Pflugerville - Hutto Edition | May 2022

CONTENT PAID FOR BY UPPER BRUSHY CREEK WCID

CONTENT PAID FOR BY UPPER BRUSHY CREEK WCID

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CASEY CLAWSON Place 1

DISTRICT DAMS

The District’s focus is Regional Flood Risk Mitigation across the Upper Brushy Creek watershed. We reduce flooding impacts through our existing dams, partner projects and risk communication. DAMS, WHAT DAMS? You could be living close to a dam and not realize it. Awareness of the proximity of a dam is the first step in preparedness. Our website has a mapping tool that you can use to check if you are in the area near a dam. Be aware that all dams have risks and they do not control all flooding. More runoff than the dam was designed for can lead to downstream flooding. Also, large rain events may submerge typically dry areas upstream of a dam for several days. More information is available on our website under living with dams. All of the District’s dams are classifi ed as high-hazard by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. The designation is a result of the area’s urbanization and continued growth. All the District dams meet the additional standards that come with the higher risk designation. There is always a risk that a dam may fail or experience a breach, especially if they are not well maintained. The District routinely inspects dams for potential problems and has a capital improvement program that prioritizes rehabilitation projects based on risk . RECENT PROJECTS SPOTLIGHT Construction on Dam 8 at Ganzert Lake was substantially complete in November. Modernization and rehabilitation improvements included almost doubling the width of the auxiliary(secondary)spillway, armoring the dam, and lining the primary spillway. The primary spillway pipe was also rehabilitated on Dam 9 at Smith Lake in December. Like the work on Dam 8, the refurbishment of the aging conduit ensures its safe function for decades to come. Construction wrapped up on Dam 15 at Paloma Lake in April. The project repaired existing wind driven wave erosion on the face of the dam and protects against future erosion with rock armor. Lake levels will return to “normal” as rains return. Front Door Flooding The District is finalizing design and permitting is under way for the construction of a new dam. Dam 101 is the first and most impactful of three projects targeted at substantially mitigating flooding in the Lake Creek watershed. The area has experienced multiple major flooding events since the 1980’s. Dam 101 will be the largest project undertaken by the District and our first new dam since the 1960’s. Rehabilitation of Dam 22 at CR 139 (on private property) will start construction soon. The project will overhaul the dam including the slopes, primary spillway pipe, etc. The project’s complexity requires the draining of the lake and a year of construction.

KATHY COOK Place 2

GREG BRILL Place 3

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY REWARDED

BUILDING AND MAINTAINING DAMS FOR OVER 60 YEARS The Upper Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) was created in 1956 to help reduce flooding and control erosion. The original twenty-three dams were constructed in the late 50’s and early 60’s to protect a mostly rural landscape including small towns, crops, and ranch land. Since then, the District has rapidly developed from Leander to Hutto to be home to over 400,000 people with complimentary commercial development. The increase in overland flows and the numbers of lives and property at-risk make the regional flood protection the dams provide more crucial than ever. The District recently received extremely competitive bids for its first bond issuance securing an interest rate of 2.89% for the initial $51+ million dollars of bonds. The low interest rate was due in large part to the District’s coveted AA credit rating which was recently assigned by Standard and Poor’s based on the District’s financial strength, consistent tax base, and the economic diversity of the region. In November of 2020, voters authorized the District to move forward with an $ 85 million bond package to finance rehabilitation and construction projects in the District. Bond funding projects allowed the Board of Directors to lower the tax rate this year from 2 cents to .0175 per $100 of valuation.

JEREMIAH D. WILLIAMS Place 4

LYLE GRIMES Place 5

ANNUAL UPDATE FROM THE DISTRICT

WANT THE WHOLE DAM STORY? www.ubcdams.org

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