Mayor highlights $32M detention basin and wide drainage push in State of the City address

The mayor of Friendswood outlined a major investment in flood control on Tuesday, saying the city will build the Friendswood Regional Stormwater Detention Basin — a project he described as "about 730 acre feet of detention" that totals roughly $32,000,000, with Friendswood's share around $8,000,000.

The announcement was the centerpiece of a broader drainage update the mayor gave during the State of the City address. He said voters approved about $41,000,000 in bonds in 2019 for drainage work and that city staff have "leveraged that $40,000,000 into a $120,000,000 worth of work" by securing partner funding from entities such as Harris County Flood Control and a consolidated drainage district.

The mayor also described the Whitcomb terracing project (in-line detention on the creek), identifying $4,800,000 in city bond funds committed to the work and citing a $10,000,000 contribution from the Texas Water Development Board for that project.

City staff are conducting a comprehensive master drainage plan, the mayor said, funded in part by a grant from the Texas Department of Emergency Management, to identify and prioritize future projects and to map floodways and the 100-year floodplain.

The mayor credited partnerships and staff efforts for stretching local bond dollars and said the regional basin is sited at the north end of town where water flows in from Pearland, intended to keep floodwaters "from going into people's homes." He named the basin, the county, the Consolidated Drainage District and state partners as co‑participants.

Next steps the mayor described include moving project planning into design and coordinating funding responsibilities among partners; he did not give a construction start date. Residents and stakeholders seeking details on the master drainage plan or potential timelines were directed to the city's outreach channels and project materials.