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Ivis García, Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Texas A&M University

Flood-prone Houston faces hard choices for handling too much water

A roadside assistance vehicle is swamped by floodwaters on a Houston highway in 2024. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Eight years after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston in 2017, flooding hundreds of thousands of homes, the city still awaits a comprehensive flood protection system. The local flood control district estimates that at least one major flood occurs within its service area every two years.

There are two competing potential options to contain these floods with tunnels to direct excess water out of the city to the coast – one from the local flood control district board and one from Elon Musk’s Boring Company, with the backing of a local member of Congress. The two proposals differ significantly in size, capacity, cost and expected completion time.

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