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San Jacinto Flood Planning Group’s Proposed Minimum Floodplain Management Practices

Reduce Flooding — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 22:13:11 +0000

11/11/25 – The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group will consider adopting a set of proposed minimum floodplain management practices for the entire river basin at its meeting on November 13. The standards are part of a requirement by the Texas Water Development Board for the 2028 update of the state’s next flood plan. The […]

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Harris County Commissioners Adopt Six Motions Affecting Future of 2018 Flood Bond

Reduce Flooding — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 02:11:09 +0000

9/19/25 – On 9/18/25, Harris County Commissioners reviewed a presentation about the status of 2018 Flood Bond Projects. They also.adopted six motions that will affect the future of Harris County Flood Control District and the 2018 Flood Bond. In fact, they will result in an “updated bond package.” (See Motions below.) Highlights of Presentation The […]

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Port Freeport term limits legislation goes into effect | AJOT.COM

Google Alert - "Brazoria County" — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:34:55 +0000

Port Freeport is committed to promoting economic development in Brazoria County, throughout Texas, and across the nation. The Port focuses on ...

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MoCo Adopts New Drainage Criteria Manual 8 Years After Harvey

Reduce Flooding — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 21:41:06 +0000

Montgomery County has finally updated its drainage criteria manual…eight years after Hurricane Harvey caused widespread flooding that exposed shortcomings in its previous manual which dated to the 1980s. Unanimously Approved MoCo Commissioners approved the new manual unanimously this morning. The draft of the new manual was first proposed in early 2024. That followed a minor […]

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MoCo Water War Leaves Unintended Casualties

Reduce Flooding — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 02:12:28 +0000

8/18/25 – The Montgomery County (MoCo) water war has produced a number of unintended casualties in the last decade. They include: Unfortunately, those who profited from excessive groundwater withdrawals aren’t the ones paying the price. Subsidence problems in southern Montgomery County – once thought to be solved by the San Jacinto River Authority’s (SJRA) Groundwater […]

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Guadalupe Flood Tragedy: How Could It NOT Happen?

Reduce Flooding — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 20:45:07 +0000

8/10/25 – A reader asked me, “How could the July 4 Guadalupe flood tragedy happen?” He sent me an article that quoted an associate professor from Syracuse University who studied FEMA’s flood maps. The professor said that people knew Camp Mystic buildings were in the 100-year floodplain. Then she said, “It’s a mystery to me […]

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Bipartisan FEMA-Reform Bill Introduced in U.S. House

Reduce Flooding — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 23:30:52 +0000

In late July, the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee introduced a bipartisan FEMA-reform bill. Committee leaders say it “provides the most robust legislative reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and federal disaster assistance programs in decades.” The Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025 (H.R. 4669) was introduced after feedback the […]

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U.S. Disaster Assistance History Shows Constant Change

Reduce Flooding — Sat, 14 Jun 2025 01:07:04 +0000

6/13/25 – We had a decentralized system of disaster assistance for almost 200 years before FEMA. But more than 60% of the U.S. population has never known life without FEMA. So my post about President Trump’s intention to dismantle the agency caused considerable fear and anxiety. This post may help reassure those people. While change […]

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Two Images Explain Why We Need a Watershed-Wide Flood Agency

Reduce Flooding — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 03:14:42 +0000

6/9/25 – While re-reading the final version of the state flood plan recently I came across two images that explain why we need a watershed-wide flood agency. Unfortunately, a bill to create one, HB2068, died in the House Natural Resources committee this session. Floodplain-Management Practices and Enforcement in Texas The first image shows the level […]

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Abbott signs bail reform legislation into law | Texas | thecentersquare.com

Google Alert - "fort bend county" — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 12:12:31 +0000

Castillo's brother, Joshua Sandoval, was murdered by Devan Jordan, who was out on bond for aggravated robbery in Fort Bend County and two more felony ...

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Legislative Roundup: Dredging, Mining, Permitting, Funding

Reduce Flooding — Mon, 19 May 2025 00:20:26 +0000

5/18/25 – Here’s a legislative roundup that includes bills which address dredging, mining, permitting of new developments, and funding of flood mitigation. With only two weeks left in the session, it appears that several bills important to the Lake Houston Area have died in committee including a bill to fund long-term dredging. Left on the […]

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Unintended Consequences of Legislation Could Increase Flood Risk

Reduce Flooding — Sun, 04 May 2025 01:51:41 +0000

5/3/25 – A well-intentioned bill that just moved from the Texas House to the Senate could have dire unintended consequences in certain circumstances. One of the unintended consequences is increased flood risk. Bill Purports to Make Housing More Affordable HB23 (and nearly identical companion bills SB2354 and HB2977) give developers the ability to privately hire engineers […]

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Why Flood Mitigation Needs Steady Funding Source

Reduce Flooding — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 22:30:05 +0000

4/15/25 – At a flood resilience workshop yesterday in Houston, the importance of a steady funding source for flood-mitigation projects became abundantly clear. The Biannual Resiliency Workshop of the Society of American Military Engineers (S.A.M.E.) drew a star-studded lineup of speakers for the hundreds of engineers, lawyers and business people in attendance. Alia Vinson, a […]

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Dredging Progress on Lake Houston and In Austin!

Reduce Flooding — Sat, 12 Apr 2025 21:55:37 +0000

4/12/25 – Dredging is making progress on Lake Houston and in Austin. The City of Houston’s most recent West Fork dredging program started last December near the channel south of Royal Shores. The channel connects the San Jacinto East and West Forks. Callan Marine is pumping the spoils through the channel, across the East Fork, […]

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Natural Resources Committee Hears Testimony on HB2068

Reduce Flooding — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 03:02:24 +0000

4/9/2025 – The Texas House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee heard testimony today on HB2068. HB2068 attempts to reconstitute the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) into one with wider authority to address flooding that originates outside Harris County. It would also give the governor authority to appoint a board for the reconstituted district that […]

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Action Needed: Support HB2068 NOW!

Reduce Flooding — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:59:26 +0000

4/6/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul has authored a bill, HB2068, which would transform the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) by reconstituting its management and potentially expanding its geographic scope. Fifteen other state representatives have expressed their support by signing on as “co-authors” of the bill. Most represent parts of the San Jacinto River […]

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Wastelands to Wetlands: A Vision for Restoring the San Jacinto West Fork

Reduce Flooding — Sun, 30 Mar 2025 00:38:46 +0000

3/29/25 – Every time I fly over the San Jacinto West Fork, I wonder, “What would it take to transform all the wastelands to wetlands again?” That burning question has guided much of my research for the last eight years. I don’t have all the details worked out, but I would like to share a […]

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West Fork Sand-Mining Problems Persist Despite Legislative Efforts

Reduce Flooding — Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:33:24 +0000

3/19/25 – San Jacinto West Fork sand-mining problems persisted this morning, even as the House Natural Resources Committee met to discuss legislation intended to deal with them. With one exception, the miners seemed blissfully unaware of the problems they were causing. And at least one committee member seemed to be a ringer for the sand-mining […]

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Montgomery County Development Regs Revised, New Drainage Criteria on Hold

Reduce Flooding — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 21:43:02 +0000

3/14/15 – Montgomery County Development Regs have been revised and became effective on 3/4/25. The MoCo Engineer has posted them online. For convenience, I have also posted them under the Regulations Tab on the ReduceFlooding Reports Page. The primary audience for the regulations is developers. However, neighbors near new developments may wish to study the […]

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Proposal to Expand the Flood Control District Has Many Benefits

Reduce Flooding — Sun, 02 Feb 2025 00:56:12 +0000

2/1/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul from the SE Houston area has introduced HB 2068, a bill that could eventually unite the counties within the San Jacinto River Basin into a regional flood control district. HB 2068, if approved, would modify the 1937 legislation that created the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). Here’s how […]

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