About The District

The Orange County Drainage District is a special district of the State of Texas charged with the maintenance and improvement of drainage infrastructure within Orange County Texas.

Jurisdiction and Governance

The District is located in Southeast Texas and consists of approximately 380 square miles which lie entirely within Orange County, Texas. The District is governed by an elected five-member Board of Directors. The Board selects and employs a General Manager who is responsible for managing the District consistent with the plans, goals, and directives of the Board, and for implementing the policies of the Board. Because the Orange County Drainage District is a special district of the State of Texas charged with drainage in Orange County Texas, it shares coterminous boundaries with Orange County, Texas, which is a separate political subdivision of the State.

The District’s Mission

Orange County, Texas is uniquely bordered on the east by the Sabine River, on the west by the Neches River, and on the south by Sabine Lake. As a coastal county that primarily drains into major river systems and/or the marsh, riverine and tidal conditions can significantly affect drainage within Orange County. In general, the District is responsible for providing and maintaining drainage of the developed areas of the County. Drainage within the County is largely achieved through drainage ditches and channels that flow into the rivers, bayous, creeks, gullies, and man-made ditches that span large portions of Orange County.

The District’s drainage infrastructure consists almost exclusively of the major earthen drainage ditches and channels, both natural and man-made. On a day-to-day basis, the District is engaged in the maintenance and improvement of these earthen ditches (over 600 miles of ditches), which regularly consists of excavation, removal of silt, mowing and/or herbicidal spray operations. 

Intergovernmental Cooperation

The District works with other entities that also have a role with regard to drainage within Orange County, such as the Cities and Orange County Road and Bridge Department or Orange County, Texas, all of which generally share responsibility for the internal drainage within city limits and alongside most roads. Likewise, the Drainage District works with the Texas Department of Transportation which generally has responsibility for the drainage along state highways.