August 2024, but has since asked for multiple extensions.”

Sound familiar?

No Apparent Sense of Urgency

HCFCD had only four items on the agenda for the 10/30/25 Commissioners Court meeting. Not one of the four items had to do with any of the ten CDBG-DR projects above. One involved a contract name change; the other three involved small property acquisitions.

HCFCD has billions of dollars waiting to be used. But at this moment, not one new capital improvement project is being bid.

All open HCFCD bid opportunities as of 10/26/25.

And yet earlier this year, HCFCD’s executive director received a pay increase of $90,000 to $434,000.

Call me old fashioned, but I believe in “pay for performance.” I wonder what metrics Hidalgo used to recommend such a bump in pay. How can someone get paid so much to accomplish so little?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/26/25

2980 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.

Weird Nephew Izzy Has Fix for HCFCD Slowdown

More than four years after being awarded almost a billion dollars in HUD money for more than 30 flood mitigation and disaster recovery projects, Harris County Flood Control District has actually started building only one of the jobs. If it misses rapidly approaching deadlines, it could lose the money, a fact that has not escaped my Weird Nephew Izzy.

Izzy applied for the job of HCFCD executive director in 2021, but didn’t get it. When he stopped by yesterday, he was still a tad bitter.

Izzy Does Some Armchair Quarterbacking

“If they don’t hustle up pretty soon, Uncle Bob, we could lose all that money. They dug us into a hole without digging many holes.” 

“Yes, Izzy, it appears things have slowed way down. They’re just not building those stormwater-detention basins and channel-conveyance improvements as fast as they used to.” 

“I gotta get me one of dem govmint jobs. The less you do, the more you make.”

“I don’t think that’s true, Izzy. I know a lot of hard-working public servants.”

“Well, look at Flood Control, Uncle Bob.”

“What about it?”

“They’re doin’ less and less. But their executive director just got a $90,000 raise. They shoulda done hired ME for that job, Uncle Bob.” 

“But Izzy, you weren’t qualified.”

“I sure could use the money, Uncle Bob. Anyway, qualifications is highly overrated. A job like that needs leadership ability.”

“I know you just got promoted to head bagger down at the Walmart, but…”

“Damn straight,” he exclaimed. “That’s because people like to work with me. My hands is always flyin’. I make everyone around me look good.”

“You are fast. I’ll give you that, Izzy.”

“And after work, I’m not afraid to tip back a few with the crew, too,” said Izzy, scratching his belly.

“I can see that.”

Lessons from Leadership School

“People gotta wanna work their hardest for ya, Uncle Bob. That’s what they done taught me in leadership school.”

“That’s very true, Izzy. But the people at Flood Control say they’re waiting on permits from other agencies like the Army Corps and EPA.”

“My point, presactly. See, I coulda introduced ’em to some dancers down at the Crystal Pistol. I woulda had those permits in a heartbeat, Uncle Bob.”

“I’m not sure that’s ethical, Izzy.”

“Why not? I’d be doing a public service for public servants. And probably savin’ taxpayers money in the long run.”

“Izzy!”

“What’s wrong, Uncle Bob?”

“It’s just not ethical.”

“You gotta understand how the game is played, Uncle Bob. I saw it all the time when I worked down at the lounge.”

Uncle Bob Sees Orange

“Enough, Izzy! It’s not legal either. You wouldn’t look good in orange.”

“OK, OK. But I’d find a way to get them permits … a legal way.”

“And what would that be?”

“Just like in school. Wait till the last minute and tell the teacher you need an extension.”

“They appear to be doing that now, Izzy. And they’ve already been told there won’t be any more extensions.”

“Welllllll then… just sayin’. Foxy Roxy flooded in Harvey, Uncle Bob. And she can be very discrete.”

“Does she have an engineering degree?”

________________

Satire by Bob Rehak on 10/8/25

2962 Days since 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.