Flood Control

SARA, as a regional entity, advocates a regional approach to flood control issues. Flooding knows no jurisdictional boundaries; what occurs upstream in Bexar County impacts communities downstream. SARA works with leaders in Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties to address flooding on a regional basis. To achieve a comprehensive approach to flood control issues throughout SARA’s four-county district, SARA is developing hydrologic and hydraulic models to update flood plain maps throughout the Basin, to improve flood warning systems and to help identify and prioritize the most beneficial capital projects to address flooding issues.

SARA’s dedication to a regional approach to flood management is reflected in its work the creation of the Bexar Regional Watershed Management Program. This program reflects the new generation of flood management within this community. The program is a partnership among the City of San Antonio, Bexar County, and SARA that takes a holistic, regional approach to managing flood control, storm water and water quality. The program will establish uniform design, operation and maintenance standards; coordinate local, state and federal funding; and provide an opportunity to measure and evaluate the quality of services delivered to citizens of Bexar County. The program also contains a strong public input component, thus continuing the tradition established years ago.

Flooding has plagued the San Antonio River Basin for generations. Several devastating floods have occurred since the early 1800s causing death and destruction. A major flood occurred again in October 1998. This storm dropped up to 20 inches of rain in some areas of the region over a two-day period. Its effects were felt throughout Bexar, Wilson, Karnes and Goliad counties. Since its creation in 1937, SARA has been a leader among government agencies developing flood control solutions within the basin.

Following a devastating flood in 1946, SARA began working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) and the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), to develop strategies to address flooding in and along the San Antonio River and its tributaries.

In 1954, the U.S. Congress authorized the COE to construct the San Antonio Channel Improvements Project (SACIP). SARA continues to serve as the local sponsor with the COE on projects throughout the Basin. SARA formed important partnerships with local governments, including Escondido Watershed District in Karnes County, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio, to implement significant flood control projects.

Working with the Escondido Watershed District, SARA constructed 16 dams in Karnes County from 1959 through the 1970s. SARA and Bexar County have partnered since 1955 to construct, operate and maintain flood control projects. Bexar County levies a flood control tax and contracts with SARA to implement projects. Over the years, 26 flood control dams have been constructed in the Upper Salado Creek Watershed, Martinez Creek Watershed and the Calaveras Creek Watershed. SARA retains maintenance responsibilities for 13 dams in Karnes County and all 26 dams in Bexar County.

Working with the City of San Antonio, SARA was also involved in the upgrades of Olmos Dam in the late 1970s. Through the SACIP, SARA has worked with the COE on major realignment and channelization to 31 miles of the San Antonio River and its tributaries, which continue to provide invaluable flood protection. Two underground tunnels, one at the San Antonio River and the other at San Pedro Creek, also divert floodwaters from San Antonio’s central government and business districts. These improvements serve as the backbone for the entire community’s floodwater conveyance system and helped avoid significant loss of life and property damage in the October 1998 flood.

During early stages of the SACIP during the 1950s and 1960s, the COE straightened the San Antonio River south of downtown to create an efficient, albeit unattractive, river channel to move flood waters efficiently through densely populated areas. Today, efforts are underway to apply more modern, environmentally sensitive and aesthetic construction methodologies to enhance the flood carrying capacity of the River, while bringing recreational amenities and improvements to the 13-mile portion of the River from Brackenridge Park at Hildebrand Avenue, south to Mission Espada. This project, the San Antonio River Improvements Project, is funded through Bexar County, City of San Antonio and the COE and is targeted to be complete by 2010. SARA serves as project manager/administrator for the COE, Bexar County and the City of San Antonio. A 22-member citizen committee was appointed by Bexar County, the City of San Antonio, and SARA in 1998 to guide the planning and implementation of this major community project.

For more information about SARA’s flood control initiatives, please contact SARA’s Watershed Management Division at (210) 227-1373 or, if you live outside the San Antonio metro area, (866) 345-7272 toll free.