Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher and Congressman Morgan Luttrell’s Effort To Expedite Buffalo Bayou Tributaries Resiliency Study Passes House

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026. After years of delays, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) and Congressman Morgan Luttrell (TX-08) led an effort to include a provision in the bill that directs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to expedite a Chief's Report evaluating a single large underground water conveyance tunnel to reduce flood risk around the Addicks and Barker reservoirs and along Buffalo Bayou. A Chief's Report is a critical step toward moving forward on any USACE project. Once it is complete, Congress must then authorize the project and appropriate funding.

WRDA 2024 required USACE to complete a Chief's Report on the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study (BBTRS). Instead, USACE produced a report of findings that presented three options: take no action, construct one large tunnel, or construct a series of smaller, modular tunnels. USACE then requested additional funding to study the difference between the large-tunnel and modular-tunnel options, rather than completing the legally required Chief's Report.

Congresswoman Fletcher and Congressman Luttrell's provision in WRDA 2026 specifically directs USACE to expedite the Chief's Report on the single large tunnel option-the solution stakeholders in Houston and the broader region have identified and supported as the most effective way to protect Houston-area communities from flooding, whether from a single catastrophic storm or the cumulative impact of frequent, smaller flood events.

"Since my first term in Congress, protecting our community from flooding has been central to my work, and completing the Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study is essential to that effort," said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher. "This project reflects an effort to think big about how to protect our entire community from the cumulative toll of more rain and more storms. I'm grateful to Congressman Luttrell for his partnership in this effort, and to community leaders across Texas' Seventh Congressional District for their years of collaboration and advocacy. I'm glad WRDA 2026 will finally require USACE to deliver the Chief's Report on the solution our community has identified and supported."

"Flood mitigation in the Houston region has remained a top priority throughout my time in Congress, and today's House passage of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2026 represents meaningful progress toward that goal," said Congressman Morgan Luttrell. "This provision ensures the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completes the Chief's Report on the large tunnel solution, as originally required. I appreciate Congresswoman Fletcher's continued partnership on this effort and look forward to its consideration by the Senate."

In July, the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure passed WRDA 2026, which included this provision led by Congresswoman Fletcher and Congressman Luttrell.

Since her first term in Congress, Congresswoman Fletcher has advocated for the completion of BBTRS. Following her advocacy, Congress included language requiring USACE to complete BBTRS in the Water Redevelopment Act (WRDA) of 2024. In January of 2024, she testified before the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and urged the Committee to include language to complete the BBTRS. In 2021, she wrote a letter to USACE supporting an exemption to allow USACE to complete the BBTRS.

In 2020, she successfully called on the USACE to extend the public comment period for the BBTRS Interim Report. She then submitted a public comment on the interim report urging the USACE to incorporate public feedback from residents of Texas' Seventh Congressional District.

The bill now moves to the United States Senate, where it is one step closer to becoming law.