5 replies to this topic

[John T Roberts]

After this week's heavy rains, which caused localized flooding, the Star-Telegram published an article about the City purchasing two more duplexes in Arlington Heights for Flood Control.  In that article, a link was posted to the new Preliminary Flood Maps.  I thought I would give the link to the forum, so they could review the maps and possibly comment.  The maps are broken down by City Council Districts.

 

https://acrobat.adob...5f79#pageNum=10

[John T Roberts]

I'm real surprised no one has commented on these maps.  I can see where areas in Council District 9 regularly flood now in heavy rains are noted on this map.

[Doohickie]

My District 9 house is high and dry, as is yours... although you're closer to flood zones.  What's more likely to flood, City Flood Risk Areas or FEMA Flood Zones?

[John T Roberts]

Doohickie, you are about 60 higher than I am in actual elevation.  Even though

South Hills has the large creek that runs along Westcreek Drive, it seems that much of the neighborhood is built on a large fairly flat ridge.  Over where I live there are a lot of small hills that drain to different watersheds.  If you notice, I live at the headwaters of Zoo Creek and the hilltop where I live drains to Zoo Creek and to Sycamore Creek.

 

As for which areas are more likely to flood, I think the City Flood Risk Areas tend to flood when there is flash flooding and heavy rains in the localized vicinity.  The FEMA Flood Zones appear to flood when large amounts of heavy rain have moved downstream over the course of several days.

[Doohickie]

If you look at the different maps it seems Sycamore Creek creates a lot of flood potential.

 

West Creek (the creek in the middle of Westcreek) is pretty well handled until it goes under Granbury Road, where it can back up into Kellis Park (according to the map).

[John T Roberts]

From what I can remember all the way to the time when I was a kid, Sycamore Creek was always subject to flash flooding.  If you look at its watershed and drainage area, it is a fairly major tributary of the West Fork of the Trinity.

 

The location at the creek, Granbury Road, and the railroad trestle has been e choke point ever since I can remember.  The water flowing through there is constricted by the infrastructure of city streets and railroad trestle, so it backs up to the intersection.  This construction of a county road or highway over a creek with a railroad trestle above the other two was a pretty common way having grade separations between car and rail in the early 20th century.  Before any development occurred there, Granbury Road made a dog leg to jump sides of the tracks at that location.