| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to a study and report by the Texas Water Development Board, |
|
|
in consultation with certain other entities, of risks from and |
|
|
solutions to flooding. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS. In this Act: |
|
|
(1) "Board" means the Texas Water Development Board. |
|
|
(2) "Regional flood plan" means the regional flood |
|
|
plan developed under Section 16.062, Water Code, for the flood |
|
|
planning region that includes the upper Guadalupe River basin. |
|
|
SECTION 2. STUDY AND REPORT. (a) The board, in |
|
|
consultation with the Upper Guadalupe River Authority, Kerr County, |
|
|
and the City of Kerrville, shall conduct a risk assessment and |
|
|
project feasibility study to: |
|
|
(1) quantify the risk to life and property posed by |
|
|
flooding in the upper Guadalupe River basin; |
|
|
(2) assess potential solutions to mitigate flood risks |
|
|
identified under Subdivision (1) of this subsection; and |
|
|
(3) propose not more than eight projects that will |
|
|
help mitigate the flood risks identified under Subdivision (1) of |
|
|
this subsection. |
|
|
(b) In quantifying the risk to life and property under |
|
|
Subsection (a)(1) of this section, the board shall: |
|
|
(1) collect and assess existing data, including the |
|
|
data collected in connection with the regional flood plan, any |
|
|
integrated flood risk management studies for the area, topographic |
|
|
data, existing locally developed models, structure inventories, |
|
|
and hydrologic analyses; |
|
|
(2) update as appropriate the information collected |
|
|
under Subdivision (1) of this subsection by incorporating the July |
|
|
4, 2025, weather event; and |
|
|
(3) develop hydraulic models for the major creeks and |
|
|
rivers within the upper Guadalupe River basin. |
|
|
(c) In assessing potential solutions to mitigate flood |
|
|
risks under Subsection (a)(2) of this section, the board shall: |
|
|
(1) identify projects that reduce susceptibility to |
|
|
flooding, including off-river detention storage, on-river dams, |
|
|
improved evacuation routes, river channel modification, and |
|
|
improved or new storm drainage systems; |
|
|
(2) develop a hydraulic model for each potential |
|
|
project to determine the effect of the project with respect to: |
|
|
(A) flood mitigation; |
|
|
(B) water supply; |
|
|
(C) groundwater recharge; |
|
|
(D) recreation; and |
|
|
(E) environmental impacts; and |
|
|
(3) conduct community meetings to gather input and |
|
|
feedback from residents with respect to the projects. |
|
|
(d) In proposing projects that may help mitigate the flood |
|
|
risks under Subsection (a)(3) of this section, the board shall: |
|
|
(1) determine the costs and benefits of each project; |
|
|
(2) score and rank the projects based on community |
|
|
feedback and the costs and benefits of the projects; and |
|
|
(3) to the extent possible, develop design documents |
|
|
for the highest-ranked projects to expedite the completion of those |
|
|
projects. |
|
|
(e) At least half of the projects proposed under Subsection |
|
|
(a)(3) of this section must be projects identified by local |
|
|
entities. |
|
|
(f) Not later than January 1, 2029, the board shall present |
|
|
to the legislature a report that contains a summary of the study |
|
|
conducted under this Act and a description of the projects |
|
|
identified by the board that would best mitigate flooding in the |
|
|
upper Guadalupe River basin. |
|
|
SECTION 3. EXPIRATION. This Act expires January 1, 2030. |
|
|
SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect on the |
|
|
91st day after the last day of the legislative session. |