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Subsidence-Related Flooding
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- 5.1.3 Dams and Flooding
- 5.2 Flood Risks – Buildings
5.1.2 Subsidence-Related FloodingBrazoria County and incorporated communities in the region are affected by land subsidence. Land subsidence is defined in the Flood Insurance Study as “the lowering of the ground as a result of water, oil, gas extraction, as well as other phenomena such as soil compaction, decomposition of organic material, and tectonic movement.” Most City residents get their water supply from one of nine City-owned wells. A few residents, primarily in recently annexed areas, are on private wells. The City also purchases treated surface water from the City of Houston. Removal of groundwater may have contributed to subsidence within the City. Due to subsidence, some or all of the benchmarks used to develop the base flood elevations on the FIRM are no longer accurate. Periodically, the federal government relevels some benchmarks to determine new elevations above datum; however, not all benchmarks are releveled each time. Relatively extensive relevelings were performed in 1978, 1987, and 1995. The following passage, “Effects of Land Subsidence”, is taken from the Brazoria County Flood Insurance Study Report dated September 22, 1999: “The prevalence of land subsidence in the study area complicates the determination of the amount a given property lays above or below the base flood elevation. Complicating factors include determining which benchmark releveling to use to determine a property elevation and possible changes in flood hazards as a result of subsidence. Changes in flood hazards, caused by changed hydrologic and hydraulic conditions, could include increases or decreases in (1) depths of flooding, (2) the amount of land inundated, and (3) the intensity of wave action in coastal areas. The nature and extent of possible flood-hazard changes are different depending on the type of flooding (riverine, coastal, or combined riverine and coastal) present.” To account for the increased future flood hazard, the FIS text recommends that “consideration should be given to setting the lowest-floor elevation above the base flood elevation by an amount associated with potential increases in flood depths as a result of past and future subsidence.” The City is pursuing long-term contracts to purchase treated surface water to reduce it reliance on groundwater. 5.1.3 Dams and FloodingFEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintain the National Inventory of Dams (1998), a database of high and significant hazard dams. For the most part, data are provided by state agencies responsible for regulation and inspection of dams or by the Corps of Engineers. Based on that inventory, there are no high hazard dams that affect the watersheds in or draining through the City of Pearland. 5.2 Flood Risks – BuildingsPearland has had maps showing flood-prone areas for many years, and now utilizes a tool called Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop more specific information about flood-prone buildings. The tool that makes this possible is the GIS computer software application that relates physical features on the ground in mapping applications and analyses. In Pearland, the GIS functions are located in the Projects Department. The Pearland GIS maintains and accesses numerous digital map products and electronic data files. Among the data and maps is a digital map of the floodplain prepared as an overlay for the property parcel maps (derived from the Flood Insurance Rate Maps). Other GIS layers include City boundaries, waterways and watershed boundaries, and “footprints” of buildings and other facilities, from which a wide variety of maps can be prepared. There are two ways to characterize buildings subject to flooding:
*Average commercial building values, from City tax roles, times number of buildings. **Not including buildings known to be flood-prone that are outside of the mapped floodplain. NFIP Policies In-Force. Data provided by FEMA indicate that as of December 31, 2002, federal flood insurance policies were in-force on 6,419 buildings in Pearland (a number that exceeds the total number of buildings that plot as being “in” the mapped floodplain, see Table 5-2). This is an indication that many homeowners outside the floodplain are aware of the flooding risks throughout the area and have chosen to carry flood insurance even though it is not required. These insurance policies are administered by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This represents a dollar value of property and contents coverage in excess of $1 billion. The locations of buildings with flood insurance are shown on Map 5-2. It is notable that 5,557 points are shown (the remaining 862 locations were unable to “geocode” with sufficient accuracy to allow them to be mapped).
*Not including records that do not geocode with sufficient accuracy For the most part, two factors prompt people to purchase flood insurance – when mortgage lenders require it and when actual flood damage makes it clear to homeowners that a building is, indeed, located in a flood-prone area. Thus, the number and distribution of flood insurance policies is one way to characterize potential risk throughout the City. 
NFIP Claims Paid. Between 1978 and December 31, 2002, 1,894 flood insurance claims were paid on 1,009 buildings in Pearland, many of which are not “in” the mapped floodplain (Table 5-2). It appears that the vast majority of these claims were for residential properties. The locations of most of these properties are shown on Map 5-2 (103 locations were unable to “geocode” with sufficient accuracy to be mapped). Total claims paid for building and contents payments exceed $41 million. NFIP Repetitive Loss Properties. Map 5-2 also shows the locations of “repetitive loss properties” in Pearland. In recent years, FEMA has focused considerable attention on this subset of insured buildings. These properties have received two or more claim payments of at least $1,000 over a ten-year period. For Pearland, FEMA’s database identifies 252 properties as “repetitive loss properties” of which 54 are included in FEMA’s Target Group (as before, 16 locations were unable to “geocode” with sufficient accuracy to be mapped). Collectively, they have received claim payments nearing $21 million (includes payments for building damage and contents damage). Because the data provided by FEMA do not detail the actual number and amount of past claims, no conclusions can be drawn regarding whether specific mitigation measures would be effective. For example, a property that has received a number of claim payments not much higher than $1,000 would be considered an unlikely candidate for mitigation using public funds. It may, however, be an excellent candidate for damage-reduction actions taken by the owner. As shown on Map 5-2, there are a number of clusters of NFIP policies and claims, and many areas without data points. A review of this map yields the following observations:
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