As Texas honors flood awareness week, Fort Worth seeks more funds to prevent flooding

With Texas Flood Awareness Week observed from May 19-23, Fort Worth leaders took advantage of the statewide event to remind the public of measures they can take to prevent and mitigate flooding.

But flood awareness and education don’t end there for Fort Worth.

To better focus on community concerns, the city’s stormwater management program is looking ahead with a new strategic plan and several flood control projects in the works. 

In a report presented to City Council members in March, staff outlined the 2026 strategic plan and its mission to identify the best methods of executing flood control projects in order to meet flood mitigation goals for Fort Worth. 

The development of the new strategic plan comes as the stormwater program, kicked off in 2006, approaches two decades in operation. 

“When the program started, there was a plan to get everything up and running. We’ve accomplished a whole lot for the first 20 years,” said assistant stormwater management director Jennifer Dyke. “Where do we want to go for the next 20 years? What do we want the stormwater program to be? What are those priorities for the community?”

Stormwater program looks to city bonds, state funds

As part of the strategic plan, stormwater staff have outlined funds the transportation and public works department would need to funnel into Fort Worth’s future flood projects, which primarily aim to replace and upgrade the city’s existing flood infrastructure.

While utility fees have largely supported city staff in responding to flood risks and emergencies, the stormwater management team estimated an additional $1.5 billion would be required to continue funding long-term restoration projects. The department requested $140.2 million of that total to come from fiscal year 2025-2029 bond programs.

Apart from bond programs, maintenance of flood infrastructure would call for $14.9 million, according to the report.

With the development of the strategic plan still underway, stormwater staff are working to devise a stakeholder group consisting of homeowners, businesses, developers and industrial groups who represent different interests across Fort Worth, Dyke said in an interview with the Report. More importantly, the group would include those who have either been impacted by or reside in areas prone to flooding, according to Dyke.

Although city leaders are planning for potential budget cuts following the Tarrant Appraisal District’s move to freeze property values, a slash in general budget funds would not affect the stormwater program, explained Dyke. 

Funded by stormwater utility fees, the program has a more “predictable” funding base, said Dyke, but city leaders are still looking to other sources for funding, including pools of state funding. 

In order for local governments to be eligible for grants or loans from the state’s Flood Infrastructure Funds program, solutions-based projects must be outlined in the state flood plan. The plan was adopted by the Texas Water Development Board in 2024 to recommend flood-responsive projects and identify initiatives eligible for state funding. 

The Lebow Channel flood mitigation project, located at West Long Avenue going north to De Ridder Street, was ranked highly in the state plan, with the potential to see grants or loans to fund its completion, said Dyke. 

With the project cost set at $90 million, city leaders are hoping the Lebow project will be fully funded if the application is awarded.

Where does Fort Worth stand on current flood projects?

At the stormwater program, several long-term projects are currently in the works. 

Thanks to a 5% stormwater utility fee increase which took effect in January, the additional revenue is helping city leaders “accelerate the delivery” of stormwater drain rehabilitation projects, said Dyke. 

“Those projects are really focused on maintaining the existing storm drain infrastructure across the city and making sure that the pipes continue to function as designed,” said Dyke. “We’re proactively going out there to identify rehab needs.”

Among the stormwater program’s highly prioritized projects is the Randol Mill Road mitigation improvement plan.

Projected to cost $9.3 million, mitigation improvements would realign and raise the portion of Randol Mill Road where it intersects with Ben’s Trail in east Fort Worth. That improvement project will soon request bids from contractors to begin construction, according to Dyke. 

Aging flood infrastructure in downtown Fort Worth has also prompted city leaders to prioritize assessing damage levels in the area, said Dyke.

One of those projects replaced storm drain pipes under 7th Street between Lexington Street, Cherry Street and 6th Street. While construction on the storm drain was completed in 2023, the rehabilitation project requires work on the location’s storm drain inlet and pipe maintenance.

Officials are also focusing their mitigation efforts in developed areas of Fort Worth with the intent to protect homes and businesses at high risk of flooding.

The stormwater utility fee increase in fiscal year 2024 is largely flowing into three large-scale flood mitigation projects in residential areas, said Dyke. 

The Lebow Channel is one of those major flood mitigation projects. If awarded by the state flood plan, Fort Worth officials would receive an $18.75 million grant and a no-interest $71.25 million loan. 

“That would be a huge benefit to the community if we’re able to begin that funding through the flood infrastructure fund,” said Dyke.

Even with several storm drain construction and rehabilitation projects on the stormwater program’s agenda, engaging with the community and addressing their concerns remains high in the strategic plan.

“What we’re trying to better understand is where are the community’s priorities? What do they think we need to do more or less of?” said Dyke. “Part of the plan is looking at the strategy over the long term to figure out where the community wants us to grow.”

The stormwater program encourages the public to provide feedback on drainage operations throughout Fort Worth neighborhoods. A customer satisfaction survey can be accessed on the stormwater program’s website.

Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at [email protected]. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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