To understand some of the motivation behind these new rules, it’s important to recognize that Harvey didn’t happen in a vacuum. The storm was preceded by Houston’s Memorial Day Flood in 2015 and the Tax Day Flood in 2016, not to mention tropical storm Allison, which also brought major flooding to the Texas Gulf Coast in the early 2000s.

While Harvey was the worst of these natural disasters, the simple fact is that there are pockets of residential areas in Houston where people have had their homes flooded three times in three years. Harvey’s floodwater inundated hundreds of thousands of Houston-area properties, displacing more than 30,000 people and impacting homes and business in lasting — sometimes permanent — ways.

Fair or not, these events have been the catalysts for local government to take steps to mitigate what is perceived by many to be a worsening problem.

The reality, however, is that flooding has always been a problem in Houston. While Harvey and the two previous floods have brought new attention to the issue, the long-term impacts and efficacy of a handful of regulatory changes remain to be seen.

Fingers have been pointed at everything from environmental factors to development strategies, but even civil engineers and hydrologists can’t agree on the most significant source of the problem.

Some such experts believe detention can actually exacerbate flooding. Others believe it makes sense to take more significant steps to address the issue through measures such as widening bayous or dredging drainage channels. Those same people see raising building heights as little more than an expensive Band-Aid that only scratches the surface of the problem.

Impacts, Implications