Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017

Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017

This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit to Congress and make publicly available a report with respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention facilities in Texas.

The report shall include:

• for each such facility, the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water, the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow, and plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies;
• a description of steps taken by the Corps of Engineers to limit or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows from such facilities;
• recommendations of the Corps for infrastructure improvements and dredging of existing facilities needed to limit or prevent such releases or overflows;
• plans to coordinate among such facilities during a flood emergency; and
• a list identifying the such facilities under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's jurisdiction, which shall include a description of the process for lowering water levels at each facility.

The Corps may exclude information from the report for national security purposes.

Upon the Corps' request, a non-federal entity that owns, operates, or has jurisdiction over a covered facility shall provide the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water, the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow, and plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies. An entity shall not be eligible for federal financial assistance until it complies with such request.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov