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Study shows Austin flood plains expanding


A recent study shows Austin's yearly average rainfall is increasing, causing the city's flood plain to expand. (CBS Austin)
A recent study shows Austin's yearly average rainfall is increasing, causing the city's flood plain to expand. (CBS Austin)
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A recent study shows Austin's yearly average rainfall is increasing, causing the city's flood plain to expand.

You don’t need to live in Austin long to see why this part of the state can be called flash flood alley. Historic storms like Halloween of 2013 and 2015, Memorial Day of 2015 and May of 2016 all had significant flooding that caused millions in property damage.

“It’s a sunken feeling,” said Russ Warnik who once lost a truck in a flood. “It’s like, this was a river and now it’s a lake, and where’s my car?”

The federal Atlas 14 study showed Austin and Central Texas are more likely to experience larger storms than previously thought.

Kevin Shunk, a flood plain administrator with Austin's watershed protection department, said they were under the impression there were 4,000 buildings in the city's 100-year flood plain. The rainfall study from the National Weather Service showed that number is now at 7,200 buildings.

“All flood plains are going to get a little bit bigger,” said Shunk.

Once they received the study, the watershed department used it to help design infrastructure to control floods with storm drains or preventive barriers. The data also may force homeowners to change their insurance requirements.

"Wherever you see the current 500 year flood plain, that is going to be close to the new 100 year flood plain," said Shunk.

The watershed department is encouraging residents to see if their home is in a new, expanded flood plain at their website.

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