Texas Unveils Its First Statewide Flood Plan to Fortify Against

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As Texas grapples with the realities of flooding and the threats it imposes, the Lone Star State recently unveiled its first-ever statewide flood plan. More than 5 million residents, or about one in six Texans, find themselves in the crosshairs of flooding danger zones, according to the draft released by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). Revealing the staggering figures, the board highlights the urgency to mitigate flooding risks heightened by climate change and series of devastating natural disasters.

Passed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey's devastation in 2019, a state law mandated the creation of the flood plan. Aiming to toughen Texas against natural calamities like floods and creeping sea levels, the plan not only spells out the potential danger zones but also recommends concrete flood mitigation strategies. The public has their chance to chime in, with comments accepted at an upcoming meeting on May 30 in Austin and online through June 17, as reported by the Texas Tribun e.

The Texas Water Development Board's ambitious plan doesn't just collate existing flood data to chart out vulnerable regions; it plugs gaps with local water managers' insights and Fathom's contracted expertise in flood risk modeling data. Sarah Kirkle, Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Texas Water Conservation Association, emphasized the plan's significance to the Texas Tribune, saying, "This will be a really critical piece in understanding the topography and where you have higher and lower elevations in order to properly plan for which parts of the state are going to be subject to the risk."

Fueled by climate change, Texas faces an increasingly perilous future with floods anticipated to be larger and more frequent. The draft state flood plan hammers down on this grim forecast, cementing the need for robust action. Punching in with a heavyweight price tag of over $49 billion, the recommended flood mitigation projects include the "Ike Dike" project, designed to shield the Houston area from hurricane storm surges. Despite a sizable amount, TWDB is pushing for further state funds to address flooding across Texas.

Yet, Kirkle points out to the Texas Tribune that funding flood mitigation strategies remains a fiscal Houdini act without a reliable source of state revenue. The Flood Infrastructure Fund, established back in 2019, has only managed to allocate nearly $644 million in loans and grants to local governments for necessary projects. Adding to a lengthy wish list, the board is making a case for a state-wide flood early warning system complete with social media and reverse 911 alerts, as well as a technical assistance program to shepherd smaller communities through the grants and loans process.

With safety in the spotlight, more than 70% of the state's flood fatalities, according to the plan, occur at flooded low water crossings. Recommendations for increased funding for infrastructure interventions like removing dangerous crossings and enhancing signage are on the table. Beyond the concrete and steel solutions, regional groups suggest, according to the Tex as Tribune, empowering counties to collect drainage fees to self-fund projects, a finance avenue currently confined to cities.

While the plan is applauded by environmental advocates like Cyrus Reed, Conservation Director for the Sierra Club's Lone Star Chapter, concerns linger over the plan's reliance on historical rather than predictive climate models. Reed told the Texas Tribune, "What we thought was a one in 100 chance of flood, or one in 500, they may be much more frequent than we were thinking because the climate is changing."

As the summer ticks on, the TWDB is set to finalize this plan that could mark a significant shift in how Texas faces its wet and wild challenges, delivering it to the Legislature by September 1.