Summary:
The Harris County Flood Control District (the District) is a special purpose district created by the Texas Legislature in 1937 in response to devastating floods that struck the region in 1929 and 1935. The District's jurisdictional boundaries are set to coincide with Harris County, a community of more than 3.7 million people that includes the City of Houston. The other boundaries in which we operate - those provided by nature - are of the 22 primary watersheds within Harris County's 1,756 square miles. Each has its own independent flooding problems. Each presents unique challenges.
The District's drainage and flood control infrastructure is extensive, including more than 1,500 channels totaling about 2,500 miles in length (about the distance from Los Angeles to New York). Nature also challenges us with flat terrain, clay soils that do not absorb water very well and an average annual rainfall of 48 inches. The flooding problems in the community are severe. Flooding IS Harris County's natural disaster! Several hundred thousand homes and businesses are in the identified floodplain (not all flooding areas are mapped), and projects to reduce the risk of flooding are estimated in the billions of dollars.
The mission of the Harris County Flood Control District is to: Provide flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values.
We reduce the risk of flood damage by: 1) Devising the stormwater management plans; 2) Implementing the plans; and, 3) Maintaining the infrastructure.
|
What We Do:
|
