Harris County Commissioners unanimously a proposal to reform the Harris County Flood bond program, increase transparency and fairness, and ensure projects with the highest impact and effectiveness are completed. The remaining $4.16 billion (bond and partnership funds) of the $5.2 billion investment will support completion of rojects across Harris County, including 27 projects in Precinct 4. Projects will focus on high flood risk areas and socially vulnerable communities. The projects will leverage partnership funds to stretch taxpayer dollars further, maximize impact, and increase the number of families served.
“We must be relentless in delivering progress and protection to mitigate the risk of future floods," said Commissioner Lesley Briones.
In August 2017, Hurricane Harvey — one of the worst urban floods in United States history — devastated Harris County with a trillion gallons of stormwater. The storm caused 30 deaths and flooded more than 150,000 structures across the County.In August 2018, one year after Harvey, Harris County voters overwhelmingly approved a $2.5 billion bond measure to finance various flood control projects aimed at mitigating flooding in the event of future storms.
Prioritizing Flood Resilience in Precinct 4
Precinct 4 — home to Cypress, Katy, Alief, Meyerland, Gulfton, and Sharpstown — was hit hard by Harvey has experienced growing flood concerns in recent years. ond projects that will be completed in Precinct 4 include:
- Keegans Bayou: $76 million investment in planning, land acquisition, design, and construction to address conveyance improvements, stormwater detention basins, and drainage systems in Alief.
- Cypress Ditch Flood Mitigation Project: $10 million investment coupled with more than million in partnership funding to relieve flooding in Gulfton, Bellaire, and along the 610 corridor.
- South Mayde Creek: Over $45 million investment in planning, land acquisition, design, and construction of channel upgrades and multiple detention basins in the Katy area.
- Little Cypress Frontier Program: Over $130 million investment in nine detention basins and conveyance improvements to widen and deepen Little Cypress Creek, maximizing stormwater mitigation, water quality, and green space in one of Harris County’s fastest-growing areas.
Delivering Progress and Protection
Since 2018, approximately 1 billion in funding from the bond has been used to deliver 50 projects county-wide to mitigate flooding. Fourteen of these projects have been completed within Precinct 4, including:
- Construction of new detention basins and improvements to existing detention basins at three locations within the Cypress, Little Cypress, and Spring Creek watersheds in the Tomball and Hockley areas
- Development of additional retention capacity to enhance the performance of the Addicks Reservoir along South Mayde Creek
Good Government in Action: Transparency and Accountability
Commissioners Court also passed motions to provide transparency and accountability to the public. The plan approved by the Court includes the following action items:
- Flood Control must maintain the , which will include project schedules, prioritization scores, budgets, locations, and lifecycle stages for all projects, with quarterly updates.
- Flood Control must provide quarterly public updates to Commissioners Court on the progress of all bond projects.
- Flood Control must convene the Flood Bond Working Group — composed of Commissioners Court staff — at least quarterly to ensure transparency.
“Taxpayers deserve to know how every dollar is being put to work. We must hold ourselves to the highest standards of transparency, accountability, and good stewardship of public funds as we build a safer, more resilient Harris County,” said Commissioner Briones. ###