The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that field crews will be measuring flooding across Texas following significant rainfall early last week.
Many regions across Texas received more than five inches of rain, which resulted in flooding in areas across the state, including along the I-35 corridor and east Texas. Flood-prone locations, such as San Antonio, were largely impacted by the heavy rainfall with flash floods.
As of last week, 21 USGS streamgages showed active flooding with more heavy rainfall to be expected amid hurricane season. Real-time maps of flood and high flow conditions for Texas can be accessed from the USGS National Water Dashboard.
The information obtained from USGS when measuring flooding is used to help manage water supply, floods and droughts, bridge and road design and can determine the level of flood risk for certain regions. The data is used by the National Weather Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to manage flood control and by county flood control districts to develop flood forecasts, manage flood control and to design resilient infrastructure for the future.
USGS’s data will also inform local governments of high-risk areas and provide recommendations on flood control measures, especially as the state will weather the peak of hurricane season in August and September.
USGS sent 11 field crews to Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston to measure floodwaters. Crews worked through the weekend in anticipation of heavy rainfall along the Texas coast that caused flood conditions.
USGS has placed 796 streamgages across Texas to collect water data. When flooding occurs, the USGS crews will make flood measurements to ensure the data USGS provides to federal, state, local agencies and the public is accurate and up to date.
From the data collected so far, the USGS dashboard shows multiple areas in east Texas in the moderate flooding stage, mostly located along the Trinity River. Other areas such as the Guadalupe River are at risk of flooding, with its discharge rate being at an all-time high.
Now with the new streamgages, USGS will update the national dashboard with the most up to date information on Texas’ flooding patterns and rainfall.
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