Celebrating 40 Years of Flood Control with IFCD 3
Welcome to the first Waterways blog of 2024! This year marks IFCD3’s 40th anniversary of providing flood control to the community of Valley Ranch. Take a journey with us as we reflect on our major milestones through the years.
1983
IFCD 3 was founded in 1983 by The Texas State Legislature to design, engineer and construct a levee and flood control system to protect the newly created Valley Ranch community from the 100-year floodplain of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River.
Late 1980s
With the major development of businesses, schools and homes across Irving, the Valley Ranch Association (VRA) was created to provide a welcoming and attractive atmosphere for the residents of Valley Ranch. Not long after IFCD 3 was created, the Irving City Council elected the first-ever IFCD 3 board, comprised of Valley Ranch residents with a passion for flood control.
2010 - 2015
Beginning with an engineering plan in 2010, IFCD 3 launched a phased project to modernize the pump station’s 30-year-old technology and construct an onsite power generator to enhance the reliability of our system during severe storms. We also updated the pump station's original transformer and motor controls to supplement the new equipment. By the end of 2015, we completed the installation of our onsite diesel-powered generators.
2018
To further educate the community on IFCD 3’s roles and responsibilities, we launched a partnership with local elementary schools to teach students about weather and flood control. Today, our annual school program is six years old.
2019
After years of running ifcd3.org, we launched Waterways, the official blog of IFCD 3 that aims to dive deeper into flood control and related topics. Over the past four years, we’ve published 85+ blog posts that highlight maintenance projects, weather patterns, our school program and more.
2022 - 2023
40 years of use can cause wear and tear on IFCD 3's six pumps! We spent part of 2022 and the entirety of 2023 updating the materials and lubrication of our pump station’s six pumps. The new, lighter-weight, more durable pumps will reduce energy costs and move water faster than previous pumps, enabling us to efficiently manage flooding for decades to come.
2024
Reflecting on the past 40 years only makes us more excited for the future. Whether it’s pursuing better materials and technology for our pump station, planting new vegetation along the canals to mitigate erosion or growing our team of flood control experts, we’re prepared for the future needs of Valley Ranch. For a more detailed history of IFCD 3’s decades of flood control dedication, read our Fall Newsletter which also includes important news briefs and recent project updates.