The context
The plan is intended to better identify drainage problem areas, potential solutions and guide the assembly of a drainage capital improvement projects plan, according to the document.
Tomball officials began working with Civil Systems Engineering, Inc. in May 2023 after the council's approval, according to the agenda. Funds were allocated to the drainage master plan during the fiscal year 2022-23 budget.
How we got here
A draft of the plan was previously presented to the council during a Feb. 3 meeting, and also helped identify drainage projects to be included in the capital improvement plan. According to prior reporting, the firm used information from past flooding events like Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Harvey, as well as the Memorial Day flood in 2016.
Civil Systems Engineering also used the city’s 2019 future land use map, Patrick Rummel, a systems engineer with Civil Systems Engineering, Inc., said during the Feb. 3 meeting.
According to the plan, the previous drainage master plan was published in 2014 and does not reflect current conditions.
Zooming in
As previously reported, improvements identified in the study include:
- Storm sewer expansion
- Regional detention basins
- Infrastructure coordination
- Early flood warning system
- Ditch improvements
- Basin M118 located in the southeastern portions of the city near Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railroad: $4.3 million for channel improvements and extensions.
- Basin M121 located in the central, southern portions near Hwy. 249 to the southwest, Tomball Intermediate School, Tomball Regional Hospital and Lawrence Street to the northwest: $10 million for channel reconstruction and sewer improvements.
- Basin J131 located within the northwestern portions of the city and its ETJ, near Spring Creek north, FM 2978 to the east, Main Street (FM 2920) to the south: $16.7 million for storm sewer and channel improvements.
To learn more and view the finalized plan, visit the city’s June 2 agenda where the plan is included.
