Harris and Waller Counties Launch Regional Flood Resiliency Coalition | Community Exchange
ArticleOur Environment
Harris and Waller Counties Launch Regional Flood Resiliency Coalition
Harris County and Waller County leaders launched a cross-county flood resiliency coalition to coordinate drainage and protect over one million residents.
Request for approval of a change in contract with J Rivas Construction, LLC in connection with On-Call - Maintenance - Storm Drain Repair, Precinct 1 - 2021, with no change in the contract amount, Job No. 21/0301-2, UPIN 22101MF2C901, Precinct 1, MWBE Contracted Goal: 14%, MWBE Current Participation: 97.42%.
Harris County Commissioners Lesley Briones and Tom Ramsey joined Waller County and the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District to launch a regional flood resiliency coalition. The partners signed a formal agreement to share resources, standardize drainage rules, and coordinate infrastructure projects — including a Cypress Creek study, Cane Island flood improvements, and expanded flood warning systems — protecting over one million residents in one of Texas's fastest-growing regions.
• Bring together Harris County, Waller County, and the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District to fight flooding as a team
• Study how water flows along Cypress Creek between counties
• Work on drainage and detention improvements for the Cane Island area
• Explore adding more flood warning gauges and building a regional warning system
• Create shared drainage standards for fast-growing areas
• Formal memorandum of understanding signed by multiple elected officials and agencies
• Involves Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones and Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey
• Includes Waller County Commissioner Justin Beckendorff
• Brookshire-Katy Drainage District is a participating partner
• City of Katy Mayor Dusty Thiele expressed public support
• Announced through the official Harris County Precinct 4 website
Flooding is a serious danger in Harris and Waller counties. Over 43 people died and more than 160,000 homes were damaged in Harvey and the 2016 Tax Day floods. This new agreement helps counties work together so families are better protected when the next storm hits.
