Council members unanimously voted to seek a "statement of qualifications" from Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation for a project to build an earth berm around the northern, eastern and southern perimeter of the Jersey Meadow Golf Course. The golf course currently is not self-contained, so water flows freely during large storms into nearby streets, such as Rio Grande Street and Wall Street.
The berm would allow the golf course to retain water during floods, which could be held and released to a nearby tributary to minimize flooding. During a 100-year flood event, the study estimated the berm would prevent about $750,000 in damages.
The flood study recommended four main concepts to reduce flood damage in the city, with the golf course berm being the one that would be easiest to implement in the short-term. Other concepts included home buyouts and elevations, widening and deepening the White Oak Bayou, and completing street drainage improvements.
Once all concepts are implemented, very few homes in the city would flood during a 100-year storm event, Mayor Justin Ray said.
"From the City Council's perspective, we had the priority of making sure we handle what we can do as fast as we can do it and get some shovels in the dirt. We had to ask ourselves, 'What are the next steps to get flood control moving within the city of Jersey Village?'"
City Manager Austin Bleess said the city is also looking to start the engineering work on stormwater improvements along several streets in Jersey Village, as recommended in the flood study, including Wall Street, Crawford Street and Capri Drive. The process could begin with council's authorization as early as September or October and would be conducted by city staff.
Although the city can move forward with the service work, construction on street improvements would have to wait until after the golf course berm was completed, Public Works Director Kevin Hagerich said.
A proposed city budget for 2017-18 sets aside $2 million for the berm and the engineering work to improve street drainage, Ray said. However, the city will have a better idea of the cost after Dannenbaum returns its statement of qualifications.
The full scope of work for the request for qualifications issued to Dannenbaum also includes several other projects tied to the golf course, including a golf course irrigation project, fencing installation and latrine relocation.
Dannenbaum was identified as the ideal candidate for the project because they conducted the flood study itself, which would save time and money on the front end, Bleess said.
Bayou widening and other flood projects
Bleess said the city's hands are tied when it comes another major element of flood damage reduction in Jersey Village: widening and deepening the White Oak Bayou.
"We were told by [the Harris County Flood Control District] that in order for them move forward, they need to start at outflow point and work their way back up the stream," he said. "Even if we were to put money toward the channel improvements today, flood control would still not be able to that until everything else downstream is completed."
However, the city does plan to move forward on several other measures, including home buyouts and elevations. In Dannanbaum's study, officials presented the city with a list of 60 homes to consider for buyouts and elevations, and city council is looking into hosting a special meeting to determine what exactly to include in a grant application to the Texas Water Development Board. Although a date for the meeting has not been set, it would be open to the public to attend.
After TWDB reviews the city's application, they finalize it and prepare to send it to the Federal Emergency Management Agency around mid-October. FEMA would award grants by February or March at the earliest, Bleess said.
During the meeting's public comment period, some residents continued to press council to further study the White Oak Bayou bypass, which was built in 2010 with the purpose of directing flood water around the city. Dannanbaum said they studied the bypass, but determined that diverting more flow through it from the main channel would increase flood risks.
