Houston, TX – September 18, 2025 – Harris County Commissioners Court has unanimously advanced the 2018 Harris County Flood Control District Bond Program into a new era of transparency, accountability, and measurable progress.
What began as a list of conceptual projects has now been grounded in reality through engineering analysis, prioritization, and $2.7 billion in partnerships.
A Program Born from Harvey
Hurricane Harvey devastated Harris County in 2017, flooding 600,000 vehicles, damaging 154,000 structures, and dropping more than one trillion gallons of rain. In direct response, voters approved the 2018 Bond Program with $2.5 billion in local funding, to fund a project list that totaled more than $5 billion.
While nothing can solve all flooding challenges, the program is an unprecedented effort to reduce flood risk in Harris County.
Measurable Benefits
To date, $1.5 billion has been invested, delivering:
- 16,000 acre-feet of stormwater detention, which is 42 NRG Stadiums full of water
- 46,000 linear feet of channel improvements (the distance from Houston to Galveston)
- 5,800 acres of preserved land
- More than 3,100 families relocated from harm’s way through voluntary buyouts
- Thousands of homes protected during Hurricane Beryl thanks to completed projects
From the outset, the 2018 Bond Program was built on partnerships. The Flood Control District has worked with 27 local, state, and federal partners, more than doubling the community’s original investment.
Hard but Necessary Choices
Rising costs, inflation, and pandemic-driven construction challenges have reshaped what is financially possible. After a detailed review, projects are now organized into categories:
- Active: 75 bond IDs moving forward with clear scope and funding
- Completed: 54 bond IDs delivered
- Paused: 26 bond IDs awaiting future funding
- Closing: 15 bond IDs determined not technically feasible
“These are engineering realities, not politics,” said Dr. Tina Petersen, Executive Director of the Flood Control District. “We are prioritizing projects that provide the greatest benefits and building a bench of projects ready for future funding."
Power of the Court Office Working Group: Collaboration Fuels Progress
Following Commissioners Court direction in June and July this year, a working group was formed with representatives from all four precinct offices and the County Judge’s Office. Meeting weekly since July, the group has created a shared understanding of the program and its benefits, including unanimous consensus on:
- Fully funded projects moving forward
- Completed projects, including those closed due to infeasibility
- Projects paused pending additional funding
- Allocation of funds to program contingency
- A new public-facing dashboard updated quarterly
- Ongoing quarterly meetings to ensure continued alignment
All recommendations were passed unanimously by Commissioners Court. The supporting documents and lists are available at www.hcfcd.org/bondprogram.
Accountability and Transparency: The Bond Dashboard
In addition to the working group’s efforts, the Flood Control District has launched a new public-facing dashboard that tracks project progress and will be updated quarterly. This living tool ensures residents have clear, ongoing access to the status of the 2018 Bond Program. Residents can access the dashboard at www.hcfcd.org/bondprogram.
Looking Ahead
With 75 active bond IDs funding more than 240 projects, the program is positioned to remove 183,000 residents from the floodplain while protecting millions more across Harris County. “We’ve taken a program that began as conceptual projects and grounded it in reality to maximize benefits, leverage partnerships, and deliver on the promise made to Harris County voters in 2018,” Petersen added.