Commander of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tours Dallas Floodway System

On January 5, 2016, Dallas officials toured the Dallas Floodway System with Col. Calvin Hudson II, Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District. Col. Hudson was interested in learning more about the City of Dallas’ two federal projects: Dallas Floodway and Dallas Floodway Extension.

Col. Hudson was joined by Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, Councilmember Lee M. Kleinman, Chair of the Transportation and Trinity River Project Committee; Dr. Gail Thomas, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Trinity Trust Foundation; A.C. Gonzalez, Dallas City Manager; Mark McDaniel, Dallas Assistant City Manager; Sarah Standifer, City of Dallas Director, Trinity Watershed Management; and Dhruv Pandya, City of Dallas Assistant Director of Flood Control, Trinity Watershed Management.

The commander was briefed at Dallas City Hall and the Trinity Trust offices, then toured the Dallas Floodway area. He began at Baker Pump station which includes Old Baker, built in 1932; New Baker, built in 1975; and the newest addition, Baker No. 3, now substantially complete. The tour continued at the Continental Avenue Bridge and West Dallas Gateway, visited by 40,000 people in May 2015 when the Trinity River was out of its banks for several weeks, giving citizens a view of the Dallas Floodway at work. This area also affords close views of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and the Trinity Skyline trail.

In the Dallas Floodway Extension, which begins at Corinth Street Bridge, the Commander toured the Upper Chain of Wetlands project being built jointly by the City of Dallas and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. FEMA recently recognized these federal projects for the City of Dallas’ Upper and Lower Chain of Wetlands projects, in their “Mitigation Best Practices Portfolio” for reducing flooding risks. The wetlands provide much needed flood protection and are also an important component of the City’s recreational areas.