TEXAS — Flood control efforts are rising to a new level in South Texas. At least 20 major infrastructure projects have launched in Harris County alone, following the devastating impacts of Hurricane Harvey nine years ago, and this year, flood mitigation projects have gained momentum in the Houston metro, where officials recently broke ground on their latest projects.
One of Harris County’s flood mitigation projects includes widening a 70-year-old channel in the Central Houston area called Poor Farm Ditch, so it can handle more rainfall.
“This project will increase the size of the Poor Farm Ditch, which is a channel that conveys water from roughly Highway 59 South to Braes Bayou,” said Scott Elmer, chief partnerships and programs officer for the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
HCFCD broke ground on the $33 million project in July 2026, with local, state and federal dollars funding improvements to the aging channel. It was built in the 1950s to drain stormwater in the cities of West University and Southside Place, located inside Houston’s inner loop.
“By increasing the capacity, we will be protecting a lot more of the residents of Harris County from storm events,” said Elmer.
Neighbors remember the devastating impact of Harvey in 2017.
“My house flooded, and as a result, I had to take down the house,” said resident Mike Forsten, who said he was able to recover with help from government funding.
Harvey prompted voters to approve a $2.5 billion bond program in 2018 for flood mitigation projects, and since 2019, HCFCD said it has acquired another $2.7 billion.
“I think it’s good. I’m happy to pay the taxes, as long as it keeps us dry,” Forsten said.
In July, HCFCD also broke ground on the Taylor Gully channel project in Kingwood, northeast of Houston.
“To make sure that we have no adverse impact on anybody downstream, we’re also constructing a detention facility to handle that additional flow,” Elmer said.
The district said it has completed hundreds of flood mitigation projects, with more construction underway this year alone than they’ve had in its entire 90-year history.
This comes amid statewide flood control efforts and a state flood plan showing a need for $54 billion in improvements and a major budget shortfall.
“We’ve put on about one new person every 3.8 minutes in Harris County. That means we have to get ahead of the pace of growth,” Elmer said, adding that the growing population, a flat terrain, and multiple storm events increase the flood risk.
Some neighbors and businesses said potential disruptions during the projects pose a greater risk.
“It does not come without a cost. We do try and minimize that as much as possible. We hold community engagement meetings at various stages,” said Elmer.