IFCD 3's Role in "Green"
When people think of places where green or environmentally sustainable activities occur, it’s easy to think of homes, offices, schools or commercial facilities. But, did you know, our flood control facilities in Valley Ranch play a role in green, too.
At the most basic level, IFCD 3 facilities help reduce run-off of fertilizer and other treatments used to nourish and protect lawns and landscaping by keeping water from overflowing from driveways, streets and other paved surfaces onto lawns and other landscaped surfaces.
Use of water plants as tools in our ongoing erosion control activities adds further capacity to convert carbon dioxide produced by people, animals and other living creatures back into life-giving oxygen, further adding to greenery in the community.
Application of remote systems monitoring technology reduces the number of after-hour trips required by staff to routinely check on water levels throughout the IFCD 3 system.
Collaboration with volunteer groups, such as the VRA Go Green committee, finds appropriate ways of adding plants to land adjacent to flood control features throughout the community.
Removal of trash from IFCD 3 waterways and surrounding lands helps ensure unrestricted flow throughout the flood control system, keeping the water clear and odor-free.
Taking care of water passing through canals and streams used for flood control does more than protect the quality of life and the environment in Valley Ranch. Water from our flood control facilities leaves Valley Ranch by discharge into the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, traveling downriver to converge with the West Fork to become the Trinity River, flowing into Dallas and ultimately discharging into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. While representing an extremely small portion of waters making this journey, IFCD 3 does its share to keep Valley Ranch… and points far beyond… green!