AUSTIN – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved the first-ever regional flood plans during its July board meeting, marking a historic milestone in the state’s efforts to reduce the risk and impact of flooding.
The regional flood plans will lay the foundation for Texas’ first state flood plan, which is due to the legislature in September 2024.
The process is a watershed-based planning effort made up of 15 regions with volunteer representatives from various interest categories.
Because Texas’ rainfall patterns and land coverage vary greatly across the state, each planning group developed custom plans unique to the region’s flooding issues. The planning groups identified specific flood risks including flood hazard, exposure, and vulnerability of flooding as well as recommended studies, projects, and strategies to mitigate those risks. The flood hazard analyses determined the location, magnitude, and frequency of flooding. There is now some level of flood hazard information for the entire state.
The plans found that over 2.4 million people in Texas live within a 100-year floodplain, meaning the area has a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year. Another nearly 3.5 million people live in a 500-year floodplain. The 15 regional flood plans recommended over 200 flood mitigation projects with an estimated cost of approximately $38 billion.
The statewide plan will include the recommended flood mitigation projects from the regional plans, making them eligible to receive financial assistance through the Flood Infrastructure Fund.
To view each regional flood plan, visit the TWDB website.