LID Districts

Fort Bend County Levee Improvement Districts are systems in Fort Bend County that provide flood and storm water management resources to those who reside or conduct business in the geographic area protected by the LIDs. In addition to the more than 99 miles of levees managed by all of the Fort Bend County LID systems, the multiple districts provide protection with other related flood control works including over 20 miles of internal drainage ditches and channels that collect and convey storm water run-off, outfall structures where internal storm water drainage is discharged outside of the levee, pump stations (electric facilities that pump the interior rainfall outside the levee during a flood event and do so with electrical power that is completely independent of the public power grid), flap gates and sluice gates (sliding gates to control water flow from the community to the river), detention ponds (reservoirs that store water over brief periods of time until the drainage ditches and channels have the capacity for ordinary flow), and retention ponds (artificial lakes that include a permanent pool of water and space to retain excess water). The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set standards that guide the construction, maintenance and operations of LIDs. Levee systems must meet minimum design, operation, and maintenance requirements to receive recognition by FEMA. Levee Districts in Fort Bend County are funded by local ad valorem property taxes. Property taxes pay for the bonds that are used to finance the design and construction of the levee systems and other related flood control works. Levee Districts in Fort Bend County spend more than $12M annually to operate and maintain the levee systems and other related flood control works, as well as to carry out their other regular business.