Bexar County directs funding to accelerate next‑generation flood warning system

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — Bexar County leaders said at a press conference that the commissioners court has moved to fund and accelerate a next‑generation flood warning system to expand predictive modeling, sensors and low‑water crossing protections countywide.

County Judge Sakai and County Manager David Smith said the court directed the San Antonio River Authority to implement the system and that the authority "will have the $21,000,000 it needs," a figure officials gave as the combined estimate for county and city components.

The project combines updated hydrologic modeling, additional rain and stream gauges, automated and manual low‑water crossing barriers, solar lighting and public alerting. David Smith, Bexar County manager, credited the San Antonio River Authority’s modeling work after the June 12 floods and said the authority’s models could be expanded countywide so officials can predict which crossings will flood and alert responders in time to close roads.

Why it matters: Officials said the system is intended to reduce deaths and high‑water rescues by giving emergency responders and the public better, more timely information about where and when floodwaters will make roads impassable.

How it would work: Derek Baze, general manager of the San Antonio River Authority, described a network of rain gauges and stream gauges feeding a central predictive model. Those data…