While state dollars for flood safety still have yet to be dispersed, Bexar County is joining other Texas counties that experienced deadly flooding this summer in forging ahead with its own self-funded plans.
The San Antonio River Authority is working on a regional network of sensors that it believes will bring Bexar County residents some of the most advanced flood detection technology in the country, eventually allowing them to automatically close vehicle crossings before cars can get into dangerous situations.
Bexar County Commissioners budgeted $20 million for the so-called NextGen flood warning system in August, and approved the release of the first $2.4 million of that money Tuesday.
“We surveyed all of the roughly 200 gauges within Bexar County to make sure that elevations are accurate, and we’ll have that data final roughly by the end of December,” River Authority General Manager Derek Boese said Tuesday. “That information is really important, making sure the model is as accurate as possible.”
The move comes as the state has set aside $50 million to help flood-prone counties fund flood warning systems in the wake of an unusually deadly summer for both San Antonio and the Hill Country.
Bexar County was named one of the qualifying counties for such funding, but the money has been slow to come and is aimed primarily at flood sirens, which Boese said typically aren’t effective in urban centers.
SAFD officials wade into a creek near Perrin Beitel Bridge after severe flooding that swept motorists into the floodwater in June. Credit: Blaine Young for the San Antonio Report
“We think that there are better solutions to warn people, which would be a combination of emergency alerts via text message, getting emergency managers out as early as possible so they can block roads, the gate systems, the warning lights, all of those things,” said Boese, who noted he’s still hopeful the state funds can be used to support their other initiatives.
With little statewide coordination on such flood warning systems, and constant cost constraints for smaller counties trying to keep their own residents safe, the River Authority is also taking the unusual step of fronting the money to bring neighboring counties along in its efforts.
Boese chairs a regional flood planning group of counties with rivers and tributaries that flow into Bexar County, none of which qualified for the state money.
He said his agency has now gone ahead and installed gauges in Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties Southeast of Bexar County anyway, and identified nine more they think are needed.
“Those are currently being funded through the River Authority, and as we expand that network down downstream, the intent is to partner with those downstream counties to share in the funding of those gauges and the operations and maintenance office,” Boese said.
Of the other counties in the River Authority’s jurisdiction, some of the more rural areas might benefit from sirens, he said.
But without the state funds, the River Authority is hopeful its more technology-focused approach will get them on the right track, and share information that makes Bexar County safer as well.
“Right now, our downstream counties have said their big thing is warning lights and gates,” he said. “But the first step of that is gauges and having accurate information.”