Panel to examine impacts on flooding

The impact of manmade infrastructure on Hill Country flooding will be the focus of a Texas Water Symposium Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Texas State University Teaching Center (located within the LBJ Student Center). It is free and open to the public.

The program, titled “The future of flooding in Texas: How do we protect life and property in the face of extreme weather events,” brings together engineers and hydrologists, who will discuss the recent flooding on the Llano and Colorado rivers, Hurricane Harvey, the Blanco River flood of 2015 and other major flood events across the state that have resulted in both loss of life and property damage.

Panelists will discuss the implications of population growth, extreme weather events and the “build environment,” as well as exploring better regional alternatives.

“Every building and flood control device that we construct affects everyone downstream” said Dianne Wassenich, executive director of the San Marcos River Foundation “In order to protect our downstream neighbors we need to very carefully plan how we alter nature with our built environment.”

The discussion will be moderated by Robert Rivard, editor and publisher of The Rivard Report. Panelists for this Texas Water Symposium will include Dr. Mindy Conyers, Water Development Board; Stephen T. Graham, PE, CFM, San Antonio River Authority; Raymond Slade, United States Geological Survey; and Michael A. Moya, PE, CFM, Halff Associates. The session will be recorded for broadcast on Texas Public Radio following the event.

The Symposium is a partnership project of Schreiner University, Texas Tech University, Texas Public Radio and the Hill Country Alliance. For more information, or to watch a video of the symposium, visit the Texas Water Symposium, and listen to past shows online. To stay informed about future programs, subscribe at www.hillcountryalliance.org.