Two of many homes on Williamson Creek that flooded on October 17, 1998. Austin emergency workers responded to about 400 high water and rescue calls and evacuated about 300 residents in six neighborhoods during this storm.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with the City of Austin, has been taking a second look at flooding along Williamson Creek. In the latest study, they used updated construction and land costs and updated floodplain models and maps. These changes significantly affected the results of the study. The only project that may be economically feasible for the Corps is a potentially limited number of buyouts in the Bayton Loop Area.

The City is consulting with residents in the Bayton Loop area to find out their interest in a buyout, before asking the Corps to complete their report. The City may also be able to purchase the same properties with a voluntary buyout through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

Features of the Study
Although the current study built on the original one, there were several important differences based on public input:

• It did not include any structural solutions for the Broken Bow area.
• It expanded the project to include Cherry Creek.
• It gauged the environmental impact of any modifications to the channel of Williamson Creek using the City of Austin's own strict environmental criteria.
• It used the newly updated 2006 floodplain model as the basis for evaluation.
• It evaluated bridges to assess the potential to reduce traffic hazards due to flooding as well as flooding upstream of the bridges. The study showed that raising the bridges would only have a negligible effect on flooding.
• Based on excessive land costs and public input, it did not include trails or ecosystem restoration.

Background
Several neighborhoods in the Williamson Creek floodplain between S. Congress Ave. and Westgate Blvd. experienced significant flooding in 1998 and 2001. After the 1998 floods, the City of Austin requested federal assistance to help with flooding in these areas as well as in the floodplain of Onion Creek. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertook a feasibility study that was completed in 2006. The Corps sought and received Congressional approval for the Onion Creek recommendations, but decided to defer the Williamson Creek project for a second study that is now nearing completion.