Texas Silver Jackets

VISION STATEMENT

To increase efficiency and coordination between the State and Federal governments in developing comprehensive and sustainable solutions to flood risk management in the State of Texas.

GOALS

• Document and share information on current and future projects and initiatives.
• Conduct studies using data and models that can be utilized by the team.
• Identify risk communication opportunities and gaps to combine resources to minimize duplication of efforts.
• Coordinate and streamline collaborative efforts (such as Hazard Mitigation Planning).
• Work with communities through extensive public outreach to develop comprehensive and sustainable solutions to flood risk management.
• Identify and promote successful best practices for flood risk management.

Team Activities

Texas Floodplain Prioritization Plan

This interagency project provides outreach to identify needs, resources, and strategies related to flood risk within prioritized flood risk areas of the Trinity River watershed. In the past seven years there have been eight major flood disaster declarations in Texas, leading to nearly $1.7 billion in approved mitigation funding for individual and household programs. Development in the upper reaches of the Trinity River (Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denton, etc.) has increased impervious surface and reduction in riparian habitats and increased the overall flood risk. Interagency partners (USACE, EPA, GLO, Upper Trinity Regional Water District, TX AgriLife, and The Nature Conservancy) are working to identify tools, resources, and strategies that support local communities in effectively implementing non-structural means to manage and reduce overall flood risk.  Regional data is being incorporated into existing tools.  Goals will include identification of high flood risk for local communities, resources available to support watershed-level prioritization, and provide an accurate, actionable, and functional, resource for end-users.

Upper Trinity River Watershed Storm-Shifting Study

This interagency project, completed in 2022, utilized existing data and recent technological advances (storm-shifting) made readily available through the recently released USACE Hydrologic Engineering Center's Meteorological Visualization Utility Engine (HEC-MetVue) program to partner with local communities through the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG). The storm-shift study used observed storm data within the region, shifting that storm data to a new location and combining it with engineering models to estimate the resulting flooding scenario. Information produced include inundation mapping, flood timing and flood duration. This information can assist with scenario planning for potential events, identifying impacts to critical infrastructure, determining the amount of freeboard required for local ordinances, and establishing evacuation timelines. The goal of this study was to produce information that can be used to increase flood disaster resiliency by supporting updates to local floodplain ordinances and/or emergency action plan procedures. The study report, data and additional information are available online.

Denton County Green Asset Management and Outreach

This interagency project will utilize green asset management for proper implementation of green infrastructure Best Management Practices (BMPs) in vulnerable, repetitive flood areas in Denton County to ensure effective flood reduction. The analysis will identify potential operation and maintenance strategies for green infrastructure BMPs to address current and proposed future growth. Partners include City of Denton, Texas A&M University AgriLife, EPA, and USACE. The study is anticipated to be completed in 2023.