Managing flood risks Waco weighs home buyouts in expanded flood plain

John Johnson said he was not surprised to learn his Brook Oaks home is in the 100-year flood plain, but he would be surprised if any of his neighbors would be willing to sell their homes to the city because of that fact.

From his home in the 1800 block of North 10th Street, the longtime Precinct 2 constable has watched floodwaters rise over the Barron's Branch storm culvert on 11th Street and cross his backyard at least four times. After one flood destroyed his fence, he rebuilt his back gate to accommodate the path the water typically takes from one side of the yard to the other.

"I've been here almost 50 years, since I was 23," Johnson said. "I used to have flood insurance when it was $300 or $400, but now it's $3,000 or $4,000."

Studies in recent years revealed sections of the city are more vulnerable to flooding than previously captured in official maps, leading to updates starting in 2021 to the boundaries of the 100-year flood plain as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The 100-year flood plain refers to the area understood to have at least a 1% chance of flooding each year, and the expansion of the boundaries took in Johnson's home and several of his neighbors'. He said he did not receive any word from FEMA after the flood plain was expanded to include his block.

The city of Waco is considering a voluntary buyback program for homeowners who need to buy flood insurance because of the expanded flood plain and may be priced out by the added expense. The designation also can be a major hit to a property's resale value. Generally, any requirement to buy flood insurance is imposed by lenders, with legal requirements tied to federally backed mortgages. New construction in the 100-year flood plain is restricted.

The last time the city studied the situation around Barron's Branch and 11th Street, building stormwater infrastructure to ease the flooding risk would have cost more than three times as much as buying out the affected houses.

Waco flood plain administrator Roger Glick said he is still deciding which lots may qualify for the city buyback program, based on location and the projected amount of flooding during a 100-year storm.

Johnson said even if his home is included, he has no reason to move.

"My house is my own," Johnson said. "I paid off my house 10 or 15 years ago now. And now you say you're going to buy it back?"

Glick said the city already controls some parcels of land along 11th and 10th streets, making that area a potential pick for a targeted buyback program, but there are about five areas throughout the city with the same problem.

"We don't know exactly what area they want to target first," Glick said. "That's what I'm working on now, where we get the biggest bang for the buck."

Glick is in the middle of updating the appraised value of each home in the flood plain, along with the expected flood level during a 100-year storm for each one and estimated damage.

He said he likely will present a report on the homes in the flood plain during a Waco City Council meeting this month.

Brook Oaks Neighborhood Association President Sammy Smith said the aged storm infrastructure in the neighborhood is evident every time there is heavy rain. Culverts get jammed with tree limbs and debris, water rises and manhole covers pop up. He said he doubts most people in the neighborhood have flood insurance, and questioned how many had gotten any word from FEMA or the city.

"If FEMA expanded the flood plain ... how many people know?" he said.

Some of the affected lots are already city-owned, and some are being held in trust by the city. If no one pays taxes on a property and no one buys the property during a courthouse auction, the home and property are placed in trust to the city of Waco.

"The city doesn't technically own it, but it is interest the city controls," Glick said.

He said he also is talking to city departments about the lots being considered for buybacks, determining whether city amenities could be built there, or on neighboring lots.

"If we acquire all of these properties, then maybe we look at (whether) we want to acquire ... the entire block," Glick said. "From a flood protection standpoint we wouldn't necessarily need these, but for the bigger picture let's get the entire block so we can do something with it."

Glick said work on a solution began when the city started updating its flood plain in 2016. He said the city in 2021 implemented a drainage fee charged to property owners in part to fund new infrastructure to address the expanded flood plain.

"There's all these houses. What do you do with an engineering solution?" Glick said.

Closing streets, digging new channels and rerouting the creek to take 11th Street out of the path of flooding would have cost $3.3 million in 2016. Buying the houses as an alternative would have cost an estimated $873,000.

The expanded flood plain also includes homes in the 700 block of Grice Drive; the 800, 900 and 1000 blocks of North 31st Street; and the 1100 block of North 33rd Street, near SJ Guthrie Park.