Harris County Taps Flood Resilience Trust For Another $64.8 Million

In the 1/31/2023 Harris County Commissioners Court Meeting, Commissioners voted to use another $64.8 million from the Harris County Flood Resilience Trust to keep 11 projects moving. All but one are in low-to-moderate income (LMI) watersheds.

Projects Approved for Funding

Halls Bayou received:

• $600,000 for construction of a stormwater detention basin
• $1 million for channel conveyance improvements
• $11.45 million for another channel conveyance improvement project.

Halls Bayou’s population is 72.5% LMI, the highest in the county.

Sims Bayou received:

• $3 million for a stormwater detention basin and channel conveyance improvements
• $4.4 million for another stormwater detention basin project.

Sims Bayou’s population is 60.8% LMI.

Greens Bayou received:

• $2.3 million for mid-reach channel conveyance improvements
• $4.5 million for the Smith Road channel diversion project
• $1.8 for improvements to the Cutten Road Stormwater Detention Basin (Precinct 3)
• $11.3 for the next phase of the Lauder Stormwater Detention Basin

Greens Bayou’s population is 59.8% LMI.

White Oak Bayou received:

• $18 million for construction of the Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin.

White Oak Bayou’s population is 51.9% LMI.

Armand Bayou received:

• $6.5 million for convenance improvements along a tributary, Horsepen Bayou.

Armand Bayou’s population is 28.4% LMI.

All but one of the projects are in Commissioner Rodney Ellis’ Precinct 1 and Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s Precinct 2.

The lone project in Precinct 3 (Commissioner Tom Ramsey) will benefit Precincts 1 and 2 because Greens Bayou drains through those precincts.

About the Flood Resilience Trust

The Flood Resilience Trust uses Harris County Tollroad Authority money to backstop 2018 Flood Bond Projects that have come up short to date on Partnership Funding.

After these expenditures, $31.7 million will remain in the Flood Resilience Trust.

Of the $64.8 million approved for expenditure, $24.5 million will help make up for partnership funding shortages. The remainder will help make up for cost escalation.

For a full discussion of the expenditures and the Trust, see the table on the last page of this summary provided to Commissioners by the Flood Control District.

None of these Trust withdrawals benefit Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, San Jacinto, or Luce watersheds.

$750 Million In HUD Funds Not Discussed

Commissioners did not discuss the status of the long-awaited Method of Distribution (MOD) for the $750 million grant allocated to Harris County by the the Texas General Land Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The MOD details the counties plan to spend the money. Pre-approval is necessary to ensure the plan complies with HUD requirements. The County has know it would get the money for one year and nine months. H-GAC, which learned of a similar on $488 million grant on the same day in 2021, got its MOD approved early last year.

Garcia Requests Exit Strategy from Flood Bond

In a separate but related discussion concerning allocations from the 2022 Harris County Road and Parks Bond, Precinct One Commissioner Adrian Garcia requested the head of the Flood Control District to devise an “exit strategy” for the flood bond.

Garcia fears there won’t be enough partner funding to do all the projects in the flood bond. This raises serious questions about why the county has not pushed harder to tap the $750 million in HUD funds. With the money in the Flood Resilience Trust, they could complete every project in the Flood Bond.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/6/2023 based on information provided by the Harris County Flood Control District

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