Flooding mitigation and drainage improvements stood out at Katy City Council’s meeting Monday. See what other agenda items were discussed: 1. Latest report issued for 2016 Tax Day flood study Costello Inc. engineers Stephen Wilcox and Ralph Saldana presented their recommendations for mitigation future flooding from the Cane Island Branch of the the Cypress Creek watershed. The study was commissioner by the city of Katy last year. Recommendations included creating a third reservoir on Cypress Creek northwest of the city. Wilcox said this project is generally outside of the city’s control, but Mayor Chuck Brawner said that he has been working with U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul, R-TX, and state Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy, to expedite the project. The cost would be an estimated $369 million to more than $600 million and could take years, Wilcox said. Meanwhile, Brawner said the reservoir has been under discussion the 1940s but Katy does not have the authority or financial means to create such a structure on its own. Costello also recommended a two-pronged approach to improve drainage of the Cane Island Branch, the more expensive of which includes large scale regional improvements. These can mean deepening the creek to increase capacity, or removing vegetation along the creek to speed up drainage. Cheaper options included expanding the city’s north side detention pond, expansion of the Cane Island Branch development pond on the eastern side of the Cane Island master-planned community, and partnering with the Brookshire Katy Drainage District for responsible development of areas upstream. Costello is currently conducting assesses subdivisions’ needs to improve and possibly modernize their drainage. The city will host meetings with each neighborhood starting with Pine Forest on Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. at Katy City Hall. “We don’t want to rush [Costello, Inc.] with what we’re doing. We want a good, comprehensive program for flood management for our city,” said Brawner. 2. Excavator purchase approved The city will move forward with plans to purchase a $350,119 excavator and a breathing apparatus, the former of which will replace Katy's existing 18-year-old vehicle, Brawner said. City Finance Director Becky Wilkins said the excavator will be delivered Thursday. 3. Cane Island water, wastewater, storm water and paving projects approved These projects are associated with the development of the Cane Island subdivision and Cane Island Parkway on the western side of Katy, and were reviewed by City Engineer David Leyendecker prior to the council’s approval.