To reduce flood damages, SWD manages 90 flood damage reduction reservoirs that provide a total of 33.22 million acre-feet of flood storage. The division also manages a system of levees, channels and local flood protection projects totaling 760 miles.Tulsa District operates 50 reservoirs, Fort Worth District operates 25, Little Rock District operates 12, and Galveston District operates three.
These projects prevent an average of $1.3 billion in flood damages each year while providing additional benefits.
While you may be familiar with our large dams, we've also designed innovative, smaller flood damage reduction projects that also provide economic, environmental, recreation, and aesthetic benefits.
An example of a smaller flood damage reduction project is Mingo Creek Tulsa.We received national recognition for its innovative design that includes 23 detention sites and nearly 10 miles of channel work.
Just months after it was completed in 1998, the San Antonio River Tunnel, which is 24 feet wide and 140 feet below ground and part of our San Antonio Channel Improvement flood protection project, paid for itself following one record flood. Without the tunnel, the downtown area would have been under 6 feet of water.In 1999, the project received the prestigious Federal Design Achievement Award, with judges citing it for flood damage reduction, economic, environmental, recreation, aesthetic, and historic preservation benefits.
On the Gulf Coast, our projects like the Galveston Seawall, pump stations and breakwaters provide hurricane flood protection.
The Dallas Floodway Extension project is one example of a partnership between the Corps of Engineers and elected officials to provide flood damage reduction, environmental restoration, recreation, and other allied purposes within the Trinity River Basin.
