What we reported

After Harvey’s severe flooding, Katy officials moved forward with an aggressive flood mitigation process. Costello Inc., an engineering company, completed a $203,000 study of drainage needs for the city after the 2016 floods but included data from Harvey before making a final presentation. The company determined a need for the city to partner with the Brookshire-Katy Drainage District, Cane Island, Harris and Fort Bend counties and the federal government to mitigate flooding. “We don’t have time to do any more studies,” Katy Mayor Chuck Brawner said. “We need to get it done now.”

The latest

The city signed a $437,000 contract with Costello to design and manage construction of upgrades of the city’s drainage infrastructure. The Nov. 30 contract may grow as more improvements are identified but so far, Costello’s recommendations include deeper drainage ditches, improved storm sewers and flappers which prevent water from flowing upstream, said Ralph Saldana, partner and project manager at Costello.

What’s next

Costello is designing upgrades to the Pine Forest community, which are expected to be complete in February. “We’ll take care of it,” Saldana said. “We’re going to do a good job and I’m eager to help the public.” This story is one update from The January Issue. View the full list of Top 9 stories to follow in 2018 here.