SAN ANTONIO – The chairwoman of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) called it a “monumental achievement” when officials voted Thursday to adopt the state’s first comprehensive flood plan, setting in motion years of planning.

“The adoption of the first state flood plan is a monumental achievement for Texas,” said TWDB Chair Brooke Paup.

The nearly 300-page document contains the results of 15 regional flood plans – Bexar County is one of 16 counties that make up Region 12 – as well as recommendations and guidelines for flood management.

The estimated implementation costs of the approximately 4,600 solutions recommended by the 15 groups amount to over $54.5 billion, according to a TWDB press release.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Governor Greg Abbott called the passage a “huge win for Texas.” He also said the plan will “help Texas better prepare for the threat of severe flooding.”

The plan, originally released in early May, assumes that one in six Texans lives or works in a known flood zone, the press release said.

Given the regional differences – population size, land development and rainfall patterns – “there is a significant risk of flooding in all 15 planning regions,” the press release states.

“One of the greatest achievements of this first cycle of regional and state flood planning is that we now have some level of flood risk information for the entire state,” said TWDB board member L’Oreal Stepney.

The plan can be viewed below:

On the region-by-region summary page, each of the 15 regions provided a brief summary of proposed recommendations. The Region 12 group encouraged floodplain management and land-use practices, as well as “establishing higher standards,” the plan said.

A spokesperson for the San Antonio River Authority (SARA) told KSAT that the adoption of the plan will not result in any changes or impacts to the group’s operations.

The plan includes “engineered flood data prepared by the River Authority for the entire river basin, including our jurisdiction in four counties – Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad,” the spokesman said.

SARA also serves as the regional administrator for the administration of the Region 12 Regional Flood Planning Group.

A look into the future of Texas legislation

Work on developing the plan began during the Texas Legislature in 2019 with the passage of Senate Bill 8.

A state flood plan, as the bill states, would have to “provide for orderly flood preparation and response to prevent loss of life and property. It would have to serve as a guide for state flood protection policy and, wherever possible, contribute to water supplies.”

Part of SB 8’s policy would require the TWDB to develop a new state flood plan every five years based on the flood planning groups’ regional plan, the press release said.

The five legislative recommendations contained in the plan, which are supported to varying degrees by the 15 regions, are as follows:

• Provision of funds for ongoing flood protection measures by the TWDB.

• Establish and finance a targeted technical assistance program for floodplain management for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.

• Increase resources to improve safety at low water crossings.

• Prioritizing and expanding funding for the implementation of flood early warning systems at the regional level.

• Consider developing a levee safety program and expanding the existing dam safety program to better assess risks.

The plan also states that if a region does not support a recommendation, “this should not be construed as opposition to the recommendation.”

Region 12 supported three of the recommendations.

According to TWDB, the adopted plan will next be presented to the Texas Legislature in September 2024.

Further related reporting on KSAT: