Members of the West University Place City Council reviewed several options for drainage improvements on the city's west side at a Dec. 12 meeting, including a pipeline corridor that could reduce stormwater levels during a 10-year storm by between half an inch to one foot at various points in the city.

West University Place’s west side drainage project is reaching the end of its preliminary engineering stage. At the Dec. 12 meeting, council members expressed interest in a possible “joint pipeline corridor” that would carry water from Bissonnet Street to Brays Bayou as well as underground stormwater detention vaults under the fields at the West University Recreational Center and possibly Colonial Park.

If approved, building the stormwater storage under the recreational center could take up to a year and would have ‘very little disruption,’ according to an analysis by Cobb, Fendley & Associates, Inc., the engineering firm contracted for the preliminary work.

The project is part of a larger effort by the city to meet the minimum standard for a two-year storm design across its roads and drainage infrastructure, which includes work on the city’s east and west sides. The new joint pipelines with reinforced concrete box storm sewer trunklines could add relief to Kilmarnock Ditch, which is at capacity, according to City Manager Dave Beach. The project would also include pavement replacement.

“They’re looking at maximum benefit for the cost," Beach said.

Project engineers also suggested the pipeline plan in combination with the underground stormwater detention vault, which would allow stormwater to flow underneath the fields at West University Recreational Center and tie into the existing storm sewers at Academy Street. The joint pipeline is estimated to cost $59.2 million, while the detention at the recreation center could cost $17 million.

No action was taken at the Dec. 12 meeting, and additional updates will be presented to the Council at the January or February 2023 meeting.

“Flooding is important to a lot of people,” Mayor Susan Sample said.