The Brown County Water Improvement District’s board of directors met in their regular monthly meeting today with a short agenda. The most pressing matter for the district was to show support for the county in their effort to tell FEMA to keep the flood plain elevation at 10 feet above spillway.
Dennis Spinks, General Manager for the district recapped the joint meeting that he had with the city and county last week (more info HERE) reviewing the situation regarding FEMA wanting to raise the base flood elevation by 3 feet.
Spinks said, “FEMA has stated that they would accept 1438 [mean sea level], but I don’t think we want to accept the 1438. Brown County, the commissioners, and Ray West do not want to accept 1438.” The current flood level is 1435 msl.
General Council Bill Bell said, “The Water District cannot agree to anything outside our flood easement. I think, frankly looking at this process, that we have some factors that have been thrown in because they want to increase the sale of flood insurance.”
Bell was also concerned about liability issues if the flood levels are raised. Bell explained, “We have a flood easement for 1435 and if they set 1438 as the flood easement at the lake, we are going to have to take remedial action to release more water in order to avoid liability in the future and the integrity of this district.”
The discussion continued to compare what information FEMA was using to determine the flood easement verses the data that the county and the Water District has.
Spinks said,” What our contention is that the best available data is the history that we have on that lake. When you have 77 years of historical elevations on the lake, and we even have the rainfall data that has occurred back before 1900. That data should outweigh any assumptions and theories. That’s all they have right now is assumptions and theories that they are producing models with to produce an elevation. What we have is hard data.”
The directors passed a resolution to throw support behind Brown County’s resolution that they passed earlier today (see HERE). The Brown County Water Improvement District’s resolution reads:
Brown county water Improvement District No. One, a Municipal Utility District, body corporate and politic, acting though a quorum of its Board of Directors at a regular meeting held on September 8, 2009 unanimously passed the following Resolutions, to-wit:
BE IT RESOLVED, Brown County Water improvement District No. One (MUD) supports the Commissioners Court of Brown County, Texas in its efforts to maintain the existing Lake Brownwood flood plain elevation at 10 foot above the lake spillway weir; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Brown County Water improvement District No. One (MUD) requests FEMA to set the Lake Brownwood flood plain elevation at 10 foot above the lake spillway weir.
In other business:
-The District approved a request by Brookesmith SUD to file a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity Application so allow them to sell water in a designated area which overlaps the Brown County Water Improvement District.
-GM, Dennis Spinks briefly reviewed some issues with a water plant and to discuss seeking some outside help to resolve the issue.
