Melinda Luna, Team Lead, TNRIS Presented at the 2011 Texas GIS Forum

1. High Water Marks
Crowd Sourcing-History- Geography
Melinda Luna, P.E., CFM
October 2011 | Flood Mapping Services

2. The Problem: Flood Deaths
www.tnris.org/status-maps
Number of
State Flood
Deaths(1960-
2008)
Texas 657
S Dakota 246
Virginia 224
California 186
Colorado 185
Source: Rising Waters, The Causes and Consequences of Flooding in the
United States
Samuel D. Brody, W E Highfield, Jung Eun Kang

3. The Problem: Theoretical Floodplains
www.tnris.org/status-maps
Initial
Floodplain
Floodplain after
Highwater marks
Highwater mark

4. Missing Ingredient:
Highwater marks
g
www.tnris.org/status-maps
CIRCA ~ 1400 AD
“High d lli
“Hi h dwellings are
the peace and
harmony of our
descendants,
Remember the
calamity of the
great tsunamis. Do
not build any
homes below this
point.
point "

5. Missing Ingredient:
Highwater marks
g

6. Highwater Marks Website
www.tnris.org/status-maps
t i g/ t t
Total for State: 6,500

7. Types of high water marks

8. Thank you to our Partners:

9. Sources of Highwater Marks
USDA-NRCS, USGS, 2.8% Communities,
0.3% 6.8%
FEMA, 5 7%
FEMA 5.7%
USACE, 29.6%
HCFCD, 42.5%
Tx DOT,
6.0%
NWS, 3.4%
NWS 3 4%
LCRA, 2.3%
IBWC, 0.6%

10. Other Methods of acquiring
www.tnris.org/status-maps
t i g/ t t Highwater Mark data
Web services Webservices
Geospatial Pdf
http://services.tnris.org/arcgis/servic
es/High_Water_Marks/MapServer/W
MSServer?
Gemss.tnris.org

11. High Water Marks in Texas
2500+ Dallam Sherman Hansford Ochiltree Lipscomb
101 - 260
Total for State: 6,500
Hartley Moore Hutchinson Roberts Hemphill
Oldham Potter Carson Gray Wheeler
51 - 100
As f
A of 10/20/2011
Deaf Smith Randall Armstrong Donley Collingsworth
26 - 50 Parmer Castro Swisher Briscoe Hall Childress
Hardeman
Bailey Lamb Hale Floyd Motley Cottle Wilbarger
11 - 25 Foard Wichita
Clay
Montague Cooke Grayson Lamar Red River
Cochran Hockley Lubbock Crosby Dickens King Knox Baylor Archer Fannin
Bowie
1 - 10 Yoakum Terry Lynn Garza Kent Stonewall Haskell
Throckmorton
Young Jack Wise Denton Collin
Hunt
Delta
Hopkins
Titus
Morris Cass
Franklin
Camp
Rockwall Rains
StephensPalo Pinto Parker Wood Upshur Marion
None Identified Gaines Dawson Borden Scurry Fisher Jones
Shackelford
Tarrant Dallas
KaufmanVan Zandt Harrison
Hood Johnson Gregg
Ellis Smith
Andrews Martin Howard Mitchell Nolan Taylor Callahan Eastland
Erath Somervell Henderson
Rusk Panola
Hill Navarro
Glasscock Comanche Bosque
El Paso Loving Winkler Ector Midland Coke Runnels Cherokee
Sterling Coleman Brown Anderson Shelby
Hamilton Freestone
Tom Green Nacogdoches
Ward Mills McLennan Limestone
Hudspeth Culberson Crane
Upton Reagan Coryell San Augustine Sabine
Reeves Irion Concho Leon Houston
McCullochSan Saba Lampasas Falls Angelina
Bell Robertson Madison Trinity
Schleicher Menard
Pecos Burnet Milam Walker Polk Tyler Jasper Newton
Jeff Davis Crockett Mason Llano Williamson Brazos
Grimes San Jacinto
Sutton Kimble Burleson
Gillespie Blanco Travis Lee Montgomery Hardin
Terrell Washington
Liberty Orange
Kerr Hays Bastrop
Presidio Edwards AustinWaller
Val Verde Kendall
Real Caldwell Fayette Harris Jefferson
Brewster Comal
Bandera Chambers
Guadalupe Colorado
Fort Bend
Bexar Gonzales Galveston
Kinney Uvalde Medina Lavaca
Wharton
Wilson Brazoria
DeWitt
Maverick Jackson
Zavala Frio Atascosa Karnes
Victoria Matagorda
Goliad
Calhoun
Dimmit McMullen
Bee
La Salle Live Oak Refugio
San PatricioAransas
Webb
Duval Jim Wells Nueces
Kleberg
Zapata Jim Hogg Brooks
Kenedy
Starr
Willacy
Hidalgo
highwatermarks@tnris.org
Cameron

12. How can HWM’s help in
Floodplain Mapping?
•Calibration of Hydraulic models
•Research projects
•Uses outside floodplain mapping
•Recreate Historic Flood Events
•Outreach – Understanding flooding
Outreach

13. Highwater marks - History
June 1965 –Sanderson, Texas
May 1981 – Austin, Texas September 2008-Galveston

14. Highwater marks: Geography
www.tnris.org/status-maps

15. Thank you
Send any highwater marks to:
Highwatermarks@tnris.org
High t r rk @t ri rg
Floodplain Mapping S i
Fl d l i M i g Services – M i Li 512 463 8337
Main Line 512-463-8337
Texas Natural Resources Information Systems,
a part of the Texas Water Development Board
Melinda Luna, P.E., CFM
512-463-9625
Melinda.Luna@twdb.state.tx.us