BENEFITS OF FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION IN HARRIS COUNTY
Tax dollars invested in flood damage reduction, along with other projects by the Harris County Flood Control District, have a profound impact on the quality of life in the nation’s third largest county.
Benefits include:
- Avoided Damages: Construction of flood damage reduction projects and home buyouts means a reduced risk of flooding for Harris County residents. It is estimated that more than 10,000 homes and businesses avoided flooding in 2015 alone due to construction projects completed in the past 20 years on three watersheds alone, plus buyouts managed by the Flood Control District.
- Lower Flood Insurance Rates: Many property owners will see smaller flood insurance premiums, thanks to a shrinking mapped floodplain. The recently completed mega-project on Sims Bayou, for example, removed the 1 percent (100-year) floodplain from several thousand homes and businesses.
- An Expanded Urban Forest: The Flood Control District’s annual tree planting program adds native species along bayous and at stormwater detention basins. Since 2001, the Flood Control District has planted nearly 240,000 trees throughout Harris County, adding trees to more than 1,200 acres that previously had none.
- Trails and Greenspace: When not needed for drainage or stormwater detention purposes, Flood Control District properties can do double-duty as recreation areas, and provide space for trails across Harris County.