My name is José Guerrero, Assistant Director with the Watershed Protection Department.  Victoria Li, Director of WPD, asked me to respond on her behalf.

First of all, thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the Williamson Creek Voluntary Buyout Project.  Although I totally understand that the way the project has been rolled out (e.g., tied with the Onion Creek Buyout Project, the City’s number one priority area for the Creek Flood Hazard Mitigation mission) was confusing, I hope to answer as many questions as I can with this response.  Please consider the Williamson Creek Voluntary Buyout Project as the City’s first attempt to prepare for a rainy day.  It is absolutely correct that the Williamson Creek area did not experience the same level of flooding that Onion Creek did during the historic flood of Halloween 2013, so it is also correct to assume that the two areas are not compared to one another when determining the expanse and location of damages, the cost effectiveness of identified solutions and the flood risk and flood history.

Flood History

After significant flooding of Williamson Creek in 1998 and 2001, the City of Austin partnered with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to research ways to reduce flooding.  In a study released in December 2006, the Corps and the City evaluated a variety of possible solutions, including widening of the creek, raising bridges, constructing detention ponds, and buying homes at risk in the floodplain.  In 2008, the Corps revised the study with updated construction and land costs, floodplain models, and maps; these revisions significantly affected the results of the study. With the exception of buyouts in some areas, the structural flood reduction projects were determined to be “not economically feasible” for Corps participation nor did the projects provide full protection from the flood risks in the 100-year floodplain.

Flood Risk

The Radam and Heartwood areas of Williamson Creek are the number two regional priority for the Creek Flood Hazard Mitigation mission within the entire City of Austin.  Approximately 70 houses are identified to be at risk of flooding in a 25-year event; dozens more are at risk in the 100-year floodplain (flows in the creek during the October 13, 2013 event were on the order of a 10-year flood).  Council Member Martinez’s budget request would provide funding for the department to offer voluntary buyouts to the properties at the highest risk of flooding in the 25-year floodplain should the need ever arise. 

Project Development

Once a Buyout Project is conceived, the first step is usually to prioritize the properties that could be acquired.  A preliminary list of properties was created based on best available information related to finished floor elevations. However, additional data will be collected to finalize the list of properties and implement the flood mitigation project.  The proposed voluntary buyouts in the 25-year floodplain are the first step towards providing flood protection in this area.  Once a significant number of buyouts of properties at highest risk of flooding are completed, the City will evaluate other options for providing protection for the remaining properties and roadways at risk in the 100-year floodplain.  Should a flood occur, properties will be further assessed to determine the most severely flooded, the occurrence of repetitive flooding, the frequency of flooding and if there are any special hardship cases.  In fact, one advantage of preparing a buyout project ahead of a storm is to immediately offer protection to any of your neighbors who may be experiencing any special hardships.

Public Meetings

The next step after a list of properties is identified in any land acquisition project’s progression is a public meeting.  The City has been in communication with the Williamson Creek neighborhoods since 2002 regarding flood hazard mitigation.  Public meetings were held while the Corps was evaluating solutions, and surveys were sent to residents gauging input and interest in various mitigation options.  Most recently, following the announcement of Council Member Martinez’s proposal in April, a preliminary list of properties that were being considered for the buyouts was published in the newspaper.  When the City held the series of flood recovery open houses in July of this year, door hangers announcing the dates and times were provided to all properties on the preliminary list, and there was an information table specific to the Williamson Creek watershed at each of the open houses.

To date, with the passage of the Onion Creek and Williamson Creek Buyout Project funding, the City realizes that this topic has generated a lot of interest from those who have flooded, and especially from those who have not flooded but reside within a flood risk area.  I look forward to discussing these issues with you and your neighbors during our upcoming public meetings, tentatively scheduled for Monday October 20^th (Odom Elementary School) and Wednesday October 29^th (Manchaca Road Library), at 6:30 PM.  I will make sure to send further meeting details as soon as possible.   In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  if I may be of further assistance.

José M. Guerrero, P.E., CFM

Assistant Director

City of Austin Watershed Protection Department

505 Barton Springs Road, 12th Floor

Austin, Texas  78704