Crews work in Beitel Creek last summer, searching for bodies in the deadly flood. Development floodplain must be studied as a contributing factor to the tragedy.
Jessica Phelps/San Antonio Express-News
San Antonio Water System crews assess the damage along Vicar Drive at Beitel Creek in San Antonio last summer. A year later, questions persist about the contributing factors for the deadly flooding.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
Earlier this summer, the Express-News marked the anniversary of the June 12, 2025, flood in which 13 people lost their lives.
That article, “A year after tragedy, has enough been done to lower Beitel Creek flood risk?” referenced several mitigation strategies identified in the city’s contracted Kleinfelder analysis of the flood, but its primary focus was on vegetation management risks.
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While this is a factor, it obscures the fundamental issue of floodplain development, perhaps leading readers to conclude vegetation overgrowth was a principal cause of damage sustained by Ameripipe Supply.
A more complete picture would have included how the property along Northeast Loop 410 is located within the 100-year floodplain. This designation indicates a 1% or greater chance of flooding in any given year and identifies the area as a high-risk flood zone. In locations such as this, the risk associated with a structure’s placement within the floodplain often outweighs other contributing factors, including vegetation management.
Under Federal Emergency Management Agency guidelines, properties located within the 100-year floodplain carry a high-risk designation. When a federally backed mortgage is involved, lenders are required to mandate flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP. This federally supported program helps protect property owners and taxpayers from the significant financial impacts of recurring flood losses.
If the property owner had chosen to rebuild or undertaken major repairs following the flood, the structure would have been subject to the “50% rule.” In simple terms, if the cost of proposed improvements or repairs in a 10-year period equals or exceeds 50% of the building’s pre-damage market value, the structure must be brought into compliance with floodplain management standards.
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This often requires elevating the building, installing flood vents or implementing other floodproofing measures. The rule is intended to reduce repetitive flood losses and limit the need for the NFIP to repeatedly pay claims on the same vulnerable properties.
Enforcement of floodplain standards, including the 50% rule, is an important factor in San Antonio’s participation in FEMA’s Community Rating System. The city maintains a Class 6 rating, which provides a 20% discount on flood insurance premiums for properties located within designated flood zones.
This discount delivers meaningful savings to the owners of the approximately 11,000 structures located within the San Antonio area’s 100-year floodplain. It is a tangible benefit that rewards communities for implementing floodplain management practices that exceed minimum federal requirements including vegetation management.
Vegetation removal along creeks can certainly improve local drainage conditions and reduce localized obstructions. Nevertheless, it represents only one component of a comprehensive flood risk management strategy. In some cases, removing vegetation may increase downstream flow velocities and contribute to flood impacts elsewhere.
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The location of Ameripipe Supply and the Loop 410 access road’s low water crossing within the 100-year floodplain remain dominant risk factors. Operating a business or maintaining transportation infrastructure in these areas involves known and predictable hazards that ultimately influence public safety, insurance costs, rebuilding expenses and the allocation of public resources.
While vegetation management along Beitel Creek deserves careful consideration, we cannot lose sight of the broader context. The tragic loss of 13 lives during last year’s flood was not the result of vegetation alone. It was the result of extreme rainfall interacting with development and transportation infrastructure located within known flood-prone areas.
Meaningful flood risk reduction requires honest conversations about where development occurs, how consistently floodplain regulations are enforced, and how emerging technologies such as the NextGen flood warning system can be used to protect lives before the next storm arrives.
Residents interested in determining whether their property is located within a flood zone can use the San Antonio River Authority’s online floodplain viewer. Just head to sariverauthority.org and click on “maps and reports.”
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This free tool provides valuable information that can help property owners better understand their flood risk and make informed decisions about insurance, development and emergency preparedness.
Deborah Reid is a technical director with the Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance and serves on the city of San Antonio Stormwater Management Advisory Board and the Regional Flood Planning Group for the San Antonio River.