The city of Pearland will conduct an engineering study on the drainage system near Old Alvin Road.[/caption]The city of Pearland has plans in the works to address drainage issues near the Old Townsite and Hwy. 35, which have caused consistent flooding in area neighborhoods.
Some residents say they have been experiencing drainage problems for years while others say problems began only recently. Michael Leech, Pearland public works assistant director, said the flooding issues were brought to his attention about a year ago.
A preliminary engineering report will soon be underway to determine any possible drainage problems, Assistant City Manager Trent Epperson said. According to Epperson, the study should be complete within six months.
The engineering report will provide a survey, a geotechnical report, design options for the drainage and roadways, recommendations, partial design and cost estimates for Linwood Street between Old Alvin Road and Orange Street. The study will include the drainage systems along Orange Street between Old Alvin Road and Linwood Street, Epperson said.
The cost of the engineering services was about $48,000, he said, and construction on improvements should begin by the end of the year.
Epperson said it is likely the drainage culverts in the area are too small. The report will determine what size the culverts need to be to improve drainage, he said. Once the engineering study is complete, the city will develop a set of plans to make improvements.
“We want to be partners with the residents to resolve this,” Leech said. “Nobody is thrilled it’s taken so long to get to this point. We think we have some good steps in place to get the problem addressed.”
The study will also determine if the existing drainage infrastructure needs to be replaced, Leech said.
The city revealed its drainage improvement plans at a Jan. 20 meeting.
“The sentiment [residents] expressed is they’ve been forgotten,” Epperson said. “We met with them and discussed the plan moving forward. The council is committed to funding some of these projects.”
Some work to improve drainage in the area has already been completed, according to officials. A drainage pipe was built in 2013 in the Linwood subdivision to provide the capacity to drain the neighborhood. The future project to widen Old Alvin Road should also aid drainage in the area, officials said.
A master drainage plan is funded for fiscal year 2015-16, Epperson said.
Phase 1 of the plan—which will develop a base model of current conditions and identify areas of focus—should take about eight months. Pearland and Brazoria County Drainage District No. 4 will fund the plan with Pearland shouldering about $106,500 of the cost.
Phase 2 will include recommendations and alternatives for future development as well as improvements where there may be existing issues.
“We’ll come out with a list of projects and prioritizations,” Epperson said. “Then it’s a matter of when and how to address those problems.”
