Houston City Council approved the appointment of four individuals to serve on the board of directors for the newly created Lake Houston Dredging and Management District in June.
The big picture
Following a pair of failed attempts in 2021 and 2023, the 89th Texas Legislature approved House Bill 1532—authored by state Rep. Charles Cunningham, R-Humble—in May 2025, resulting in the creation of the district, which will be charged with overseeing ongoing dredging operations in Lake Houston.
Over the course of two Houston City Council meetings—held June 2 and June 9—council members approved the following individuals to serve on the board:
- Position 1: Kathleen M. Jordan
- Position 2: Derek St. John
- Position 3: Sarah Berkey
- Position 5: William Simpson (board chair)
What they're saying District E council member Fred Flickinger—whose district covers the Kingwood area—said dredging plays an important role in both flood mitigation and drinking water. He noted officials removed 800,000 cubic yards of material from Lake Houston during the most recent dredging.
"This is a huge thing for the entire Lake Houston area," Flickinger said during the June 9 meeting. "Two years ago in May, when ... we had that big rain event, the river and the lake were actually supposed to crest 2 feet higher than what they did, and the reason they did not was because of the dredging that had been done previously. ... Had it not been for that, we would have had significant structural flooding all around Lake Houston. So the dredging plays a huge piece in the flood mitigation."
Mayor John Whitmire echoed Flickinger's sentiments, thanking the appointees for their public service.
"This is just an example of the hard work, planning and execution that goes on in Houston each and every day, kind of quietly doing our jobs and making such a difference," Whitmire said during the June 9 meeting. "Kingwood has challenges, and that water—if not properly handled–does end up south of Kingwood in our neighborhoods, so thank you for your service and leadership and the expertise that you bring to the table."
District G council member Mary Nan Huffman noted St. John has previously helped with flood mitigation efforts in her district, which covers areas including Post Oak and Memorial.
Stay tuned
Per the June 9 agenda, the appointed board members will serve until their terms expire June 1, 2030.
Wesley Gardner contributed to this report.
