In the weeks after an excessive rainfall event flooded Beitel Creek, sending 15 vehicles toppling over highway guardrails into the creek below, an engineering study urged state officials to raise the Loop 410 access road – a section of highway that’s a low-water crossing in a floodplain.
The engineers found that outdated models underestimated just how much water was flowing through Beitel Creek. In speaking to Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance Technical Director Deborah Reid in July shortly after the floods – who has decades of experience in storm water planning in San Antonio – years of commercial properties being allowed to offload their runoff directly into the creek while covering natural landscapes with concrete have worsened the issue.
Reid says this is largely why creeks like Beitel are now overloaded during rain events. The fact San Antonio didn’t start drafting storm water regulations until the late ’90s, amid a strong push from FEMA, means the city has been operating in a catch-up fashion ever since.
But residents are seemingly frustrated after a year of virtually zero progress since the flood killed nearly a dozen locals.
“Nothing has changed. They haven’t done anything. Why would there be any different outcome when they haven’t fixed anything,” Raine T. told MySA, sharing a similar sentiment to others yet to see any meaningful improvement.
San Antonio City Council set aside $8 million to conduct repairs along Betiel Creek damaged by the flood last year. According to KSAT 12, San Antonio Public Works staffers will begin more immediate repairs, fixing the broken bits of concrete that stand as a reminder of the tragic flood event, but more comprehensive improvements likely won’t take place until 2027.
TxDOT has already installed a flood gauge and signage to warn drivers, but there’s been no announcement of plans to raise the access road deemed too low by city-appointed engineers.
“We need to get some well-educated engineers to come in to evaluate the areas that are continually flooding,” Lisa T. said. “Of course, if we keep building and taking away green spaces, the only place water can go is the roads and parking lots. But it’s a serious issue that needs addressed before we have another flood like last month.”