The Texas Water Development Board approved financial assistance totaling $34,856,380 for water and wastewater projects. $28,550,000 to the City of Liberty Hill, $2,791,380 to City of Gladewater, and $3,515,000 to the City of Aledo. A recording of the meeting and the agenda can be found here.
This report is intended to give you an overview and highlight the various topics taken up. It is not a verbatim transcript of the discussions but is based upon what was audible or understandable to the observer.
Item 1: The Honorable Armando Walle, State Representative of House District 140, will address the Board.
Rep. Armando Walle, HD 40
- The decisions you are making today with be impactful for the constituents in my district
- Paup – You are a class act, Houston deals with water supply issue and aging infrastructure and you handle it very well
Item 2:/ Stephen Costello, Chief Recovery Officer of the City of Houston, will address the Board on behalf of The Honorable Sylvester Turner, Mayor of the City of Houston.
Stephen Costello, City of Houston
- We appreciate the working relationship between the city of Houston and your committee
- We used $30 million + $50 million for dredging for access canals to Lake Houston, we have excess funds we applying to the Lake Houston dam project
- What we are trying to do with the project is turn a surface water supply facility and turn it into a dual facility, giving us the ability to lower a water level before a flood
- We have moved over 4 million yards of material from dredging
- We are funding a project to revamp of 70-year-old dam infrastructure with state and federal dollars
Commissioner Rodney Ellis, City of Houston
- It is important that you are on the road and here in Harris County
- I appreciate your commitment to the growth in Harris County
- The passage of SB 7 in 2019 was amazing
- I want to encourage you to do as much as you can to get past the outdated benefit cost analysis
- Paup – In terms of the VCR we have heard you, the primary goal of the flood infrastructure fund is to save lives and property not just property
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Rep. Ann Johnson, HD 134
- Houston water infrastructure is outdated
- article item 16 needs to be approved because of its tremendous impact
- Please authorize this project
Mayor of Southside Place Andy Chan, City of Houston
- I am here to speak in favor in of improving outdated Houston flood management systems
- I would ask the board to kindly move this forward to completion
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Commissioner Tom Ramsey, City of Houston
- More than 50% of the water that comes into Houston comes through my precinct
- The TC Jester facility when completed will be one of the largest detention bases on cypress, probably the most underfunded water sheds
- I hear everyday that flooding is an issue
- Paup – We are set to deliver the first ever flood plan next year and the total amount is $38 billion dollars. The majority of these funds are going to the Houston area
Item 3: Dr. Tina Petersen, Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, will address the Board.
Dr. Tina Petersen
- This an opportunity to be a focus on flooding, flood planning, and flood infrastructure funding
- Harris county is challenged by flood risks
- Thank you for your consideration on items 15, 16, 17, and 18
Item 4: Mike Turco, General Manager and CEO of the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, will address the Board.
Mike Turco, Harris-Galveston Subsidence District
- Subsidence in our area contributes to flooding, faults and infrastructure
- Our district control subsidence to manage flooding
- We are working on alternative water supplies to be less reliant on groundwater
- The subsidence issue is a regional issue
- Paup – I urge my directors to take a tour of the Brownwood community that disappeared because of subsidence
Item 5: The Board will receive comments from the public on any matters within the jurisdiction of the TWDB, with the exception of matters which are subject to the ex parte prohibition found in Texas Government Code Section 2001.061.
Sally Baco, Gulf Coast Protection District
- Storm surged Protection system, is a multiple defense system that includes levees and flood gates system as well as natural systems such as dunes. The project also works on ecosystem restoration
- This project isn’t just a regional project, it is a an essential supply chain project
- 42% of basic manufacturing chemicals originate in the Houston region
- $200 million dollars has been awarded to this project
- We consider you a critical partner in this endeavor
Jill Boullion, Bayou Land Conservancy
- My organization is a nonprofit that does land restoration
- We would like to see that criteria for existing can be changed so nature-based solutions can be more competitive
- Consider us a resource for you
Christina Lindsey, Houston Stronger
- We are advocate for federal, state, and local funding to support flood resiliency projects
- We are supportive of the items today
Calvin Kolb, Cypress Creek Drainage Improvement District
- District was created to serve the 500,00 people that live around cypress creek
- We are a brand new identity and wanted to introduce you to our board
Item 6 Discussion regarding outreach efforts and activities by the Board.
- Members discussed their outreach efforts
Nathan Leber, Executive administer Staff
- There are gaps in coverage
- TexMesoNet Program facilitates statewide coverage by aggregating data from existing from high quality network weather networks in Texas and installing new water development board stations to fill gaps in Texas
- The item before you today is amendment to extend the project
- This project is very important to the panhandle
- Stepney – Does network follow the same data standards that we have?
- Leber – We use the TexMesoNet as a model to be available across the whole state
- Stepney – I support the project
- Peyton – Can you talk to me about the financial agreement, and how this would fit into that and if we were to replicate this what that would look like if we did this on our own
- Leber – logistically it would be inefficient to use on system to cover the whole state. For some areas in Texas it is more costly to get this data yourselves instead of relying on the Tech program
- Peyton – I move to authorize the amendment
- Motion Carries
Heather Rose, Executive Administrator Staff
- This minor amendment was approved by the board October 5
- Adds a recommended water management strategy, the Devers pump relocation project with the Neches water Authority
- Would increase cost by $17.6 million
- Paup – Motion to approve the amendment
- Motion Carries
Jessica Pena, Executive Administrator Staff
- The Executive administrator plans to post these details early in 2024
- Stepney – Can you talk about why it is important to look at the ratings for funding?
- Staff – This is just another tool in the tool box
- Stepney – what is the ballpark number?
- $364 million dollars
- Peyton – The issue of ratings for entities getting loans for the SWIFT. It is important to us that SWIFT is a highly rated funding mechanism. I support this
- Paup – Just to note $11 billion dollars in commitments and $1.4 billion dollars saved
- Peyton – I motion to approve the timeline and resolution of two new policies
- Motion Carries
Jessica Pena, Executive Administrator Staff
- Liberty Hill supplies water and wastewater service to 2,000 residents outside of Austin
- To address these is proposing a new water treatment plant
- Project will include a pilot project and deep injection and land acquisition
- The city also plans to dedicate funds to lost water
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Perry Seger, Liberty Hill
- This agenda item is very important to the City of Liberty Hill
- Stepney – Before we have a commitment can we confirm they have the necessary permits?
- Pena – Yes they will
- Peyton – I am excited to see this project, can you walk me through why these waivers are important?
- Pena – They are planning to conduct a leak survey to calculate water loss
- Peyton – So we will be able to enforce to make sure they are mitigating water loss?
- Pena – Yes
- Stepney – I move to adopt the proposed resolution
- Motion Carries
Jessica Pena, Executive Administrator Staff
- Gladewater provides water service to 6400 residents
- Gladewater is unable to provide water pressure as required
- Allows the city to also maintain water loss
- Stepney – I think this a great project
- Peyton – I motion to adopt the proposed resolution
- Motion Carries
Jessica Pena , Executive Administrator Staff
- The city Aledo serves 5300 residents
- The city growth has made it necessary to improve a lift station
- These improvements will make sure the city has the capacity to serve this growing population
- Stepney – 10% growth rate a year is incredible, I think this a perfect project
- Peyton – it is not unusual for a city to come back in and find out their costs have doubled, I am happy to support it
- Stepney – I move to adopt the proposed resolution
- Motion Carries
Jessica Pena, Executive Administrator Staff
- In June 2023 Military Highway Water Supply Corporation’s Economically Distressed Areas Program a $2.2 million dollar commitment for the design and build of a wastewater treatment plant
- There was a delay, therefore they are requesting a 60-day extension on the commitment
- Paup – I would like to stress that this will offer first time wastewater service this area
- Stepney – I move to approve the resolution and extension
- Motion Carries
Nancy Richards, Executive Administrator Staff
- HB 1 appropriated $50 million dollars to the Lake Houston dam
- Stepney – I motion to approve the grant
- Motion Carries
Items 15 – 18 are taken up together
Nancy Richards, Executive Administrator Staff
- Item 15 includes flood mitigation Harris County flood district in the lower clear creek water shed to decrease flood risk in the area in numerous ways
- Item 16 is for the structural improvements of the new concrete channels in the port farm ditch watershed
- Item 17 the project includes the construction of one of three storm water TC Jester storm water detention basin in the cypress creek water shed
- Item 18 includes designing a storm water detention basin in Halls Bayou watershed
- Stepney – These are really important projects and I want to see them through
- Peyton – I move to approve these items
- Motion CarriesÂ
Adjourned