Fort Worth will spend $87 million in battle with urban flash flooding
Some parts of Fort Worth plagued with high water in the streets or dangerous flash flooding may get relief as the city embarks on a five-year, $87 million plan to tackle part of the growing urban flooding problem.
The spending represents more than double the number of projects the city would normally complete, according to the public works department, but it won’t go far enough to tackle the more than 300 dangerous flash flooding zones the city has identified.
Backed by stormwater fees, the public works department had estimated it would spend about $70 million on various flood mitigation and safety projects over the next five years. But low interest on bonds has increased that budget to about $87 million, opening the door for more projects, said Jennifer Dyke, stormwater program manager.
That unexpected $17 million will help the city get a few more projects done, but it won’t put a dent in the more than $1 billion in estimated costs to update all of Fort Worth’s stormwater system. So Dyke said the city looked at projects that could accomplish the most flood mitigation with the least cost.
“(We are) trying to find a balance in our spending so that we can get more accomplished and protect more people,” Dyke said.
Without the fee increase and bonds, the city would have fixed no more than 12 locations with flood mitigation or safety improvements, five areas where water runs over the top of the road and about eight miles of pipe rehab. It’s unlikely any major flood mitigation or channel work would have been completed, Dyke said. With the $87 million, she said the department expects to complete as many as 40 safety improvement projects, 14 places where washes over the road and up to 17 miles of pipe work. At least one major flood mitigation project can be done as well as about five miles of channel work.
Dangerous flash floods
The largest pool of money, about $30.5 million, will be allocated for fixing areas where dangerous amounts of water can cover a roadway. Among the areas being explored for improvements is the 4200 block of South Cravens Road. That’s where Eddy Volpp, 69, drowned in 2018 when his car was swept off the road by fast moving high water.
Dyke said the stream is still being looked at, but it’s likely that even with extra money a complete overhaul of the road would be too expensive. The city is exploring other mitigation work and safety improvements that she said should prevent a similar situation.
The city is considering four major roadway projects: 28th Street west of Decatur Avenue, the 3400 block of Alemeda, Shoreview at Bomber Road and Quail Road at Elizabeth Road near a tributary of Lake Arlington. These projects will cost up to $6 million each and could require significant work, like raising the elevation of the road or building a bridge.
To stretch the dollars, Dyke said the city has identified about a dozen areas where smaller improvements, such as barricades, warning signs and lighting, will improve safety.
Neighborhood stormwater
About $26.1 million will be spent on pipe rehab. This work may not decrease flooding, but should keep the stormwater system flowing. Most of this work will be done in council districts 7 and 9, which include some of the oldest parts of the city’s stormwater system.
A handful of pipe work will be done in Arlington Heights, mostly in the area of Pershing. That neighborhood has been the focus of a city plan to buy flood-prone homes for potential mitigation. While the city has already purchased many properties, none have been bulldozed.
Pipe work will also be done in the Cultural District, including in Linwood and in the West Seventh area. Some work will be done on Magnolia Avenue in the Near Southside.
Diamond Hill-Jarvis
The largest single project is likely to be flood mitigation along Lebow Creek, a tributary of the Trinity River that runs through the Diamond Hill-Jarvis area. About $40 million is needed to restore the channel to a more natural setting. The city will allocate about $13.6 million for a first phase between 2021 and 2023.
Lebow Creek has been a major flood risk for nearly a decade, Dyke said, and about $20 million has been spent on various projects.
The project is in the early stages and design work has not been done, but a preliminary look at the creek shows the need for a detention pond in the upper portion of Lebow and channel restoration in the lower portion. At several points, the creek washes over streets during heavy rain, creating hazardous areas that will also need to be addressed.
A city presentation from 2017 indicated there were more than 175 homes in the floodplain along the creek and the majority were low- to moderate-income.
The stormwater department explored a major project west of downtown that would have included Linwood, as well as an area near TCU, but Dyke said those projects would cost too much and Lowbow Creek offered a chance to reduce flooding risks to both homes and along the street. Diamond Hill’s population is also mostly minority and the city has a recent focus on improving equity with regard to where it spends money.
The Lebrow Creek project might include a trail system and open space that would provide new outdoor recreation to the Diamond Hill-Jarvis area.
“We really felt this was a more fully complete project,” Dyke said.
