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Harris County Flood Control District Releases Flood Hazard Recovery Data
New Data on Floodplains and Floodways for Buffalo Bayou and Sims Bayou Watersheds
Information Accessible Via Internet
CONTACT:
Lillie Laws
Harris County Flood Control District
713-684-4015
 View press release, plus FAQs (PDF, 384KB, 05 April 2004)
April 05, 2004
The Harris County Flood Control District (District) released Flood Hazard Recovery Data (Data) today for the Buffalo Bayou and Sims Bayou watersheds as part of the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP).
Some additional stream miles are being modeled as part of TSARP that have not been modeled in previous studies. The Data for some of these additional stream miles are not yet completed for the Buffalo and Sims Bayou watersheds. The Flood Hazard Recovery Data for these additional stream miles in the Buffalo and Sims Bayou watersheds will be released at a later date.
The Data represents the 1% and 0.2% floodplains (100- and 500-year) and floodways for the watersheds using the latest engineering methods and technology. The Data has been developed by the District and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and will be used to produce new Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs) for communities in Harris County. The DFIRMs are expected to be released in preliminary format by FEMA in late Spring.
The District believes that the floodplain and floodway boundaries reflected in the Data will be virtually identical to those reflected in the preliminary DFIRMs. This confidence is due in large measure to advances in technology that have allowed a more accurate understanding of Harris County's flood risks than what was previously possible. Of particular note, is the extensive use of an aerial laser technology developed by NASA called LiDAR that was used to define the ground surface.
The District stresses that Flood Hazard Recovery Data is not a preliminary DFIRM. The administrative process to adopt the DFIRMs will begin when FEMA issues the maps in preliminary form in late Spring. Flood insurance requirements and rates are not affected by the current release of Data.
Educating the Public About Flood Risks
"The Harris County Flood Control District is providing Flood Hazard Recovery Data now in order to provide the public and their communities as much time as possible to learn about possible changes to the mapped floodplains and floodways," explained Mike Talbott, Director of the Harris County Flood Control District. "To our knowledge, Data in this format and detail has never been released to a community prior to the release of preliminary DFIRMs."
It is hoped that the public will use the Data and the knowledge generated by TSARP to become aware of their flood risks and take appropriate steps to deal with these risks, including the purchase of flood insurance.
"An informed community is a more damage resistant community," Talbott said.
Addresses Searches via the Internet
Flood Hazard Recovery Data is available through the TSARP web site: www.tsarp.org.
Residents in the Buffalo and Sims Bayou watersheds will be able to view Flood Hazard Recovery Data by typing in their street address and zip code. They will be able to view a map of their neighborhood and see the latest information on flood boundaries for the 1% and 0.2% floodplains (100- and 500-year) and floodways for these areas. Flood Hazard Recovery Data previously released for Brays, Carpenters, Goose, Jackson, Luce and San Jacinto watersheds is also be available through the website.
Engineering data regarding these watersheds can be ordered on the TSARP website including LiDAR topographic data, hydrologic and hydraulic computer models (with supporting information) and plotted water surface profiles for the studied streams.
As additional Flood Hazard Recovery Data becomes available for the remaining 14 watersheds in Harris County, it will be released on Mondays in the order in which the work is completed.
While the best information about the TSARP effort and the Data can be found at the TSARP web site, the District has also established a telephone number for additional questions at 713-722-7227.
Sims Bayou Flood Control Project Significantly Reduces Flood Risks
The Harris County Flood Control District is pleased to announce that many citizens residing in the Sims Bayou watershed now have a lower risk of flooding than in the past. This is because they are benefiting from the construction of the Sims Bayou Flood Control Project, spearheaded by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers with the HCFCD serving as its non-federal sponsor. Evidence of the reduced flood risks can be seen in the Flood Hazard Recovery Data map showing the Sims Bayou floodplain to be either in banks or nearly in banks from the Ship Channel to Cullen, where construction is complete with the exception of Martin Luther King Bridge.
The project consists of 19.3 miles of channel enlargements and enhancements, as well as 20 bridge replacements or modifications extending from the Houston Ship Channel to Croquet Street. Construction is over half completed, with flood risks being reduced incrementally until construction is ultimately completed in 2009.
This project has been a great opportunity for the Corps and the HCFCD to embrace both community and natural values. Both entities are glad to be providing flood damage reduction while creating habitat for wildlife along an aesthetically pleasing corridor.
In addition to the federal project, the HCFCD will construct three regional detention basins within the Sims Bayou watershed. Initial construction of two of the basins was completed, allowing partial reduction in flood risks to structures along the upstream project reaches prior to the channel modifications reaching them. The third basin, named the Hill at Sims Greenway, planned to begin construction this summer includes provisions for a system of mountain bike and multi-use trails and other recreational amenities
Important Facts To Keep In Perspective
As the public continues to review the Flood Hazard Recovery Data, the District underscores the importance of keeping the following in perspective:
Ongoing and future flood damage reduction projects have and continue to help shrink floodplains in many areas, thereby lessening flood risks throughout the County. This is particularly evident on Sims.
The current FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Harris County are a solid and largely accurate representation of where the highest risks of flooding exist. New technologies and engineering methods allow for a more detailed understanding of these risks.
TSARP represents an entirely new study of flooding potential, not an update of old information. As such, it is not correct to characterize floodplain changes as an "increase" or "decrease" in flood risk - it is simply a new understanding of our flood risk. For example, the detail of the ground surface defined by LiDAR is unprecedented and represents a significant difference. The new study also uses new and larger rainfall values based on additional years of rainfall records.
If an individual finds that they do not lie within an estimated 1% or 0.2% (100- or 500-year floodplain), they should not assume that they possess no risk of flooding. Every portion of Harris County possesses some risk of flooding due to the flat terrain, clay soils, and intense levels and volumes of rainfall that this region can receive. Intense local rainfall can cause flooding well away from any channel as water tries to flow overland, and severe storms can produce more rainfall than what is depicted by the mapped floodplains (both scenarios were very evident with Tropical Storm Allison). Flood insurance is an important way for individuals to protect themselves from unidentified flooding risks.
Community Outreach and Education
The District encourages organizations that are interested in learning more about TSARP and the Flood Hazard Recovery Data to have members visit the project web site www.tsarp.org, or schedule a presentation by contacting the District's Planning Department at 713-684-4015.
More information about the history of flooding in Harris County, the evolution of the county's drainage network, and what is being done about local flooding can be found at the Harris County Flood Control District's web site - www.hcfcd.org.
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