SAN ANTONIO – In what the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) chairwoman called a “monumental achievement,” officials voted Thursday to adopt the state’s first comprehensive flood plan, setting in motion years’ worth of planning.
“Adopting the first-ever state flood plan is a monumental achievement for Texas,” TWDB Chairwoman Brooke Paup said.
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The nearly 300-page document includes the findings of 15 regional flood plans — Bexar County is one of 16 counties that make up Region 12 — and flood management recommendations and policy.
Approximately 4,600 solutions recommended by the 15 groups equal an estimated implementation cost of more than $54.5 billion, a TWDB news release said.
In a post to X, formerly known as Twitter, Governor Greg Abbott called the adoption “a big achievement for Texas.” He also said the plan would “help Texas better prepare for the threat of severe floods.”
The plan, originally released in early May, estimates that one in six people in Texas lives or works in known flood areas, the news release said.
Taking into account varying regional differences — population, land development and rainfall patterns — there is a “significant risk of flooding in all 15 planning regions,” the release said.
“One of the greatest successes of this first cycle of regional and state flood planning is that we now have some level of flood hazard information for the entire state,” TWDB Board Member L’Oreal Stepney said.
The plan can be viewed below:
2024 State Flood Plan Volume I by Mason on Scribd
Under the summaries by region page, each of the 15 regions provided a brief summary of suggested recommendations. The Region 12 group encouraged floodplain management and land use practices, as well as “adopting higher standards,” the plan said.
For the San Antonio River Authority (SARA), a spokesperson told KSAT that the adoption of the plan will not change or impact the group’s operations.
The plan includes “technical flood data developed by the River Authority from the entire river basin, including our jurisdiction across four counties—Bexar, Wilson, Karnes, and Goliad,” the spokesperson said.
SARA also serves as the regional administrator for managing the Region 12 Regional Flood Planning Group.
Looking ahead to the Texas Legislature
Work on the development of the plan began during the 2019 Texas Legislature with the passing of Senate Bill 8.
A state flood plan would need to, according to the bill’s language, “provide for orderly preparation for and response to flood conditions to protect against the loss of life and property; be a guide to state flood control policy; and should contribute to water development where possible.”
Part of SB 8′s directive would require the TWDB to produce a new state flood plan every five years based on the flood planning groups’ regional plan, the release said.
The five legislative recommendations included in the plan, with varying support from the 15 regions, are as follows:
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Allocating funding for ongoing flood mitigation efforts through the TWDB.
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Establishing and funding a targeted technical assistance program for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities to perform floodplain management.
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Expanding funding to enhance safety at low water crossings.
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Prioritizing and expanding funding to implement flood early warning systems on a regional scale.
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Consider developing a levee safety program and enhancing the existing dam safety program to further assess risks.
Language in the plan made note that if a region did not lend its support to a recommendation, “it should not be construed as opposition to the recommendation.”
Region 12 supported three of the recommendations.
The adopted plan will next be delivered to the Texas Legislature in September 2024, according to the TWDB.
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