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One year ago, Harris County voters approved Proposition A, giving the Harris County Flood Control District the reliable maintenance funding needed to care for the drainage system that supports millions of Harris County residents. To mark this important anniversary, the Flood Control District held two virtual public meetings this November to share maintenance accomplishments from Fiscal Year 2025 and update the community on maintenance activities happening across all 23 watersheds in Harris County.
The Flood Control District is responsible for maintaining more than 2,500 miles of channels, more than 280 stormwater detention basins, and nearly 50,000 acres of land. This work includes clearing debris, repairing slopes, restoring channels, removing sediment, mowing, and planting native vegetation. Maintenance is continuous work, and it plays a major role in how well our drainage system performs during heavy rain events.
With the additional $100 million in dedicated annual maintenance funding approved by voters, the Flood Control District expanded its maintenance operations, added more crews and equipment, and completed work in every watershed. The November 2025 virtual meetings, announced through public notices and countywide outreach, gave residents an opportunity to learn how these dollars were put to work and what the first year of funding achieved.
Maintenance may not look dramatic, but it is some of the most essential work the Flood Control District performs. When debris is cleared, sediment is removed, and damaged slopes are repaired, stormwater can move more efficiently through the system. These repairs and preventative measures help reduce the risk of flooded structures, overwhelmed channels, and backups during storms.
If this work were not performed regularly, channels could lose capacity, stormwater detention basins may not function as designed, and erosion could worsen—potentially impacting communities countywide.
What We Accomplished This Year
During the first year of increased maintenance funding, the Flood Control District delivered visible, measurable results across Harris County:
- Restored more than 100 miles of channels, longer than the distance from Houston to Beaumont
- Cleared more than 280,000 linear feet of sediment, about the distance from downtown Houston to the beaches in Galveston
- Removed more than 50,000 cubic yards of debris, equal to about 3,000 dump truck loads
- Cut response times by 50 percent by adding more people and equipment
- Nearly tripled the number of repair projects compared to last year
- Planted more than 15,000 trees, 8,000 seedlings, and hundreds of acres of native grasses and wildflowers
These maintenance activities span every watershed, from rural tributaries to urban channels. This first year of work represents a major step in addressing decades of deferred maintenance and strengthening the Flood Control District’s drainage systems that support Harris County neighborhoods.
The Flood Control District is continuing to make historic progress in flood risk reduction projects and maintenance efforts thanks to voter support and dedicated staff. Stay informed by following us on social media.