The Texas Water Development Board recently awarded Irving $70 million for major improvements to the city’s flood mitigation infrastructure.
By the end of the project’s four phases, more than 240 homes along local creeks will see a significant reduction in flood risks from intense storms, according to city engineer Walt Thomas. The first phase of the project is currently ongoing.
“These neighborhoods are so flat the [flood waters] jump the creek and go through the residential streets,” Thomas told KERA. “Keeping the water in the creek without it going into the neighborhood, the first thing the neighborhood is going to experience is that of relief.”
The project aims to update one of the city’s “largest and most outdated” drainage channels, officials write. It includes excavating 10,000 feet of concrete channel lining, adding reinforced bottom lining and concrete walls, and relocating some water and sewer lines.
Thomas said deepening the channel in residential areas will also make it harder for potential home intruders to use the channel as an access point.
“People cannot go easily down the channel and climb up a ten-foot wall, then over their fence to the backyard,” he said. “That is an ongoing concern, and rightly so. Some [residents] have experienced people walking down the creek and then jumping the fence and burglarizing their house.”
The recent $70 million award, a blend of zero-interest financing ($51.25 million) and grant money ($18.75 million), is the second round of funding Irving has received from TWDB. That puts its total flood mitigation assistance funds from the agency at $115 million, so far.
The city is seeking $35.6 million in funding for the next phase of the project at North Delaware Creek.
“The first phase of North Delaware Creek is going well,” Thomas said. “That’s a pretty major project with a large 20-inch sewer line down the middle of that new channel.”
Irving is one of the top recipients of TWDB funding, which Thomas attributes to changing application criteria working in the city’s favor. He also cited Irving’s previous experience with TWDB funding and having a borrowing capacity already in place through the city council.
“We didn't have to scramble and create that capacity,” he said. “We just flowed right into the cycle and the application.”
All phases of the project are expected to wrap up around 2030.
Got a tip? Email Andy Lusk at alusk@kera.org.
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you!
