History

1956

The original Brushy Creek Water Control and Improvement District (WCID) No. 1 of Williamson and Milam Counties is established, responsible for 46 floodwater retarding structures.

 

 

 

1972

Congress passes the Dam Inspection Act authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to review all federal and state dam safety programs and regulations and to inspect all high- hazard dams.

 

 

 

1986

Texas tightens its dam safety regulations to adhere to the Corps of Engineers’ criteria requiring high hazard dams to safely pass 100% of the Probable Maximum Flood.

 

 

 

June 1998

Regional dam owners’ lack of financial resources spurs state recommendation of a flexible cafeteria plan of dam safety regulations to economically address dam safety problems.

 

 

 

November 2001

Voters of Williamson and Milam Counties approve splitting the original WCID into two new water districts in the upper and lower Brushy Creek watersheds, officially known as No. 1A and No. 2B.

 

 

 

May 2002 

Voters in the new Upper Brushy Creek WCID (No. 1A ) approve an ad valorem tax of a maximum of two cents per $100 of property evaluation to finance the dam modernization program. Also, due to the cost of raising all dams to 100% PMF, the District applies to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for a variance to the state’s dam safety regulations.

 

 

 

May 2003

TCEQ approves WCID’s implementation of the cafeteria plan as a variance. District can now raise dams to 50% PMF with conditions that include the installation of a flood monitoring system.

 

 

 

August 2003

Construction begins on the WCID’s first dam modernization project at Dam No. 9.

 

 

 

January 2004

Modernization of Dam No. 9 completed – it is raised to safely pass 100% of the PMF.

 

 

 

Summer 2005

Installation of Phase I of Flood Monitoring System is completed. Modernization of Dams 11, 12 and 14 is completed. Dams 11 and 12 are raised to safely pass 100% of the PMF; Dam 14 is raised to safely pass 50% of the PMF.

 

 

 

2006

Installation of Phase II of the Flood Monitoring System is completed. Modernization of Dams 1, 6, and 13A is completed. Dams 1 and 6 are raised to safely pass 50% of the PMF. Dam 13A is raised to safely pass 100% of the PMF with a rehabilitation grant from the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

 

 

 

2007

TCEQ adopted the new Hydrologic and Hydraulic Guidelines for Dams in Texas – guidelines that make it economically feasible to raise most, if not all, dams to 100% PMF. Modernization of Dams 15 and 20 is completed; they are raised to safely pass 100% of the PMF. Phase III of the installation of the Flood Monitoring System is completed.

 

 

 

September 2007

The District is awarded the West Region Award of Merit for outstanding contributions to dam safety on a regional level by the Association of State Dam Safety Officials.

 

 

 

2008

Modernization of Dams 1, 6, 17, 19 is completed; they are raised to safely pass
100% of the PMF.

 

 

2009

TCEQ published updated dam safety rules. Modernization of Dams 2, 5, and 16 completed; they are raised to safely pass 100% of the PMF.

 

 

 

2010

Modernization of Dams 3 and 4 are scheduled for completion. Construction begins on Dam 14 to raise it to pass 100% PMF. Design is under way for modernization of Dams 8, 18, 20, and 21 and construction is anticipated to begin by fall 2010. The modernization program is ahead of schedule, with more than seventy percent of the District’s dams now safely passing 100% of the PMF.