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Water department outlines Whites Creek and Browns Creek buyout work, Corps and FEMA roles
Summary
Metro Water Services described long-running flood mitigation efforts along Whites Creek and Browns Creek, including an upcoming Corps of Engineers project, the number of properties on federal lists, demolition and development restrictions tied to FEMA buyouts and the Corps cost-share arrangement.
Tom Palko, a Metro Water Services representative, briefed the Greenways & Open Spaces Commission on long-running flood mitigation acquisitions and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers process for Whites Creek and nearby projects.
"There's, like, 40 properties on the list to buy. We actually own 11 of them that we've actually bought through other means," Palko said, describing the Corps' need to update funding and analysis before federal acquisition funds become available and the city's parallel efforts on prioritized properties.
Palko said the Corps process could take roughly a year to secure funding and begin acquisitions and noted the Corps typically covers about two-thirds of acquisition costs while the metro government covers about one-third.
He described how flood-prone properties along West Hamilton, Buena Vista and areas around Crouch Drive have required multiple buyouts in the past and recounted a 2010 flood in which a home was moved into a roadway. Palko said many properties acquired with FEMA mitigation funds must remain undeveloped and under public ownership; those parcels are typically demolished and preserved as open space or for park use, and cannot be resold for development.
FEMA limits and vacant lots
Palko explained FEMA hazard mitigation grant rules limit purchases to properties with a qualifying hazard exposure — for example, properties with repetitive insurance claims — so FEMA funds generally cannot be used to buy vacant lots that present no immediate mitigation need. He said the Corps offers another pathway and the city has used Corps projects successfully in the past.
Local priorities and constraints
Commissioners asked whether the city ever buys vacant floodplain parcels or low-income rental properties. Palko said the city has purchased some vacant lots when they were associated with an adjacent acquired house but that FEMA and Corps funding typically target structures or insurable properties with repeat losses. He noted the high costs of commercial property buyouts and said the city often prioritizes residential properties where people live.
Palko also described remaining gaps in lower-income rental complexes in areas such as Trimble Bottoms and other Browns Creek locations; he said some of those properties have repeated lower-story flood damage but that funding arrangements and complex ownership structures can complicate acquisition options.
Ending: Palko said the Corps is a viable alternative to FEMA for advancing acquisitions and that Metro will proceed on a mix of Corps, FEMA and, when necessary, fully metro-funded purchases to avoid patchwork protections.
