[CALL TO ORDER]
[00:00:04]
UH, ROOM 1405 AT 6 3 1 0 WILLAMINA DELCO DRIVE.
LET'S DO A ROLL CALL AND WE'LL JUST START WITH, UM, PEOPLE ONLINE.
IF YOU'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND ANNOUNCE YOURSELF.
WE'LL START WITH COMMISSIONER BRIMER.
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
PASS THE MINUTES? MOTION TO APPROVE MINUTES.UM, WAS MY NAME ADDED? I WAS JUST ABOUT TO SAY THAT.
ELIZABETH FUNK WATERSHED, THE BACKUP DOES NOT HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER SULLIVAN AS, UH, AN ATTENDANCE, BUT HE WAS, AND MY NEW VERSION HAS HIM THERE, SO.
SO THIS IS THE AMENDED VERSION THAT WE'RE VOTING ON.
WELL, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S, THAT'S THE AMENDED VERSION.
YEAH, IT'S PROBABLY, 'CAUSE I EMAILED, I JUST PRINTED OUT THE AMENDED VERSION.
PROBABLY THE MAIL, THE VERSION THAT WAS EMAILED OUT LAST WEEK.
DIDN'T HAVE MY NAME ON IT FOR LAST MEETING.
[2. Presentation on Watershed Protection Department Flood Response – John Beachy, Division Manager, Kevin Shunk, Floodplain Administrator, Watershed Protection Department]
UM, WE HAVE ON THE RIGHT ONE HERE.UM, HESITATION FROM WATERSHED PROTECTION ON FLOOD RESPONSE.
AND I THINK Y'ALL ARE GONNA SIT HERE.
LAURIE, THANKS FOR THE TECHNOLOGY UPDATE THERE.
I HAD TO DO A QUICK TECHNOLOGY CHECK.
SO MY NAME IS KEVIN SCHUNK, AND THIS IS REALLY LOUD.
AND I AM THE CITY'S FLOOD PLAIN ADMINISTRATOR IN WATERSHED PROTECTION.
HE IS, UH, IN OUR OPERATIONS BRANCH AND ALSO WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION.
AND WE'RE HERE TO TALK TO YOU TODAY ABOUT IN GENERAL FLOOD PREPAREDNESS.
AND SPECIFICALLY WE'LL TALK ABOUT FLOOD PLAIN REGULATIONS, FLOODING HISTORY.
JOHN'S GONNA GO INTO SOME DETAIL ABOUT SOME OF OUR OPERATIONS THAT WE DO TO BE PREPARED FOR FLOODS.
UH, THIS TIME OF YEAR AND THIS YEAR ESPECIALLY, UH, FLOODS HAVE REALLY BEEN IN THE, IN THE FOREFRONT OF THE MEDIA AND REALLY NOT JUST THE MEDIA, BUT OUR GOVERNMENTS, UH, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, OUR COMMISSIONERS, OUR STAFF AS AN INDUSTRY, THE FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE IS, UH, REALLY THINKING THROUGH HOW THINGS WENT WITH THE MAJOR FLOODS IN KE COUNTY AND TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND THINKING THROUGH WHAT WE NEED TO DO, IF ANYTHING, TO BE PREPARED.
NOT IF IT HAPPENS IN AUSTIN, BUT WHEN IT HAPPENS AS AUSTIN.
SO I'M GONNA GO THROUGH A FEW SLIDES AND THEN JOHN HAS A FEW SLIDES AND THEN AFTERWARDS, UH, MORE THAN WILLING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS THAT WE CAN.
AND, UM, HOPEFULLY WE CAN ADDRESS THOSE QUESTIONS OR EITHER THAT, OR GET BACK TO YOU ON SOME OF THOSE.
SO, SO WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, LIKE I SAID, FLOOD HISTORY.
SOME CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN AUSTIN THAT MAKE FLOODING THE WAY THE, AS BAD AS IT ACTUALLY IS CAN BE.
UH, TALK ABOUT OUR FLOOD PREPAREDNESS STRATEGY AS WELL AS FUNDING.
AND THEN OUR MASTER, UH, PLANNING THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE, FOR THE DEPARTMENT CALLED RAINIER RIVER.
AND THEN WE'LL HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS AFTERWARDS.
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WISH I HAD ONE CLOSE TO ME.SO HERE'S A, A CHART THAT KIND OF JUST IDENTIFIES A FEW SIGNIFICANT FLOOD HISTORY FLOODS THAT HAPPENED, STARTING WITH THE FLOOD OF RECORD OF THE COLORADO RIVER, AND THEN MOVING ALL THE WAY THROUGH 2013 AND 2015.
13 BEING THE FLOOD OF RECORD ON ONION CREEK.
AND WHEN I SAY FLOOD OF RECORD, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS THAT'S THE LARGEST RECORDED STORM FLOOD EVER ON THAT PARTICULAR WATER BODY.
SO THE FLOOD OF FLOOD RECORD ON THE COLORADO RIVER IS SIGNIFICANT.
'CAUSE THAT'S A GIGANTIC FLOOD RIVER, AS WE ALL KNOW.
THE LARGEST WITH THAT BE NEXT TO THE COLORADO RIVER, THE LARGEST CREEK IN AUSTIN.
SO THE FLOOD OF RECORD ON ONION IN 2013 WAS A MAJOR FLOOD IN AUSTIN, AND THEN TWO YEARS LATER, DIDN'T QUITE GET AS HIGH.
STILL WAS VERY FAST AND FLOODED HUNDREDS OF BUILDINGS.
THERE ARE MANY CHALLENGES, UH, TO PROTECTING THIS AREA FROM FLOODING.
UM, AND I TOUCHED ON A FEW OF THEM HERE.
AND THOSE, THOSE, THOSE THINGS START WITH RAINFALL.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF RAINFALL THAT IS PROBABLY GOING TO HAPPEN HERE IN AUSTIN.
AND YEARS AGO, PROBABLY FOUR YEARS AGO NOW, I REMEMBER COMING TO THIS BODY AND TALKING ABOUT OUR, THE NEW RAINFALL AMOUNTS THAT WE WERE GOING TO EXPECT IN AUSTIN, HOW THEY WERE DIFFERENT AND MUCH LARGER THAN WHAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY KNOWN IN THAT RAINFALL ATLAS CALLED ATLAS 14 GUIDED US TOWARDS A PROJECT THAT WE'RE NOW WORKING ON.
AND THAT'S UPTODATE FLOODPLAIN MAPS FOR THE ENTIRE CITY.
NOT JUST HUNTING CREEK, NOT JUST WILLIAMS CREEK, WILLIAMSON CREEK, NOT JUST SHOAL CREEK, EVERYTHING.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THE MAJOR CREEKS.
WE ARE STUDYING EVERY WATERWAY THAT HAS A DRAINAGE AREA OF 64 ACRES OR GREATER.
AND THAT'S GONNA CREATE, THAT'S GONNA CREATE FLOODPLAIN MAPS THAT INDICATE FLOOD RISK AND THAT, AND THEN WE CAN SEND AND HAVE THE COMMUNITY SEE THAT.
AND, AND THE, THE GOAL OF THAT FROM A EDUCATION STANDPOINT IS TO MAKE PEOPLE AWARE THAT THEIR PROPERTY, HOME, CHURCH OFFICE PLACE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING BEFORE THERE'S THREE FEET OF WATER.
AND THEN THEY SAY, OH, NOW I CAN SEE THIS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLOODING.
SO HAVING THE MAPS DONE AND THEN THE OUTREACH, WHICH WE WILL DO AFTER THAT PROCESS WILL BE SIGNIFICANT.
AND THEN WE USE THOSE UPDATED MODELS AS A DEPARTMENT, EXCUSE ME, AS A DEPARTMENT TO PERFORM FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECTS AND CONSTRUCT SOME, OR IF IT'S A BUYOUT, DEMOLISH HOMES, HOMES AND BUILDINGS.
AND SO THAT UPDATED INFORMATION GETS USED BOTH IMMEDIATELY FROM A OUTREACH PERSPECTIVE.
WE USE IT FOR, TO REGULATE, UH, DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE, WITHIN THE FLOOD PLAIN.
AND WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT DEVELOPMENT IN A SECOND.
AND THEN WE USE IT TO DESIGN FLOOD RISK, FLOOD, FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE CITY.
ANOTHER THING ABOUT AUSTIN FLOODING IS THAT WE HAVE VERY SHALLOW SOILS.
AND YOU MAY KNOW THAT FROM YOUR HOME, IF YOU ARE GOING TO DIG A HOLE TO PLANT A TREE, YOU'RE GONNA HIT ROCK FAIRLY QUICKLY AND IT IS GONNA BE HARD TO DIG THROUGH.
AND THE FACT THAT THE SOILS ARE ARE SHALLOW MEAN THEY CAN'T HOLD A LOT OF WATER.
SO WHEN IT RAINS, THE, THE RAIN DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF PLA PLACES TO SOAK UP.
IT'S NOT, DOESN'T HAVE A, IT'S NOT LIKE A HUGE SPONGE.
SO THAT WATER GOES STRAIGHT TO THE CREEKS AND THEN FLOWS DOWN THE CREEKS, CREATING SIGNIFICANT FLOOD WAVES THAT GO DOWNSTREAM.
ABOUT 10% OF THE LAND OF WITHIN AUSTIN IS IN THE FLOODPLAIN AND
AND, AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT IN SO MUCH AS THAT, THAT'S THE AREA THAT WE ENFORCE OUR FLOOD PLAN REGULATIONS ON, IS THAT 10%.
SO WHENEVER WE GET DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS WITHIN THOSE AREAS, THAT'S WHEN THE FLOOD PLAN REGULATIONS KICK IN AND THEY HAVE TO SATISFY THOSE REGULATIONS IN ORDER TO, TO PROCEED WITH OUR DEVELOPMENT.
WHEN WE WERE GOING THROUGH OUR, UH, INITIAL ALICE 14 PRESENTATIONS AND, AND KIND OF THINKING THROUGH THAT WHOLE PROCESS, WE IDENTIFIED THAT THERE ARE MORE THAN 10,000 BUILDINGS
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IN AUSTIN BUILDINGS, NOT PROPERTIES, BUILDINGS THAT ARE AT RISK OF FLOODING FROM A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD.THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF BUILDINGS THAT COULD FLOOD WHEN ONE OF THESE NOW 100 YEAR RAINFALL EVENTS DOES OCCUR.
SO, UM, BACK THINKING BACK TO THE FLOOD HISTORY SLIDE IN THE MID SEVENTIES, AUSTIN REALIZED WE'VE, WE'VE GOT A, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM HERE.
WE, WE, WE AS A COMMUNITY ARE, THIS AREA FLOODS A LOT AND WE WANT TO PROTECT, PROTECT OUR CREEKS FROM FLOODING, PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS FROM, FROM, FROM THE FLOODING, BUT PROTECT THE CREEKS FROM GETTING POLLUTED AND, UH, ENDANGERING THEM.
AND SO THAT'S WHEN THE FIRST OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS KICKED IN, IN THE MID SEVENTIES, 74 TO BE EXACT, IS THE CREEK ORDINANCE THAT PASSED.
AND THAT PROVIDED PROTECTION, UM, IDENTIFYING THE 25 YARD FLOOD PLAIN AS A PLACE THAT WE NEED TO PROTECT FROM DEVELOPMENT.
AND ALSO IN THE MID SEVENTIES, WE REALIZED WE NEED TO BE PART OF THE FEDERAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM THAT'S HAPPENING.
SO THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM, OR NFIP TECHNICALLY STARTED IN THE LATE SEVENTIES, BUT IT WAS THE EARLY SEVENTIES, MID SEVENTIES THAT FEMA AS WELL AS COMMUNITIES WERE RAMPING UP TO GET TO THE POINT OF PART OF, OF HAVING A PROGRAM OVERALL.
AND THERE ARE LOTS OF REQUIREMENTS TO BE IN THE NFIP I'M AND TO GO OVER THOSE, UM, SHORTLY.
BUT OUR INITIAL DIVE, IF YOU WILL, INTO THE FLOOD SURGE PROGRAM WAS IN THE MID SEVENTIES.
THAT'S, THOSE WERE THE FIRST MAPS WE HAD.
THEY WERE, CRUDE IS A NICE WAY OF SAYING THEY WERE JUST, THEY WERE VERY CRUDE, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT THAT EXISTED BEFORE THAT AT ALL.
THEN IN 1981, THE CITY, UH, CREATED A SET OF REGULATIONS THAT WAS REQUIRED TO BE IN NFIP.
AND IN 1983, THOSE REGULATIONS BECAME EFFECTIVE.
SO THAT'S WHY I SAY WE, THE PARTICIPATION STARTED IN 1983 BECAUSE THAT WAS A TIME WE HAD MAPS AND REGULATIONS THAT WERE, THAT WE COULD REGULATE TO.
FEMA HAS A REQUIREMENT, IF YOU WILL, OF TO BE IN THE NATIONAL FLOOD FLOOD CHARTS PROGRAM.
AND ONE OF THOSE REQUIREMENTS, THEY HAVE MANY, MAYBE, BUT LET'S JUST SAY ONE OF THEM IS TO, TO ADOPT AND ENFORCE A MINIMUM SET OF FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS.
AND WE CALL THOSE THE MINIMUM STANDARDS.
AND COMMUNITIES CAN GO ABOVE AND BEYOND THOSE THE MINIMUM STANDARDS, AND MANY DO AUSTIN DOES.
BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE AND ENDORSE, YOU HAVE TO ENFORCE THAT MINIMUM STANDARD OF REGULATIONS BY FEMA OR ELSE YOU MAY NOT BE IN THE NFIP MUCH LONGER.
SO THAT'S A MAJOR PIECE OF WHAT, WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE FOR FEMA TO BE IN THE, IN THE NFIP.
AND ONE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF BEING IN THE NFIP IS THAT IT AFFORDS OUR RESIDENTS IN THE ENTIRE CITY, WHETHER YOU'RE IN A MAP, FLOOD PLANE OR AT THE TOP OF A HILL, IT ALLOWS OUR RESIDENTS TO PURCHASE FEDERALLY BACKED FLOOD INSURANCE.
AND THAT'S STILL AVAILABLE TODAY.
AND THAT IS AN IMPORTANT, UH, UH, TOOL TO HAVE FOR PEOPLE THAT ARE IN OR NEAR A FLOOD PLAIN BECAUSE IT MAY HELP IN THE RECOVERY OF A SIGNIFICANT FLOOD.
THE OTHER VERY IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW IS THAT WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT DISASTER FUNDS, MAYBE, UH, GOING AFTER GRANTS, A LOT OF THOSE, MANY OF THOSE HAVE A, A, A LONG SET OF REQUIREMENTS THAT THE COMMUNITY HAS TO ABIDE BY.
AND ALMOST ALWAYS, YOU'LL SEE THE COMMUNITY HAS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NFIP.
AND IF YOU DON'T, YOU'RE NOT GONNA GET ANY GRANT FUNDING.
AND WHEN YOU'VE, YOU, IF YOU'VE HEARD STORIES ABOUT FLOODS AND HEAR ABOUT MONEY THAT FEMA PAYS OUT TO RESIDENTS, THAT'S CALLED PUBLIC ASSISTANCE OR PA AND IN ORDER TO GET PA, THE COMMUNITY HAS TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NFIP AND BEING GOOD STANDING IN THE NFIP.
SO IT, IT BEING THE, THE PARTICIPATION IN THE NFIP GOES FOR MANY THINGS.
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GRANTS THAT YOU MAY HAVE BE APPLYING FOR HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH FLOODING.MAYBE IT'S TO BUILD A NEW EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT CENTER, BUILD A NEW FIRE STATION.
YOU HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE NFIP IN ORDER TO GET PAST THE FRONT DOOR OF A POSSIBLE, UM, PUBLIC, PUBLIC FUNDING.
THE PURPOSE OF THE REGULATIONS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE IS FOR, TO PROTECT, PROTECT, PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM, FROM FLOOD THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THE REGULATIONS AND WHY WE'RE ENFOR ADOPTING THEM AND ENFORCING THEM.
AT THIS MO THIS TIME, I'M SORRY, I'M I'M TRYING TO READ ALONG I, AS I GO.
UM, REDUCING FLOOD RISK IS, IS KEY FOR US TO PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS, BUT WE CAN'T REDUCE THE FLOOD RISK IF WE DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT RISK, WHAT THAT RISK LOOKS LIKE.
AND THAT WAS THE KIND OF THE IMPETUS OF THE ATLAS 14 RAINFALL STUDY IS THAT WE, THAT STUDY CAME OUT, IT SHOWED WHAT THE NEW 100 YEAR AND OTHER FREQUENCY STORMS, DURATIONS, FLOOD DEPTHS LOOKED LIKE, AND WE REALIZED, OH GEEZ, WE'RE WAY OFF.
SO WE WANNA PROTECT OUR RESIDENTS FROM A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD BASED UPON THESE NUMBERS.
WE NEED TO DO SOME STUDIES AND SOME UPDATED FLOODLINE STUDIES AND HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE, UNDERSTAND THE RISK BETTER SO THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY PROTECTING PEOPLE, NOT JUST MAYBE PUTTING IN A BUNCH OF CULVERTS AND HAVING A TWO YEAR PROTECTION INSTEAD OF A HUNDRED YEAR PROTECTION, WHICH IS WHAT WE WERE AFTER HAVING THE REGULATIONS IN PLACE MINIMIZES FLOOD RISK FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT.
SO OBVIOUSLY DEVELOPMENT HAS, LOTS OF DEVELOPMENT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE ENTERED THE PROGRAM IN 83.
AND I, I'LL HAVE, I HAVE A SLIDE COMING UP THAT SHOWS THE NUMBER OF BUILDINGS THAT ARE IN A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLAIN AND HOW IT DRASTICALLY DECREASED AS SOON AS THE REGULATIONS CAME INTO EFFECT, BECAUSE THE REGULATIONS ALLOWED AND SHOWED IN ORDER FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT TO GO IN, YOU HAVE TO GO BY THESE RULES.
AND THESE RULES SAY EITHER GET THE BUILDING OUT OF THE FLOOD PLAIN OR ELEVATE IT UP ABOVE THE FLOOD PLAIN.
SEVERAL THINGS YOU COULD DO, BUT IT WAS ALL IN A, IN A, FOR A PURPOSE OF MINIMIZING FLOOD RISK TO THE, TO THE NEW BUILDING THAT YOU'RE PUTTING IN THE FLOOD PLAIN.
AND OVERALL, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE THE CITY AND OUR RESIDENTS MORE, MORE RESILIENT WHEN WE HAVE THIS FLOOD COMING THROUGH.
SO I'LL JUST QUICKLY KIND OF PUT THIS TIMEFRAME UP FOR REGULATIONS, BUT STARTING OFF, LIKE I SAID, IN THE MID SEVENTIES WITH THE CREEK ORDINANCE AND THEN ENDING UP WAS THE, THE MOST LATEST UPDATE WE DID IN 2019 WITH, DUE TO THE ATLAS 14, UH, RAINFALL STUDY.
WE'VE BEEN ENFORCING THESE REGULATIONS FOR DECADES AND WE, WE THINK, AND WE TRULY BELIEVE THAT THEY, THEY ARE EFFECTIVE AT REDUCING FLOOD RISK TO TWO BUILDINGS.
SO JUST, I JUST WANTED TO HIT ON A COUPLE OF THE REGULATIONS SPECIFICALLY JUST SO YOU CAN SEE A COMPARISON BETWEEN WHAT AUSTIN DOES WITH OUR REGULATIONS COMPARED TO WHAT THE, WHAT FEMA REQUIRES FOR THE MINIMUM STANDARDS.
'CAUSE I THINK SOME OF 'EM ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
AND THE FIRST ONE IS, HAS TO DO WITH FREE BOARD.
AND FREE BOARD IS THE DISTANCE THAT A A, THE FINISHED FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IS ABOVE THE A HUNDRED YEAR FLOOD PLAN.
WE'VE HEARD IT TIME AND TIME AGAIN THAT THE HIGHER THE BETTER.
PEOPLE ASK US, ASK ME, ASK US ALL THE TIME, HOW HIGH SHOULD THAT BUILDING AT LEAST TWO FEET? 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT THE REGULATIONS SAY.
BUT OTHER THAN THAT, THE HIGHER YOU ARE, THE BETTER YOU ARE AND THE, THE LESS RISK YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO THE BUILDING, THE HIGHER YOU BUILD IT UP.
SO JUST BUILD IT UP AS HIGH AS YOU'RE, AS YOU CAN, BECAUSE THE HIGHER YOU GO, I THINK THE BETTER YOU'RE GONNA BE.
NOW, I TOUCHED ON PRE-BOARD, I MEANT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO NO, NO ADVERSE IMPACT FIRST.
THIS FIRST ONE IS, IS ABOUT INCREASES IN FLOOD, FLOOD FLOOD LEVELS.
SO IF A DEVELOPMENT IS GOING IN IN AUSTIN,
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THE DEVELOPING DEVELOPER'S ENGINEER HAS TO SHOW THAT THAT DEVELOPMENT WILL CAUSE ZERO RISE IN FLOOD LEVELS TO ADJACENT PROPERTIES.ZERO FEMA'S MINIMUM STANDARDS ALLOW A ONE FOOT RISE.
FEMA'S MINIMUM STANDARDS ALLOW A BUILDING TO BE BUILT IN THE FLOODPLAIN AND ALLOW A UP TO, TO A, TO HAVE A ONE FOOT RISE ON ADJACENT PROPERTIES.
THAT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE FOR US IN AUSTIN.
AND WE'VE HAD THIS NO ADVERSE IMPACT CRITERIA OR REGULATION EVER SINCE WE STARTED THIS.
THIS WAS IN THE FIRST REGULATION.
SO THAT'S BEEN SOMETHING THAT WE'VE BEEN THINKING OF AND, AND REGULAT AND ENFORCING FOR DECADES.
THERE'S THE FREEBOARD, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SO THE FREEBOARD, UM, I NEEDED TO UPDATE THIS SLIDE TOO.
SO FREEBOARD IN AUSTIN IS TWO FEET ABOVE THE A HUNDRED OR FLOOD PLAIN, REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE.
IT USED TO BE GEOGRAPHICALLY SPECIFIC, BUT IT'S NOT ANYMORE.
IT'S TWO FEET ACROSS THE BOARD.
THAT WAS OUR, UH, FLOOD PLAIN UPDATE IN 2019.
FEMA'S MINIMUM STANDARD IS ZERO FEET OF FREEBOARD.
SO THIS, A BUILDING IN THE CITY OF BOSTON HAS TO BE BUILT MINIMUM OF TWO FEET ABOVE THE A HUNDRED FLOOD PLAIN.
ACCORDINGLY, THERE'S A FEW MINIMUM STANDARDS.
THE BUILDING WOULD HAVE TO BE ZERO FEET ABOVE THE HUNDRED FLOOD PLAIN.
THE BUILDING DOESN'T HAVE TO, CAN BE ZERO FEET ABOVE THE FLOOD, UH, ABOVE THE FLOOD PLAIN FOR THE MINIMUM STANDARDS.
AND THEY'RE ALLOWED TO INCREASE THE FLOOD LEVELS BY ONE FOOT.
WHAT DOES THAT DO TO THE BUILDING THAT WAS BUILT ZERO FEET ABOVE THE FLOOD PLAIN MEANS THEY'RE ONE FOOT DEEP IN THE FLOOD PLAIN.
I THINK OUR REGULATIONS MAKE MORE SENSE PERSONALLY.
WE HAVE A REGULATION HERE IN AUSTIN THAT WE CAN CALL THE SAFE ACCESS REQUIREMENT.
AND THAT REQUIRES THAT YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WALK FROM A BUILDING TO THE RIGHT OF WAY ALL AT AN ELEVATION THAT'S ONE FOOT ABOVE THE FLOOD LINE.
AND WHAT THAT IS TRYING TO TARGET IS IT GIVES A MEANS OF E EGRESS AND INGRESS TO THAT BUILDING.
SO IF PEOPLE WANT TO GET OUT OF THE BUILDING, OR FIRST ERS NEED TO GET INTO A BUILDING, THAT PATHWAY SAFER THAN MOST IS THERE AND CAN BE ACCESSED.
THERE'S NO SAFE ACCESS REQUIREMENT AT ALL.
AND THE FEMA FEMA MINIMUM STANDARDS, NONE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IS A VERY DIFFICULT PART OF BEING IN THE FLOOD AND CHARGE PROGRAM.
AND IT, I, IT'S HARD TO EVEN SUMMARIZE THAT, WHAT IT MEANS.
BUT BASICALLY, IF YOU HAVE A BUILDING THAT'S IN THE FLOODPLAIN THAT WAS, WE CALL AN EXISTING NON-CONFORMING BUILDING, IT'S EXISTING BEFORE THE REGULATIONS WERE IN EFFECT, LIKE IT WAS BUILT IN 1940, IT'S THREE FEET BELOW THE FLOODPLAIN.
THAT BUILDING CAN'T EXIST UNTIL CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE MET.
AND IF SOMEBODY COMES IN AND WANTS TO RENOVATE THAT BUILDING AND THE RENOVATION COST IS MORE THAN 50% OF THE VALUE OF THE BUILDING, THEN THE WHOLE BUILDING HAS TO BE BROUGHT, BROUGHT UP TO CODE, UP TO FLOOD PLAN REGULATIONS, FREE BOARD, SAFE ACCESS, NO AVERAGE IMPACT, ALL OF IT.
SO SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN AUSTIN, WE CALCULATED OVER A 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIOD.
SO WITHIN 10 YEARS YOU CAN DO YEAR ONE, 40% OF, OF THE VALUE OF THE BUILDING YEAR FIVE, 9% OF THE VALUE OF THE BUILDING.
YEAR 10, YOU CAN'T DO 1% 'CAUSE YOU'LL BE AT 50.
SO IT'S A, IT'S VERY CHALLENGING TO TALK WITH RESIDENTS ABOUT THIS 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIOD.
AND THAT'S, THAT AUSTIN HAS A 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIOD.
MANY OTHER COMMUNITIES HAVE THIS, FEMA IS PERMIT BY PERMIT.
SO IF THE PERMIT IN A YEAR ONE IS 40%, THEN THEY COULD COME BACK THE FOLLOWING YEAR, A YEAR LATER AND DO ANOTHER 50% AS FAR AS THE MINIMUM STANDARDS GO, THAT'D BE OKAY, BUT NOT IN A 10 YEAR ROLLING PERIOD.
OH, AND THEN THE LAST ONE IS, UH, AGAIN, EQUALLY, SOMEWHAT, EQUALLY CHALLENGING TO TO EXPLAIN, BUT IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, FOR THE LAND AREA THAT'S DRAINING TO THE CREEK, WE ASSUME THAT IT'S FULLY DEVELOPED CONDITIONS.
AND THE EXAMPLE THAT I OFTEN GIVE IS, LET'S SAY THERE'S A 30 ACRE PARCEL THAT'S,
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THAT HAS NOTHING ON IT, TREES, GRASS, IT'S, LET'S JUST SAY IT'S ZONED COMMERCIAL.AND THE ALLOWABLE IMPERVIOUS COVER WAS 80%.
SO IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN, MODELING, ENGINEERING MODELING, WE WOULD ASSUME THAT LOTS 80% IMP COVER FEMA, A FEMA MAP AND A FEMA MODEL ASSUMES THAT IT'S ZERO IMPERVIOUS COVER.
AND THE PURPOSE FOR THAT IS THAT FEMA CAN'T CHARGE INSURANCE FOR, FOR RESIDENTS ON A CONDITION THAT DOESN'T EXIST AT THE TIME OF THE PURCHASE.
SO FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN, WE WANT TO SEE WHAT, NOT WHAT, WHAT'S THE FLOOD PLAN GONNA LOOK LIKE WHEN THE WHOLE WATERSHED'S BUILT OUT? FEMA'S JUST DOING, HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE EXISTING CONDITIONS.
THEY'RE GONNA GO EVALUATE FLOOD CHARTS REQUIREMENTS AND FLOOD INSURANCE AMOUNTS FOR THAT BUILDING BASED UPON THE EXISTING, EXISTING CONDITIONS IN THE, IN THE WATERSHED.
SO THERE'S THE NUMBER OF BUILDINGS THAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT LARGE BAR IN THE 1970S, LOTS OF BUILDINGS THAT WERE BUILT, ZERO FLOOD PLANNING REGULATIONS.
SO AS SOON AS THE REGULATIONS CAME INTO EFFECT IN THE EIGHTIES SET, NINETIES, TWO THOUSANDS, ET CETERA, THAT NUMBER GETS MUCH, MUCH SMALLER.
AND THAT IS TELLING US THAT NOT AS MANY BUILDINGS ARE BEING BUILT IN THE A HUNDRED YEAR FLOODPLAIN.
AND THAT IS FROM A FLOODPLAIN PER MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT PERSPECTIVE IS A VERY GOOD THING.
I'M GONNA LET JOHN TAKE OVER FOR A LITTLE BIT AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS IF, IF WE HAVE ANY.
ALRIGHT, THANK YOU FOR THAT, KEVIN.
UM, AGAIN, MY NAME'S JOHN BEACHY.
I'M A DIVISION MANAGER WITHIN OUR OPERATIONS BRANCH, UM, RESPONSIBLE FOR DEALING WITH ALL KINDS OF, UM, UH, MAINTENANCE AND STORM RESPONSE DUTIES AS I OVERSEE THE FLUTTER EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IS ONE OF MY, UH, PROGRAMS WITHIN OUR PORTFOLIO.
I'LL BE SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, AND, AND SO SOME OF MY EXPERTISE IS, IS MORE LIMITED AND WE'LL ANSWER THE QUESTIONS I CAN AT THE END.
WE OFTEN GET ASKED, WHAT ARE WE DOING AS A DEPARTMENT FOR FLOOD PREPAREDNESS? UM, AND WE TYPICALLY GET ASKED THIS QUESTION USUALLY WHEN THERE'S A HEAVY RAIN IN THE FORECAST.
UM, AND THE FIRST THING I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE LET PEOPLE KNOW IS, IS THE DEPARTMENT IN THE CITY, UM, IS NOT JUST DOING PREPAREDNESS RIGHT BEFORE THE STORM.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS, UH, ONGOING YEAR ROUND, UM, PROCESS THAT WE'RE EVER LOOKING TO IMPROVE UPON.
UM, THIS, THIS HERE IS TELLING US THERE'S KIND OF THE STRATEGIES IN WHICH WE USE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UH, OUR PREPAREDNESS LEVELS ARE HIGH.
UH, WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT FLOOD MITIGATION, UM, ACTUALLY A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IN-DEPTH PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT MORE ON WHAT WE DO WHEN IT RAINS AND, AND THEN SOME OF THE, HOW WE RESPOND AFTERWARDS.
SO FOR THE MITIGATION COMPONENT, UH, AS KEVIN JUST SHOWED THERE, UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, ACTIVITY THAT WAS DEVELOPED PRIOR TO OUR REGULATIONS.
UM, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, BUILDINGS AND AREAS AT RISK.
UH, ONE OF THE WAYS TO MITIGATE THAT RISK IS THROUGH OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS ARE TYPICALLY MULTIMILLION DOLLAR, UH, CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS THAT ARE DESIGNED BY ENGINEERING FIRMS, UM, AND PUT OUT FOR BID FOR PRIVATE CONTRACTORS.
UM, THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF STRATEGIES THAT ARE USED TO KIND OF DO THESE, WHETHER THAT'S A, LIKE THE PICTURE HERE, THE WATERLOO INLET, UM, FACILITY FOR A WALLER CREEK TUNNEL.
UM, SO THIS IS A LARGE SCALE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT THAT'S A CREATED FLOOD DIVERSION TO HELP, UH, PROTECT 28 ACRES OF DOWNTOWN.
OTHER EXAMPLES COULD BE THINGS LIKE STORM DRAIN IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, UH, FLOOD WALLS OR LEVEES, UM, CHANNEL MODIFICATIONS, STORM STORMWATER DETENTION OR REGIONAL DETENTION PONDS, UH, AS WELL AS BUYOUTS.
UM, SO THERE'S A, A, A WHOLE RANGE OF TOOLS THAT ARE USED AND THE DEPARTMENT IS, UH, TRYING TO APPLY THOSE WHERE THEY'RE APPROPRIATE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, BUT THEY'RE VERY EFFECTIVE TO HELP REDUCE THE RISK PRIMARILY IN AREAS THAT WERE DEVELOPED TO THE, UH, THE RED REGULATIONS CAME IN PLACE.
UM, THE SECOND MITIGATION TOOL IS WHAT KEVIN'S DOING.
UM, AND TEAM HAS JUST TALKED ABOUT THERE IS PREVENTING FUTURE PROBLEMS FROM OCCURRING IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, UH, ANY FUTURE, UM, DEVELOPMENTS THAT OCCUR OR DEVELOPMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH WAYS THAT WILL NOT BE IMPACTED BY FLOODING, UM, THAT ALLOWS US TO PRIORITIZE, UH, RESOURCES ELSEWHERE.
UM, AND THOSE, UH, THINGS CAN BE SAFE.
SO IT'S A KEY COMPONENT OF THAT.
THESE TWO THINGS ARE ONGOING ALL THE TIME, OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.
UH, THE DEPARTMENT HAS ROUGHLY 175 EMPLOYEES DEDICATED TO OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE OF OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
SO OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM CONSISTS OF MORE THAN 30,000 STORM DRAIN INLETS, UH, 1100, UH, MILES OF STORM DRAINS, ABOUT 1,150, UH, STORM STORMWATER CONTROL MEASURES AND MORE THAN
[00:30:01]
800 MILES OF ENGINEERED CHANNELS IN NATURAL CREEKS.IT TAKES A MASSIVE EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE KEEPING OUR SEDIMENT DEBRIS CLEAR TO ENSURE THAT WHEN THE RAIN DOES FALL, THE WATER, UH, IT CAN GO THROUGH OUR SYSTEMS IN THE WAY THAT THOSE SYSTEMS WERE DESIGNED.
UM, SO WE DO THIS BOTH THROUGH PROACTIVE AND PREVENTATIVE, UH, AND REACTIVE MAINTENANCE.
SO WE HAVE PREVENTATIVE SCHEDULES AND INSPECTIONS ON, UH, MOST OF OUR, OUR SYSTEMS. AND THEN, UH, OBVIOUSLY WE PROMOTE 3 1 1 AS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE RESIDENTS TO LET US KNOW WHERE, WHERE WORK CAN BE DONE.
SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT GOES THROUGHOUT THE YEARS.
A GOOD COMPONENT OF THAT IS OUR VEGETATION AND LAND MANAGEMENT.
SO WITH, UM, WITHIN THOSE SYSTEMS, THERE ARE COMPONENTS THAT DO NEED SOME ATTENTION FROM THE VEGETATION, WHETHER THAT MOWING OR WHETHER THAT'S TREE CARE, PRIMARILY ON OUR PONDS AND OUR, UM, CHANNELS.
UM, BUT AS WELL AS, UH, SOME OF OUR BUYOUT LANDS.
WE HAVE ABOUT 1100 ACRES THAT WE MANAGE, UH, THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT.
AND, UM, THERE'S VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH, UH, SELECTIVE, UH, VEGETATION OCCURS THROUGHOUT THE SYSTEM.
FINALLY, UM, OUR TEAM, UM, BOTH ON OUR PROJECT DESIGN AND DELIVERY TEAM, UH, ENGINEERS ARE IDENTIFYING ISSUES WITH OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEMS THAT COULD USE SMALLER IMPROVEMENTS.
AND SO THERE ARE THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS THAT WE DO THAT ARE VERY LARGE SCALE.
UM, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO AND DO SMALL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SYSTEM, UH, AT A MORE LOCAL LEVEL, UH, WHERE WE CAN DO, ADD AN INLET OR TWO OR DO A, A TRUNK LINE OR A, A ANOTHER LINE TO OUR STORM DRAIN SYSTEM OR REPAIR SOME EROSION.
THOSE ARE DESIGNED IN-HOUSE, UH, BY OUR PROJECT DESIGN AND DELIVERY ENGINEERS AND HANDED OVER TO OUR OPERATIONS TEAM TO GO PUT INTO THE GROUND.
AND SO THOSE CAN PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT QUICKER, UH, AND MORE LOCALIZED RELIEF IN CERTAIN CASES, FLOOD PREPAREDNESS.
UM, SO THIS IS SOMETHING, UH, THIS IS A GREAT PICTURE OF, UH, THIS IS SCOTT PRINCETON.
FOR THOSE THAT DON'T KNOW THIS IS, UH, HE'S A PROGRAM MANAGER THAT OVERSEES OUR FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM, UM, IS ONE COMPONENT OF, UH, THE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES THAT WE'LL DO, AND WE'LL GET A LITTLE MORE INTO THAT, UH, IN A LITTLE BIT.
BUT, UH, I MENTIONED THE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE THAT WE DO ON OUR SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THAT WHEN IT DOES RAIN, IT'S READY TO GO AND IT CAN HANDLE ALL, UH, TO THE BEST OF ITS ABILITY.
UM, BUT THERE ARE PERIODIC LOCATIONS OR SENSITIVE LOCATIONS, I SHOULD SAY, UH, THAT WE DO DO PRE-CHECKS ON.
SO THESE THINGS INCLUDE, UM, SOME OF OUR, UM, MORE NOTORIOUS LOW WATER CROSSINGS THAT ARE MORE SENSITIVE TO OVER TOPPING.
UH, MOST OF Y'ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH BULL CREEK ALONG SPICEWOOD SPRINGS, OLD SPICEWOOD SPRINGS.
UM, THOSE AREAS, UH, DOESN'T, UH, TAKE A LOT OF RAIN TO GET WATER TO GO OVER THOSE, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE KEEPING THOSE CLEAR.
AND SO ANY, ANYTHING THAT HAS A HISTORY, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT OUR TEAM PUTS, UH, US A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA ATTENTION TO BEFORE AND AFTER A STORM.
UM, WE DO HAVE STAFF ON OUR FLA EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM AND CONSISTS OF FIVE INDIVIDUALS ALONG WITH THREE, UH, IT, UH, SUPPORTS STAFF AND THE CTM DEPARTMENT.
UM, THEY'RE CONSTANTLY MONITORING THE WEATHER FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING ON A DAILY BASIS TEAMS LOOKING AT, UM, TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY ISSUES AND NEEDS TO, ANY COMMUNICATION NEEDS TO GO OUT.
UH, THEIR PRIMARY FUNCTION IN THIS PHASE IS TO MONITOR THAT WEATHER AND THEN BEGIN THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS WITH OUR PARTNERS, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, UH, UM, AUSTIN, UH, HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.
UM, THEY DO THIS WITH COMMUNICATION, UH, DIRECTLY TO THE, UH, HESSAM, UH, DUTY OFFICER, AS WELL AS THROUGH OUR PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE.
UM, COMMUNICATION IS GONNA BE KEY, UH, FOR EVERYTHING WE DO WITH FLOOD PREPAREDNESS, BOTH INTERNALLY IN THE CITY AND EXTERNALLY.
UM, AND SO INTERNALLY, WE, WE WORK WITH A LOT OF OUR DEPARTMENT, DEPART OUR PARTNER DEPARTMENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE AWARE OF THE FLOODING CONCERNS AND THEY'RE, UH, BEING ABLE TO DEPLOY RESOURCES AS NEEDED.
AND THEN WE COMMUNICATE WITH, UH, THE PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE THROUGH VARIOUS SOCIAL MEDIA MESSAGES, UH, AND OTHER MEANS.
UH, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT'S ONGOING IS ENGAGEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITIES.
UH, UH, HOMELAND SECURITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT HOST A SERIES OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS POPUPS.
UM, TODAY, UH, THEY DO 'EM IN DIS COUNCIL DISTRICTS AROUND THE CITY.
TODAY'S WAS IN DISTRICT THREE AT REESE BRANCH LIBRARY.
RESIDENTS ARE ALLOWED TO KIND OF GO IN THERE, UH, MEET WITH MANY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, UH, TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN DO TO BE PREPARED.
UM, AND, AND WATERSHED IS A REPRESENTATIVE IS WITHIN THOSE THINGS.
UH, I BELIEVE IN SEPTEMBER THERE'S A CITYWIDE FAIR THAT THE, UH, HOUSTON, UM, OFFERS, AND THAT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT WE GET ENGAGEMENT ABOUT HERE'S THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES THAT STAFF OR, OR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN USE TO BE AWARE OF THE FLOOD RISK THAT THEY ARE.
HERE'S THE WAYS THAT THEY CAN GET WORN AND HERE'S THE ACTIONS THEY CAN TAKE, UM, IF NEEDED, FLOOD RESPONSE.
AND SO THIS IS LOOKING AT OUR, UH, A TX FLOOD SAFETY WEBSITE IS A KIND OF HOMEPAGE FOR ALL EVERYTHING WE NEED RELATED TO, UM, GETTING PREPARED BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A RAIN EVENT.
[00:35:01]
THAT.ATX FLOOD SAFETY.COM UM, IS A, IS A PLACE FOR RESIDENTS, BUT ONCE WE START LOOKING TOWARDS WETTER AND HEAVIER RAINFALL, THIS IS WHEN OUR DEPARTMENT REALLY KICKS INTO GEAR.
SO THE FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM IS THE TIP OF THE SPEAR.
UM, AND SO THEY ARE MONITORING THAT WEATHER.
AND AS LIKE TODAY, WE'RE LOOKING AT SITUATION WHERE THERE'S SOME ISOLATED POTENTIALS FOR HEAVY DOWNPOURS.
UM, TODAY, TOMORROW, AND FRIDAY, UH, THEY'VE BEEN COMMUNICATING THAT TO OUR, UM, PARTNERS TO MAKE SURE FOLKS ARE AWARE, UH, WE ARE PUTTING, UH, STAFF ON CALL.
UM, AND IN ORDER TO DO THE, THE, THE DUTIES THAT THEY NEED TO DO.
SO THE FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM, ONCE IT BEGINS TO RAIN, THEY ARE USING A SERIES OF GAUGES, UH, RAINFALL GAUGES, STREAM GAUGES, FLOOD SENSORS, UM, HIGH WATER DETECTION, UH, EQUIPMENT AT OUR LOW WATER CROSSINGS TO MONITOR CONDITIONS AROUND THE, THE CITY AND OUR WATERSHEDS TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE THAT THROUGH THERE.
SO IN ADDITION TO THE HARDWARE THAT'S OUT IN THE FIELD, UM, THERE IS SOFTWARE COMPONENTS THAT PROVIDE, UM, REALTIME RADAR MONITORING AND FLOOD PREDICTION.
UM, I, I WILL WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE THAT WHILE WE DO HAVE SOME OF THE BEST, UH, TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE FOR THIS, UH, FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTIN'S WATERSHEDS AND DOESN'T TAKE MUCH FOR YOU TO GO AS YOU'RE DRIVING ACROSS THE CITY TO GO ACROSS SIX OR SEVEN DIFFERENT WATERSHEDS AND THE TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE FOR ANY, UH, FLOOD PREDICTION IS LIMITED TO THE INPUTS THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE, WHICH IS, UH, WEATHER FORECAST AND WEATHER FORECAST MODELS, AND THEN THE OUTPUT THAT COMES FROM THAT, UH, HYDRAULIC, UH, HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC MODELING.
AND A LOT OF THE WEATHER TECHNOLOGY IS WHERE LEADS US TO NOT HAVE A LOT OF WARNING WHEN WE WOULD COME TO, BECAUSE WE CAN'T ACCURATELY SAY THREE HOURS FROM NOW THAT A CELL IS GONNA HIT IN WALLER CREEK, UM, WITH, WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO, UM, IMPACT OTHERS.
AND SO THE, THE TECHNOLOGY'S JUST NOT THERE, EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SOME OF THE BEST AVAILABLE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, OUR FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM, WE, WE RELY A LOT ON OUR OPERATIONS TEAM.
SO THE FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM IS MONITORING EITHER, UH, AT THEIR OFFICES AT OTC, THEY CAN MONITOR REMOTELY OR, UM, WHEN THE FORECAST IS FOR HEAVIER RAINS OR THEY'RE CO-LOCATED AT THE, UH, CTEC OR EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER.
SO THEY'RE RIGHT NEXT TO THE PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS IF WE NEED TO GET, UH, SIGNIFICANT COMMUNICATION GOING IN THAT INSTANCE.
BUT THEY'RE COORDINATING WITH OUR OPERATIONS PERSONNEL OUT IN THE FIELD.
UM, SO THEY'RE, UH, TRUCKS WITHIN BARRICADES IN THEIR BACK AND THEY'RE DEPLOYED BY THE FLARE WARNING SYSTEM TO CLOSE LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
WE HAVE CLOSED SYSTEM STAFF THAT MONITOR OUR STORM DRAINS FOR ANY CLOGS.
UH, WE HAVE INVESTIGATORS OUT THAT RESPOND TO ANY CITIZEN THREE ONE ONES THAT COME IN.
UM, AND THEN, UH, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, OUR, OUR DAM SAFETY STAFF KEEPING AN EYE ON SOME OF OUR, UM, SOME OF OUR LARGER REGIONAL DAMS THAT COULD BE IN POTENTIAL ENGINES OF FLOOD IS, UH, FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAMS COORDINATING A LOT OF THAT EFFORT.
THE TOOLS THAT THEY USE THAT ARE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE.
I WANNA HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THOSE.
IN ADDITION TO THE ATX FLOOD SAFETY.COM.
UM, ALL OF OUR RAIN GAUGE AND STREAM GAUGE INFORMATION IS SHARED WITH OUR PARTNER, UH, UH, LCA ON THE HYDRO MET, SO THAT, UH, YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH THAT.
ENCOURAGE YOU GO TO HYDRO LCME.ORG.
UM, IT'S A PARTNER ORGANIZATION.
WE HAVE TO REGIONALLY DISPLAY, UM, ALL THAT INFORMATION.
SO RAINFALL, YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT RAINS AND YOU CAN SEE HOW OUR CREEKS ARE REACTING ON THAT.
AND THEN OUR PRIMARY TOOL FOR, UH, COMMUNICATING LOW WATER CROSS ENCLOSURES IS ATX FLOODS.COM.
AGAIN, THIS IS A, UH, A PROGRAM, UH, WEBSITE THAT WE SUPPORT AND WE'VE MADE AVAILABLE TO PARTNERS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE CAP COD REGION.
SO YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE COUNTIES AND A LOT OF THE MUNICIPALITIES WHEN THERE PARTICIPATE TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WHICH ROADS ARE CLOSED AND WHICH ROADS ARE OPEN.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE MORE RECENTLY HAVE INSTALLED, UM, ABOUT TWO DOZEN CAMERAS.
UM, THESE ARE STILL IMAGE CAMERAS.
THEY'RE REFRESHED AT ABOUT EVERY THREE MINUTES THAT CRITICAL LOCATIONS THAT CAN GIVE REAL TIME, UH, UM, CONDITIONS ON THE LOW WATER CROSSINGS, UM, TO SEE HOW QUICKLY THEY ARE RISING OR FALLING.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE'VE IDENTIFIED A FEW OTHER LOCATIONS FOR, UH, UH, DRAINAGE SYSTEM INFORMATION, UM, THAT THOSE HAVE BEEN PLACED.
UM, MORE RECENTLY, OUR DEPARTMENT, UH, HAS IMPLEMENTED, UM, IN, WE GOT FUNDED A UTILITY, UM, COORDINATION, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR.
UM, AND WE'VE INSTITUTED A LOT OF NEW PROCEDURES AND PROCESSES AND TRAINING WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS, UH, WE USE, UM, INDUSTRY STANDARD AND, AND FEMA GENERATED TRAININGS CALLED, UH, ICS 100 AND, AND NATIONAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT 200.
THESE ARE REQUIRED FOR ALL STAFF WITHIN THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT
[00:40:01]
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE AWARE OF HOW WE CAN RESTRUCTURE AND ORGANIZE IF AND WHEN THAT, UH, RESPONSE IS NEEDED.UM, THIS POSITION IS ALSO HELPING US DEVELOP, UH, MORE, UM, STREAMLINED PLANS, UH, BASED ON INDUSTRY BEST PRACTICES.
SO THIS IS A NEW THING THAT WE'VE DONE AND IT'S MOST HIGHLIGHTED BY WHAT WE CALL OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER.
AND SO THIS IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT IS JUST NEWLY IMPLEMENTED.
UH, WE INSTITUTED THIS, I'LL SHOW YOU A PICTURE IN RESPONSE TO THE MICROBURST ON MAY 28TH.
UM, THE INCIDENT MANAGEMENT TEAM AND IS AER UH, STAFFS THE DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER.
AND THIS IS, UH, BASED ON INDIVIDUALS OUTSIDE OF THEIR NORMAL ROLES THAT ALLOWS US TO COLLECTIVELY LEVERAGE THE FULL RESOURCES OF THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.
UM, SO EVEN IF YOUR JOB IS NORMALLY MAYBE BE ON A, A PLANNING OR A, A INSPECTION TYPE OF ACTIVITY AFTER OR DURING A RAIN, YOU MAY GET REASSIGNED TO TO MORE CRITICAL NEED.
UM, AND THAT'S A REALLY ALLOWS US TO BOARD KNOW WHERE ALL, ALL THE INFORMATION COMES INTO THE DE, UH, DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER.
AND THEN IT ALLOWS US TO COMMUNICATE BETTER OUT BOTH WHAT OUR NEEDS ARE OR HOW WE CAN HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
UM, AND THE MOST, UH, THAT WAS MOST EFFECTIVELY, UM, IDENTIFIED THROUGH OUR FLOOD RECONNAISSANCE AND DEBRIS MANAGEMENT.
SO THESE ARE TWO AREAS THAT WE HAVE CONSISTENTLY SEEN OVER THE DECADES IN RESPONSE TO FLOODS OVER THE YEARS.
IS THAT AFTER THE FLOOD UN NOT SURPRISINGLY, WE DO GET A SURGE OF, OF REQUESTS FROM RESIDENTS ON, HEY, I NEED Y'ALL TO COME LOOK AT THIS.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE INSTITUTED WAYS IN WHICH WE BRING THE FULL SCALE OF THE PROJECT DESIGN DELIVERY AS WELL AS SOME, UM, OUR FLOOD PLAIN OFFICE BRANCH TO GO OUT AND DO RECONNAISSANCE TO THESE AREAS.
SO WE SEE WHAT COMES IN FROM 3 0 1.
WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT RAINFALL DATA AND STREAM DATA TO GO, HEY, ARE THESE AREAS THAT HAVE NOT CALLED IN, BUT WE NEED TO PROACTIVELY SEND PEOPLE TO.
THIS ALLOWS US TO GET BETTER INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXTENT OF THE FLOODING THAT OCCURRED TO HELP US PLAN FOR FUTURE PROJECTS.
AND IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO SHARE INFORMATION WITH OUR, UH, PARTNER DEPARTMENTS THAT CAN HELP ON THE SOCIAL SERVICES SIDE, UM, GET MORE CRITICAL RESOURCES TO THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE IMPACTED.
UM, DEBRIS MANAGEMENT IS ALWAYS A CONCERN AFTER STORM EVENTS, WHETHER THAT'S, UM, ON THE SURFACE OF THE ROADWAYS OR FOR OUR PURPOSES IN OUR, OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM.
UH, TYPICALLY WHEN, WHEN WE HAVE THESE FLOODING EVENTS, IT'S INVOLVED IN A WETTER PATTERN, AND SO WE'RE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A, UH, A FOLLOW-UP EVENT AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE CAN GET AS MUCH DEBRIS OUT OF OUR SYSTEM, UH, AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.
SO AGAIN, THAT'S WHERE WE REORGANIZE OUR DEPARTMENT TO BE ABLE TO HIT THE AREAS THAT NEED THE DEBRIS CLEARED THE QUICKEST TO ALLOW US TO BE A BETTER, BE ABLE TO SERVE OUR RESIDENTS.
I'M TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF OUR, UH, MORE SPECIFIC, UM, AS KEVIN MENTIONED, UM, THE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS HAS SEEN SOME PRETTY, UM, DEVASTATING FLOODS.
UM, OUR HEARTS AND THOUGHTS ARE DEFINITELY WITH OUR SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES THAT WERE FURTHER IMPACTED, UM, AND VERY FORTUNATE WITHIN THE CITY OF AUSTIN THAT WE DIDN'T SEE THE LEVELS OF RAIN THAT SOME OF THOSE OTHER COMMUNITIES HAD SEEN.
UM, BUT WE DID HAVE TWO SIGNIFICANT, UH, UM, EVENTS THAT WE KIND OF GIVE A LITTLE QUICK COVERAGE OVER AND HOW THAT HAPPENED FOR US.
UM, SO START WITH WHAT WE CALL THE MICROBURST EVENT THAT HAPPENED ON WEDNESDAY OF, UH, MAY 28TH.
SO THIS WAS, UH, EACH STORM IS DIFFERENT.
AND SO THIS IS A, THESE TWO STORMS ARE KIND OF THE, WE'LL TALK WITH YOU ARE GOOD EXAMPLES OF THAT.
THIS WAS AN ISOLATED STORM, A VERY INTENSE RAINFALL THAT DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER THE, UH, THE NORTH PART OF AUSTIN AND MOVED FROM NORTHWEST AUSTIN TO THE SOUTHEAST, UM, JUST NORTH OF THE RIVER.
UM, AND IT DROPPED RAINFALL RATES IN, IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES IN 15 MINUTES.
UM, THIS RAIN EVENT, UM, YOU SEE THERE, WE HAVE OPCON TWO.
UM, THIS IS A READINESS LEVEL THAT OUR FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM HELPS, HELPS US SET IN ADVANCE AND, AND AFTER WE HAVE A RAIN EVENT TO THE LEVEL OF KIND OF, UH, THREAT THAT THAT'S IS THERE.
SO, UM, IT'S INDUSTRY STANDARDS.
WE FOLLOW THE, UH,
AND SO IT'S FOUR LEVELS, FOUR BEING THE DAY TO DAY NO ISSUES, ONE BEING, UH, HEIGHTENED THE MOST HEIGHTENED ALERT.
UM, SO WE WERE AT OPCON TWO FOLLOWING THIS RAIN EVENT THAT OCCURRED.
WE HAD STAFF DEPLOYED THAT NIGHT.
UH, WE ENDED UP CLOSING EIGHT LOW WATER CROSSINGS AS WELL AS RESPONDING TO SEVERAL FLOODED, UM, STORM DRAINS.
UH, PARTICULARLY STICK AVENUE UNDER MOPAC WAS ONE THAT GOT A LOT OF PRESS.
AND THEN THERE WERE SOME ISSUES ON SPICE, FRUIT SPRINGS AND MOPAC AS WELL.
THIS PARTICULAR EVENT WAS UNIQUE AS IT HAD THE WIND THAT CAME WITH IT.
WE HAD SOME OF THE HIGHEST WINDS THE CITY'S SEEN IN A WHILE, AND IT BROUGHT WITH ITS SIGNIFICANT, UH, TREE LIMBS DOWN.
AND SO THAT ADDED TO SOME OF THE, UH, CLOCKING OF OUR STORM DRAINS THAT WE HAD TO DEAL WITH.
UM, AFTER WE GOT THROUGH THAT EVENT THAT NIGHT, UH, WE, WE, UH, INSTITUTED OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATIONS CENTER FIRST THING ON THURSDAY MORNING, UM, TO BE ABLE TO DEPLOY, UH, ALL THE RESOURCES AND RECONNAISSANCE TEAM TO GET OUT.
[00:45:01]
TO INTERRUPT.UM, OUR ONLINE PARTICIPANTS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME HEARING THINGS.
I'M GETTING SOME TEXTS, SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA GIVE HIM A FEW MINUTES JUST TO SEE IF HE CAN GET IT BACK FROM THEM.
THEY'RE ONLY HEARING ABOUT 60% OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
OH, GIVE US A, GIVE US A SECOND THERE SORT OF YEAH.
SO WE'RE BACK ONTO MAY 28TH EVENT.
UM, WE, THAT THURSDAY MORNING, WE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, UH, INITIATED OUR DEPARTMENT OPERATION CENTER, AND THAT'S A PICTURE OF US THERE IN WHAT WE CALL OUR ONION CREEK CONFERENCE ROOM ON THE 10TH FLOOR OF ONE TEXAS CENTER.
UH, WE HAD REPRESENTATIVES, UH, YOU KNOW, USING THE INDUSTRY STANDARDS OF LIKE, INCIDENT COMMANDER, LOGISTICS OFFICER, UM, SAFETY OFFICER, UH, COMMUNICATIONS LEAD THERE.
AND SO THERE WAS A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WAS COMING IN, UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO CENTRALIZE THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE HAVING ONE LIST OF, UH, WHAT IS THE KIND OF WORK ORDERS THAT WE NEEDED TO DO, AND ONE LIST OF WHERE WE NEEDED TO SEND PEOPLE FOR FLOODED STRUCTURES.
SO FOR THIS EVENT, UH, UH, WE IDENTIFIED 35 FLOODED STRUCTURES.
ONE THING I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT HERE BASED ON KEVIN'S PER, UH, THING WAS MENTIONED AND THERE WAS 10,000, ROUGHLY 10,000 BUILDINGS IN THE AUSTIN FLOODPLAINS.
UM, UH, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT THAT YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE IN A HU FLOODPLAIN TO FLOOD.
UM, MANY OF THESE STRUCTURES HERE, UM, OR WHAT WE CAN FLOODED DUE TO WHAT'S CONSIDERED LOCALIZED FLOODING.
UM, CREEK FLOODING IS SOMETHING WHERE WATER COMES OUT OF THE CREEK, COMES OUT OF A BANK, AND THEN STRETCHES INTO THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS.
LOCALIZED FLOODING IS SOMETHING WHERE IT COMES FROM, UH, USUALLY FROM THE STREET, OVERWHELMS THE STORM DRAIN AND POTENTIALLY GOES INTO A YARD, THE KIND OF THE FRONT DOOR.
AND SO, UM, JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THERE, THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT IN A FLOODPLAIN DOESN'T MEAN YOU'RE SAFE.
UM, ALSO THIS, THIS EVENT, UH, MANY OF OUR OPERATIONS ARE ON THE EAST OR NORTH OR EAST SIDE OF, OR SOUTHEAST SIDE OF AUSTIN, AND OUR FACILITIES WERE IMPACTED FROM THIS EVENT AS WELL.
BUT WE HAVE DONE SOME RESILIENCE WORK OVER THE YEARS AND WE HAD SOME GENERATORS AND SO THAT WE WERE ABLE TO GO AND CONTINUE WORK WITH NO ISSUES THERE.
UM, WE DID HAVE, UH, ROUGHLY 300 SERVICE RISKS COME THROUGH THIS EVENT.
UM, AND WE RESPONDED TO THAT WITH OUR DRAINAGE INVESTIGATORS, AS WELL AS FIVE RECONNAISSANCE TEAMS, UH, THAT WE SENT TO THE AREAS THAT WERE MOST, UH, HIGHLY IN, UH, INTENSITY.
RAINFALL WAS SPELLED, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO COLLABORATE WITH THE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND CREATE RESOURCES, DOCUMENTS, AND HANDOUTS FOR OUR AFFECTED RESIDENTS.
OPERATIONS TEAMS REMOVED MORE THAN 1000 TONS OF DEBRIS FROM OUR DRAINAGE SYSTEM AS IN RESPONSE TO THIS STORM.
UM, THAT, THAT EFFORT INCLUDED COORDINATION WITH THE TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC WORKS, AS WELL AS AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE WERE SEVERAL MEDIA REQUESTS THAT CAME IN AND, UH, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN A CITYWIDE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT DAY.
IF YOU COULD, UM, LIKE BACK OFF THE MIC JUST A LITTLE BIT, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE OKAY.
YEAH, WE'RE TRYING TO GET CLOSE, BUT NOT TOO CLOSE.
OH, I GUESS I, I GUESS I CHANGED MY, I NEED TO CHANGE ALLS.
SO, UH, SPEAK TO THE IMPACTS AROUND THE, UH, INDEPENDENCE DAY HOLIDAY.
UM, OUR STAFF WAS MONITORING THE EVENTS IN AND AROUND THE AREA THROUGH THAT WEEKEND.
UH, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, FORTUNATELY WE DID NOT SEE THE, THE LEVEL OF RAINFALL INTENSITIES IN THE CITY THAT EXPERIENCED JUST 18 MILES TO THE NORTHWEST OUT IN TRAVIS COUNTY.
UM, BUT, UH, PARTICULARLY ON THAT SATURDAY THE FIFTH, UM, WE DID HAVE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF RAIN THAT MOVED TO THE CITY.
THIS RAINSTORM WAS MORE BROAD-BASED AND IT AFFECTED MORE PARTS OF THE CITY, UM, IS ACTUALLY HIGHER RAINFALL TOTALS, BUT THERE WAS LESS
[00:50:01]
FLOODING THAT OCCURRED.SO WE DID, UH, CLOSE SOME OF OUR USUAL LOW WATER CROSSINGS IN MORE PLACES THAT DAY.
UM, SPICEWOOD SPRINGS, OLD SPICEWOOD SPRINGS, UH, I BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME CLOSURES IN SOUTH AUSTIN AND EAST AUSTIN AS WELL.
UM, WE IDENTIFIED FIVE, UM, I WILL HIGHLIGHT THERE THAT SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD, IT GOES FROM OLD LAND PASSES TO 360.
UH, THERE'S MULTIPLE CROSSINGS ON THAT ROADWAY.
IN THAT PARTICULAR EVENT, THERE WERE SOME, UH, THERE WERE SOME RESIDENTS THAT WERE ON THAT ROADWAY THAT GOT CAUGHT IN BETWEEN THE TWO CROSSINGS.
AND SO A PD OR A FD HAD TO HELP THEM OUT.
UM, THEY, THEY WEREN'T IN THE WATER, THEY JUST NEEDED TO KIND OF GET OUTTA THERE.
UH, WE DID IDENTIFY FIVE FLOODED STRUCTURES, UH, RESPONDED TO 170 SERVICE REQUESTS, UH, AND AGAIN, DEPLOYED RECONNAISSANCE TEAM AND INVESTIGATED, UH, SEVERAL AREAS.
THIS ONE, UM, CONTINUED TO REMOVE DEBRIS, ABOUT 500 TONS FOR THAT.
SO THAT JUST KIND OF SHOWS THE OVERALL IMPACTS FOR THE, FOR THOSE PARTICULAR EVENTS.
UM, AND SOMETIMES THE TOTAL RAINFALL AMOUNT DOESN'T TELL THE STORY.
A LOT OF TIMES IT'S WHERE IT FALLS AND HOW QUICKLY IT FALLS IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE TOTAL AMOUNT.
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT SOME OF THE, WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY.
UM, AND WHEN IT COME TO INVESTMENTS.
UM, WHEN WE'RE SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY TO OUR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS, I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TWO OR THREE THAT ACTUALLY KIND OF OCCURRED OVER THESE EVENTS THERE.
SO, UM, WE DID GET SOME PRESS RELATED TO A VERY DECADES OLD FLOOD MITIGATION PROJECT, UH, FROM THE MAY 28TH STORM, UH, OUT AT NORTHWEST PARK.
UM, SO FOR MANY OF Y'ALL, PEOPLE DON'T KNOW THAT THAT PARK IS A DUAL PURPOSE OF PUBLIC RECREATION, BUT IT ALSO HAS A FLOOD CONTROL COMPONENT AND YOU DON'T SEE THAT VERY OFTEN.
BUT THAT, UH, THE UPPER BREACHES OF SHOAL CREEK DID GET A SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL ON THAT ONE.
AND IT ACTIVATED THAT, UH, FLOOD CONTROL PORTION IN NORTHWEST PARK ON, UH, UH, BOTH THE 28TH AND THE FIFTH.
OUR WALL CREEK TUNNEL, UM, REALLY DID A GOOD JOB OF DOING PROTECTING LOWER DOWNTOWN.
I WAS IN THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER THAT DAY, UH, ON THE FIFTH, AND IT WAS VERY COMFORTING TO KNOW THAT IT WAS DOING ITS JOB BECAUSE PREVIOUSLY THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS WE WOULD'VE SEEN, WE WERE GETTING INDICATIONS THAT WE WOULD'VE HAD TO CLOSE 12TH STREET, NINTH STREET AND POTENTIALLY ASK A PD TO START, UH, DOING THEIR PROCEDURES TO DEAL WITH THEIR GARAGE BECAUSE IT'S IN THE FLOODPLAIN.
UH, BUT THE, THAT INVESTMENT PAID OFF IN THAT SENSE.
AND THEN, UH, MORE RECENTLY WE STILL HAVE A, A FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT IN THE LOWER, IN THE LITTLE WALNUT CREEK WATERSHED IN THE MES MEADOW AREA THAT'S STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION, BUT IT HAD PROGRESSED ALONG ENOUGH TO WHERE IT'S TWO, UM, SIDE INTAKE WEIRS THAT ARE THERE, WERE ACTIVE AND ABLE TO, UM, ACCEPT WATER DURING THE JULY 5TH EVENT.
UM, AND THAT WAS LIKELY REDUCED, UH, OVERTOPPING OF A ROADWAY AND POTENTIALLY KEEPING WATERS OUT OF HOMES.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THAT THESE INVESTMENTS THAT ARE DECADES IN THE MAKING ARE PAYING OFF FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, SO HISTORICALLY, UH, WE'VE USED BOND FUNDS TOWARDS, UH, 50 STORMWATER PROJECTS SINCE 2001.
UM, WE'VE HAD A TOTAL OF 114 FLOOD PROJECTS HAVE COMPLETED PHASES COSTING APPROXIMATELY 567 MILLION.
WE'VE USED FUNDING SOURCES INCLUDE, UH, UH, GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS, CASH TRANSFER FROM OUR DRAINAGE CHARGE REVENUE, UH, UH, REVENUE AND GRANTS.
UH, WE DO HAVE REMAINING FUNDS FROM THE 2018 BONDS WILL BE SPENT DOWN BY THE END OF 26 26 WHEN IT COMES TO MITIGATIONS AND CHALLENGES OVERALL, WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, PRICE, ESCALATION AND CONSTRUCTION AFTER THE PANDEMIC IS SOMETHING THAT CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE WITH OUR CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS.
UM, AS AUSTIN BECOMES MORE COMPACT AND CONNECTED, THERE'S LESS, UH, AND LITTLE OPEN SPACE AVAILABLE FOR DRAINAGE DETENTION, WHICH I HAVE TO FIND CREATIVE WAYS TO FIND THAT.
AND THERE'S A LOWER NUMBER OF GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CURRENT POLITICAL CLIMATE.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WAS ADDRESSED AS PART OF OUR, UH, BUDGET ASKED TO COUNCIL THIS YEAR.
UH, IN PARTICULARLY LOOKING AT HOW WE'RE, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER THE, THE PACKAGES GONNA BE IN THE POTENTIAL 2026 BOND.
UH, THE DEPARTMENT HAS IDENTIFIED OVER 200 OR TWO BILLIONS WORTH OF NEEDS ON MANY OF THESE PROJECTS ARE, ARE READY FOR CONSTRUCTION, BUT WILL NEED FUNDING.
D SO THIS HERE, UH, I DON'T, IS A VIDEO.
I THINK THIS IS PROBABLY ON A, UM, THIS IS FOR OUR RAIN TO RIVER, UH, CAMPAIGN.
RAIN TO RIVER IS OUR COMMUNITY.
THIS GIVES A GREAT UPDATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO IS IT ISN'T IN A POSITION WHERE IT CAN PLAY.
HAVE Y'ALL SEEN THIS? I THINK THEY, HAVE THEY SEEN THIS? I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE SEEN IT OR PLAYED IT DURING A PRESENTATION.
LIZ JOHNSTON, INTERIM ENVIRONMENTAL OFFICER.
UH, MAY HAVE SENT IT OUT VIA EMAIL, BUT UH,
[00:55:01]
WE'D BE HAPPY TO PLAY IT AGAIN.ARE YOU ABLE TO PLAY THE VIDEO? AUSTIN'S WATERSHEDS ARE THE LANDS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO AND SUSTAIN OUR CREEKS, LAKES, SPRINGS, AND THE COLORADO RIVER.
EACH TIME RAIN FALLS ON OUR CITY, IT FLOWS THROUGH A VAST NETWORK OF BUILT AND NATURAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND INTO OUR WATERWAYS.
RAIN FEEDS THE BEAUTIFUL PLACES THAT MAKE AUSTIN SPECIAL.
PLACES WHERE WE CAN SPEND TIME WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY, EXPLORE NATURE, COOL OFF AND RELAX, BUT RAIN CAN ALSO PICK UP POLLUTANTS, ERODE CREEK BANKS AND FLOOD HOMES AND BUSINESSES.
THE CITY'S WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT FOCUSES ON HOW RAINWATER MAKES ITS WAY ACROSS AUSTIN'S LANDSCAPE.
OUR DEPARTMENT PROTECTS LIVES, PROPERTY AND THE ENVIRONMENT BY REDUCING THE IMPACTS OF FLOODING, EROSION, AND WATER POLLUTION.
WE DO THIS THROUGH CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS TO IMPROVE INFRASTRUCTURE REGULATIONS TO PREVENT FUTURE PROBLEMS AND PROGRAMS TO ADDRESS CITY-WIDE NEEDS.
LET'S GO ON A QUICK TOUR OF SOME DIFFERENT WAYS THAT OUR DEPARTMENT HELPS TACKLE WATERSHED PROBLEMS. MY NAME IS KELLY RICH AND I'M AN ENGINEER WITH OUR STREAM RESTORATION PROGRAM.
WE'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF AN ERODING CREEK CHANNEL NEAR COLONY PARK IN EAST AUSTIN.
OUR CONSTRUCTION CREWS ARE WORKING TO STABILIZE THE BANKS AND IMPROVE THE CONVEYANCE OF WATER TO HELP REDUCE THE THREAT OF EROSION AND FLOODING FOR NEARBY HOMES.
MY NAME IS TANYA MEYER RAMIREZ AND I'M A TEACHER FOR THE EARTH CAMP PROGRAM.
EARTH CAMP IS A FOUR DAY HANDS-ON SCIENCE PROGRAM FOR AUSTIN'S FIFTH GRADERS.
STUDENTS GET TO INVESTIGATE THE WATERSHED IN A LOCAL PARK TO LEARN HOW HEALTHY LAND RESULTS IN A HEALTHY CREEK.
THEY CHECK WATER QUALITY IN THE CREEK BY LOOKING FOR INSECT LARVAE LIKE THIS GUY HERE AND EXPLORE A CAVE TO SEE HOW WATER TRAVELS UNDERGROUND ON ITS JOURNEY INTO THE EDWARDS AQUIFER.
STUDENTS LEARN AND PRACTICE PERSONAL ACTIONS THAT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO CLEANER CREEKS AND SPRINGS, SUCH AS GARDENING WITHOUT CHEMICALS LIKE COMPOSTING, PUTTING WASTE IN ITS PLACE, AND PLANTING NATIVE PLANTS.
MY NAME IS KAKI AND I WORK IN A FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WATCHING THE WEATHER 24 7, MAINTAINING AND MONITORING A LARGE NETWORK OF RAIN AND STREAM GAUGES AROUND THE CITY AS WELL AS LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
WHEN A STORM COMES, WE ACTIVATE STUFF TO MONITOR, CLOSE AND REOPEN THE LOW WATER CROSSINGS ACROSS THE SEA.
ABOUT 75% OF FLOOD RELATED DEBTS IN TEXAS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.
SO MONITORING AND CLOSING LOW WATER CROSSINGS HELPS TO KEEP OUR COMMUNITY SAFE.
HI, MY NAME IS CLAYTON WEST AND I'M AN ENGINEER WITH THE WATERSHED PROTECTION DEPARTMENT.
WE'RE STANDING HERE IN BATTLE BEND PARK IN SOUTH AUSTIN.
WE RECENTLY COMPLETED A PROJECT HERE TO ENHANCE THE PARK RESTORED THE HEALTH OF THE CREEK AND HELP IMPROVE WATER QUALITY.
THIS NEW PLAY FIELD BEHIND ME CAN BE USED FOR SOCCER, FRISBEE OR OTHER TYPES OF RECREATION.
BUT WHEN IT RAINS, THIS FIELD WILL FILL UP WITH STORM WATER AND SLOWLY FILTER OUT THE POLLUTANTS AS IT DRAINS TO KEEP CLEAN WATER FLOWING DOWNSTREAM.
I'M WITH THE WATERSHED DEPARTMENT.
I'M AN EQUIPMENT TECH ONE WITH THE CCTV UH, SECTION.
TYPICALLY WHAT WE DO IS WE LOWER OUR, OUR ROBOTIC CRAWLER INTO A STORM DRAIN OR INTO A MANHOLE, WHICHEVER JOB WE'RE NEEDED TO DO FOR THE DAY.
AND WHAT WE'RE CHECKING FOR IS THE INTEGRITY OF THE PIPE, THE CONDITIONS, IF THERE'S A COLLAPSE OR IF THERE IS ANYTHING, UM, THAT IS ABNORMAL.
WE'RE LOOKING TO SEE EXACTLY HOW EVERYTHING IS SUPPOSED TO FLOW AS FAR AS THE STORM WATER.
I'M ON THE WATER QUALITY COMPLIANCE TEAM.
OUR INVESTIGATORS RESPOND TO REPORTS OF POLLUTANT DISCHARGES SUCH AS ILLEGAL DUMPING, HAZARDOUS AND NON-HAZARDOUS PILLS.
24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK.
WE ENSURE EFFECTIVE RECOVERY OF POLLUTANTS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT.
EXAMPLES OF POLLUTANTS WE ENCOUNTER INCLUDE PESTICIDES, ANTIFREEZE, PAINT, MOTOR OIL, AND GREASE.
LAST YEAR WE RECOVERED OVER 6 MILLION GALLONS OF POLLUTANTS FROM THE ENVIRONMENT, PREVENTING ALL THAT BAD STUFF FROM ENDING UP IN OUR CREEKS.
AND ALEX, MY NAME IS ERIC BROWN AND OUR TEAM REVIEWS DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS FOR COMPLIANCE WITH AUSTIN'S STRINGENT ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS.
WHEN A NEW DEVELOPMENT IS PROPOSED, WE GO OUT AND VERIFY THAT SENSITIVE ENVIRONMENTAL FEATURES LIKE WETLANDS, SEEPS, SPRINGS, RIM, ROCKS, BLUFFS, SINKHOLES, AND CAVES ARE BEING IDENTIFIED AND PROTECTED FROM NEGATIVE IMPACTS.
MY NAME IS MIRANDA REINHARDT AND I'M A WETLAND BIOLOGIST.
WETLANDS ARE MY PERSONAL FAVORITE OF THE FEATURES WE PROTECT BECAUSE OF THEIR BEAUTY, DIVERSITY, COMPLEXITY, AND ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS.
THIS WETLAND BEHIND ME NOT ONLY HELPS IMPROVE WATER QUALITY BY FILTERING OUT POLLUTANTS, IT ALSO STORES CARBON TO HELP FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.
PROVIDES HABITAT FOR PLANTS AND ANIMALS, RECHARGES GROUNDWATER AND HELPS REDUCE FLOODING AND EROSION DOWNSTREAM.
PROTECTING THESE UNIQUE FEATURES HELPS PRESERVE THE HEALTH AND FUNCTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT FOR GENERATION OF AUSTINITE STREAM JOY TO ADAPT TO NEW CHALLENGES AND BETTER SERVE OUR RESIDENTS.
WE ARE PREPARED TO CREATE RAIN TO RIVER, A STRATEGIC PLAN
[01:00:01]
TO PROTECT AUSTIN'S CREEKS AND COMMUNITIES.OUR DEPARTMENT WILL USE THIS PLAN TO SET GOALS, PRIORITIZE WORK, AND GUIDE OUR DECISION MAKING.
VISIT RAIN TO RIVER ATX.COM TO SHARE YOUR VISION.
ALL RIGHT, SO THAT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A PLUG FOR OUR DEPARTMENT SHOWS MANY OF THE ASPECTS THAT WE DO.
A LOT OF 'EM RELATE TO FLOOD, UM, AND WANT TO KINDA GIVE THAT AS A HIGHLIGHT.
RAIN RIVER WILL HELP US, YOU KNOW, NAVIGATE THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE AHEAD OF US AND A LOT OF THE, UM, FLOODING ISSUES HERE TOO.
SO, UM, WITH THAT, KEVIN AND I ARE READY FOR ANY QUESTIONS Y'ALL HAVE RELATED TO THIS COMMISSIONER CRUSTY.
HEY Y'ALL, UH, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION.
YOU KNOW, AND IT WAS USEFUL TO SEE, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE THAT LIVES, UH, IN EAST AUSTIN.
YOU KNOW, THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I LIVE IN OFF OF, UH, MLK AND AIRPORT IN SPRINGDALE COMM.
UH, WE DID HAVE A PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, I'M GLAD I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING OF USE THEN.
SORRY, THAT'S, I JUST WANTED TO CHECK IN.
DO YOU WANNA GIVE YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT? OKAY.
RIGHT HERE WE'VE GOT FRANCIS AIA YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
BE SURE TO CLICK THE BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM.
HI, UH, MY NAME IS FRANCIS AIA AND NORMALLY I COME IN IN A NEGATIVE WAY, BUT RIGHT NOW I'M, I'M IMPRESSED WITH THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I'VE BEEN, UM, WORKING WITH, WITH WATERSHED PROTECTION AS A COMMUNITY LEADER AND THEN AS AN ORGANIZER, UH, TRAINING RESIDENTS AND HOW TO ANTICIPATE PREPARING, RESPOND TO DISASTERS.
AND, UH, I MUST SAY, UH, WATERSHED PROTECTION HAS DONE AN AMAZING WORK IN, UH, BEING INCLUSIVE WITH RESIDENTS AND THAT ARE MORE IMPACTED BY FLOODS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND THE TRAUMA THAT GOES WITH IT.
I, UM, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER SINCE 20 18, 20 19, I MUST SAY.
AND, UM, WE HAVE GONE A LONG WAY.
UM, THEY'RE, THEY ARE WORKING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, IN ORDER TO MITIGATE FLOODING AND WE FLOOD FROM THE CREEKS ON ONION CREEK AND THEN ON BRASSY WOOD CREEK BEND AREA.
AND, UM, THAT IS, UH, RUNOFF, UH, WATER.
SO PEOPLE ARE FLOODING, BUT THEY ARE WORKING.
THERE'S A MESS, BUT IT'S A BEAUTIFUL MESS BECAUSE THERE'S PIPES AND THERE'S, UH, A LOT OF, UH, CONSTRUCTION GOING ON FOR, UH, THE, UH, INFRASTRUCTURE THAT THEY'RE WORKING ON IN ORDER FOR THEM TO DEVIATE THE WATER FROM THE POND TO THE CREEK.
SO, UH, IT'S AN AMAZING, UH, WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING.
AND, UM, I I WANTED TO ADD TO THE PRESENTATION THAT YOU CAN ALSO GO TO FLOOD PRO IF YOU WANNA KNOW IF YOU ARE IN A FLOOD, UH, IN A FLOODPLAIN AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE, THE FEMA MAP AND THE ATLAS 14 STUDY.
SO THAT ONE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE ONE THAT I LIKE TO GIVE TO RESIDENTS SO THEY COULD BE ABLE TO BE MORE INVOLVED IN THEIR ADVOCACY FOR FLOOD MITIGATION.
SO, UM, I DID WANTED TO SAY THOUGH THAT, UM, UM, ALL FOR NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE AND GREAT INFRASTRUCTURE WORKS VERY WELL IN, UM, FOR FLOOD MITIGATION.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE OF THAT IN INCLUDED IN THE FUTURE, UH, BECAUSE IT'S NOT ONLY GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, IT'S GOOD FOR, UH, WATER CONSERVATION PRESERVATION, AND IT'S ALSO GOOD FOR HEALTH BENEFITS LIKE, YOU KNOW, CHRONIC ILLNESSES.
I KNOW IT'S NOT MUCH, BUT ONE TREE TO ME, IT'S, IT MAKES A LOT OF DIFFERENCE.
SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT AND I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR THE TIME TO BE HERE.
EY, YOU WANNA GO AHEAD? YEAH, APPRECIATE, LIKE I SAID, APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND APPRECIATE THE PUBLIC COMMENT AS WELL.
IT'S ALWAYS NICE WHEN PEOPLE WILL SHOW UP HERE.
WHEN I FIRST WALKED IN HERE, I WAS LIKE, DANG, IT'S EMPTY TODAY.
UM, YEAH, YOU KNOW, I LIVE, UH, IN THE MLK AREA OFF AIRPORT IN SPRINGDALE, SO OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE MICROBURST, UH, WAS SOMETHING THAT I WAS SUPER INTERESTED IN HEARING.
OBVIOUSLY THE FLOODS, UH, THAT HAPPENED IN JULY IS SUPER BIG AS WELL.
[01:05:01]
I REMEMBER, YOU KNOW, A COMMON, UH, THEME THAT I HEARD FROM A LOT OF NEIGHBORS WAS LIKE, HOW COME WE DIDN'T KNOW? IT SEEMED LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE JUST GOT A WARNING 15 MINUTES BEFOREHAND.YOU KNOW, UH, I HAVE MY OWN THEORIES, AND MAYBE THIS QUESTION, UH, IS A LITTLE BIT POINTED, BUT WOULD YOU SAY THAT FEDERAL CUTS FOR THE NWS AND NOAA HAVE POTENTIALLY NEGATIVELY AFFECTED THE ABILITY OF THE CITY TO SORT OF PLAN AROUND THESE SORT OF CATASTROPHIC WEATHER EVENTS THAT KIND OF THE EXPERTS ARE SAYING IS GO, ARE GOING TO BE MORE AND MORE COMMON? OR LIKE, AND WHAT CAN WE DO AS LIKE REGULAR PEOPLE TO TRY TO STAY AWARE OF THIS STUFF? I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THE CITY OF BOSTON HAS A VERY ROBUST FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND IT'S BASED UPON INFORMATION AND DATA THAT WE HAVE GATHERED OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS.
AND THAT INCLUDES RAINFALL DATA, SURVEY DATA FOR CREEKS, REGULATION INFORMATION IN, IN WEBSITES.
THANK YOU, FRANCIS, FOR PLUGGING FLOOD PRO.
I CAN'T BELIEVE I DIDN'T SAY THAT.
UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR PROCESS OF FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT WITH THE DATA THAT WE HAVE NOW ADDED TO THE DATA THAT WE CAN GET IN THE FUTURE.
SO I WOULD JUST SAY IN VERY GENERAL TERMS, THAT WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO MAINTAINING AND IMPROVING OUR FLOOD PLAN MANAGEMENT PROGRAM IN REGARDS TO THE, THE WARNING RELATED TO THE MICRO REVERSERS STORM EVENTS, AND SO MENTIONED THIS ONE WAS, UH, AN ISOLATED STORM, UM, THAT OCCURRED.
UM, I NEED TO LOOK AT THE TIMING ON THAT.
UM, THE, ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT YOU HEAR, UM, IN PARTICULARLY, UH, AS I WAS LISTENING, THERE WAS A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT WAS ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
UM, BUT I WILL, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBERS IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THAT'S TYPICALLY, MANY OF THOSE ARE ISSUED DURING THE SPRING SEASON, AND THEY DON'T NECESSARILY DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE, WHAT YOU SAW, THE MIC REVERSE VERSUS SOME OTHER STORMS THAT MAY NOT HAVE THAT QUITE THAT IMPACT LOCALLY.
AND SO I'LL, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
AND THEN, UH, MY LAST QUESTION WAS, YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN HEAR RIGHT, THAT LIKE, WE'RE ALWAYS IN DROUGHTS, RIGHT? THAT WE'RE TURNING INTO A DESERT.
AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU, Y'ALL SAID DURING THIS PRESENTATION THAT, YOU KNOW, AUSTIN IS GOING TO HAVE THESE SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS, YOU KNOW, AND THEY'RE GOING TO BECOME MORE COMMON.
SO IS IT LIKE WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE DROUGHTS AND THEN BECAUSE OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, TROPICAL STORMS OR WHATEVER HITTING THE COAST OF HOUSTON, WE'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE LIKE PERIODS OF DROUGHT ALONG WITH LIKE, CRAZY BIG STORMS. IS THAT LIKE AN ACCURATE LAYMAN'S WAY TO PUT IT? UM, IS THERE LIKE MORE CONTEXT OR DO WE JUST KIND OF LIKE THROW OUR HANDS AND BE LIKE, HEY, LET'S SEE WHAT NEXT YEAR BRINGS US? YOU KNOW, YOU ALMOST VERBATIM MADE A QUOTE THAT I'VE SEEN THAT SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF TEXAS IS A LAND OF PERENNIAL DROUGHT BROKEN UP BY FLOODS.
AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STATE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND NOW, ONE THING WE'RE WE, WE HAVE SEEN AND ARE EXPECTING TO, TO CONTINUE TO SEE, UNFORTUNATELY WITH CLIMATE CHANGE, IS THESE SMALL STORMS THAT HAVE INTENSE RAINFALL ON CREEK 20 13, 20 15, THOSE STORMS WERE GIGANTIC ON CREEK IS A HUMONGOUS WATERSHED.
AND THE VERY DIFFERENT, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE MICROBURST FROM MAY 28TH, AND, UH, AND ALSO TO SOME DEGREE FOR TRAVIS COUNTY IN, UH, JULY 5TH, IT WAS THE RAIN THAT FELL WAS IN A RELATIVELY COMPARATIVELY SMALL AREA, AND THAT AREA RECEIVED INTENSE RAINFALL.
AND WE EXPECT THAT TO OCCUR TIME AND TIME AGAIN.
SO, LIKE JOHN WAS SAYING, IT'S, IT'S THE, THE FLOODING THAT HAPPENS FROM THE FLOOD WATER, NOT FROM THE CREEK, BUT FLOOD WATER AWAY FROM THE CREEK TRYING TO GET TO THE CREEK AND THAT PATHWAY TO GET TO THE CREEK.
THERE'S HOUSES, BUILDINGS, CARS, ROADS, ET CETERA IN THE WAY.
AND THAT'S THE TYPE OF FLOODING THAT WE EXPECT TO SEE IN THE FUTURE.
AND UH, YEAH, YOU KNOW, MY LAST COMMENT WILL BE, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ACTUALLY SOMETHING I SAW ONLINE AND I THOUGHT IT WAS KIND OF FITTING FOR THIS.
SO, UH, THERE WAS A MAYOR OF A VILLAGE IN JAPAN CALLED
RIGHT? HIS NAME WAS KOKU MURA, AND APPARENTLY HE SPENT BILLIONS OF JAPANESE YEN ON A FLOODGATE THAT WAS CRITICIZED AS A WASTE OF PUBLIC FUNDS.
AND HE DIED IN 1997, RIGHT? AND THEY WERE LIKE, THIS GUY WASTED ALL THIS MONEY ON THIS FLOODGATE.
BUT THEN IN 2011, JAPAN WAS HIT BY AN EARTHQUAKE
[01:10:01]
IN TSUNAMI KILLING TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.UH, AND FUDA THE CITY THAT SPENT ALL THIS MONEY ON A FLOODGATE THAT WAS THOUGHT TO BE A WASTE, UH, ENDED UP ACTUALLY BEING SAVED BY THE FLOODGATE.
OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE NOT JAPAN, WE'RE NOT GETTING HIT BY TSUNAMIS.
HOWEVER, YOU KNOW, UH, INVESTING IN, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO HELP SAVE LIVES IS SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T REALLY APPRECIATE UNTIL THE INCIDENT HAPPENS AND WE'RE JUST LIKE, WHY DIDN'T WE DO MORE? YOU KNOW? UH, SO I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING Y'ALL ARE DOING.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER FLORY.
YEAH, THANK Y'ALL FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS, MAYBE MORE INFORMATIVE FOR MYSELF.
UH, THINKING OF ONION CREEK, I THINK MENTIONED LARGEST WATERSHED.
I WONDER WHAT THE ROLE OF CITY OF AUSTIN AND MAYBE KYLE OR BUTA THAT'S ON THE WATERSHED, YOU KNOW, I KNOW HUGE DEVELOPMENT GOING ON IN, IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, BUT THE DOWNSTREAM FLOODING, YOU KNOW, IS HAPPENING IN AUSTIN, MAYBE FROM DEVELOPMENTS THERE.
IS THERE ANY COORDINATION ON FLOODPLAIN REGULATION ADMINISTRATION BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES? I WOULDN'T SAY THERE'S COORDINATION ON REGULATIONS.
UH, ONE THING THAT I WILL SAY, DURING ONE OF OUR, UH, INTERNAL, UH, UH, ENGINEERING ANALYSIS OF THE FLOODING ON LONDON CREEK, WE WERE, UH, WE, WE HIRED A CONSULTANT AND DID SOME WORK IN-HOUSE WITH SOME OF THAT MODELING EFFORT.
AND SOME OF THAT MODELING INCLUDED WHAT HAPPENS IF, LET'S JUST SAY BUTTA IS ALL IMPERVIOUS COVER, SO THE IMPERF COVER THERE, THAT'S THERE NOW, BUT LET'S SAY THE WHOLE CITY BECOMES IMPERF COVER, HOW MIGHT THAT AFFECT THE FLOODING IN AUSTIN, WHICH IS THE, THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF LONDON CREEK? IT DIDN'T HAVE THAT MUCH OF AN IMPACT.
AND THE REASON FOR THAT IS THE, THE ON CREEK FLOOD WATERSHED IS ALMOST AS BIG OR AS BIG AS THE ENTIRE CITY OF AUSTIN.
IT'S ABOUT 300 SQUARE MILES AND PAVEMENT FROM A MUNICIPALITY AS SMALL AS BUTA DOESN'T HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE GIGANTIC WATERSHED OF THAT SIZE.
SO, SO A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT YEAH, THE, THE, THE PAVEMENT THAT'S GETTING PUT IN IN THOSE SMALLER COMMUNITIES MAY AFFECT US, BUT IN MOST, IN SOME CASES, ESPECIALLY, ESPECIALLY IN THE CREEK, IT DOESN'T HAVE THAT LARGE OF AN IMPACT ON THE FLOODING DOWN FURTHER DOWNSTREAM OF THAT COMMUNITY.
UM, THE, THAT LARGEST FLOOD THAT HAPPENED IN RECORDED HISTORY IS, UM, DID ANY ANYTHING POINT TOWARDS, UH, HUMAN IMPACT CAUSING THAT TO BE THE RECORD? UM, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S CLIMATE CHANGE OR THAT WAS JUST, JUST WHAT IT WAS A, A FREAK EVENT.
DO YOU MEAN FOR ONION CREEK? YEAH.
THE, THE ONION CREEK FLOODED RECORD IN 2013 WAS, IT WAS A, A JUST MASSIVE, MASSIVE STORM THAT, AND THAT'S ONE ADVANTAGE OF HAVING FLOODS THAT HAPPENED IS PEOPLE START TO TALK IN FLOOD LANGUAGE.
SO, SO WHEN, WHEN YOU SEE A STORM THAT'S TRAINING, THAT'S ALL THE FLOOD, THE STORM MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, THAT MEANS THAT THERE'S WATER ON TOP OF WATER, ON TOP OF WATER FALLING IN A PARTICULAR AREA, AS OPPOSED TO A STORM THAT'S MOVING PERPENDICULAR TO, TO, TO THE TOWN THROUGH THE CREEK LINE.
SO THE LONDON CREEK STORM IN 2013 AND 2015 HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY SIZED STORM THAT TRAINED OVER THE LONDON CREEK, SAID FOR HOURS AND JUST DUMPED AND OUTRAGEOUSLY LARGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.
SO THAT WAS THE REASONING FOR THAT EVENT.
WAS THAT A MICROBURST AND JUST THE LANGUAGE WAS USED THEN? I I WOULD NOT CALL THAT A MICROBURST.
UM, KIND OF ANOTHER QUESTION WAS LEANING TOWARDS, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT ONION CREEK BEING THIS MASSIVE WATERSHED, UM, AND, AND THIS IDEA, I, I THINK EVERYONE SPOKE TO OF, UH, TRYING TO MAKE SURE FOLKS KNOW IF THEY LIVE IN A FLOODPLAIN OR WHAT THE FLOODPLAIN IS AND LOTS OF TOOLS TO GET ONLINE AND STUDY THAT, BUT MAYBE THERE'S PROS AND CONS TO THIS, I CAN THINK THROUGH, BUT DO Y'ALL EVER MARK WHERE, YOU KNOW, THESE STORM EVENTS WERE IN A PARK SO THE FOLKS COULD SEE WHAT A 50 FOOT RISE LOOKS LIKE ON A CREEK AND GO, OH MY GOSH, WATER CAME ALL THE WAY UP HERE.
UM, AND, AND, AND KIND OF PROVIDING AN INTERPRETIVE MOMENT TO THE, THE FLOODPLAIN.
YEAH, THAT, THAT'S A GREAT POINT.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE TYPES OF OUTREACH THAT OUR, OUR DEPART DEPARTMENT DOES.
SO I REMEMBER WE DID A, A, UM, ANNIVERSARY OF THE 81 FLOOD ON SHOAL CREEK MANY YEARS AGO, AND WE HAD, UH, WE, WE HAD A, A STAND, IF YOU WILL, THAT INDICATED HOW DEEP THE WATER WAS WHERE WE WERE STANDING, AND WE THOUGHT THAT THAT VISUAL WAS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO SEE OH, WOW.
WHERE WE'RE STANDING, THE WATER WAS EIGHT FEET HIGH.
YES, IT WAS, IT WAS A LOT OF WATER.
AND THAT'S WHY WE HAD SO MUCH FLOODING THAT HAPPENED AROUND THE COMMUNITY.
THAT'S WHY WE HAD 13 PEOPLE DIE.
SO THE VISUALIZATION THAT, THAT WE CAN DO TO MAKE PEOPLE SEE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT FLOOD RISK LOOKS LIKE IS VERY IMPORTANT.
SO YEAH, WE HAVE DONE THAT AND, AND WE'LL
[01:15:01]
CONTINUE TO DO THAT.AND ONE, ONE THING THAT I WILL POINT OUT, THOSE OF US WHO'VE, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE, UH, MAYBE GREW UP IN AUSTIN OR KNOW AUSTIN QUITE WELL, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BUILDINGS AROUND TOWN THAT HAVE HIGH WATER MARKS PAINTED ON THEM.
AND ONE OF THE ONES THAT I'M THINKING OF, UNFORTUNATELY DIDN'T THE, THE, THE, THEY PAINTED OVER IT WAS THE, THE, THE, UM, THE SPEC SPECS BUILDING THERE ON NORTH LAMAR, RIGHT AT WAS THAT 10TH OR 11TH STREET THAT USED TO BE THE, THE GOOD BILL STORE.
AND BEFORE THAT WAS THE WHOLE FOOD STORE IN 1981, AND THEY HAD RIDDEN ON THAT BUILDING, THEY HAD PAINTED ON THERE SOME OF THE FLOOD LEVELS.
SO IN THAT, THAT'S MEANINGFUL BECAUSE PEOPLE SEE THAT AND THINK TO THEMSELVES, WOW, THE FLOODPLAIN GOT THAT HIGH FOR THAT PARTICULAR STORM.
SURE, IT'S A LOT OF WATER AND IT'S A GOOD THING TO VISUALLY TO SEE HOW HIGH IT GOT FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT THAT PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
SO THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOMETHING MORE PERMANENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF I'VE SEEN ANYTHING IN ONION CREEK.
UH, THE, THE METRO PARK THERE, UM, OFF WILLIAM CANNON, UM, UH, THERE WAS THE FLOOD BUYOUT.
IF, IF, IF THERE'S ANYTHING THERE THAT KIND OF SHOWS THE, THE FLOOD PLAIN, UM, YEAH, I'M NOT SURE ON ONION CREEK THAT WE HAD IN THAT LOCATION THAT WE HAVE ONE, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT'S A CROSSOVER BETWEEN PARKS AND, AND WATERSHED, BUT JUST, UM, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THAT Y'ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT HOW TO INTERPRET THE FLOODPLAIN ON THE GROUND VERSUS JUST ONLINE.
UM, I THINK THAT'S, I I I GUESS ONE OTHER QUESTION TO THE COMMENT ON GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE, AND I SAW Y'ALL ARE DOUBLE PROGRAMMING SOCCER FIELDS AND PARKS AS, AS FLOODPLAIN.
WHAT, WHAT OTHER KIND OF OVERLAYING OF PROGRAMS ARE Y'ALL DOING WITH FLOOD INFRASTRUCTURE BEYOND PARKS? WELL, PARKS IS A, A FANTASTIC PARTNER TO HAVE BECAUSE NORTHWEST PARK IS IN A GREAT EXAMPLE.
THERE AREN'T MANY DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY THAT HAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF LAND THAT HAPPENS TO BE RIGHT NEXT TO A CREEK.
PARD IS A DREAM PARTNER FOR WATERSHED PROTECTION.
AND SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVE PARTNERED IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS TO HAVE A DUAL USE OF THEIR FACILITY TO BE PARK LIKE NORTH NORTHWEST PARK IS.
BUT THEN IT'S ALSO A FLOOD FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT, OR NOT PROJECT, BUT TOOL, UM, IN PLACE AND THAT IT STORES FLOOD WATERS AS WELL.
SO YEAH, PARKS IS PART, IS A GREAT, GREAT PARTNER FOR US.
HOW ABOUT WITH, UH, FARMS, GARDENS, OTHER TYPES OF, YOU KNOW, NON-PAR LANDS, BUT MIGHT, MIGHT BE APPROPRIATE FOR FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT? WE, WE DID A PARTNERSHIP, UH, IT WAS KIND OF NEAR, EXCUSE ME, UM, CHERRY CREEK, EXCUSE ME, CHERRY CREEK.
AND IT WAS IN THE BAIT AND LOOP AREA.
WE DID A, A BUNCH OF BUYOUTS ON, ON THAT COURT, AND THERE IS NOW A COMMUNITY GARDEN IN A PORTION OF THAT, THAT THAT'S IN THE FLOODPLAIN.
BUT THAT COMMUNITY GARDEN WAS ALLOWED TO OCCUR, NOT NEXT TO THE CHANNEL, BUT IT'S, IT'S OUTSIDE THE CHANNEL, BUT THAT THE STREET THERE'S CALLED, IT'S CALLED BAIT AND LOOP IN BROS, BROS COVE, I THINK IS THE TWO STREETS.
SO THAT'S WHERE, WHERE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT COMMUNITY GARDEN EXISTS.
WHAT'S THE OLD SAYING? IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE WEATHER IN TEXAS, JUST WAIT FIVE MINUTES.
UH, AND IN THAT FIVE MINUTES, SUDDENLY YOU CAN HAVE A FLOOD.
UM, CAN Y'ALL TRACK IN REAL TIME THIS MOVEMENT OF WATER, THIS, UH, KIND OF PHENOMENON OF SUDDENLY THERE'S A LOT OF A, A LOT OF FLOOD COMING AND YOU, AND, AND IF SO, ARE YOU ALL ATTACHED TO THE, LIKE THE WEATHER WARNING SYSTEM THAT SHOWS UP ON OUR CELL PHONES? SO ONE OF THE TOOLS THAT WE USE IS, UH, UM, WITH, WITH A VENDOR SOFTWARE, WHAT WE CALL THE FLUTTER WARNING SYSTEM, COMMON OPERATING PICTURE.
AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT TAKES IN DATA FROM, UH, WEATHER RADAR.
UH, IT TAKES IN DATA FROM WEATHER, UH, WEATHER MODELS.
AND ALONG WITH THE GAUGE DATA FROM OUR STREAMS AND FROM RAIN GAUGES, UH, IT THEN HAS THE ABILITY TO TAKE THAT IN REAL TIME AND IMPLEMENT, UH, AND RUN MODELING.
IT'S CALLED V FLOW, UM, INFORMATION TO KIND OF PREDICT WHERE THE STREAMS MAY RISE TO.
UM, THAT BEING SAID, UM, IT, YOU KNOW, IT CAN DO THAT AS THE INFORMATION COMES INTO IT.
AND SO, LIKE THE MICROBURST SITUATION, UM, OUR REPORTING, UH, GAUGES ARE CURRENTLY AROUND 15 MINUTE INTERVALS.
AND SO WHEN YOU GET THREE INCHES OF RAIN IN THAT 15 MINUTES, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT OF A LAG BEFORE YOU CAN SEE KIND OF THE IMPACTS OF THAT.
UM, SO WE'RE VERY PLUGGED INTO, UM,
[01:20:01]
THE, THE WEATHER FORECAST THAT'S OUT THERE.SO OUR TEAM, UM, CONSISTS OF HYDROLOGISTS ENGINEERS, UH, UM, OUR PROGRAM MANAGER IS A, IS A CERTIFIED METEOROLOGIST.
UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A REALLY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE, UH, LOCAL FORECAST OFFICE IN, UH, NEW BRAUNFELS.
AND SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY LOOKING AT ALL THE TOOLS AND AVAILABLE THAT TO HELP US GET THE BEST INFORMATION THAT WE CAN, UM, TO PREDICT IS, UH, GIVE US AS MUCH TIME AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.
THE CHALLENGE IS, UM, LOOKING AT THE MICROBURST EVENT, UM, THE, THE MODELING DOESN'T, CAN'T TELL US IN ENOUGH TIME TO GO, HEY, IT IS GONNA HAPPEN IN NORTH AUSTIN, BUT NOT SOUTH AUSTIN.
SO YOU KIND OF HAVE TO SEE THAT HAPPENING AND REACT TO IT.
SO YOU, Y'ALL HAVE TEAMS ON 24 7 WATCHING WEATHER WHEN, WHEN IT'S NEEDED? YES.
AND SO IT'S, IF IT'S A DRY, SUNNY DAY AND YOU'RE LOOKING OUT AND YOU, AND THE FORECAST IS PRETTY SOLID THAT IT'S GONNA BE A DRY, SUNNY DAY.
YEAH, YOU CAN, UM, YOU CAN GO DO KIND OF PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE, LOOK AT LONGER TERM PROJECTS.
UM, BUT WHEN IT'S DAYS WHEN IT'S, UM, RAINFALL IN THE FORECAST, UM, THERE IS SOMEBODY PAYING ATTENTION 24 7.
JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, FIRST OFF, LET ME JUST OFFER ONE POINT ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT ISSUES.
UH, THE CITY IDENTIFIED 3.9 MILLION, $3.9 BILLION OF NEEDS FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS.
I'M ON THE BOND ELECTION ADVISORY TASK FORCE.
UM, BUT THEN THEY GAVE US A BUDGET ORIGINALLY OF 750 MILLION THAT WE COULD DO WITHOUT, UM, EXCEEDING, YOU KNOW, PUTTING AT RISK THE CITY'S, UH, CREDIT RATINGS.
AND THEN THAT WAS REDUCED BECAUSE OF THE CAPS ON IH 35.
SO NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ONLY ABOUT 690 MILLION, ONLY $690 MILLION FOR THE GO BOND ELECTION IN NOVEMBER OF 2026.
SO WHEN YOU GUYS TALK ABOUT 2 BILLION IN NEED, I'M SURE PART OF THAT IS O AND M, NOT, THAT'S NOT ALL CAPITAL, RIGHT? THE TWO BILLIONS FOR CAPITAL ALONE.
ALRIGHT, WELL THE POINT IS THAT WE, WE WE'RE NOT, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO 10% OF THAT IN THE NEXT, UM, GEO BOND ELECTION.
UM, IS IT POSSIBLE TO GRADE THAT SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT STUFF TO DO? Y IT IS AND, AND THE, AND I'LL SPEAK VERY BROADLY ON THIS IS, UH, WE DO HAVE A PEOPLE MORE IN THE WEEDS ON OUR, UH, THE SELECTION CRITERIA FOR, UH, THE BOND STUFF.
BUT YEAH, THERE'S DEFINITELY, UH, BEEN A TIERED APPROACH TO WHAT IS THE, THE, THE BEST FIT FOR BOND FUNDING.
AND THEN AGAIN, THAT'S THE ONE AVENUE FOR FUNDING.
THERE IS THE DRAINAGE UTILITY CHARGE, UH, THAT DOES HAVE A CIP TRANSFER THAT GOES TO THAT, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO PURSUE, UM, GRANTS AND, AND OTHER FUNDING MECHANISM WHERE WE'RE FEASIBLE.
AND THERE'S STILL MONEY FROM THE 2018 GENERAL OBLIGATION BOND ELECTION THAT YOU SAID WOULD BE EXHAUSTED.
EXHAUSTED BY NEXT YEAR, BY THE END OF 2026.
UM, ONE SIMPLE QUESTION THAT I HAD WHEN, WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT, UM, HAVING CAMERAS AT LOW WATER CROSSINGS, UM, ARE THOSE ALL ILLUMINATED BY OVERHEAD LIGHTS OR WHATNOT, OR HOW CAN YOU TELL, CAN YOU TAKE PHOTOS AT NIGHT? SO, UM, SOME OF 'EM DO HAVE LIGHTS.
UM, A LOT OF 'EM, UM, WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS DONE INFRARED REFLECTIVE TAPE AT CERTAIN LOCATIONS.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT RISES EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT, WHEN THERE'S NOT SUFFICIENT LIGHT THERE.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
UM, I APOLOGIZE IF SOME OF MY QUESTIONS, UH, ARE REDUNDANT TO THE PRESENTATION.
UH, I DON'T THINK I HEARD ALMOST ANY OF JOHN'S PRESENTATION DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
SO, UH, IF HE ANSWERED SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS AND I'M ASKING AGAIN, UH, AGAIN, I'M, I APOLOGIZE.
UH, I FIRST HAVE A, A REQUEST, AND I DON'T KNOW WHO THIS IS DIRECTED TO, BUT I'VE GONE, I'VE BEEN GOING THROUGH THAT, UH, OH THAT, UH, FLOOD PRO WEBSITE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
AND, UH, I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT THE, UH, LEGEND ON IT AND, UH, IF SOMEONE COULD SEND ME THERE, THERE'S, UH,
[01:25:01]
TWO SECTIONS, ONE CALLED FEMA FLOODPLAIN, AND THERE'S ANOTHER SECTION CALLED FULLY DEVELOPED FLOODPLAIN.AND THERE'S SEVERAL ITEMS UNDER THERE, UH, THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY MEAN.
FOR EXAMPLE, UNDER FULLY DEVELOPED FLOODPLAIN, IT SAYS COA FULLY DEVELOPED 25 YEAR COA FULLY DEVELOPED A HUNDRED YEAR UNDER FEMA FLOODPLAIN.
IT SAYS A HUNDRED YEAR DETAILED AE, ET CETERA.
IF SOMEONE COULD SEND ME WHAT THOSE WORDS REALLY MEAN, YOU KNOW, JUST A, A WRITEUP, I, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME, HAVE THEM EXPLAINED RIGHT NOW, BUT, UH, IF SOMEONE COULD SEND ME A, UH, YOU KNOW, A, A WORD DOCUMENT OR AN EMAIL OR I DUNNO, WHATEVER IT IS, EXPLAINING WHAT THOSE REALLY MEAN SO I CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS WHEN I'M LOOKING AT THESE, UH, THIS FLOODPLAIN MAP, UH, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT.
UH, THEN WE'VE BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT, UH, ONION CREEK AND, UH, AND THAT SORT OF THING.
UH, HURRICANE HERMIONE WENT THROUGH, UH, AUSTIN IN WHAT, 2010, UH, AND DROPPED, UH, ALMOST 12 INCHES IN BULL CREEK.
CAN SOMEONE TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE IMPACT OF, UH, THAT FLOOD IN THE BLUE, UH, BULL CREEK, UH, WATERSHED BECAUSE, UH, I LIVE UP THERE AND, UH, IT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
TROPICAL STORM HERMINE WAS, WAS A LOT OF WATER, LIKE YOU SAID, RIGHT THERE ON BULL CREEK.
AND WE HAD, WE, WE HAD A FATALITY IN THAT, ON THAT RIGHT AT LAKEWOOD THAT HAPPENED, UH, DURING THAT STORM AND HAD, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY HOUSES, BUT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HOUSES THAT HAD FLOOD WATERS RIGHT THERE.
THE HOUSES THAT ARE RIGHT THERE ON LAKEWOOD DRIVE, RIGHT BEFORE 2222, SOME OF 'EM WERE IN THE, HAD GARAGE FLOODING, BUT SOME OF THEM, I'M SURE HAD FLOODING INSIDE THE HOUSE AS WELL.
BUT IT WAS THE, AND THE ONE FATALITY THAT HAPPENED AS WELL, IT WAS A, A A WHILE, SOME OF IT WAS IN THEIR CAR.
SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE, UH, CERTAINLY MONITORING AND, UH, AND, AND SINCE THAT TIME WE HAD THAT LOWERED CROSSING AS YOU, WE, YOU'RE WELL AWARE, THAT'S NOW BEEN IMPROVED.
SO WHEN WE HAVE PEOPLE DRIVING THROUGH THE CREEK ALL THE TIME, SO THAT'S NICE TO HAVE THAT PROJECT IN PLACE.
CERTAINLY DOES A GREAT, UH, A GREAT, UH, UH, PURPOSE OF, OF ALLOWING VEHICLES TO NOT BE IN FLOOD WATERS AS OFTEN AS THEY WERE WITH THE PREVIOUS CROSSING.
SO, BUT THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A VERY MAJOR STORM ON IN A VERY, AGAIN, SMALLER AREA, NOT AS BIG AS ONION CREEK, BUT, UM, NOT A, I WOULDN'T CALL IT MICROBURST EITHER, WAS A PRETTY GOOD SIZED STORM.
YEAH, IT WAS OVER THE, UH, AREA FOR ABOUT SIX HOURS.
NOW YOU MENTIONED THE, UH, IMPROVEMENT OF THE ROADWAY.
THERE'S, UH, I THINK SEVEN OR EIGHT LITTLE WATER CROSSINGS ON SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD THAT RUN, UH, AFTER IT RUNS WEST OF LOOP 360, I BELIEVE THE COUNTY IS LOOKING AT, UH, BUILDING A BRIDGE OVER THE FIRST ONE THERE.
AND AT ONE TIME, I BELIEVE IT WAS HELD UP DUE TO SOME, UH, CONFLICTS BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE, UM, COUNTY AS TO WHO, WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY THERE.
UH, THERE WAS A BOND ELECTION THAT WAS PASSED.
I DON'T KNOW, I MEAN, MY KIDS WERE IN KINDERGARTEN.
UH, IT SEEMS LIKE WHEN THAT WAS PASSED, IS THERE ANY WORD THAT WHEN, UH, THAT CONSTRUCTION'S GONNA GO FORWARD AND RAISE THAT ABOVE THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE LOW WATER CROSSING LEVEL? YOU'RE, YOU'RE CORRECT THAT THE COUNTY IS IN THE PROCESS OF, UH, DESIGNING A PROJECT THAT WILL, UM, INCREASE THE ROADWAY HEIGHT AT CROSSING NUMBER ONE.
I DON'T KNOW THE SCHEDULE OF THAT PROJECT.
I DON'T KNOW THE STATUS OF THAT PROJECT.
I HAVE TALKED TO THE FLOOD ADMINISTRATOR IN TRAVIS COUNTY ABOUT IT.
UM, WE'RE AWARE OF IT GOING ON IN OUR PARKS DEPARTMENT.
AGAIN, PARKS IN THE FLOOD PLAIN, UM, HAS BEEN INVOLVED AS WELL WITH SOME PARK, UH, IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THE AREA.
SO WE'RE COORDINATING WITH TRAVIS COUNTY, BUT I CAN'T, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SCHEDULE OR STATUS OF THE PROJECT SPECIFICALLY IS.
UH, NOW YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT, UH, DETENTION PONDS AND THAT SORT OF THING.
AND I, I MAY BE INCORRECT HERE BECAUSE I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND ALL THIS, BUT PART OF THE PURPOSE OF DETENTION PONDS IS TO HOLD WATER FROM, UH, RUNOFFS AND THEN RELEASE IT OVER A EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, UH, SO THAT, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A LARGE AMOUNT OF WATER FROM A, YOU KNOW, RAINSTORM HIT THE, UH, YOU KNOW, HIT A CREEK OR, YOU KNOW, ROADS OR WHATEVER IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY.
IS THAT CORRECT? CAN, CAN YOU REPEAT THAT? YEAH.
UH, DETENTION PONDS, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE THESE AROUND, UH, SHOPPING CENTERS AND LARGE DEVELOPMENTS, AND THEY CATCH WATER DURING RAINS AND THEY FILL UP AND THEN THEY DRAIN OVER A PERIOD OF TWO OR THREE DAYS.
UH, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE PURPOSE OF THOSE
[01:30:01]
IS TO CATCH THE WATER OFF OF, UH, IMPER CO COVER, UH, AND THEN ALLOW THE WATER TO DRAIN OUT OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND TO MITIGATE THE DAMAGE OR, YOU KNOW, THE IMPACT OF A LARGE AMOUNT OF RAIN.IS THAT CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
THE ATTENDED PONDS THAT ARE REQUIRED WITH DEVELOPMENT, UH, THAT ARE, THAT'S PART OF OUR, UH, REGULATIONS, UM, ARE THERE TO DECREASE FLOOD RISK, AND THAT'S TO DECREASE FLOOD RISK NEAR THAT PROPERTY OR ON THE WAY FROM THAT PROPERTY TO THE CREEK ITSELF.
BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT, SAY, LET'S SAY ONE GAS STATION THAT HAS A DETENTION BOND ON IT, AND THEN YOU GO DOWN TO THE STREET AND YOU SEE THIS GIGANTIC CHANNEL OF A CREEK DOWNSTREAM OF THAT CHANNEL, WELL, DOWNSTREAM OF THAT CHANNEL PROBABLY ISN'T GONNA BE IMPACTED BY THAT ONE DETENTION BOND.
BUT YOU PUT ALL THE TENSION BONDS TOGETHER, NOW WE'RE GONNA START SEEING SOME BENEFIT BENEFIT TO THE CREEK WITH LOWER FLOOD LEVELS THAT, THAT ARE GOING, THAT ARE GOING TO HAPPEN.
SO MY QUESTION IS THIS, GIVEN THE FACT THAT, UH, CLIMATE CHANGE IS INCREASING THE, IN INCREASING THE INTENSITY OF RAINSTORMS, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NOT BE GETTING MORE RAIN DURING A PERIOD OF TIME.
FOR EXAMPLE, FOR THE LONGEST TIME WE HAD ABOUT 28 TO 30 INCHES OF RAIN A YEAR.
WE MAY NOT BE GETTING THAT MUCH RAIN PER YEAR NOW, BUT SEEMED TO BE COMING IN, YOU KNOW, MORE INTENSE STORMS. UH, ARE WE CHANGING THE REGULATIONS TO INCREASE THE SIZE OF THOSE DETENTION PA PONDS AND THE EXTENDING THE RATE AT WHICH THEY DRAIN IN ORDER TO MITIGATE, YOU KNOW, THE MORE INTENSE RAINSTORMS THAT ARE WE'RE EXPERIENCING? WELL, I, I, AND THE, THE SHORT ANSWER IS, IS NO, BUT, BUT THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE THE DETENTION PONDS AT THE TIME THEY WERE DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED WERE, THEY'RE TO CONTROL UP TO A 100 YEAR FLOOD IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE PONDS ARE STILL DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING.
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE WITH NEW PONDS THAT COME ON BOARD.
I MEAN, WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE USING THE MOST RECENT REGULATIONS AND DATA, WHETHER THAT BE RAINFALL DATA THAT'S COMING FROM LIKE ATLAS 14, AND AS NEW PONDS COME ON BOARD, THEY'RE GONNA BE USING THAT IN NEW DATA TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY, THOSE PONDS ARE BEING BUILT AND THEY'LL BE ADEQUATE IN THE FUTURE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT PONDS THAT ARE BUILT LATER ON WITH THIS SAME CRITERIA, WE'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE YOUR CRITERIA, BUT THE PONDS ARE USING THE, THE DESIGN INFORMATION FOR THE POND IS BEING, UH, IS THE UPDATED DATA.
AND THE ATLAS 14 IS THE ONE PIECE OF DATA THAT I KEEP COMING BACK TO, SO, OKAY.
UH, NOW YOU MENTIONED, UH, ONE OF YOU MENTIONED EARLIER, UH, ABOUT, UH, CONSTRUCTION AND REGULATIONS WITHIN FLOODPLAINS.
ARE WE STILL ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BUILD IN THE 2,500 AND 500 YEAR FLOODPLAINS? OUR FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS ARE KICK INTO GEAR, SO TO SAY, WHEN A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT IS PROPOSING A BUILDING OR A PARKING AREA THAT ENCROACHES ON THE 25 YEAR OR 100 YEAR FLOODPLAIN, ONCE IT, ONCE THAT HAPPENS, THEN THE FLOOD FUND REGULATIONS THAT COME INTO PLAY.
SO IS THAT ANY CONSTRUCTION, EVEN IF IT IS NOT A BUILDING, IF THERE IS, UH, NOT A BUILDING, BUT THERE'S, THEY'RE MOVING DIRT AND THAT DIRT THAT THEY'RE MOVING IS IN THE FLOODPLAIN AND COULD IMPACT FLOOD LEVELS, WHICH COULD IMPACT OTHER PROPERTIES, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER WAY THAT FLOOD THE REGULATIONS KICK IN TO ENSURE THAT DEVELOPMENT DOES NOT CAUSE AN ADVERSE FLOODING IMPACT ON OTHER PROPERTIES.
BUT I MEAN, IF IT'S BEING DONE FOR PUBLIC USE, UH, WHETHER IT'S A PUBLIC PROJECT, PRIVATE PROJECT, BUILDING, PARKING, GRADING, DIGGING, IF IT'S IN THE FLOOD PLAIN, HAS TO ABIDE BY THE FLOODPLAIN REGULATIONS.
UH, IS THE CITY STILL PURCHASING, UH, PROPERTY IN THE FLOODPLAIN? I KNOW I HAVE SOME FRIENDS WHO, UH, HAD THEIR HOUSE BOUGHT OUT ALONG, UH, ONION CREEK MAYBE FIVE YEARS AGO.
UH, IS THE CITY STILL DOING THIS, AND ARE YOU STILL RECEIVING FUNDS FROM THE FEDS FOR THIS? A AS FAR AS UN CREEK SPECIFICALLY, WE HAD A PROJECT THAT WE WERE PARTNERING WITH THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS THAT INCLUDED BUYOUTS A WHAT THEY CALL THE ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION AREA, AS WELL AS A RECREATION AREA.
AND THAT, THAT PROJECT WITH THE CORE IS COMPLETE.
ALL THE PROJECT, ALL THE, ALL THE PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED, THE FACILITIES HAVE BEEN BUILT.
THERE MAY BE NOT VERY MANY, BUT THERE MAY BE A FEW HOMES IN THE LOWER RUNNING CREEK AREA THAT WE HADN'T PURCHASED
[01:35:01]
DURING OUR TIME AFTER THE 2015 FLOODS THAT, THAT ARE STILL THERE.I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THEY WILL NEVER BE PURCHASED, BUT I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THEY WILL BE PURCHASED.
I'M JUST SAYING THAT STILL EXIST TODAY.
WE DON'T HAVE, UH, AN AREA THAT I'M AWARE OF THAT WE'RE DOING AN ACTIVE BUYOUT, UM, IN AUSTIN AT THIS TIME.
IT'S STILL A FLOOD FLOOD RISK REDUCTION TOOL THAT WE CONSIDER WHEN WE'RE DESIGNING THINGS, BUT THERE'S NOT AN ACTIVE BUYOUT PROJECT OCCURRING AT THIS TIME.
UH, NOW ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE TOPICS THAT CAME UP WITH REGARD TO THE RA COUNTY, UH, FLOODING WAS LACK OF ADEQUATE NOTIFICATION OF THE PEOPLE IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA.
UH, I KNOW THAT YOU CAN GET AN APP ON YOUR PHONE AND THERE'S THESE EMERGENCY, UH, NOTIFICATIONS THAT GO OUT.
UH, AND OF COURSE YOU CAN LOG ON TO, YOU KNOW, THE WEBSITE, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT, UH, IN KE COUNTY WAS THE ERECTION OF, UH, SIRENS AND OTHER, UH, MORE DIRECT CONTACT METHODS THAT DIDN'T REQUIRE PEOPLE TO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR PERSON, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME SORT OF ELECTRONIC DEVICE OR THAT SORT OF THING.
IS THE CITY LOOKING TO, UH, IMPLEMENT ANY WARNING, UH, PROCESSES TO ALERT PEOPLE OF, UH, FLOODS IN PARTICULARLY HIGH RISK AREAS? UH, CURRENTLY OUR WARNING METHODS ARE SOMETHING THAT'S BEEN, UH, DONE THROUGH, UH, OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS THROUGH THE WARREN CENTRAL TEXAS, OR THE, THE EVERBRIDGE NOTIFICATIONS OVER OUR PHONE.
IN ADDITION TO, UM, THE NO WEATHER RADIO ALERTS TO GO OUT, UH, AT, AT, AT THIS TIME.
UM, WE ARE NOT, THERE'S NOT AN ACTIVE PROJECT TO LOOK AT, UM, UH, SIRENS OR, OR ANYTHING OF THAT NATURE.
UM, BUT IN GENERAL, WE CONTINUALLY LOOK TO IMPROVE, UH, PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES AS BEST WE CAN.
AND SO THAT'S A TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX AND, UM, BUT AT THIS TIME, THERE'S NOT AN ACTIVE PROJECT TO GO INSTALL IT IN A PARTICULAR LOCATION.
UH, WHAT, HOW DO YOU ALL COORDINATE WITH THE, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS FAR AS, UH, RESPONDING TO FLOOD RISKS? NOT ONLY FOR PLANNING PURPOSES, UH, YOU KNOW, IDENTIFYING RISK AREAS AND THAT SORT OF THING, BUT, UH, IN ACTUAL TACTICAL RESPONSE TO FLOODS, DO YOU HAVE A, UH, YOU KNOW, A SPECIFIC PLAN THAT YOU ALL WORK, WORK FROM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? AND THEN HOW IS THE TRAIN SET UP SO THAT, UH, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, ARE TRAINED PROPERLY FOR THIS SORT OF THING? SO, I'M, I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK TO THE OTHER DEPARTMENT'S, UM, PROCEDURES, BUT WHAT I WILL SPEAK TO IS THAT, UM, FOR EVENTS, UH, THAT ARE SIGNIFICANT, WE DEPLOY, UH, FLURY MORNING SYSTEM AND WASHINGTON STAFF TO THE EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER.
SO WE CAN BE SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS, UH, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE INFORMATION, WHEN WE HAVE INFORMATION THAT'S TIME SENSITIVE, IT CAN BE PASSED DIRECTLY TO THEM, UM, UH, TO KIND OF, UH, FOR THEM TO GO TAKE THE ACTIONS THAT THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN, WHETHER THAT BE SHELTER IN PLACE OR ANYTHING BEYOND THAT.
UM, SO THAT'S THE PRIMARY, UH, COORDINATION WHERE THE, IN ADDITION, AS YOU MENTIONED, PLANNING, UM, WE CONTINUALLY MEET WITH, UH, UH, UH, PARTICULARLY A FD IN, IN REGARDS TO IDENTIFYING WHERE ARE SOME OF THE RISKIER PLACES IN, IN AUSTIN.
UM, WE HAVE, UM, AND WE'RE GONNA WORK TO CONTINUE THAT TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR SYSTEMS OF INFORMATION MEET WITH THEIR SYSTEM OF INFORMATION.
SO WHEN THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE AND WE'RE SEEING THOSE TYPE OF FLOOD LEVELS IN PARTICULAR CREEKS, THEY KNOW WHICH HOUSES ARE MOST AT RISK AND, AND TO KIND OF TRIAGE ANY TYPE OF SERVICES THAT THEY NEED TO PROVIDE.
UH, ON SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ROAD, AND I USE THAT AS AN EXAMPLE 'CAUSE I LIVE OVER THERE AND I SEE THIS, THERE ARE, UH, GATES THAT BLOCK THE ROAD, UH, WHEN THERE'S FLOODING OVER THE LOW WATER CROSSINGS.
UH, I SUSPECT THAT THERE ARE OTHER PLACES WITHIN THE CITY THAT HAVE THE SAME TYPE OF THING, WHO MANAGES THE RAISING AND THE LOWERING OF THOSE, UH, GATES THAT BLOCK THE ROADS.
SO THAT IS OUR TEAM, OUR FLOOD EARLY WARNING SYSTEM TEAM HAS A CLOUD-BASED SOFTWARE THAT, UH, HAS, UH, REAL TIME INFORMATION ON WHAT THE STATUS OF THOSE ARE.
AND, AND THEY'RE THE ONES THAT LITERALLY CLICK A BUTTON TO RAISE AND LOWER THOSE GATES.
UM, THOSE ARE THE GATE AT OLD AMPAS AND SPICEWOOD SPRINGS AND, UH, 360 AT SPICEWOOD SPRINGS ARE THE ONLY TWO GATES THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY.
UM, WE, WE HAVE FOUND, UM, THAT,
[01:40:01]
UM, OVER TIME THERE IS SOME MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS OF THEM BECOME COSTLY AND, AND, UM, PEOPLE RUN INTO 'EM, TO BE HONEST.UM, AND SO, UH, WE TO PREFER TO DEPLOY THE FLASHING LIGHTS AT OTHER LOCATIONS.
WE HAVE ABOUT 18 OTHER LOCATIONS THAT HAVE THE AUTOMATED FLASHING LIGHTS THAT COME ON, UH, WHEN, UH, CREEK LEVELS RISE, UM, PRIOR TO THEM GOING OVER THE ROAD, THE LIGHTS WILL START COMING ON TO NOTIFY DRIVERS THAT IT'S THERE.
AND THEN WE COORDINATE WITH OUR CREWS, UM, TO PHYSICALLY DE DEPLOY BARRICADES ON SITE.
AND SO, UM, GIVEN SOME OF THE CHALLENGES WITH THE HAVING GATE ARMS OUT THERE, UM, AND THEN BECOMING, UM, JUST SOME OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE ISSUES OVER THE YEARS, WE, WE PRIMARILY HAVE IT AT THE SPICEWOOD SPRINGS LOCATION FOR THE CURRENT CURRENT TIMEFRAME.
AND, UH, MY LAST QUESTION HAS TO DO WITH IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMITS, UH, SPICEWOOD SPRING OR, UH, BULL CREEK, UH, OVER THE 35 YEARS THAT I'VE LIVED OUT THERE, HAS BEEN, UH, MORE HEAVILY DEVELOPED.
WHEN I MOVED OUT THERE IN 1990, UH, THEY JUST FINISHED CLEARING ALL THE CATTLE THAT WERE GRAZING, UH, OUT THERE.
AND NOW IT'S BEING, UH, YOU KNOW, TURNED INTO, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A SUBURBAN HOMESTEAD TYPE THING.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, IMPERVIOUS COVER, AND I'M SURE IT'S ALL WITHIN CITY CODE.
BUT THE POINT IS THIS, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU GET A LOT OF, UH, DRAINAGE OFF OF THAT THAT CONTRIBUTES TO FLOODING.
IS THE CITY LOOKING AT CHANGING THE IMPERVIOUS COVER LIMITS, UH, IN SOME OF THESE, UH, MORE FLOOD PRONE, UH, WATERSHEDS IN ORDER TO, UH, MITIGATE OR REDUCE THE IMPACT OF, OF RAINSTORMS THAT THEN CONTRIBUTE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE FLOODS WE TALKED ABOUT? UH, YOU, YOU TALKED EARLIER ABOUT HOW YOU COULD PAVE OVERALL OF, BUT IT, IT WOULDN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, CHANGE THINGS.
BUT IS THAT TRUE OF, UH, ALL THE, UH, WATERSHEDS, YOU KNOW, LIKE WALNUT CREEK AND, UH, BULL CREEK? I KNOW BULL CREEK IS A LITTLE LATE.
THE, THE, THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE HORSES ALREADY LEFT THE BARN ON THAT, I SUPPOSE.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, WATERSHEDS WITHIN THE CITY, WE CURRENTLY DO NOT HAVE ANY, UH, COMMUNICATION PROJECT OR PROCESS TO LIMIT, UH, ZONING IMPERIOUS COVER WITH WITHIN, WITHIN THE ZONING CODE.
THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
AND, AND, AND I'LL COMMENT BY KIND OF, WE'RE GOING BACK TO THE PRESENTATION WHERE WE TALKED ABOUT THE SOILS IN AUSTIN BEING NOT VERY THICK, NOT VERY DEEP.
AND SO IN THE BEGINNING OF A STORM THAT SOIL SOAKS UP A LITTLE BIT OF WATER, AND THEN IF ADDITIONAL WATER HITS THOSE SOILS, THOSE SOILS CAN'T ABSORB THAT WATER.
SO THEY SHED THE WATER OFF JUST LIKE IMPERVIOUS COVER.
SO A SATURATED SOIL IS ALMOST EXACTLY SIMILAR TO A IMPERVIOUS COVER WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RUNOFF.
SO IT'S, IT'S, AND OUR, AND OUR HYDRAULIC MODELING TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THAT FACT THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF RUNOFF FROM THESE SOILS THAT ARE NOT VERY THICK AND THEY'RE FULLY SATURATED.
SO THAT'S WHERE WE KEY IN ON OUR, UM, OUR, OUR ANALYSIS IN OUR STUDIES OF FLOOD POINT AND TO INDICATE FLOOD RISK IS BY LOOKING AT DATA LIKE THAT.
WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN.
APPRECIATE YOUR, UH, TIME AND, UH, YOUR EFFORT ON THIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
WELL, SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPICEWOOD SPRAY, I'LL START THERE.
UM, I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A GOOD, I MEAN, THE, THE RESIDENTS BEING TRAPPED, TRAPPED BETWEEN THE CROSSINGS WAS SOMETHING THAT HAD SORT OF COME UP AND I HAD HEARD ABOUT THE, THE POTENTIAL BRIDGE PROJECT, BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE WE HAD AN INTERVENTION ON DECK THAT JUST HADN'T BEEN MOVED FORWARD.
I DIDN'T REALIZE IT WAS BECAUSE OF FUNDING.
SO THANK YOU, UH, COMMISSIONER BYER FOR BEING OUR HISTORIAN THERE.
UM, BUT I'M CURIOUS, WITHIN SORT OF THE, THE RANKED OR TRIAGE LISTS OF, OF CIP PROJECTS WITHIN THAT $2 BILLION, HAVE THOSE BEEN UPDATED SINCE THESE RECENT STORM EVENTS? HAS ANYTHING LIKE LESSONS LEARNED EITHER, OBVIOUSLY PROBABLY NOT SINCE JULY 5TH, BUT THAT WILL BE INCORPORATED BEFORE THE BOND COMES FORWARD? WELL, I WOULD SAY THAT IT IS AS FAR AS UPDATING, UH, OUR PROCESS AND OUR PRIORITIZATION AND OUR PROJECT LIST AND, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S SHOWING THE, THE, THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FLOOD RISK THAT WE'RE WANTING TO REDUCE, UM, KIND OF GOING BACK TO THE ATLAS 14 AS BEING NEW DATA.
[01:45:01]
SHOW THIS IS WHAT THE NEW DATA IS SHOWING US.LET'S, LET'S LOOK AND SEE THAT APPLIES TO THE FLOOD RISK ACROSS THE CITY.
LET'S MAKE SURE WE'RE USING THE BEST DATA, WHETHER THAT BE ALICE 14 RAINFALL DATA OR SOME SERVE NEW SURVEY DATA OR NEW, SOME OTHER NEW, SOMETHING NEW THAT WE DIDN'T DO BEFORE THAT CAN INDICATE TO US THIS IS ACTUALLY WHAT THE FLOOD RISK LOOKS LIKE.
AND IF THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO REPRIORITIZE THINGS, THEN WE DO THAT DURING THE, DURING AT THAT TIME.
AND LIKE I SAID, IN MY, IN THE, MY, THE BEGINNING OF MY TALK, WE WERE RESETTING FLOODPLAINS OVER THE ENTIRE CITY WITH THE BEST DATA THAT'S AVAILABLE.
AND THAT RAINFALL DATA GOES UP, GOES THROUGH, UH, HURRICANE HARVEY THAT HE'S, THAT HE'S HIT, HIT HOUSTON.
SO IT'S, THAT'S PRETTY CURRENT DATA.
AND WE'RE ALSO KEEPING AN EYE ON, UH, ATLAS 15 THAT NOAH IS WORKING ON RIGHT NOW, AND THAT'S GONNA SHOW SOME PREDICTIVE RAINFALL DATA FOR, DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE, AS THEY SAY, AT NON STATIONARY CLIMATE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WATCHING.
DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON 15TH THERE? THE, THE TIMELINE THAT I, I UNFORTUNATELY HAS BEEN CHANGING A LOT RECENTLY.
THE TIMEFRAME THAT WE HAD BEEN UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT BY THE END OF 26, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO SEE SOME DRAFT DATA, MAYBE, I'M SORRY, FINAL DATA END OF 25, MAYBE DRAFT DATA.
I THINK THAT TIMEFRAME HAS BEEN SHIFTED A LITTLE BIT.
YEAH, I MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THERE'D PROBABLY BE A PRETTY BIG JUMP, ESPECIALLY IN OUR AREA.
UM, CURIOUS BECAUSE I, I DON'T THINK I QUITE REALIZED THAT A LOT OF THE CIP PROJECTS WERE FUNDED BY THE DRAINAGE CHARGE REVENUE.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF WATERSHED OF THE DRAINAGE CHARGE REVENUE IS PULLED OVER AS A CASH TRANSFER TO CAP PROJECTS ISH.
I'M GONNA SPEAK ON GENERALITIES HERE.
UM, UH, BASED ON, I THINK OUR BUDGET'S ROUGHLY 120, 125 MILLION A YEAR, UH, CIP CASH TRANSFER, UH, IS IN THE 20 TO 25 MILLION RANGE, I BELIEVE.
AND WE CAN CONFIRM THAT WITH, UH, TOMORROW.
I, I JUST, JUST GENERALLY WAS, WAS CURIOUS BECAUSE I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT.
UM, I MEAN, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE Y'ALL HAVE A LOT OF SHOVEL-READY PROJECTS, WHICH IS FANTASTIC, AND A LOT OF DEPARTMENTS DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO HAVE THINGS SORT OF AT THE READY WHEN THERE IS HOPEFULLY FUNDING FOR THEM.
BUT I'M CURIOUS, JUST AS FAR AS PROCESS VERSUS INTERVENTION, I KNOW Y'ALL ARE WORKING ON ECM UPDATES.
ARE THERE ANY UPDATES WITHIN THE ECM THAT ARE REFLECTIVE OF THIS NEW DATA OR, OR LESSONS THAT Y'ALL LEARNED? UM, OR IS IT MOSTLY JUST PROJECT? WE, OUR, MY GROUP ISN'T WORKING ON ANY CHANGES TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL CRITERIA MANUAL, BUT WE ARE WORKING ON LOTS OF CHANGES FOR THE TRAIN
SO WE'RE, WE'RE WE, WE, WE DO LOOK AT THE DCM QUITE OFTEN AND MAKE UPDATES IN THE MOST RECENT OR THE MOST, THE NEXT CHANGES THAT WE COULD, WOULD SEE WOULD BE, UM, FROM SOME OF THOSE INFILL PROJECTS.
UH, AND LASTLY, JUST, YOU KNOW, THINKING ABOUT ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY, UM, OBVIOUSLY EDUCATION AND, AND REALLY HAVING PEOPLE VISUALIZE AND UNDERSTAND WHAT'S COMING IS, IS NUMBER ONE.
BUT I'M ALSO CURIOUS, I'VE, I'VE SEEN SOME CITIES THAT HAVE HAD SUCCESS, I MEAN, RELATIVE IN SORT OF CROWDSOURCING FIELD CONDITIONS IN ADVANCE OF FLOOD EVENTS, TIJUANA OR SOME PLACES IN NORTH CAROLINA, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH EVEN HAVING LIKE, I MEAN, 3 1 1 IS FANTASTIC, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE EDUCATION CAMPAIGN AROUND THAT TOO.
BUT EVEN THROUGH LIKE WAYS OR GOOGLE MAPS OR THINGS AND BEING ABLE TO SEND IN DATA THIS WAY, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT THE CITY'S THINKING ABOUT? TALKING ABOUT? WE'RE CONSTANTLY READING, HEARING, AND LISTENING TO PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, ACROSS THE ENTIRE WORLD.
AND WHEN WE FIND NEW IDEAS OR HEAR NEW IDEAS, WE ARE COMPLETELY OPEN TO CONSIDERING THEM.
'CAUSE IT LIKE THE, THE OUTREACH, THE OUTREACH CAN GO MANY, MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.
AND IT'S GOOD THAT IT DOES GO MANY WAYS.
WE DON'T WANT TO JUST SINK IT ALL INTO ONE APPROACH, ONE APPROACH.
SO IT'S, IT'S GOOD FOR US TO HEAR DIFFERENT THINGS AND HEAR DIFFERENT IDEAS, SEE HOW EFFECTIVE THEY ARE, WHETHER THAT'S AT A CONFERENCE OR AN ARTICLE THAT WE READ.
SO WE'RE CONSTANTLY LEARNING ABOUT NEW THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE AND HOW EFFECTIVE THEY MAY BE TO GET THE WORD OUT.
AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE ARE WORKING ON.
UH, WE HAVE, WE HAVE A TEAM OF, OF, UH, PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS THAT HELP OUR, HELP OUR GROUP IN FINDING WAYS TO COMMUNICATE THE MESSAGE MORE EFFECTIVELY.
VICE CHECK HERGER, THANK YOU ALL FOR THIS IN DEPTH OVERVIEW OF FLOODING.
I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, I DO HAVE SEVERAL QUESTIONS.
UM, I'M JUST TRYING TO TEASE OUT AND UNDERSTAND
[01:50:01]
ATLAS 14, WHICH IS DERIVED FROM NO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DATA SURVEY IN 2018 IN TEXAS THAT I THINK PREDOMINANTLY COVERS RAINFALL.UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE WE USE THAT IN CONCERT WITH THE FEMA FLOOD FLOODPLAIN MAP TO COME UP WITH THE CITY CODES.
IS THAT CORRECT? WE USE THE MOST UPDATED DATA, RAINFALL SURVEY, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, TO CREATE A FLOODPLAIN MODEL FOR US TO USE FOR REGULATION PURPOSES.
ONCE WE'RE DONE WITH THAT MODELING EFFORT, WE HAND IT OFF TO FEMA.
THEY GO THROUGH THEIR PROCESS TO UPDATE THEIR FLOOD PLAIN MAPS.
SO WE HAVE REGULATORY PLAIN MODELS AND MAPS PRIOR TO THEM GOING TO FEMA.
ONCE WE'RE DONE WITH THEM AND WE CAN REGULATE TO 'EM, WE CAN GIVE 'EM THE FEMA TO SAY, OKAY, YOU GO THROUGH THEIR, YOUR PROCESS.
SO THEY'RE WAITING FOR US TO GET DONE WITH OUR MAPS AND MODELS SO THEY CAN HAVE UPDATED FLOOD PLAIN MAPS OF THIS MAPS FOR THIS AREA.
SO WHEN DID WE LAST UPDATE THEM? IT DEPENDS ON THE CREEKS.
WE DID, UN CREEK WAS, HAD A NEW MAP IN 2020.
THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CREEKS BULL PROBABLY IS ONE THAT HASN'T HAD A NEW FLOOD POINT IN, LET'S JUST SAY DECADES.
YOU CAN DO IT PIECEMEAL LIKE THAT.
FEMA, FEMA JUST TELLS COMMUNITIES, LOOK, WE JUST WANT YOU TO DO A WATER COURSE AND JUST LET'S, LET'S GET THAT WHOLE WATER COURSE DONE.
LET'S NOT JUST DO A PIECE OF IT.
LET'S JUST WORK ON, LET'S WORK ON AN ENTIRE WATER COURSE UNDER WATER WATERWAY AND SHOW THE FLOOD RISK FOR THAT PARTICULAR AREA.
UM, SO WHEN IT COMES TO THEN THE REGULATIONS, UM, WHAT DID YOU CALL IT, THE BROAD, THERE'S SOMETHING THAT'S ONE FOOT UP, TWO, TWO FEET UP.
UM, THOSE DESIGNATIONS IN OUR CODE.
THEN GO BACK TO THE FEMA, UM, FLOODPLAIN MAP, WHICH IS INFORMED BY WATERSHED UPDATING THEM WITH ALL THE DATA THAT WE HAVE.
WELL, THE FREEBOARD, UH, REQUIREMENTS ARE JUST PART OF OUR FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS.
AND WE, WE CAN GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT FEMA REQUIRES THE TO DO TO PARTICIPATE IN THE NFIP.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF OUR ORDINANCES AND OUR REGULATIONS THAT ARE THAT, THAT HIGHER HAVE A HIGHER STANDARD FROM WHAT FEMA WOULD REQUIRED.
AND WE DO REPORT BACK TO FEMA ANYTIME WE CHANGE OUR ORDINANCE, WE HAVE TO GET THEIR APPROVAL ON IT SO THEY KNOW THAT IT HAST IN THERE.
BUT THAT COMMUNICATION IS, UM, IT, IT'S WHEN THE ORDINANCE CHANGES OR WHEN WE WANT TO SOME EVERY FIVE YEARS, WE GET AUDITED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FOR OUR PROGRAM IS WORKING EFFICIENTLY.
SO IT'S EITHER DURING THAT AUDIT PERIOD OR DURING AN ORDINANCE CHANGE IS WHEN THEY SEE OUR ORDINANCE.
SO WOULD YOU SAY IT'S ROUGHLY EVERY FIVE YEARS THAT THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVISIT THOSE ORDINANCES TO RECONSIDER? OKAY, INSTEAD OF TWO FEET FOR THE FREE BOARD, WE'RE GONNA GO UP TO THREE FEET, FOR EXAMPLE.
WE, WE, WE, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT HELD TO THAT SCHEDULE.
WE, IF WE HAVE A REASON TO UPDATE THE REGULATIONS, THEN WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE READY TO DO IT IMMEDIATELY.
THERE'S NOTHING HOLDING US, NOTHING STOPPING US FROM DOING IT.
IT IS, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THE ATLAS 14 DATA CAME OUT, WE ANALYZED IT AND WE IN VERY GENERAL TERMS SAID, OKAY, THE RAINFALL THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE FOR A HUNDRED STORM SURE DOES LOOK LIKE A 500 YEAR RAINFALL NOW.
HOW ABOUT WE USE THE FEMA 500 YEAR FLOODPLAIN MAP TO REGULATE DEVELOPMENT UNTIL THESE STUDIES ARE DONE.
LET'S CHANGE THE CODE TO MAKE THAT OFFICIAL.
WHEN WAS THAT? THAT WAS IN 2019.
WE COUNCIL APPROVED THAT ORDINANCE.
UM, SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS AN EXAMPLE OF SOMETHING THAT WE SAW.
AND WE, WE HAD JUSTIFICATION, A REASON TO CHANGE OUR REGS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT FOR ANYBODY TO DO THAT.
WE JUST WENT AHEAD AND DID IT.
AND WAS THAT THE LAST TIME THAT THESE RULES WERE UPDATED 2019? YES.
DO YOU FEEL A NEED NOW TO, FOR ANOTHER UPDATE, OR DO YOU FEEL LIKE THE 2019 RULES ARE STILL SUFFICIENT? I THINK THE 2019 RULES ARE, ARE, ARE, ARE VERY EFFECTIVE FOR WHAT THEY, WHAT THEY DO.
I THINK THE BIG, THE NEXT BIG PIECE THAT I SEE AND THAT I'M WAITING FOR IS FOR US TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH, UH, ALICE 15.
AND THAT WILL BE A BIG, SOMETHING REALLY SIGNIFICANT, SIGNIFICANT FOR US TO LOOK AND SEE.
THE RAINFALL'S INCREASING A LOT.
WHAT ARE WE GOING DO NOW? WHEN'S THAT BEING RELEASED? THE DRAFT, THE DRAFT STUDY WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE ABOUT THE END OF THIS YEAR AND THEN THE FINAL AT THE END OF 2026.
BUT THAT'S GETTING PUSHED BACK A LITTLE BIT.
I'M NOT SURE IF THE CURRENT STATUS, SURE.
UM, I WAS INTERESTED IN THIS IDEA OF, UH, THE SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT 50% RULE.
HOW IS THAT MONITORED AND ENFORCED IN AUSTIN? SO FOR A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, IT'S MONITORED AT THE TIME THEY APPLY FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMIT.
AND IF SOMEONE APPLIES FOR A BUILDING PERMIT AND THE HOME IS WITHIN A HUNDRED FEET OF A MAP, FLOODPLAIN, OUR FLOODPLAIN REVIEW
[01:55:01]
TEAM GETS THAT APPLICATION AND WE REVIEW IT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ALL THE FLOOD PLAN REGULATIONS ON THE COMMERCIAL SIDE OF THINGS, SITE POINT, WE DO SITE PLAN REVIEW, VERY SIMILAR THING.IT'S SITE PLAN IS AT OR, OR NEAR A, A FLOOD PLAN, WE'LL GET A FLOOD PLAN REVIEW ON IT.
AGAIN, MAKING SURE THE DEVELOPMENT COMPLIES WITH ALL THE REGULATIONS.
SO IT'S, IT'S THROUGH THAT PERMIT PROCESS, BUT IT'S, IT'S EITHER A SITE PLAN FOR COMMERCIAL OR RED RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMIT FOR RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.
UM, AND THEN I KNOW YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, PARTICULARLY RELATED TO THE MICROBURSTS AND THE JULY 5TH FLOODING, UM, THAT WATERSHED PARTICIPATES IN FLOOD RECONNAISSANCE AND DEBRIS MANAGEMENT, MOSTLY FOR REMOVAL FROM, UH, DRAINAGE.
I KNOW CERTAINLY WE SAW IN NORTHWEST TRAVIS COUNTY, UM, A GREAT NEED FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL ON PRIVATE PROPERTY GENERALLY.
I KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE 3 1 1, WHICH HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP FOR BULK PICKUP.
UM, BUT I'M CURIOUS ABOUT ANY OTHER CONVERSATIONS AT THE CITY AND COUNTY LEVEL ABOUT HAVING A CENTRALIZED ORGANIZED RESPONSE FOR, YOU KNOW, DEBRIS REMOVAL ON FOLKS PROPERTIES AND ALSO FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, UM, AT FOLLOWING AN EVENT LIKE THAT.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, SOME FRIENDS I HAVE WORKING IN TRAVIS COUNTY WON'T NAME NAMES, LIKE THEY'RE VERY EAGER TO BE SUPPORTING IN ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION, BUT THERE, THERE JUST AREN'T ANY COUNTY EFFORTS, AT LEAST RIGHT NOW, TO HELP IN PRIVATE OR PUBLIC WAYS THAT I'M AWARE OF.
UM, AS FAR AS LIKE REP RIPARIAN RESTORATION, AFTER THAT YOU'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT DEBRIS.
IN, IN REGARDS TO DEBRIS, THERE'S, THERE'S LIMITS WHAT, UH, MUNICIPALITIES, UH, IN OUR ORGANIZATION CAN DO IN REGARDS TO REMOVAL ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
SO WE'RE PRIMARILY, AND THE CITY'S PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR REMOVAL AND RIGHT AWAY AND PUBLIC PROPERTY.
THAT BEING SAID, UH, AND I'M NOT GONNA SPEAK TOO MUCH FOR OTHER DEPARTMENTS, BUT THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR NONPROFIT PARTNERS, UH, TO, TO COMMUNICATE, UH, HELP, UH, RALLY THOSE TO HELP INDIVIDUALS IN NEED WITH, UH, DEBRIS ISSUES ON THEIR PROPERTY TO GET IT TO THE RIGHT OF WAY ONCE IT GETS TO THE RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, THEN THE CITY, UM, AS WE SAW AFTER MARA AND AS WE SAW, I BELIEVE AFTER, UM, THE, THE MICROBURST, WE, WE HAVE CONTRACTS, UM, THAT ARE MANAGED THROUGH, UH, AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY AND THERE'S A DEBRIS MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE CITY TO, TO GET THAT.
ONCE IT'S PUT TO THE CURB, THEN WE CAN TAKE IT FROM THERE.
UM, BUT IT'S, UH, LEVERAGING, UH, NONPROFIT PARTNERS AND ASSISTANCE IN THAT WAY FOR, TO HELP, UH, THOSE ON THE PRIVATE SIDE THAT NEED THE ASSISTANCE.
AND I'M SURE Y'ALL ARE HAVING SO MANY CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THIS.
UM, AND I KNOW, KNOW THE COUNTY IS, BUT, UM, AT LEAST FROM WHAT I SAW, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE WERE FULLY PREPARED FOR THAT FLOODING EVENT.
UM, AND OUR RESPONSE DIDN'T MATCH THAT.
AND IT FELT LIKE IT THEN SHIFTED TO NONPROFIT PARTNERS TO KIND OF BE THE CENTRAL ORGANIZING BODY AND, UM, A NONPROFIT PARTNER THAT UNFORTUNATELY HAD, YOU KNOW, HAS A NUMBER OF VALUES ON THEIR WEBSITE THAT I'LL JUST SAY I DISAGREE WITH.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE GOVERNMENT KIND OF BE THAT CENTRAL ORGANIZING AGENCY.
YOU MENTIONED THAT WATERSHED HANDED OUT DOCUMENTS TO AFFECTED RESIDENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DSD.
I'M CURIOUS WHICH RESIDENTS THOSE WERE AND HOW YOU DETERMINED WHO RECEIVED THOSE DOCUMENTS.
SO I'LL SPEAK, AGAIN, I'M I NOT THE EXPERT ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE, BUT AS, UM, OUR RECONNAISSANCE TEAMS, IF WE GOT IDENTIFIED, OKAY, THIS AREA LOOKED LIKE IT HAD SOME INTENSE RAINFALL AND POTENTIAL FLOODING ISSUES.
UM, WHAT IS SOME INFORMATION THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL FROM A, UM, KIND OF A REGULATORY AND PERMITTING PERSPECTIVE IN REGARDS TO, UM, RECOVERY.
AND THOSE ARE THE TYPE OF THINGS.
SO THEY WOULD HAVE 'EM IF THEY WERE GOING ABOUT AND, AND YOU SAW SOMEBODY THAT, YOU KNOW, HEY, THEY WERE PULLING OUT STUFF FROM THEIR HOUSE, UM, WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO WHERE THEY DON'T HAVE TO UNDO ANY WORK, UM, THAT, THAT THEY MAY DO IN THAT RECOVERY THING.
IS THAT, UH, AND SO THAT, THAT IT, SO IT'S THE RECOVERY TEAMS ARE SENT INTO AREAS WHERE EITHER 3, 1, 1 LET US KNOW THAT THERE WERE ISSUES OR THE, THE, THE STREAM OR RAINFALL DATA WAS SAYING, HEY, THERE'S POTENTIAL PROBLEMS HERE.
LET'S MAKE SURE THEY'RE THERE.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, IT WAS NOT ONLY THAT, UM, BUT WE COORDINATED FOR POTENTIAL SOCIAL SERVICES AS WELL.
UM, YEAH, I WAS IN ONE OF THOSE AREAS THAT WAS REALLY HARD HIT WITH ROOFS BEING THROWN OFF OF, UM, HOUSES, WINDOWS BROKEN IN MY OWN HOUSE.
MY OWN HOUSE WAS FLOODED FROM THAT.
UM, AND SO I SAW THAT YOU MENTIONED 35 AFFECTED STRUCTURES, AND I'M WONDERING WHERE THAT NUMBER CAME FROM.
'CAUSE TO MY KNOWLEDGE, LIKE WE, WE DIDN'T, UM, REPORT TO ANYONE NECESSARILY THAT OUR HOUSE WAS FLOODED BESIDES OUR LANDLORD
UM, AND, UM, WE CERTAINLY DIDN'T RECEIVE ANY DOCUMENTS THAT I'M AWARE OF.
[02:00:01]
UM, SO I DON'T KNOW IF WHY WE WEREN'T PART OF THAT TARGET GROUP, BUT THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING.SO, UH, UH, THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT DEFINITIONS OF FLOODED STRUCTURE.
YOU JUST, UH, BROUGHT UP AN ANOTHER ONE THERE.
SO WE WERE LOOKING AT WHERE WATER CAME LIKE FROM THE GROUND UP AND ENTERED A HOME MM-HMM
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION THAT WOULD TELL US IF A ROOF WAS DAMAGED AND WATER CAME IN THAT WAY.
OURS, OURS WAS MORE RELATED TO TOPOGRAPHY.
I MEAN, WE HAD WATER THAT CAME IN THROUGH CEILING AND WINDOWS AND EVERYWHERE, BUT WE'RE AT THE BOTTOM OF A HILL.
SO IT WASN'T A CREEK RISING AND COMING INTO OUR HOUSE, IT WAS RUNOFF.
AND SO, UM, AGAIN, THE, THE, WHERE THIS INFORMATION CAME FROM WAS WHERE NUMBER ONE, SOMEBODY REPORTED IT, CALLED 3 1 1 AND GO, HEY, I, I FLOODED.
AND SO THAT'S ONE PLACE TO GET IT.
NUMBER TWO, UM, SOMEBODY REACHED OUT INDIVIDUALLY TO SOMEBODY THEY KNEW, WORD OF MOUTH.
AND THEN WE GOT IT ON THAT LIST.
OR THREE IS FROM, UH, AREAS THAT WE IDENTIFIED AS POTENTIAL.
NOW, UM, WE DON'T GO TO EVERY SINGLE HOUSE AND KNOCK DOOR TO DOOR IN, UH, IN THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CITY.
SO THERE'S DEFINITELY SOME GAPS AND SOME DEFINITELY SOME ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT THERE.
BUT THAT'S WHERE THAT INFORMATION CAME FROM.
I'M CURIOUS 'CAUSE EVERYONE ON MY STREET IN MY ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD HAD BULK PICKUP FOR 3 1 1, SO I WOULD THINK THAT WE CERTAINLY WOULD'VE BEEN IDENTIFIED.
UM, AND THAT'S YES, SPRINGDALE, EAST, MLK AREA, UM, IT TOOK OVER THREE MONTHS TO GET OUR STUFF PICKED UP, WHICH IS A SEPARATE ISSUE.
AND THAT, THAT'S ACTUALLY A VERY GOOD POINT AND SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TAKE GOING FORWARD IS WE DID HAVE COMMUNICATION, UM, FROM US TO A RR TO KIND OF GO, HEY, HERE'S AN AREA WHERE WE'RE SEEING SOME FOLKS YOU MAY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU SWING BY MM-HMM
UM, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE AND MAKE SURE THAT COMES BACK.
THE OTHER WAY NOW TOO IS, ARE YOU SEEING A BUNCH OF BULL PICKUP IN THESE AREAS? AND SO THAT IS A GOOD POINT, AND WE'LL TAKE THAT GOING FORWARD.
UM, AND THE LAST THING, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, LEND SUPPORT TO WHAT OUR PUBLIC COMMENTER SAID ABOUT, UH, UTILIZING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK ABOUT.
I A SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT BOGGY CREEK BY GOVIE DISTRICT PARK.
I WOULD CALL IT A PAVED CULVERT, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE CORRECT TECHNICAL TERM.
AND I'VE, YOU KNOW, IT'S THE WHOLE, THE ENTIRE THING IS PAVED, I IMAGINE, TO PREVENT EROSION OF SOME KIND.
BUT THEN ALSO THE BANKS GOING FEET UP, I'VE SEEN JUST COMPLETELY MOWED DOWN AND THERE WERE BRUSHES AND TREES AND ALL THESE THINGS THAT I THINK COULD HAVE HELPED ABSORB WATER.
UM, AND I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN SEVERAL TIMES.
AND SO I JUST DON'T HAVE A SENSE OF WHY ARE WE PAVING THESE WATERWAYS? LIKE EVEN THE BOTTOMS COULD THAT, COULD THOSE BE LEFT MORE NATURAL TO HELP, YOU KNOW, UH, SOAK UP SOME WATER? AND THEN ALSO, WHY ARE WE MOWING FEET BEYOND THAT WHOLE RIPARIAN AREA? WHEN I LOOKED AT, SO I, I, I THINK I KNOW THE AREA OF BOGGY CREEK THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND BACK IN THE SEVENTIES, THAT WAS A HUGE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT THAT THE CITY DID IN PARTNERSHIP WITH, WITH THE, I THINK IT WAS THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS, AND IT REMOVED HUNDREDS OF HOMES FROM THE FLOOD FROM THE FLOODPLAIN.
AND SO NOW 2025, WE LOOK, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, AND WE SAY, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT WE DO AGAIN, BUT IT IS, IT'S WORKING, IT'S DOING ITS JOB RIGHT NOW.
SO WE'RE WORKING ON TRYING TO FIND WAYS, WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO, WHAT NEEDS TO BE MAINTAINED? CONCRETE, BOTTOM, GIAN LINE, GIAN BANKS, UH, DEPTH OF VEGETATION, THICKNESS OF VEGETATION, TYPES OF VEGETATION, WHAT, WHAT WE'RE WORKING AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT CAN STILL BE DONE OR LEFT IN THE, IN THAT CHANNEL, BUT IT STILL NEEDS MAIN TO MAINTAIN THE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION CAPACITY THAT DID THAT IT DID WHEN IT WAS BUILT.
AND WHAT ABOUT, I MEAN, ARE YOU AWARE OF LIKE THE PERIODIC MOWING OR, AND I WOULD EVEN GO AS FAR TO SAY CLEAR CUTTING IN SOME AREAS AND WHY THAT HAPPENS? YEAH.
I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE SPECIFIC AREA THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT THE BOGGY CREEK CHANNEL THAT GOES, UM, FROM SPRINGDALE ON DOWN TOWARDS 180 3 AND HAS DIFFERENT, UH, GEOMETRIC CONDITIONS AND, AND DIFFERENT, UM, UH, STRUCTURES ARE WOUND IT.
BUT, UM, AS IT WAS, AS, AS KEVIN MENTIONED, IT WAS DEVELOPED AS PART OF A, UH, PARTNERSHIP WITH THE US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, AND THERE'S SOME MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS THAT COME FROM THE CORPS.
UM, AND THERE'S ANNUAL INSPECTIONS THAT WE DO IN, IN COORDINATION WITH THEM AND THE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN IN CERTAIN FUNCTIONS.
AND SO IT'S, I SEE IT'S PRESCRIBED AS PART OF THE AGREEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION.
AND AS KEVIN MENTIONED, THERE ARE PORTIONS OF THAT THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THAT NEEDED MAINTENANCE FOR, AND THERE'S ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT WE CAN PROVIDED ON SLIGHT PORTIONS OF HOW THAT'S GONNA BE A APPROACHED IN THE FUTURE MM-HMM
[02:05:01]
UM, BUT IT WAS OVERALL A FLOOD REDUCTION PROJECT THAT HAD SOME PRESCRIBED MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATED WITH IT AT THE TIME OF CONSTRUCTION.
YEAH, I WONDER HOW RECEPTIVE THEY WOULD BE TO FEEDBACK OR AMENDMENTS ON THAT ONE REQUIREMENT.
LAST THING, UM, I JUST WANTED TO TOUCH ON, UM, SEVERAL TIMES IT WAS MENTIONED THAT WE HAVE A SHALLOW SOIL DEPTH, BUT THAT'S TRUE FOR THE EDWARDS PLATEAU.
THAT'S NOT TRUE FOR THE BLACKLAND PRAIRIE, WHICH IS THE ENTIRE EASTERN SIDE OF AUSTIN.
SO, UM, I JUST WANNA NOTE THAT WHEN IT COMES TO RUNOFF AND COMPARING, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S NATURALLY THERE TO IMPERVIOUS COVER, IT MIGHT BE MORE COMPARABLE ON THE WEST SIDE OF TOWN, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOWN.
YEAH, THANK YOU FOR SAYING THAT.
AND OUR, OUR HYDRAULIC MODELING IN HOLOGIC MODELING TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT IT'S, THAT'S IT'S STUDYING.
SO IT DOES SEE THE DIFFERENCE.
IT, IT NOTES THE DIFFERENCE OF THOSE TWO SOILS FROM IN THE MODELING ITSELF.
THANK Y'ALL FOR AN AWESOME PRESENTATION, AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS FOR SOME REALLY, UM, GOOD AND, AND THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS, UM, AROUND THIS.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS SOMETHING WE THINK A LOT ABOUT WHEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HEARING FROM, UM, DEVELOPERS AND WE'RE REVIEWING SOME OF THOSE, UM, YOU KNOW, APPLICATIONS AND STUFF.
SO, UM, MY, UH, MY QUESTION IS AROUND, UM, TWO THINGS.
UM, ONE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE DEBRIS AND WHERE DOES IT ALL GO? WHAT DO YOU DO WITH ALL THAT? UH, WE GET THIS QUESTION QUITE A BIT, UM, PARTICULARLY, UM, IN REGARDS TO THE WALL CREEK TUNNEL, UH, WHEN WE DO SOME TOURS.
UM, SO IF WE GET A FULL KIND OF COLLECTION OF WOODY OR VEGETATED DEBRIS, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT GOES TO EITHER HORNSBY BEND FOR THEIR TREATMENT, UH, FOR THE, THE, THE BIOSOLIDS OUT THERE OR IN THE, THE TDS, UH, UH, VEGETATION SIDE OF THEIR, OF THEIR, THEIR, THEIR OPERATION.
UNFORTUNATELY, UM, A LOT OF THIS DEBRIS THAT COMES, UH, IS MIXED WITH, UH, LITTER, HUMAN WASTE, UH, OR NOT, BUT LIKE ANYTHING IN EVERYTHING THAT YOU FIND IN AND AROUND OUR CITY ENDS UP IN OUR CREEKS.
AND THE, THE NATURE IN WHICH TRYING TO SEPARATE THE TRASH FROM THE WOODY MATERIAL IS TOO LABOR INTENSIVE.
AND SO A LOT OF THAT, UNFORTUNATELY ENDS UP IN THE LANDFILL.
AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH COMMUNICATING WITH RESIDENTS WHEN YOU'RE TELLING THEM, YOU KNOW, BRING IT TO THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT OF WAY, YOU KNOW, LIKE WHEN I WAS OUT IN, IN HUNT AND HELPING, I MEAN, IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THAT MESSAGE HAD BEEN MADE BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, STACKS OF LUMBER WERE OVER HERE AND WOOD WAS HERE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, METAL MATERIALS WERE HERE.
IS THAT SOMETHING THAT GETS COMMUNICATED TO RESIDENTS AT ALL FOR DEBRIS THAT'S COMING TO THE CURB FROM THE RESIDENCE? THAT DOES HAPPEN, RIGHT? SO THAT, THAT IS SEPARATED AND THOSE ARE, UM, SORTED INTO THOSE BUCKETS.
WHERE IT'S REALLY CHALLENGING IS WHEN YOU FIND IT ON THE FACE OF A CULVERT OR IN THE CREEK ITSELF, AND YOU'RE COMING AND YOU HAVE TO EXTRACT IT WITH, UM, UH, A BRUSH TRUCK TYPE OF TYPE OF ENVIRONMENT.
THAT'S WHERE IT'S GETS HARD TO SEGREGATE THE, THE TYPES OF SOLIDS.
AND THEN THE, THE, UM, SECOND PART, UM, ON, UM, YOU KNOW, SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT FLOOD WARNINGS.
UM, ON THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND, THERE WAS SO MUCH, UM, CALLING FOR PEOPLE'S ATTENTION AND ALL OF THE ALERTS THAT WE WERE GETTING HAD THE EXACT SAME SOUND, THE SAME FREQUENCY.
SO THERE WAS AN AMBER ALERT, AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO A POLICE ALERT FOR A POLICE OFFICER THAT HAD BEEN HARMED, I THINK IT'S CALLED A BLUE ALERT, UH, THAT WAS NEW TO ME, AND THERE WAS A SILVER ALERT IN ADDITION TO ALL OF THESE FLOOD ALERTS.
AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME FREQUENCY AND THE SAME NOISE.
AND SO YOU'RE, YOU JUST SORT OF BECOME, YOU KNOW, NUMB TO THEM AND CHECKING LIKE, OH, WILLY, WHAT'S GOING ON? IS THERE A WAY TO CHANGE THAT SO THAT THE, UH, AN A WEATHER EMERGENCY ALERT HAS ONE SOUND, YOU, MAYBE AN AMBER ALERT HAS A DIFFERENT SOUND, YOU KNOW, UM, SILVER ALERT, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING ELSE, SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES JUST TO HELP US IN OUR, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING IS COMPETING FOR OUR ATTENTION ALL THE TIME.
UM, JUST TO DECIPHER LIKE, OH, I BETTER TASTE IT TO THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, NATURAL DISASTERS COMING, UM, UH, ALARM FATIGUE OR NOTIFICATION FATIGUE IS A REAL THING.
UM, WHEN IT COMES THERE, IT'S A BIG CHALLENGE TO TRY TO GET THE CORRECT INFORMATION TO THE CORRECT PEOPLE WITH AVOIDING THE CRYING OF WOLF, UM, IS
[02:10:01]
A REAL CHALLENGE.AND LISTENING TO A LOT OF THE HEARINGS THAT THE LEGISLATOR PUT TOGETHER, THAT WAS A, A COMMON THEME THAT YOU MENTIONED THERE.
SO I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE ARE AWARE OF AS A COMMUNITY.
UM, AND WE'LL BE IN LOOKING INTO WHAT WAYS WE CAN DO TO KIND OF GET THE, THE RIGHT MESSAGE TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY TAKE THE ACTION THAT'S NECESSARY FOR LIFESAVING, UM, TIMES.
AND, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY, YOU KNOW, REALLY A, A HEARTFELT THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND EVERYBODY THAT IS WORKING SO HARD TO KEEP US SAFE AND, AND MONITOR ALL OF THIS.
I MEAN, WHAT A, YOU KNOW, HEROIC, UM, DAY-TO-DAY TASK, UH, ON ALL OF THIS.
THANKS FOR GIVING US A GOOD PRESENTATION.
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