Flooding has been on the best of Kerr County citizens’ minds following the fatal floods of the final week, however an research by way of ABC Information and ABC Owned Tv Stations of public assembly information presentations this isn’t the primary time that the will for flood-related measures has arise amongst native officers.
As early as 2016, Kerr County Commissioners spoke concerning the significance of an stepped forward flood caution gadget and investment alternatives to put in force one of these gadget. Those conversations addressed each the danger of flooding within the Guadalupe Basin and the inadequacy of the present caution infrastructure.
“We’re very flood susceptible, we all know that,” stated Kerr County Commissioner Jonathan Letz at a fee assembly, in step with mins. “Almost certainly Precinct 4 has [the] maximum possibility of the general public in the market.”
In April of this yr, the Higher Guadalupe River Authority, a central authority company that describes itself on-line partially as operating “to offer protection to the well being of the Guadalupe River watershed in Kerr County by way of managing water high quality and water amount,” used to be in discussions a few flood caution gadget challenge.
All through a gathering on April 17, the authority’s Board of Administrators unanimously voted to make a choice an organization referred to as Kisters “because the company to expand a Flood Caution Device in Kerr County.” Assembly mins display the corporate used to be slated to obtain a freelance value as much as just about $73,000 as a part of the proposed gadget, the standing of which is lately unclear.
The Higher Guadalupe River Authority and Kisters may no longer in an instant be reached for remark.
This used to be no longer the primary challenge proposed to handle flooding considerations within the Guadalupe Basin.
Crews paintings to transparent particles from the Cade Loop bridge alongside the Guadalupe River on July 5, 2025, in Ingram, Texas.
Rodolfo Gonzalez/AP
Just about a decade previous in August 2016, Kerr County, the Town of Kerrville and the Higher Guadalupe River Authority, put out a Request for {Qualifications} for Engineering Products and services to evaluate the state of flood tracking and caution within the Guadalupe Basin.
In a September 2016 initial find out about document, an engineering company famous that Kerr County in Texas has a “better possibility of flash flooding than maximum areas of the U.S.” The county and UGRA spent $50,000 at the find out about.
“Heavy rains can temporarily lead to fast-moving water with nice damaging possible,” the company stated, pointing to a 2015 flood in a close-by county the place the river rose 20 toes in not up to an hour. 13 fatalities, together with two kids, resulted from the flooding within the house, in step with native reviews.
“In gentle of the numerous and fatal flooding occasions in 2015, [the Texas Water Development Board] is striking a top precedence on improving the skills of communities to warn electorate and reply to flood emergencies in a well timed and efficient way,” the company beneficial.
The find out about mentioned that the “events” which come with the County, the Higher Guadalupe River Authority and the Town of Kerrville “mutually acknowledge the possible possibility to the security and belongings in their constituents offered by way of flash flooding in Kerr County, Texas.”
“[An] efficient Flood Caution Device would probably permit belongings homeowners to vacate homes the place possibility to existence by way of floodwaters is coming near near,” the document stated.
The evaluation beneficial including top water detection techniques in flood-prone spaces, visible gauges at dozens of low water crossings and a knowledge middle to disseminate the information collected to native officers and keep up a correspondence flood warnings to the general public. The challenge used to be anticipated to price round $976,000.
In keeping with the find out about, a committee of native emergency control coordinators, state transportation officers and the engineer of the present flood detection and caution gadget concluded that the gadget in position, which incorporated water degree tracking in 20 flood-prone spaces, “is antiquated and it is not dependable.”
However in step with the mins from a January 2017 fee assembly, Commissioner Thomas Moser steered the county may “simply disregard the entire challenge” if native companions did not signal on.
Pass judgement on Tom Pollard reportedly answered, “Simply useless within the water.”
