Texas Border Business
AUSTIN —Today, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) approved the City of Corpus Christi’s (City) grant application for $7.2 million submitted to the GLO’s Hurricane Harvey Local Infrastructure Program. The City plans to use the funding to conduct drainage infrastructure improvements to facilitate proper stormwater conveyance and reduce the impact of future flooding.
The City is the latest recipient of the federal grant in the region, joining Nueces County and the City of Robstown of which received grants earlier this year. In 2018, the City and Nueces County teamed up to address drainage issues by signing an agreement to pursue local, state and federal grant funding for a countywide drainage study. As the City’s population increases, it puts more pressure on drainage.
Drainage improvements are costly to local governments and large projects can cost tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. The 2019 Texas Legislature added another funding option with the creation of the Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) through Senate Bill 7. The new FIF program, administered by the Texas Water Development Board, provides financial assistance in the form of loans and grants for flood control, flood mitigation, and drainage projects. As Vice Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa was instrumental in securing funding to help local communities plan for future flood events. Senator Hinojosa was a co-author of Senate Bill 500, which authorized a transfer of $793 million from the “Rainy Day” Fund to start the FIF program.
Senator Hinojosa issued the following statement:
“In 2017, the City of Corpus Christi was heavily impacted by Hurricane Harvey’s winds, floodwaters and storm surges resulting in damage to homes, businesses, and public infrastructure. The federal grant award to Corpus Christi will go a long way with preparing for future storms. I congratulate Corpus Christi for obtaining this grant. I appreciate the leadership of Mayor McComb, the City Council, and the hard work of the City’s staff to identify and secure sources of available funds that will protect our residents and their property from future flooding events.”
