River Basin Study

RBFS Technical Process

Technical Process – a structured overview of the technical process used across RBFS, detailing how regions collect data, engage stakeholders, and conduct comprehensive flood-risk assessments to establish priority areas.  It highlights the progression from baseline and advanced flood modeling to the refinement of high-risk “Hot Spots” and the development of targeted structural and non-structural mitigation projects. Finally, it outlines available funding pathways and technical guidance designed to support communities in their implementation of effective, data-driven flood resilient solutions.

RBFS Technical Process - Fact Sheet

RBFS Baseline Modeling

Baseline Modeling - Phase 3 of RBFS includes comprehensive baseline flood modeling across the highest-risk watersheds to support planning, mitigation, and informed decision-making.  The developed models provide a consistent, data-driven foundation for understanding how water moves across Texas landscapes during major storm events. Using best available hydrologic, hydraulic, and coastal data, the models simulate rainfall, runoff, riverine flooding, and coastal surge interactions.

RBFS Baseline Modeling - Fact Sheet

RBFS Alternatives Analysis

Alternatives Analysis Modeling - Phase 4 of RBFS identified the flood prone areas using the baseline modeling and the best available data, organized them into mitigation areas, and defined the sources and objectives that guided the analysis.  The resulting modeling packages and evaluations will help support communities with project implementation and future mitigation planning.

RBFS Alternatives Analysis - Fact Sheet

RBFS Funding & Technical Assistance

Funding and Technical Assistance (FTA) – the initiative of this phase connects communities with the programs, partners, and tools needed to transform flood mitigation concepts into fundable, implementable projects.  The technical snapshot outlines the support provided to strengthen project competitiveness through avenues such as funding identification, cost-share strategies and coordination with other State and Federal agencies.

RBFS Funding & Technical Assistance - Fact Sheet

RBFS Baseline Modeling Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

The Baseline Modeling SOP establishes a unified, technically rigorous framework for developing baseline hydrologic, hydraulic, and coastal flood models across all the RBFS regions.  The procedures ensure consistency, defensibility, and alignment with industry review standards and define requirements for model setup, calibration, and validation that guide the regions through every modeling milestone.

RBFS Baseline Modeling Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

RBFS Hot Spot Analysis Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

The Hot Spot Analysis SOP provides a standardized, GIS-based method for rapidly identifying localized flood risk “hot spots” by evaluating structural, roadway, and agricultural exposure using the baseline conditions modeling outputs.  It defines required datasets, analytical procedures and spatial aggregation techniques including the use of hexagonal grids and Social Vulnerability Index (SOVI) overlays to consistently highlight areas with significant flood impacts.

RBFS Hot Spot Analysis Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

RBFS Alternatives Analysis Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)

The Alternatives Analysis SOP establishes a consistent step-by-step framework for evaluating and recommending flood mitigation alternatives across the RBFS regions by integrating baseline modeling, hot spot results, stakeholder input and both qualitative and quantitative criteria.  The framework guides the regions through defining problems, screening concepts, formulating alternatives, and performing benefit cost evaluations using uniform standards to ensure a defensible and comparable analysis across the regions. In the end the process culminates in selecting and refining a recommended alternative for each mitigation area and preparing the projects for further development in Phase 5 (FTA)

RBFS Alternatives Analysis Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)