To some Austin residents, a rainstorm is an amusing inconvenience requiring only an umbrella to deal with the annoyance.

Friday, April 06, 2001

To some Austin residents, a rainstorm is an amusing inconvenience requiring only an umbrella to deal with the annoyance. But to other residents, the moisture in the air over the last day, the current state of creeks and rivers flowing through Austin and the predicted storms on the city’s meteorological horizon mean only one thing: flooding.

A concerned and sometimes obviously angry group of residents filled the council chambers of Austin’s municipal building to standing-room-only capacity Thursday night as Mayor Bonnie Rietz, department heads and visitors from the Army Corps of Engineers and the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service held an informational meeting on the status of the city’s flood efforts.

Before the residents were able to speak their minds and question the city’s flood planning, however, they were presented with information. City Engineer Jon Erichson described the history of the flooding in Austin. Erichson said last year’s flood was the highest on record and all of the top four floods have occurred since 1978.

Kermit Mahan, director of the city Housing and Redevelopment Authority, said Austin administration was very proactive after the 1965 flood and, therefore, was first in line to receive assistance when legislation for federal flood relief aid was passed in 1969. In 1978, two floods occurred in Austin 10 days apart.

"We knew at that time, early on, that we didn’t have structural solutions available," Mahan said. Dennis Hamilton, civil engineer for the Army Corps of Engineers, explained why structural solutions were not advised for the city when the Corps conducted a study after the 1978 floods. Each flooding solution is evaluated with a benefit-to-cost ratio. The benefit must exceed the cost for the corps to find it feasible enough to spend federal funds on the particular solution.

Each of the structural solutions evaluated carried a cost greater than the benefit. The only non-structural solution, acquisition, was recommended, but the cost-to-benefit ratio still was not great enough that the corps would contribute funds in 1978. Instead, they encouraged the city to acquire homes.

When the 1993 flood hit Austin, the city was able to benefit from the tremendous amount of federal relief made available because of flooding throughout the Missouri and Mississippi rivers basins.

"We enjoyed the commitment on the part of Congress," Mahan added. Currently, about 160 homes have been removed, Mahan said.

Because those homes have been acquired since 1979, Hamilton hypothesized a new Corps study would indicate an even smaller benefit-to-cost ratio. "Our belief is … there is very little likelihood any structural solution could be justified by the corps," he said, adding there is a possibility a non-structural solution could be justified.

"It is possible there has been enough change in the economic condition to justify the project," Hamilton said. If the corps were to start a study, the cost would be paid by the organization up to $100,000. After $100,000, the costs would be shared 50-50 by the corps and the city.

Austin may have to wait a considerable time to see the completion of a study and the implementation, if Rochester is any indication. Willis Goll, Natural Resources Conservation Service engineer out of Rochester, said the flood-control project in Rochester was started in 1962 and was not completed until 1988. It consisted of channels and embankments.

Glende pointed out the same solution probably would not be feasible in Austin because of the relatively flat topography.

A corps study, according to Scott Estergard, biologist involved in a flood-damage reduction study for the corps, would take one to two years and then would go into the implementation phase, of which federal funds would pay for 65 percent and non-federal funds would pay for the other 35 percent. Implementation would take from one to three years, Estergard said.

Vic Ruhland and Sue Glende, both of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, said some work can be done for residents, but any study and solution their organization could devise would depend upon their availability.

"Our staff is limited and we have other commitments," Ruhland said. He said the NRCS possibly could get to a study, similar in nature to what the corps is proposing, in a year or so.

Glende said she is working with 21 residents who are trying to seek funding to make improvements to their properties to prevent flooding.

The actions the city has taken have affected the city’s rating under a flood-plain management and insurance program. Currently, the city is rated at a "seven," with "one" being the optimum rating; a "seven" brings an insurance cost savings of 18 percent for those in Austin who carry flood insurance. After a recent five-year re-evaluation, the city’s rating will move to a "five." Only four other cities in the nation, out of 100 that participate in the rating program, have a "four" rating. Only one city in the nation carries a rating of a "three."

"Over the years the threat is getting smaller and smaller," Mahan said. "Does this mean it’s getting smaller for the few people remaining? Absolutely not."

Because the Federal Emergency Management Agency reacts only after an event has occurred, Mahan said the HRA is looking into a program that will allow the purchase of homes before the next flood.

Any wait may be too long for some residents. Parts of Austin already are experiencing flooding this spring because of melting snow and wet weather conditions. City Administrator Pat McGarvey said the city has been speaking with legislators in an effort to secure funding for more acquisition.

House Bill 402 is moving through the Legislature and will provide $18 million in flood control funding for a two-year period throughout the state. McGarvey said the city is going to be first in line to secure a part of the funding, if it is approved.

"It’s more than enough to take care of our needs, if they’ll just send it to us," he said.

During their parts of the presentation, both Zoning Administrator Craig Hoium and Erichson encouraged residents to call them with questions or concerns.

Call Kevira Mertha at 434-2233 or e-mail her at newsroom@austindailyherald.com.