Analyzing Flood Control Alternatives for the Clear Creek Watershed in a Geographic Information Systems Framework

Abstract

Recent technological advancements in hydrologic science and geographic information systems (GIS) have played an instrumental role in analyzing flood control options in the Clear Creek watershed. The development of an effective approach addressing both flood mitigation and ecosystem preservation has been pursued by various agencies for the past 30 years in an effort to preserve one of the last pristine bayous in the Houston / Galveston Bay area. Proposed solutions to the flooding problems by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) have focused on large- scale channelization which could jeopardize the creek's sensitive ecosystem and provide limited flood protection as evidenced by the severe flooding experienced in other concrete channelized creeks and bayous in the region. The application of the Hydrologic Engineering Center's latest hydrologic and hydraulic models (HEC-HMS, HEC-RAS and HEC-GeoRas), coupled with GIS and NEXRAD radar, has allowed for the efficient analysis of proposed alternatives to the previous COE plan including voluntary floodplain property buyouts and various, smaller-scale channelization schemes.