Agency: Cost to curb Texas flooding over 10 years is $31.5B

A Texas agency says the cost to curtail damaging flooding statewide over the next 10 years is more than $31.5 billion and is urging lawmakers to adopt a series of measures meant to end a cycle of “repairing and rebuilding.”

The Texas Water Development Board on Thursday released a series of recommendations for lawmakers ahead of the legislative session that begins next month.

The recommendations are part of an updated TWDB flood assessment report that says coastal and river flooding alone is expected to cause more than $6.8 billion in property losses over the next five years.

The agency is seeking a three-pronged approach: update flood mapping and modeling, establish comprehensive planning rather than piecemeal efforts, and enact policies and procedures to aid mitigation.