Public encouraged to review Draft Plan and submit comments by Oct. 10, 2022; after revisions, Final Plan will go to Texas Water Development Board in Jan. 2023

Texas’ Trinity River Basin – Aug. 5, 2022 – The Trinity Regional Flood Planning Group (Trinity RFPG) recently submitted the first-ever Draft Regional Flood Plan (Draft Plan) for the Trinity River Basin to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB). This action represents an important milestone in the first cycle of Texas’ new regional and statewide flood planning effort.

Members of the public are now encouraged to review the Draft Plan and submit comments no later than Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, for consideration during the plan revision process this fall.

“Our goal throughout this process has been to gather data from regional stakeholders, assess current and future flood risks, and provide tangible recommendations to address communities’ flooding issues,” said Glenn Clingenpeel, chair of the Trinity RFPG. “We strongly encourage the public to look closely at the Draft Plan and tell us where flooding issues in their community may need further attention. Their input will help us ensure the Final Regional Flood Plan and subsequent amendments include the best possible recommendations. This is important because the recommended projects will ultimately have better access to future State funding, providing vital money to help fix local flooding issues.”

The Draft Plan draws on the best available science, data, models and flood risk mapping to recommend over $1 billion in flood mitigation actions designed to fix local flooding issues and reduce flood-related loss of lives, property and livelihoods throughout the region. The Draft Plan can be reviewed on the Planning Documents page of the Trinity RFPG website, using the Categories tool to sort by “2022 Draft Plan.” Hard copies of the Draft Plan are also available for review at the following libraries across the region during normal operating hours:

  • Dallas Public Library, 1515 Young Street, Dallas, Texas 75201
  • Fairfield Library, 350 W. Main Street, Fairfield, Texas 75840
  • Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, 650 FM 1011, Liberty, Texas 77575

Public comments on the Draft Plan may be emailed to info@trinityrfpg.org or submitted using the Public Comment form on the Trinity RFPG website, www.trinityrfpg.org. Public comments may also be mailed to Halff Associates, Inc., Attn: Stephanie Griffin, 4000 Fossil Creek Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137-1422.

Trinity RFPG Hosts Upcoming Events to Answer Questions, Solicit Draft Plan Comments

The Trinity RFPG will also host several events in Aug. and Sept. featuring the Draft Plan and public comment opportunities before revising and submitting a Final Regional Flood Plan to the TWDB in Jan. 2023.

First, the Trinity RFPG will host three informational open house sessions in late Aug. at locations regionwide to provide an overview of the Draft Plan, showcase flood mitigation recommendations for local areas and answer stakeholders’ questions. The open house times and locations are as follows:

  • Lower Basin: Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, 5 – 7 p.m., Dayton Community Center, Ballroom 300B, 801 S. Cleveland Street, Dayton, Texas 77535
  • Mid Basin: Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022, 5 – 7 p.m., Houston County Electric Cooperative, Community Room, 1701 Loop 304, Crockett, Texas 75835
  • Upper Basin: Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022, 6 – 8 p.m., North Central Texas Council of Governments, William Pitstick Conference Room, Centerpoint II Building, 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, Texas 76011

Subsequently, the Trinity RFPG will hold a hybrid public meeting Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at 6 p.m. to present an overview of the Regional Flood Planning Process and the Draft Plan, and to accept oral and written comments on the Draft Plan. This meeting will be held in a hybrid format, including an in-person meeting at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, Transportation Council Room, Centerpoint II Building, 616 Six Flags Drive, Arlington, TX 76011. For videoconference and teleconference participation options, as well as meeting materials, please visit www.trinityrfpg.org.

Informational Flyers Available for Reference

For flyers featuring highlights of the Draft Plan and details about the upcoming public participation opportunities, please click the links below:

About the Trinity RFPG and the Flood Planning Process

The Trinity RFPG is among 15 regional flood planning groups designated in April 2020 by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), as a result of Senate Bill 8, 86th Texas Legislature, which established a groundbreaking, new regional and state flood planning process. At the same time, the Texas Legislature also created a new flood financial assistance fund and charged the TWDB with administering the fund. The Flood Infrastructure Fund, approved by Texas voters in Nov. 2019, will be used to finance flood-related projects.

The Trinity RFPG is responsible for creating its first Regional Flood Plan by Jan. 10, 2023. This plan will then become part of Texas’ first-ever State Flood Plan by Sept. 1, 2024. After this first round of flood planning, each of the regional flood planning groups will update their plans every five years.

The initial members of the Trinity RFPG were designated by the TWDB in 2020. The Planning Group’s membership includes at least one voting member from each of the following interest categories: the public, counties, municipalities, industry, agriculture, environment, small business, electric-generating utilities, river authorities, water districts, water utilities and flood districts. In April 2021, the Trinity RFPG engaged a technical consultant team led by Halff Associates to support its planning effort.

The Trinity RFPG’s planning region (Trinity River Basin or Region 3) has an estimated population of approximately 8 million and spans a nearly 18,000-square mile, 38-county region from Cooke County in the north to Chambers County on the Gulf Coast.

For more information, visit the Trinity RFPG website at www.trinityrfpg.org, follow the group on Twitter https://twitter.com/TrinityRFPG or email the group via info@trinityrfpg.org.