Kingwood / Flood and drainage
How to check a Kingwood address for flood risk.
Kingwood sits on the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston, and parts of it have flooded, most notably in Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Here is how to research a specific home, plus the documented events and projects.
Research the specific address
- Look up the address on the FEMA Flood Map Service Center for the official regulatory flood zone.
- Check the Harris County tools below for floodplains relative to the structure and current gauge data. For Montgomery County addresses, use the county’s floodplain office.
- Read the seller’s disclosure, which in Texas asks about prior flooding and flood insurance claims, and ask the seller directly.
- Get a flood insurance quote during your option period, even outside a mapped flood zone.
- Ask about elevation, any repairs after past storms, and drainage on the lot.
A regulatory flood zone, a home’s actual flood history and its street’s drainage are three different things. A village name cannot establish any of them, and no village in this guide is described as flood-free.
Tools
- FEMA Flood Map Service CenterFEMA Flood Map Service Center is the official public source for flood hazard information and can be searched by address, place or coordinates.
- Harris County Flood Education Mapping ToolHarris County Flood Education Mapping Tool shows FEMA-mapped floodplains relative to structures. It is not the effective FIRM; HCFCD sends users to msc.fema.gov for official maps and FIRMettes.
- MAAPnextMAAPnext is HCFCD's next-generation flood mapping project. Its new maps are in draft, not open for comments or appeals, and FEMA is expected to issue preliminary FIRMs later (no date given). It has an interactive map and a 'Know Your Risk' report.
- Harris County Flood Control DistrictHCFCD Flood Warning System (rainfall and stream gauges).
Documented events and projects
- 2017-09-04
Harvey: Mayor Turner said water released from Lake Conroe added to Kingwood's damage. Debris covered every street, and San Antonio crews were assigned to Kingwood.
- 2017-09-05
Harvey: KPRC reported SJRA's Lake Conroe floodgate release at nearly 80,000 cfs and many Kingwood-area homes destroyed (no count).
- 2017-10-02
After Harvey, HCFCD received more than 3,000 buyout requests countywide (Russ Poppe, as of Oct. 2017).
- 2018-03-21
Harvey flooded the Kingwood High School campus in September 2017. Students shared Summer Creek HS, then returned to KHS on March 19, 2018.
- 2019-07-02
West Fork San Jacinto dredging: an Army Corps contract of $70M removed about 1.7M cubic yards between River Grove Park and W. Lake Houston Pkwy. In April 2019 FEMA extended it to the mouth bar area, capped at 500,000 cy and targeted for end of Nov. 2019; the Corps said the mouth bar itself would not be removed.
- 2024-05-14
May 2024 flood: Lake Conroe releases peaked at 71,835 cfs on May 2, the most since Harvey (~79,000 cfs). Gov. Abbott's preliminary count was 800 homes with major damage (regional). More than 4M cy of sediment has been dredged since Harvey.
- 2024-10-29
Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project: 11 new 20x20-ft gates in the east embankment, about 79,000 cfs combined, versus about 10,000 cfs from the 1953 dam's four gates. Council approved the Phase 2 interlocal agreement with the Coastal Water Authority on Sept. 10, 2024. The 2023 cost estimate was $127.3M, with construction projected to start Q4 2026 or Q1 2027 and finish by 2029.
- 2025-07-28
City of Houston contract with Callan Marine to dredge 800,000 cy from the West Fork (Kings Point/Atascocita to FM 1960) was reported complete. FEMA funds paid for mouth bar area dredging.
- 2025-12-26
Updated spillway status: cost $224M with about $143.4M secured (gap $80.6M). Preliminary design was done Aug. 2025, with final design and permitting planned for Dec. 2026 and construction from summer 2028 to about winter 2030. A separate ~$10M dam void and concrete repair runs 2025-2027.
Village-specific drainage history, such as Elm Grove in 2019 and Forest Cove after Harvey, is covered in each village guide. Last reviewed October 11, 2026.