Officials in Central Texas were well aware of the risk of life-threatening flooding long before the deadly July 4 floods, according to records obtained by ABC News.
“Kerr County and the Hill Country have a greater risk of flash flooding than most regions of the United States. This region of Texas is known as Flash Flood Alley because of the area's steep terrain, shallow soil, and unusually high rainfall rates,” a grant application submitted to the state of Texas by the Upper Guadalupe River Authority (UGRA) last year said. “Heavy rains can quickly result in high walls of fast moving water with great destructive potential.”
The UGRA used the region’s history of overflowing riverbanks in an attempt to receive $1 million in funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund to fully cover the cost of a project called the “Kerr County Flood Warning System.” ABC News obtained the documents submitted by the authority to the Texas Water Development Board through a public records request.
MORE: 'I need somebody to take me seriously': More 911 calls released from Texas floodsMore than 130 people died in the Texas Hill Country as a result of the flooding last month.
But the records confirm that fears about what could happen if water from the Guadalupe River surged above the riverbanks date back generations.
“Since 1932, approximately 35 lives have been lost in floods in Kerr County. Many of those lost were in vehicles attempting to cross flooded roads,” the authority’s application stated.
In its attempt to receive state funding, the UGRA included this overview:
The proposed flood warning system was recommended by engineers eight months after the 2016 death. The study pointed out that Bexar County, home of San Antonio, had similar technology already in place.
“The system will be utilized for mass notification to citizens and visitors about high water levels and flood roadway conditions throughout Kerr County,” the application said, describing plans for high water detection systems at 10 low water crossings in the area. “Each high water detection system would consist of a master gauging station at the site which would transmit a coded signal to an advance warning system remote station. The signal would then be transmitted to a radio tower that converts the data so that local agencies can collect and process the information.”
MORE: Texas flood: Kickoff meeting for Kerr County warning system project had been planned for mid-JulyThe records show that in October 2024, the UGRA declined to continue applying for funding from the Flood Infrastructure Fund, with Executive Director Tara Bushnoe writing that the project would have been “only eligible for a 5% grant.”
“Kerr County’s topography, shallow soils, and history of unusually high rainfall rates make our area vulnerable to flash floods. UGRA and our community partners remain committed to improving monitoring of flood events, detection of hazardous road conditions, and notification of citizens,” Bushnoe wrote. “We will continue to explore options to implement a Kerr County flood warning system and financial assistance opportunities.”
As ABC News previously reported, the UGRA later reached an agreement with a company called Kisters to develop a flood warning system that would have consisted of "a centralized dashboard to support local flood monitoring and emergency response.”
MORE: Some former Texas county officials thought informal phone calls, not sirens, would be sufficient in a floodThe agreement, which was signed exactly one month before the July 4 floods, said that the project was expected to cost $58,375 in labor costs along with a $14,600 fee for one year of software costs.
A kick-off meeting was scheduled for mid-July, but the plans were put on hold after the floods.
ABC News' Josh Margolin contributed to this report.