City could use Hemphill Park as a drainage site to mitigate flooding - Austin Monitor

"The Parks and Recreation Board last month voted for a recommendation to City Council to approve 138,136 square feet of the park for permanent use, and another 11,997 square feet of parkland for temporary use, as part of a Guadalupe Street flood risk reduction project overseen by both Watershed Protection and the Parks and Recreation departments. The board voted 8-1; board member Ted Eubanks opposed the plan, citing the park's historical significance and a growing trend of parks serving dual purposes for infrastructure projects."

"In a briefing before the Parks and Recreation Board, city staff said the neighborhood park location was the only feasible option to locate upper and lower detention basins after studying other alternatives. The city undertook the $2.9 million capital project following a 2015 flood event that swamped the neighborhood of old homes. Like the homes in the area and the park itself, the main storm system is also rather historic. It was built in 1928."

Adams Hemphill Neighborhood Park could be used as a detention basin to reduce flood risk in a Central Austin historic neighborhood. The Parks and Recreation Board recommended City Council approve 138,136 square feet for permanent use and 11,997 square feet for temporary use. Watershed Protection and Parks departments will oversee a Guadalupe Street flood risk reduction project that followed a damaging 2015 neighborhood flood. City staff concluded the park location was the only feasible site for upper and lower detention basins after evaluating alternatives and buyouts. The storm drain system, built in 1928, remains significantly undersized and directs the majority of rainfall runoff over land, through streets, yards and structures.

Read at Austin Monitor