Regional Flood Planning Group Has Vacancies, including Environmental Rep

Executive Meeting May 7, Planning Meeting May 13, Public Meeting May 18

April 23, 2021

Updated May 8, 2021

The San Jacinto Region Flood Planning Group is the local committee, one of fifteen river-basin groups in Texas, developing regional flood plans to deliver to the Texas Water Development Board by 2023. The state board in turn is charged by the state legislature with administering the Flood Infrastructure Fund.

There are now fifteen voting positions in the San Jacinto group, known as Region 6, which had its first meeting last October. The group began with twelve voting members. However, in the interim the members voted to create positions for representatives of the Upper Watershed and Coastal Communities as well as an additional Public seat.

The executive committee will consider formal recommendations for the new Coastal Communities and Public positions at its executive committee meeting on May 7 at noon, according to Fatima Berrios, assistant project manager for the group. Nominations for those two positions are closed.

 Nominations for the Upper Watershed category are still open until May 7.

Nominations to Represent Environmental Interests Due May 28

In addition, another seat is now open. Dr. Sarah Bernhardt, who was chosen to represent Environmental Interests with the San Jacinto group, is leaving her position as president and chief executive officer of the Bayou Preservation Association to move to Alaska with her family.

So the state board is also looking for nominations to fill her environmental position with the San Jacinto group.

Nominations for the environmental seat are due by May 28. Here is the notice and nomination form from the Texas Water Development Board.

The full San Jacinto group will also hold a planning meeting on May 13 at 9 a.m.

Update: In addition, the San Jacinto group will hold a virtual public “pre-planning” meeting May 18 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. to gather public comments on the regional flood plan to be delivered to the Texas Water Development Board.

If you wish to provide written comments prior to or after the meeting, email your comments to SanJacFldPG@eng.hctx.net and include “Region 6 Flood Planning Group: Pre-Planning Meeting” in the subject line of the email.

These virtual meetings are open to the public, which can also deliver comments both before and during the meetings.

Note that this local state-sponsored planning group is different from the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force, a product of the 2019 Harris Thrives resolution and intended as more of an oversight committee for the Harris County Flood Control District.

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