Washington, DC - Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas) applauded the U.S. House of Representative’s passage of the conference report on H.R. 1495, the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA), by a vote of 381 to 40 on August 1. The legislation provides much-needed protection from flooding for thousands of homes in the Houston area.

WRDA includes a provision creating the Halls Bayou Federal Flood Control Project. The Harris County Flood Control District could begin work on the project soon if the bill is signed by the president. Work on Houston’s flood control projects had been on hold for several years because previous Congresses have failed to pass WRDA legislation.

“Halls Bayou has been hit hard over the years by severe, frequent floods,” Green said. “In June 2001 during tropical storm Allison, more than 8,000 homes flooded in the area. This bill reduces the risk of property damage and physical injury for many families in Houston’s many low-lying watersheds.”

The bill will authorize federal funds to pay for approximately 65 percent of the flood control project’s cost. The federal money compensates Harris County to do work in place of the Army Corps of Engineers, if the project is approved by the Secretary of the Army.

The Water Resources and Development Act of 1990 included the original authorization for flood control projects in Halls Bayou, a major tributary of Greens Bayou, as part of the Buffalo Bayou and Tributary Project.