DEPARTMENT: Transportation & Capital Improvements (TCI)
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Razi Hosseini, P.E., R.P.L.S.
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: Citywide
SUBJECT:
City Research Agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio
SUMMARY:
An ordinance authorizing a research agreement with the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in the amount of $49,000.00 for a study evaluating flood protection strategies to alleviate super storm impacts on the City's transportation infrastructure and environment.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) evaluates the impacts of severe weather events have on the nation. NCEI's data reveals between 1980 and 2017, damages from severe storms and flooding cost the United States $320.9 billion. Hurricane Harvey alone broke rainfall records for the U.S. with more than 50 inches of rain and produced unprecedented flooding in Eastern Texas with total estimated damages of $160 billion and approximately 60 fatalities.
The City of San Antonio lies within a region prone to flooding in Texas referred to as Flash Flood Alley, which constitutes one of the most flood prone areas of the North American continent. This region is experiencing one of the fastest growing population rates in the U.S. and is especially vulnerable to super storms because it is partially located in an area characterized by rugged natural drainage and intense rainfall events referred to as the Balcones Escarpment.
The agreement with UTSA for a super storm study will provide the City with the necessary research information to develop a framework capable of predicting super storm impacts to transportation infrastructure and the environment. The Upper San Antonio and Leon Creek watersheds were selected as part of the study because the Upper San Antonio watershed has one of the most developed, urban area flood control systems in the U.S., while the Leon Creek ...
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