Houston considering new underground tunnels for flood mitigation

Harris County in Houston, Texas, is exploring substantial projects to mitigate flooding, including the construction of tunnels over 100 feet below the water, ABC 13 News reported. Over the past six years, the flood control district has invested $4.5 million in tunnel studies, partially funded by a federal grant. Their latest initiative, the Solutions for Advancing Floodplain Evaluation and Resilience Study (SAFER), aims to secure additional federal funding by investigating soil conditions and potential tunnel locations. 

Scott Elmer, the district's chief partnerships and programs manager, told ABC 13 News that similar tunnels are already under construction in Dallas and exist in San Antonio and Austin. The proposed plan could encompass 133 miles of tunnels situated up to 120 feet underground, designed to channel water from nearly half of the county's watersheds to the ship channel.

Elmer outlined how the tunnels would function during rising water levels and acknowledged that their construction might necessitate the use of eminent domain. However, he indicated that property acquisition associated with tunnels would likely be less extensive than traditional methods, which often require large land areas. For instance, while a stormwater detention basin needs over 1,800 acres, a tunnel could achieve the same goal with just 24 acres.

Officials anticipate the tunnel project could exceed $30 billion in costs. Before proceeding, they seek community input and will consider various options, including potential buyout programs and traditional approaches like detention basins. A final virtual meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, and after gathering feedback, officials plan to hold additional meetings. The aim is to submit the study to the federal government by 2027 and secure funding by 2028.

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