City Council and School Board discuss flooding problems at Joint Workshop
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
The Eagle Pass City Council and the Eagle Pass Independent School District Board of Trustees held a joint workshop on Thursday, December 3, 2015, at the City of Eagle Pass International Center for Trade in Eagle Pass, Texas in which they discussed several important issues between the two entities including flooding problems at the Language Development Center campus on South Veterans Boulevard.
The main topic discussed was the continual flooding problems related to storm water drainage and the City’s Water Detention Pond adjacent to the Language Development Center.
During the workshop, Interim City Manager Hector Chavez gave a presentation regarding the 100 year flood plain and how it affects the Language Development Center and surrounding areas. Chavez is the most knowledgeable person in the community concerning the 100 year flood plain and its effect on the community having worked over 40 years in civil engineering, surveying, and construction within the community.
“ What we would like to do is start off with the 100 year flood plain which includes the LDC and the other building that was flooded on Kelso Street, ” said Chavez.
Chavez presented a history/explanation of the 100 year flood plain since it had been identified and mapped out in the community and how it effects the recent flooding problems being experienced by the City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County. Chavez also discussed the public projects the City of Eagle Pass is undertaking and planning to do to tackle the serious flooding problems in the City, particularly the Language Development Center area.
“The LDC appears to have been built above the 100 year flood plain , but it is still surrounded by the 100 year flood plain on both sides,” added Chavez.
Chavez noted that the 100 year flood plain in the community remains set in the same place as it was first identified, designated, and mapped many years ago.
Chavez advised that the LDC remains out of the 100 year flood plain, but that homes in the immediate area, shown in a map identified in red, are all within the 100 year flood plain (eg. Carthage Place Subdivision) and/or are adjacent to the 100 year flood plain area.
“Consequently from there going South, there is about 40 homes that every time we get a 100 year rain they (will) get flooded,” said Chavez.
Chavez noted that the percentage of occurrence of such event happening is a 1% chance, but that it has been occurred recently more often such as in 2013 and October 2015.
Chavez advised that the 100 year flood plain calculation is anything over 10 inches of rain in a 24 hour period, and that the rain events that had occurred were greater than what had been prepared for which cover a 100 year rain event.
“Even though the building (LDC) itself is out of the 100 year flood plain, the event was greater than the 100 year flood so consequently that is why it got flooded. Anytime that we get an event with 10 inches of rain or more within a 24 hour period, it (LDC) is right at the 100 year flood plain. Anything greater than that is above the flood plain,” added Chavez.
Chavez signaled that during recent rain events that caused flooding in the LDC area, the Veterans Boulevard highway had to be closed and that he had never seen that in all the years he has worked for the City of Eagle Pass due to storm waters coming above the South Veterans highway from the East (Westlake Subdivision).
“A lot of it goes into the (City) detention pond but what is coming from the East is not going into it,” said Chavez.
Chavez noted that the City detention pond is taking on huge amounts of storm waters, and if it was not there there would be larger flooding problems in the South Veterans Boulevard highway area.
“We are able to contain this water and prevent more flooding not only for the LDC but for everybody South (eg. Las Quintas, El Indio Highway) of it,” added Chavez.
Chavez presented City of Eagle Pass actions that have been taken to address some of these flooding issues, including installation of storm drainage pipes and other culverts in the area to alleviate flooding downstream.
Chavez noted that a major problem of flooding is the overflow/over spill of rain water runoff coming in from East of Veterans Boulevard (eg. Westlake Subdivision) and what public projects the City of Eagle Pass plans to do to alleviate this flooding problems.
Among the things being considered by the City is the building of a new water detention ponds in the Westlakes Subdivision area and a water canal to contain the water which appears to be causing flooding problems to the LDC/Carthage Place areas.
Chavez stated that the estimated price tag for such public project is close to $ 4,500,000 combined.
“In all, the City has identified at least $14,000,000 that needs to be invested to address flooding,” said Chavez.
“ The City has been working on it since 1998,” said Chavez. The City wants to do it but it is not going to happen from one year to the next.
“We have to do all these projects so the flooding won’t get there. Basically, that’s what we are seeing and why we’re getting flooded,” said Chavez.
Chavez advised that the City of Eagle Pass is seeking funding through a grant application from FEMA for $14,000,000 to fund the necessary public projects to alleviate the flooding problems.
Chavez also noted that the change of weather patterns (eg. El Nino, La Nina, Climate change) is affecting the community’s weather in the form of continual thunderstorms above 10 inches in a 24 hour period.
Chavez noted flood insurance companies are concerned and may take certain actions regarding the recurring flooding losses suffered by the EPISD and private property owners.
“It seems that the insurance companies, the way that the weather is going, may get to a point that the insurances will say you need to relocate. Because if we continue to get the 100 year or greater events, unfortunately you will continue to get flooded until we can do these improvements,” said Chavez.
EPISD Board member Rudy Bowles stated that he had experienced these flooding problems when he previously served as County Judge many years ago.
Bowles noted that many issues such as code enforcement, water blockages, widening of certain water ways in the county level, and and other issues contributed to the problem of flooding in many areas around the community.
“Whatever it is that needs to be done, we’re going to have to work together,” said Bowles.
Bowles added that the City and School District need to work together as a team to figure out the problems and fix these problems.
EPISD Superintendent Gilbert Gonzalez stated that even though the School District has flood insurance that the problem goes beyond that issue.
Gonzalez noted the burden and concerns to students, teachers, and parents in having to relocate from the LDC to Austin Elementary due to flooding issues.
“If the flooding is coming from the Westlakes area and if we knew that since 1998, we considerably and respectfully ask that something be done. As Superintendent, it’s difficult to see the faces of the students and the teachers and they look at me and say one more time,” said Gonzalez.
Gonzalez acknowledged that these flooding problems are being caused by an enormous amount of storm waters and these problems need to be prioritized and addressed.
EPISD Board member Ignacio Saucedo asked if the City had a time line to begin work on some of these flooding issues and how they will only potentially grow due to continued population growth and other circumstances in the community.
Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey English Cantu replied that the building of a new detention pond in the Westlakes Subdivision area is currently being looked at and possible assistance through the federal level as well (Army Corps of Engineers).
“Flooding at this point remains as the priority of the Eagle Pass City Council,” said Cantu.
“We are working to try to remedy these issues as soon as we possibly can. Our staff has been working tirelessly to come up with ways to formulate engineering studies to address these particular spots of flooding. But in regards to the LDC, we’re working with the firms to see how we can address any water runoff,” said Cantu.
Mayor Cantu stated that he hopes both entities can work together in addressing these flooding issues.
Chavez suggested that all issues needed to be seen including considering changing from a 100 year rainfall plan to 150 year rainfall plans.
City Council member Gloria E. Hernandez noted that the flooding problems are affected by weather pattern changes and hopes both the City and School District can work together in solving these problems. “We want to do something about it but we want to do it in conjunction with the School, District,” added Hernandez.
The City Council and School District Board discussed other issues that are being addressed, including stringent zoning and planning specifications/requirements and the city master plan that will assist the city in minimizing any other burdens into the flooding issues not only in the LDC areas but other areas around the community.
The City of Eagle Pass is currently talking with a private real estate developer to negotiate the building of the West Lakes Subdivision Water Detention Pond, which should help alleviate storm water runoff into the LDC Center area and Carthage Place Subdivision area.
