Dam Rehabilitation Projects Support County Infrastructure

Supporters of a flood control program that began in the 1940s envisioned protecting agricultural lands and rural infrastructure. A series of floodwater-retarding structures built in North Central Texas during the last 50 years have done just that.
Over the years, nearly 2,000 floodwater-retarding structures were built in Texas, many of them north of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. More than 200 of the structures in Texas have exceeded their 50-year evaluated life, and by 2011 that number will grow to 542. In addition, those structures protect much more in urban development than they did 50 years ago.
Aging watershed dams and the need to rehabilitate and maintain them remains an important topic among communities north of Dallas/Fort Worth. When the original floodwater-retarding projects were planned, agricultural lands painted the landscape.
“When these structures were constructed, they were protecting agricultural lands and rural infrastructure such as county roads, so now they are also protecting lives,” said Clyde Hogue, water resources planning specialist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in McKinney.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2006 population statistics, McKinney was the second-fastest growing city in the nation for communities with a population of more than 100,000 people. From July 2005 until July 2006, McKinney grew 11.1 percent.
Within Collin County, the local watershed sponsors, which includes Collin County and Collin County Soil and Water Conservation District, built 99 floodwater-retarding structures with assistance from NRCS through the Flood Control Act of 1944 (Public Law 78-534). Eighteen of these flood-retarding structures are now within the jurisdiction of the city of McKinney
“Flood control structures are a major part of the urban growth throughout North Central Texas, and especially in the communities just north of Dallas,” Hogue said. McKinney is one community that is utilizing NRCS dam rehabilitation efforts within the East Fork Above Lavon Watershed to help improve and support its growing population, infrastructure, and economic development.
“When the dams are rehabilitated to the highest standards, it gives peace of mind they’re still going to be around for the next 50 to 100 years protecting citizens living in these areas,” Hogue said.
“Since they were constructed decades ago, the dams in unincorporated areas of Collin County served their original purpose well