Several months after Southeast Texas was saturated with historic rainfall, Montgomery County announced Friday that the Texas Water Development Board agreed to award a $460,000 grant to help fund a countywide flood mitigation study.
San Jacinto River Authority General Manager Jace Houston submitted the grant application for the city of Conroe, Montgomery County and the SJRA. The state awarded the full amount requested, which will fund half of Phase 1 of the study.
“We were extremely successful; they had over 40 applications for just $3 million in available funding, and we received our full grant request, which was $460,000. It was a home run,” Houston said.
The first phase of the flood mitigation study will cost approximately $920,000 and will cover the Lake Conroe watershed and the upper West Fork of the San Jacinto River, including Alligator Creek. Future phases of the study will cover additional watersheds in the county.
"Sometime late next year, applications will be accepted for additional grants that could cover the other watersheds in Montgomery County," Houston said. "The hope is that this initial project will serve as a model for partnering with other local communities to expand into adjacent watersheds."
The SJRA, Montgomery County and the city of Conroe will pay the remainder of the study’s Phase 1 balance.
Although the grant has been approved, the SJRA and the TWDB still need to execute a contract for the project. Work on the study will begin no later than Jan. 25, 2017 and must be completed by June 30, 2018, according to grant requirements.
Upon completion, the study will identify structural and nonstructural flood damage reduction projects along with the development of a Comprehensive Flood Protection Plan.