Round Rock residents who have long dealt with the threat of flooding from Lake Creek are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with the anticipated completion of Dam 101. As reported by FOX 7 Austin, the new dam near O’Connor Drive and State Highway 45 is to provide significant flood relief. "This project will have the greatest drainage improvement impact to Round Rock," said Michael Thane, the city’s Executive Director of Public Works. According to Thane, once the clouds start getting dark, residents have reason to worry, so this development should alleviate some of their concerns.
It's a sentiment echoed by local resident Cynthia Dunbar, who has endured the flooding of her Lake Creek-adjacent property multiple times. "It doesn’t hang around. And it goes away real fast. It’s just a mess, and the smell is horrendous," Dunbar explained in an interview obtained by FOX 7 Austin. The worst flooding she witnessed was in 2010, during Tropical Storm Hermine, when she had to be evacuated from her home by the fire department.
On the financial side of things, the Upper Brushy Creek Improvement District has shouldered a significant debt to fund the dam's construction. In total, the district agreed to pay $34 million dollars, with Round Rock contributing an additional $2 million for its design. This investment is intended to mitigate the risks that have historically affected over a thousand homes in the area.
The relief isn't restricted to just fears of property damage — once Dam 101 is completed and submitted to FEMA, insurance rates for local homeowners could potentially see a reduction, as per a FOX 7 Austin report. "What people are hoping is that it’s going to get them out of the floodplain," Dunbar told the publication. "Hoping it will lower the insurance rates for some of the people because the insurance is ridiculous."
Over in a Community Impact article, further details of the collaboration behind the project were highlighted. The Upper Brushy Creek WCID, the city of Round Rock, Williamson County, and the Texas Water Development Board have all played a role in planning for the dam's successful completion. Reflecting on needs pinpointed in a watershed study from 2010 and backed by $85 million in bonds approved by voters for flood safety projects, Dam 101 is being positioned as a crucial measure to contain runoff for more than five miles of Lake Creek. Its completion date is set for the end of the year, and once operational, FEMA will re-evaluate the floodplain status and influence on homeowner insurance rates.
