Big news for Fort Worth's floodplain management came through this week, with the City Council's nod to revamp stormwater regulations. On Tuesday, the Council greenlighted an ordinance bringing citywide valley storage rules onto the books, to kick in come February 1, 2026. This is a big step up from the current regulations, which only apply to the Trinity River Corridor. The new ordinance is set to manage the floodplains more strictly, making sure that any fill within these zones doesn't come at the cost of valley storage, which plays a crucial part in cushioning the blow of floods and erosion downstream. According to an article published by the City of Fort Worth, the regulations fall in line with the Stormwater Program's commitment to "Protect People & Property from Harmful Stormwater Runoff."
Too much development fill has led to an uptick in flood complaints and erosion worries, and these new rules aim to address that. The current approach left a lot on the table, covering just 18 square miles and leaving another 32 square miles up for grabs. But with the updated ordinance, fills in FEMA floodplains across an estimated 50 square miles will need to make sure they're not chipping away at that crucial valley storage. That means about 75 projects a year would need to adhere to the new policy, making for what could be a substantial drop in flood risk and stronger infrastructure to boot, as reported by the City of Fort Worth.
Studies and stakeholder voices alike have pushed for this update, with one clear directive: zero loss in valley storage, period. The plan is to draw the lines using FEMA's floodplain boundaries and mesh these new rules with the current permitting process without bogging down review times. Projects that have already put studies forward or have permits under review get to play by the old rules. For those crossing into this new territory, the city's drafting up a guide to help them along. And if you're looking to get into the weeds of the Stormwater Program's upcoming priorities, they've got all that laid out online for you.
