Fort Worth, Texas -- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials at the Fort Worth District, along with officials from the Tarrant Regional Water District, earlier this year placed more than 150 native species plants at the start of the Sycamore Creek Aquatic Habitat Mitigation project.
“This is a critical component of civil works and flood risk management infrastructure projects,” said Lynde Dodd, a research biologist with the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, run by USACE’s Engineer Research and Development Center.
“There are a number of invasive species that can establish and impact recreation, water quality, and habitat that ultimately reduce the plant and wildlife diversity of the area,” Dodd said. “Transplanting native species back into a river helps reduce sediment suspension and erosion, which improves water quality.”
Over the course of the next several years, more than 1,000 native plants and trees will be planted to support the resilience of environmental features and create nature-based solutions that reduce the impact to bottomland hardwood and riparian habitats for the Trinity River.
This component is one of the first phases under the overall Central City flood risk management project since funding was provided by the FY22 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“As local sponsor, it’s TRWD’s job to clear the path, making the area shovel ready, for USACE to begin construction of the bypass channel,” said Dan Buhman, TRWD’s general manager. “Now that TRWD’s work is nearly complete, we are excited to stand beside our federal partner as they enter into a major phase of the project. As a partner, its important knowing both agencies’ priorities are keeping our community safe.”
The Fort Worth Floodway levees were originally constructed by local community interests in response to flooding events in the early 1900s. This system was modified in the 1950’s and incorporated as a congressionally authorized project. The Fort Worth Floodway is a federally authorized and non-federally operated and maintained, urban flood risk management system. The current system, as we know it today, was constructed in the 1960s. As a result of congressionally authorized floodway studies, it was determined that modifications (as defined by the Modified Central City Project) are required to reduce flood risk.
The project is located in Fort Worth, Texas. The Modified Central City Project has various components including an approximate 8,400-foot bypass channel, three isolation gates, low water dam, and valley storage mitigation sites (Gateway Park, Ham Branch, Riverside Park, Rockwood Park West, Samuels Avenue, and University Drive) to provide flood risk management functions along the Clear Fork and West Fork of the Trinity River.
Visit the Fort Worth District Web site at: www.swf.usace.army.mil and social media at: https://about.me/usacefortworth
For more information on TRWD, visit their website at: https://www.trwd.com/ or their Central City project website at https://pantherislandcc.com/.
You can find more information on the restoration and Central City project, at https://www.swf.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Trinity-River-Central-City/ and LAERF capabilities at https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/Fact-Sheets/Fact-Sheet-Article-View/Article/476784/lewisville-aquatic-ecosystem-research-facility-laerf/.