north central texas council of governments webinarapr 15, 2020  · webinar texas water development...

North Central Texas Council of Governments

Webinar

Texas Water Development Board’s New Flood Science,

Planning, and Financial Assistance Programs

April 15, 2020

Elena Berg, Planner

eberg@nctcog.org

www.nctcog.org/WaterResources

TWDB’s New Flood Science, Planning, and Financial Assistance

Programs

North Central Texas Council of GovernmentsApril 15, 2020

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Presentation OverviewBackground on TWDB Flood Activities and

State Flood Assessment

Outcomes of 86th Texas Legislative Session

Bird’s Eye View of New Flood Programs

Flood Information Clearinghouse Website

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Background onTWDB Flood Activities and

2019 State Flood Assessment

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TWDB Flood Responsibilities

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State grants for flood protection planning

FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program

State coordinator for National Flood Insurance

Program (NFIP)

Statewide mapping partner in FEMA’s

Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) Program

Pre-2015

TWDB Flood Responsibilities

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Flood Gage Network Texmesonet.org

Texasflood.org State Flood Assessment

Post 2015

• Estimated 60 gages needed• 54 installed• 3 flood-hardened • Build-out is 90% complete• 2 more installs by Aug. 2020

Creation of a Flood Gage Network

• Collects: precipitation, wind direction/speed, air temp., relative humidity, soil moisture/temp.

• Supports flood & drought monitoring and forecasting

• 67 TWDB stations are operational

Expansion of TexMesonetstatewide earth observation network

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Flood Viewer: map.texasflood.org

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Texmesonet.org

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Water Data for Texas

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Flood-RelatedRoles

Key Conclusions

• No statewide strategic plan exists to address flood risk management, impacts, and mitigation costs

• Much of Texas is unmapped or uses out-of-date maps, leading to widespread confusion

• Sound science and data are core elements of effective planning and flood mitigation

• Significant funding required to mitigate flooding

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Three Pillars of Flood Risk Management

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Mapping Planning Mitigation

Flood Risk Management Policies & Goals

Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas: Eye of the Storm Report

“Texas needs to work toward making the Texas Gulf Coast—and indeed the entire state—more resilient in the face of future risks, whether the

threat comes from hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding or other disasters.”

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Outcomes of 86th Texas Legislative Session

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Outcomes of the86th Texas Legislature

• SB 7: Creates– Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF)– Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund (TIRF)– Flood Information Clearinghouse

• SB 8: New state and regional flood planning process

• HJR 4: Flood Infrastructure Fund creation• SB 500: Funding from Economic Stabilization

Fund

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Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF):

$793 million for grants and loans to finance drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects

SB 500 Appropriations from Economic Stabilization Fund

Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund (TIRF):

– Floodplain Management:– $47 million

– Hurricane Harvey:– $638 million

– Federal Matching: $0

– Flood Plan Implementation: $0

Flood Implementation Road Show

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Flood Implementation Road Show

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Flood Implementation Road Show

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Houston

Workshop Attendance: 1,000+• Bastrop: 127• Morning webinar:

115 (Poll Everywhere)• Arlington: 112• McAllen: 97• Tomball: 85• Houston: 79• Orange: 76• Kerrville: 76

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• Lake Jackson: 66• El Paso: 48• Tyler: 47• Rockport: 43• San Angelo: 38• Lubbock: 35• Evening webinar: 27

(Poll Everywhere)• Abilene: 25

Implementation Road Show

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Bird’s Eye View of TWDB’s New Flood Programs

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Flood Science Initiatives

Mapping Planning Mitigation

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• $47 million• To implement provisions of Senate Bill 8

– flood modeling and mapping to support development of the state flood plan

– expansion of TexMesonet– related flood science initiatives

TIRF: Floodplain Management Account

Base Level Engineering

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Hydrology HydraulicsLiDAR

Base level engineering

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Lidar Acquisition Status• Upcoming TWDB Lidar

Acquisition(Estimated Availability in Fall 2020)

• Available/In-house Pending Release(Est. Availability in early 2020)

• Acquired and In-production Federal Lidar Projects (Est. Availability Fall 2020)

Texas Lidar Status Map

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Texas Lidar Status Map

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Base Level Engineering Plan

Next stepsPhase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

CompletedIn Progress

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Base Flood Elevation Viewer

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Base Flood Elevation Viewerwww.InFRM.us/estBFE

For where data are available

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Downloadable BLE Data

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Site-Specific Flood Risk ReportFlood Event Estimated

Flood DepthEstimated

Base Flood Elevation

1 Percent (100 year) 0.2 feet above land surface

115.8 feet NAVD 1988

0.2 Percent (500 year) 3.8 feet above land surface

119.3 feet NAVD 1988

Flood Science: Where are we now?

• Contracting BLE for 18 Phase I watersheds• New Flood Science and Community Assistance

staff:– Saul Nuccitelli (director)– Yi Chan (NFIP state coordinator/Outreach

manager)– Manuel Razo (Mapping manager) – Kathy Hopkins (FMA Grants manager)

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Regional and State Flood Planning

Mapping Planning Mitigation

Texas River

Basins

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Flood Planning Area Boundaries

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Flood Planning Boundaries

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Planning Group Membership

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Required interests:• Public• Counties• Municipalities• Industries• Agricultural interests• Environmental interests• Small businesses• Electric generating utilities• River authorities• Water districts• Water utilities

Ex officio members:• TWDB• Commission on

Environmental Quality• General Land Office• Parks and Wildlife

Department• Department of

Agriculture • State Soil and Water

Conservation Board• Division of Emergency

Management

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• Regional groups make decisions• Same interests represented on each initial planning

group• Five-year planning cycle• Regional plans will roll into statewide plan• Public process to develop plans

Flood Planning Process

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• Goals and recommended flood management solutions

• Perform statewide flood risk evaluations• Statewide ranking of projects• Solutions will ensure no negative impacts to

neighboring areas• Plans will be based on best available science• Consider contribution and impacts to water supply

Regional and State Flood Planning

Flood Planning: Where are we now?

• Flood planning area boundaries designation approved on April 9

• New staff– Reem Zoun (director)– James Bronikowski (team manager)– Morgan White (team lead)

• Anticipate final rule adoption by June followed by solicitation of initial planning group members

• First regional flood plans due Jan. 10, 2023

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Flood Mitigation Financial Assistance

Mapping Planning Mitigation

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Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF):

$793 million for grants and loans to finance drainage, flood mitigation, and flood control projects

SB 500 Appropriations from Economic Stabilization Fund

Texas Infrastructure Resiliency Fund (TIRF):

– Floodplain Management:– $47 million

– Hurricane Harvey:– $638 million

– Federal Matching: $0

– Flood Plan Implementation: $0

Flood Infrastructure FundPrior to adoption of state flood plan in 2024, the Flood Infrastructure Fund can fund projects that have been developed through cooperative planning efforts:• Drainage • Flood mitigation• Flood control

After adoption of state flood plan in 2024:• Can fund projects in state flood plan

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Flood Infrastructure Fund

• Low interest loans• Grants:

– Lack of ability to repay a loan– Outside of metropolitan statistical area

• Can fund both structural and non-structural mitigation activities

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Flood Mitigation Activities

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Structural Non-structural

Flood Infrastructure FundIntended Use Plan

• What is the Flood IUP?• Eligible applicants• Eligible activities• Minimum standards• Project categories• Prioritization

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Flood Intended Use Plan

• Contains details not included in rule or statute• Updated for each funding cycle• Allows flexibility to adapt over time• 4 categories of eligible activities• Describes a 2-stage application process

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Project Categories

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Category 1: Flood protection planning for watersheds

Category 2: Planning, Acquisition, Design, and

Construction/Rehabilitation

Category 3: Matching funds for federal awards

Category 4: Measures immediately effective in

protecting life and property

Flood Intended Use Plan

Funding Cycle

Abridged application

Prioritization/Invitation

Full application

Board consideration

/Commitment

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Applicant

TWDB

Abridged vs. Full Application

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Flood Financial Assistance:Where are we now?

• On-demand presentations available online• Abridged applications due June 15• Board consideration of commitments this fall

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Flood Information Clearinghouse Website

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Flood Information Clearinghouse

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Request for Information Form

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Next Steps• June 15: FIF abridged

application deadline• By June: Board considers

approval of regional flood planning rules

• Summer: Regional flood planning process begins

• Fall to Spring 2020: FIF Board commitments and closings

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Stay in Touch!

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• Click the envelope icon in the upper right corner of the TWDB web site (twdb.texas.gov)

Stay in Touch!• flood@twdb.Texas.gov for

general information

• FIF@twdb.texas.gov for financial assistance questions

• Kathleen.ligon@twdb.texas.gov

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