About our Sessions

Base Level Engineering (BLE) is a tool that can provide updated flood risk data. The BLE deliverables include estimated floodplain extents, water surface grids, flood depth grids, and hydraulic models that can be used as best available data where there is either outdated flood data or no data. Benefits of BLE include data coverage for entire watersheds, scalable models and results, accessibility, and use for floodplain management purposes to supplement effective FIRM as best available information. This presentation will provide an overview of BLE, watershed prioritization in Texas, information on BLE development and 2D modeling, and ways to use and benefit from BLE as best available data for floodplain management. As the state’s Cooperating Technical Partner, the Texas Water Development Board is planning for statewide BLE coverage. Statewide BLE will equip Texas communities with an important tool to make better informed decisions regarding floodplain management.