Texas Water Development board unveils $50 billion flood plan

Texas is no stranger to flood events, with a countless number of them happening over the years. Now, especially in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is doing something they have never done. They have released their first-ever flood plan for the state of Texas. The price tag is $50 billion and includes over 4,000 projects potentially.

The idea is simple on the surface. Using state funds aimed at fixing flood problems and preventing future ones. But it is not so simple. Fifteen regional boards will debate and present a statewide plan they feel meets everyone's needs. From there, it lies in the hands of the legislature.

Jeramy Kitchen of Texas Police Research says optimism in the project should be cautious.

"If comes down to is this the appropriate role of the government...you could say yes, they are trying to protect infrastructure and plan for things that cost an immense amount of money," he says.

The projects include both structural and non-structural solutions, ranging from a massive tunnel system to carry floodwater, to buying out properties in high-risk flood areas. So far, the TWDB has committed around $643 million for flood related initiatives, but it has never produced a plan like this.

Embedded in that $50 billion price tag, about half of it is committed to projects that would help Galveston's flood problem. That is not something that would benefit someone in a flood prone area of Dallas or San Antonio, which makes this a bit of a tough sell.

"You are asking taxpayers to fund something that may not help them, and is extremely expensive," he says.

Of course, they are not necessarily selling to the taxpayers though. Their biggest hurdle in the projects is the Texas Legislature, which reconvenes in 2025. They are the ultimate decider in what projects get funding, or if any funding for this moves forward at all.

But with this big a price tag, and the entire state to worry about, it still faces an uphill battle.

"It comes down to we are essentially collectivizingthe cost tot eh entire state, for what affects a lot of people in the state...but only people in specific regions," he says. "Lawmakers and local officials all have to kind of wave at it."

In their plan, the TWDB has recommended the state go beyond just physical infrastructure as well, suggesting other updates to stormwater design standard, and adopting higher standards for building in flood zones.

Kitchen adds that, like any government project, even if funding is approved, these projects would take quite a while to get off the ground.