Project Overview
Project Status
Floodplain Changes
Areas in Updated Floodplains
Areas No Longer in Floodplains
View the Maps (as PDFs, on a Interactive Map Viewer or Hard Copies)
Project Details
More Information
Project Overview
Austin is in the middle of Central Texas' Flash Flood Alley, one of the most flood-prone areas nationwide. If you live or work near a creek, your home or business may be at risk for flooding. That's why FEMA's project to revise their floodplain maps is so important. The new maps are based on up-to-date information and locate the floodplains more accurately than the current maps. FEMA will use the new maps to determine rates for flood insurance.
Project Status
The maps became effective on September 26, 2008.
Floodplain Changes
The new maps show changes in the floodplain. Due to the City of Austin's flood control program, many homes and businesses are no longer in the floodplain. However, the new maps also show that some homes and businesses are now in the floodplain that were previously thought to lie outside it.
If you live in Travis County, you can find out if your property is affected by calling your insurance agent or looking your property up on the new maps. If you live in the part of Austin in Williamson County, please call our Floodplain Information Hotline at 512-974-2843 or send an email. Due to limitations in technology, the City of Austin is not able to generate a mailing list of properties affected or directly notify property owners. Instead the City held a series of public meetings in 2006 when the maps were first released and has periodically run advertisements about the new maps.
Areas with Many Structures Moving into the Floodplain
There are properties throughout the city that are now formally considered in the floodplain that were previously thought to be outside of it. The areas listed below have a number of properties in this situation.
- Williamson Creek Watershed - between S. Congress Ave. and Emerald Forest Dr., near Oak Hill Pond, near Covered Bridge Drive, near Highway 71 and along Fair Valley Trail
- Carson Creek Watershed
- Country Club East and West Watersheds
- Fort Branch Watershed
- Slaughter Creek - along Canon Yeomans Trail
- Tannehill - a few commercial structures near Highland Mall.
Those with property that is now shown to be in the floodplain should consider buying flood insurance before the new maps become effective on September 26, 2008. In some cases, this will give them a better rate based on today's floodplain maps, rather than the ones that will become effective on September 26. However, if they receive a "Preferred Risk Policy" this year, they should still expect their rate to increase substantially when their policy is renewed next year at the standard rate. However, this is still less expensive than the rate for homes in the floodplain that they may receive if they wait to purchase flood insurance. For additional information, please download this FEMA flyer (148 KB) or call your insurance agent. Mortgage companies generally require flood insurance on properties in the floodplain. They should begin contacting their mortgage holders between 30 and 90 days after the new maps become effective.
Example Flood Insurance Rates
These rates are meant to illustrate the importance of grandfathering. Actual rates will vary depending on your level of coverage and the "CRS" rating for your city. Please call your insurance agent to find out what your rate would be.
| | Policy | Annual Rate | Details |
|---|
| Preferred Risk Policy | $326 | For structures outside of the floodplain. For structures that are now considered in the floodplain, this rate may be available before September 26, 2008. This rate cannot be grandfathered and will not be available when the policy is renewed in subsequent years. |
| Standard | $1,208 | For structures outside of the floodplain. In some cases, a structure can be grandfathered at this rate in future years if flood insurance is puchased before September 26, 2008. |
| Floodplain | $2,074 - $5,224 and up | Rate for houses in floodplain if insurance is purchased after September 26, 2008, without grandfathering. Variation in rate depends on when the house was built and its elevation, if known. If a house has an elevation certificate showing it is above the floodplain elevation, lower rates may be available. |
Areas with Many Structures No Longer in the Floodplain
There are properties throughout the city that are no longer considered in the floodplain, but the areas listed below have many structures in this situation. Often this is due to City projects designed to prevent flooding.
- Boggy Creek Watershed - along Clarkson Ave.
- Dry Creek North Watershed - upstream of FM 2222 and west of MoPac
- E. Bouldin Creek Watershed
- Fort Branch Watershed - near E. 51st St. and Norwood Road
- Little Walnut Creek Watershed
- Shoal Creek Watershed
- Slaughter Creek Watershed - along Tecate Trail
- South Boggy Creek - near Seminary Ridge Drive
- Tannehill Branch Watershed
- Waller Creek - near Chesterfield Ave.
- Walnut Creek - in the Crystalbrook Subdivision and near Johnny Morris Road.
- Williamson Creek Watershed - Creek Bend Subdivision
View the Maps
The floodplain maps are available for viewing on this web site as pdf files and in an interactive map viewer. Hard copies are also available at the Watershed Protection and Development Review Department's Floodplain Office, 12th floor, One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road, Austin, Texas 78704. Please call our Floodplain Information Hotline at 512-974-2843 to arrange an appointment to view them. In addition, the Faulk Central Library has a hard copy of the FEMA floodplain maps.
Project Details
Most of the current FEMA floodplain maps in Travis County are based on out-of-date technical data prepared up to 29 years ago. In October 2003, FEMA initiated the Travis County Floodplain Map Modernization project. In early March 2006, FEMA, the City of Austin and Travis County released preliminary new digital floodplain maps and models for an initial public review and comment period. The new maps show the 100-year and 500-year FEMA floodplains and the 25-year and 100-year City of Austin fully-developed floodplains in Travis County. The FEMA floodplains will be used for insurance rate purposes and are based on existing watershed land-use conditions. The City of Austin floodplain maps and models show the anticipated, fully developed land-use conditions; these floodplain maps are used for land development regulation and floodplain management purposes.
FEMA received 21 technical appeals and protests to the preliminary maps during the 90-day comment period in 2006. As a result of these appeals, the agency issued revised maps for the Fort Branch, Shoal, West Country Club (Tributaries 1 and 3) and Williamson watersheds on July 11, 2007. There were no comments on the revised maps.
FEMA initiated and manages the mapping project in association with the City of Austin, Travis County, eleven other Travis County communities, the Lower Colorado River Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Texas. The project entailed the development of GIS-based hydrologic and hydraulic models and floodplain maps of many watersheds in Travis County. Because of its susceptibility to flash flooding and its rapid growth, Travis County was one of the first counties in the nation chosen by FEMA for participation in its Map Modernization Program. The program includes the development of digital flood insurance rate maps. Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps will replace the current (paper) Flood Insurance Rate Maps and will include database information related to the underlying base maps and technical data.
All or portions of the following watersheds were included in the detailed study effort: Colorado River, including Lake Travis; Lake Austin and Town Lake; Boggy Creek; Blunn Creek; East Bouldin Creek; West Bouldin Creek; Walnut Creek (including Little Walnut and Buttermilk Creeks); Onion Creek (including Slaughter Creek, Marble Creek, South Boggy Creek and Williamson Creek, with Sunset Valley Tributary, Kincheon Branch, Pleasant Hill Tributary and Cherry Creek); Johnson Creek with Possum Trot Branch; Dry North Creek with four tributaries; Harris Branch with four tributaries; Shoal Creek; Carson Creek; Fort Branch and Tannehill Branch of Boggy Creek; West Country Club Creek and East Country Club Creek; and Waller Creek.
All other Travis County watersheds were remapped using the City of Austin's 2003 topographic data and existing FEMA floodplain models. Please visit www.halff-femastudy.com to view maps showing the watersheds studied.
More Information
More information about this project is available on the Travis County Floodplain Studies/Mapping Project Presentation (pdf).
If you have questions about the new maps or the approval process, you may contact the City of Austin's Floodplain Information Hotline at (512) 974-2843 or e-mail us.
For more information about the technical aspects of the remapping project, visit www.halff-femastudy.com or contact Halff Associates, Inc. (FEMA's study contractor for this project) at (877) 425-3389.
For more information about FEMA and floodplains and flood insurance, visit www.fema.gov/fhm/fq_term.shtm, or contact the FEMA Region VI office at (940) 898-5127.
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