WWA General Manager Erich Peterson said local MUDs approved additional engineering funding for the design of the project after the need to expand its scope recently became apparent. The WWA is the central management agency for 10 municipal utility districts in The Woodlands in Montgomery County.
"The full scope will be moving forward and moving as quickly as we can," he said.
Officials also agreed to submit a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for federal support. Director of Intergovernmental Relations Todd Stephens said a goal of the projects is to reduce water levels around the Research Forest area, particularly for the passage of emergency vehicles.
More details
The original engineering costs were estimated at about $700,000, and preliminary work revealed the need to expand the scope of the project, Peterson said. An additional $500,000 was approved by MUDs this week for FY 2025-26, which begins in October, he told Community Impact.
Peterson said the San Jacinto River Authority, which oversees the project, reported that engineering will take around 15 months, and construction will take two to three years.
"Once they get further along in engineering they'll be able to hone in on cost ... and time," Peterson said.
The cost to MUDs is not anticipated to be passed along to users, as it will be covered through regular fees, he said. State, federal and local funding opportunities are being sought for construction costs, he said.
The backstory
The San Jacinto River Authority previously told township officials the full scope of the project includes two phases and will address both the original service needs as well as help prevent the continued deterioration of the spillway system, Community Impact previously reported.
What else?
In other business at the Sept. 18 meeting, the board of directors considered creating a task force for e-bike safety, a topic that spurred the township to create educational materials and collaborate with partners to help reduce injuries and crashes from e-bike use.
"My daughter is working in trauma, and a large percentage of the trauma incidents that she's handling are from e-scooters and e-bikes," township Director Cindy Heiser said at the meeting.
The board decided Heiser will work as a liaison with staff on the topic e-bike safety, including research and data analysis, as well as to have a standing meeting agenda item on the topic.
