HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY ON MAY 15
Devastating Floods and Public Support Paved the Way for the Flood Control District’s Creation

On May 15, the Harris County Flood Control District celebrates its 75th Anniversary and the strides it has made to help reduce flooding risks and damages for Harris County.

Long before the Flood Control District was created, pioneers who settled in Harris County accepted flood damage as one of the risks associated with life in an otherwise abundant and economically promising land. Not surprisingly, the county’s history is peppered with tales of great floods and rainstorms that have wreaked havoc on residents’ lives and properties. However, it was one flood event in particular that brought about a call for action that resulted in the District’s creation in 1937.

The torrential downpour started on Dec. 6, 1935 and, by the time the skies cleared two days later, approximately 100 blocks of the City of Houston’s business and residential districts were inundated with floodwaters from Buffalo and White Oak bayous. Eight residents lost their lives and property damage was estimated at $2.5 million (approximately $42 million in 2012 dollars). The Houston Ship Channel was crippled for eight months.

The Great Flood of 1935 caused devastation, but at the same time spurred Houston and Harris County public officials, business leaders and residents to take action. Many were grappling with still-vivid memories of the Great Flood of 1929, which also overwhelmed the city and county. A groundswell of support emerged for improvements to the open channel drainage infrastructure that would protect lives, property and the economy.

Houstonians’ voices combined with others across the United States to urge the federal government to finance and implement flood damage reduction projects. In response, the U.S. Congress passed the Flood Control Act of 1936 - the bill that assigned oversight responsibility for flood damage reduction measures to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and authorized funding for more than 200 flood damage reduction projects and surveys (studies). A survey of Harris County’s Buffalo Bayou was on that initial list.

Houston Mayor R. H. Fonville and Harris County Judge Roy M. Hofheinz led a campaign to persuade the Texas legislature to pass a statute that created a single local entity that had the authority to partner with the federal government on flood damage reduction projects that qualified for federal financial assistance. Five days after the Texas House and Senate approved the bill creating the Harris County Flood Control District, Governor James Allred signed the new law on May 15, 1937.

The ensuing 75 years have been marked by rapid development in Houston and Harris County, changes in engineering practices, the growth of environmental concerns and policy, and advancements in technology. One thing that has remained constant through time is the overriding fact that our region’s relatively flat terrain, impermeable clay soils, and average annual rainfall of 48 inches (4 feet) have, and always will, make us vulnerable to flooding.

The District implemented key flood damage reduction projects in partnership with the Corps in its first 30 years of existence from the construction of the Addicks and Barker reservoirs in the 1940s to the channelization of White Oak Bayou and Brays Bayou in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Proposed plans for channelization of Buffalo Bayou were cancelled because environmental activities lobbied against the project.

In 1979, Houston and Harris County suffered seven separate flooding events that prompted an evolution of the District’s flood damage reduction strategies and policies. Harris County Commissioners Court approved changes to those polices that allowed the construction of stormwater detention basins, which was a departure from the previous focus on channel improvements to reduce flooding risks.

In the 1980s, the Corps and the Flood Control District launched comprehensive flood damage reduction projects on Sims Bayou and Brays Bayou that combined an effective mix of channel improvements, stormwater detention basins and environmental enhancements. In 1984, Commmissioners Court approved the White Oak Bayou Regional Flood Control Plan, which included the excavation of 10 stormwater detention basins along White Oak Bayou, widening the bayou from Tidwell Road to Beltway 8 and constructing the Jersey Village Channel, which carries 30 percent of the flows of White Oak Bayou around the flood-prone city during times of heavy rain.

In 2001, just before Tropical Storm Allison unleashed 35 inches of rain over parts of Houston and Harris County, the Flood Control District entered into a financial partnership with Harris County to increase its funding from roughly $20 million a year to $150-$200 million a year. With increased funding levels, the District has been able to build more flood damage reduction projects at a faster pace. These include widening and deepening bayous and tributaries, excavating large stormwater detention basins that safely store millions of gallons of stormwater, and maintaining more than 2,500 miles of open channel infrastructure.

Several significant milestones have been achieved in the aftermath of Allison. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Flood Control District took advantage of brand new technology developed by NASA to produce a new Flood Insurance Rate Map for all 22 watersheds of Harris County. The multi-year effort was called the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project. FEMA and the District also implemented the Tropical Storm Allison Voluntary Home Buyout Program. The program enabled residents whose homes were substantially damaged during the storm or that have flooded repeatedly to move to higher ground. The Flood Control District continues similar voluntary home buyout programs today, and has purchased close to 3,000 flood-prone homes in partnership with FEMA for a total cost of approximately $240 million. The homes are demolished, and the remaining land serves as a natural floodplain.

As the Flood Control District’s 75th anniversary approaches, the agency is pursuing 191 capital projects in 17 watersheds, mowing about 18,000 acres of land three times a year, and mowing nearly 8,000 miles of bayou banks a year. The District’s web of infrastructure, built with local and federal funds, includes 61 regional detention sites either existing or in development, totaling nearly 8,400 acres. Along with reducing flooding risks and damages, many of these sites provide wetlands mitigation, habitat for wildlife, and green space for all to enjoy. And as the District builds, it also looks ahead through its Frontier Program at areas like the Cypress Creek watershed that are poised for major development. By acquiring land for conservation, flood storage and other multi-use projects, the District is ensuring an effective blueprint for flood damage reduction, now and in the future.

ABOUT THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT
The Harris County Flood Control District provides flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by devising flood damage reduction plans, implementing the plans and maintaining the infrastructure. To learn more about the Flood Control District, visit www.hcfcd.org.