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Kerr County team outlines $5 million plan for unified Guadalupe River flood‑warning system
Summary
A development team presented detailed requirements for a unified, automated flood‑warning system for Kerr County—covering rain and stream gauges, modeling, dashboards, and a dual communication center—and commissioners approved keeping a request to the governor 'in reserve' while pursuing RFPs and state grant opportunities.
A development team presented a plan Dec. 8 for a countywide, automated flood‑warning system designed to turn National Weather Service forecasts and local rainfall data into location‑specific warnings intended to give residents at least 15 minutes to reach safety.
Tom Moses, who led the development team, described an architecture that uses a three‑stage approach: forecasts, a network of more than 100 rain gauges feeding hydrologic models tuned to Kerr County terrain, and stream gauges to confirm flood levels. Model outputs would drive dashboards for emergency managers and an automated communication center that can trigger sirens, road signs and individual receivers at camps or residences.
"Establish and maintain a unified flood warning system with fully automated capability that provides adequate warning for people to reach safety," Moses said, summarizing the team's stated objective. He estimated the system Moses described could be implemented in the neighborhood of $5,000,000, not including some proposed fiber‑optic elements.
Tara Bushnell of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority said the Texas Water Development Board grant is the primary funding mechanism and that the board will release more guidance on Dec. 16. She said the county’s proposal is aligned with state conversations and the project team will refine a schedule once grant rules are published.
County commissioners discussed whether to require fiber optics in the RFP language and how fiber obligations could affect eligibility for state grants. Moses recommended issuing a request for proposals and beginning the design, development, test and evaluation phase quickly; commissioners agreed to make the requirements public so vendors can begin reviewing them.
The court also considered a proposed letter to the governor requesting assistance to secure state appropriated funding for the system. The court voted unanimously to approve the letter "and have it in our back pocket," meaning the letter is approved by the court but will not be sent immediately pending further developments and guidance from the water development board.
Next steps the court identified were to finalize requirements, issue an RFP and return with funding and interlocal agreement details as TBDB and other partners provide clarity. Commissioners indicated further budget and grant work is required before the county commits to procurement or debt.
