Checking Out A Johnson Creek Flash Flood Impeder Today In Arlington

I had to be in Arlington today. That is a town between Fort Worth and Dallas. It is where Six Flags Over Texas, the Ballpark in Arlington, Hurricane Harbor, the Dallas Cowboy Stadium and the Caelum Moor work of the devil sculpture installation are located.

All of these wonderful things are concentrated close to each other, walking distance once the new bridges across I-30 are finished.

My intention had been to take pictures of the aforementioned Caelum Moor. I did so. I'll blog them after I blog this.

Johnson Creek runs between the Dallas Cowboy Stadium and the Ballpark in Arlington on its way by Six Flags. Johnson Creek has been known to go into flash flood mode every once in awhile. There is a very nice paved trail called Richard Greene Linear Park that follows Johnson Creek. I used to roller blade this paved trail. Then a few years ago Johnson Creek flooded bad, wiping out sections of the trail.

Then the Dallas Cowboys came along and wiped out more of the trail, now restored and improved, as part of the new stadium project.

So, I walked the Richard Green Linear Park Johnson Creek trail today, looking at the Caelum Moor. As I walked towards the Randol Mill Road Bridge over Johnson Creek, looking at a Caelum Moor thing on my left, I saw what I thought was more Caelum Moor on the other side of the trail underpass.

When I got closer I saw that this was not more Caelum Moor, it was part of a pedestrian bridge leading to the new stadium.

It was what was under the bridge that I thought was interesting. An elaborate system of what seemed to be some sort of baffles has been installed. This is right in the area where Johnson Creek previously had done a lot of damage.

I suspect the intention of these baffles is to slow the water down to lessen its erosive power. I imagine it must be quite a wild sight, at this spot, when Johnson Creek is running high. The water flashes around a sharp bend in the creek and then hits those baffles.

There looks to have been a lot of work done to the sides of the creek to lessen the erosion.

I wonder what's been done to Johnson Creek, down by Six Flags, which got flooded the last time this creek went rogue.

I don't believe anyone has died in Johnson Creek flash floods.

The same can not be said for the creeks that flash flood in Haltom City. Have hydraulic engineers designed and installed any improvements to the Haltom City creeks, like Fossil Creek, to slow them down when they go into flash flood mode? People have died and homes have been destroyed in Haltom City flash floods.

The next time we go into flash flood mode I'm heading to Arlington to watch what happens when a lot of water hits those baffles.