Construction Monthly Magazine | Dallas 2021 Build Expo Show Edition

mitigation for sea-level rise and flooding. The Resilient
Florida Grant Program would have the state commit
millions of dollars to tackle flooding issues and to provide
assistance to local municipalities in combatting specific
risks and vulnerabilities. The bill requires the Department
of Environmental Protection to start tracking flood
vulnerability and sea-level rise on an ongoing basis. Data
collected would be used for reports to the governor and
legislature.
approve $266 million in bonds for critical projects to
reduce flooding. Prioritized projects are all related to
flood mitigation. Most of the projects are located in the
downtown area because of higher density housing. The
projects will include work related to curbs, gutters, inlets,
pipes, ponds, channels, and streams.
Texas
The Texas General Land Office recently approved $135.4
million in flood mitigation projects in a second round of
grant funding. This is part of agency’s $2.3 billion regional
mitigation program, which began in 2016 to protect
environments from future damage from hurricanes,
flooding, and other disasters.
Hidalgo County will receive almost $10 million for flood
mitigation projects. One project directly impacted by the
funds is the expansion of the main floodwater channel
that will add millions of cubic yards to the system’s water
capacity. This effort’s goal is to limit flooding in Hidalgo
County and other portions of the Rio Grande Valley.
The city of Houston will receive $8.2 million for its Alief
Forest Area Flood Mitigation Project that will reconfigure
Boone and Hackberry parks. This work is necessary to
detain stormwater and reduce flood risk in surrounding
areas located in the 100-year floodplain.
The city of Eastland was approved for $10 million to
conduct dam repairs. This project will involve vegetation
removal from spillway areas and reconstruction of the
spillway at Lake Eastland.
Arizona
The Flood Control District of Maricopa County has
created a Five-Year Capital Improvement Program from
fiscal years 2021-2025. Funding for mitigation projects
includes:
• Rehabilitation work on dams within the Guadalupe
Flood Retarding Structure to replace and upgrade the
intake structures. The estimated project cost is $15.8
million.
• The Ellsworth and McKellips Road project will likely
involve construction of a basin.
• An $18.1 million project for Circle K Park will involve
construction of a 35 acre-foot detention basin.
California
The Santa Clara Valley Water District has released
its Fiscal Year 2022-2026 Flood Protection Capital
Improvement Plan. There are dozens of projects outlined:
• Flood protection improvements are planned with a
projected cost of $63 million to protect homes, schools,
businesses, and roadways from flooding risks resulting
from a 20-year flood event.
• A $95 million project to design and construct
improvements along the Guadalupe River is planned.
This work would restore the 100-year flood conveyance
capacity to provide some degree of flood protection.
• Improvement projects related to the Lower Penitencia
Creek are projected at a cost of $28 million. The work
will be designed to maintain existing FEMA accreditation
along the east levee located between California Circle
and Berryessa Creek.
The new BRIC funding is only one of several grant
programs designed to help finance projects that protect
the country from the ravages of climate change.
Mary Scott Nabers is president and CEO of Strategic Partnerships Inc., a business
development company specializing in government contracting and procurement
consulting throughout the U.S. Her recently released book, Inside the Infrastructure
Revolution: A Roadmap for Building America, is a handbook for contractors,
investors and the public at large seeking to explore how public-private partnerships
or joint ventures can help finance their infrastructure projects.
Florida
Legislation has been introduced in Florida, HB 7019
and HB 7021, to invest $100 million per year into
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