The city of Fort Worth has received $90 million from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to make flood mitigation improvements to the Upper Lebow Channel. Construction is slated to begin in 2028.
The Lebow Channel corridor has posed a significant flood risk to nearby communities for years due to an undersized, 75-year-old channel. The project will build a 20-acre detention basin to address these issues and mitigate future flooding.
As part of the detention pond project, the city will widen and rehabilitate roughly 1.5 acres of existing channel, increasing its overall capacity and mitigating erosion. Additional work will upgrade nine bridges and reconstruct eight culverts.
Infrastructure work will involve the city building 16 headwalls, restoring the stream and installing access ramps at multiple crossings. Fort Worth plans to incorporate recreational multi-use greenspace as part of the detention pond’s design alongside establishing vegetation to combat erosion and protect habitat.
Once completed, the project will significantly reduce the likelihood of repetitive flooding events, reduce flood risk for drivers and mitigate flood risk to around 300 homes in the 100-year floodplain.
Photo by Helena Jankovičová Kováčová from Pexels
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