Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 7
Stormwater Pump Station Project
Spring 2022 Resident Update
The Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District No. 7 (FBCLID 7) Board of Directors, in coordination with the District’s Engineer, LJA Engineering, would like to update residents of Crescent Ridge and New Territory on the status of the Stormwater Pump Station Project.
To refresh residents as to the scope of this project, a new Stormwater Pump Station is being constructed on Lots 29, 30 and 31 of Block 1 within the New Territory Parcel SF 34 Subdivision, on the knuckle of Hayden Creek Drive and Evandale Lane.
History
On October 2018, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released Volume 11 of the Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency Estimates (Atlas 14). This technical paper redefined and increased the rainfall volumes for storm frequencies which were used to design the FBCLID 7 flood protection system.
Various local governments such as Fort Bend County and the City of Sugar Land have adopted Atlas 14 in their drainage criteria. Based on better past data, Atlas 14 estimates for Fort Bend County rainfall volumes increased from approximately 12.5-inches to 16.5-inches for the 100-year event and 8.20-inches to 8.55-inches for the 10-year event. After consideration of options available to the District, the Board of Directors voted to move forward with a new Stormwater Pump Station project to address the anticipated increases in storm event-based rainfall. The Stormwater Pump Station is required to provide positive drainage from the levee system when the Brazos River water surface is high and limits gravity drainage. The Pump Station will have a total capacity of 350,000 gallons per minute (gpm) and will operate in conjunction with other flood mitigation infrastructure within the District.
Design
As part of the site plan and design, the goal was maintained to have the Pump Station construction and presentation mirror the surrounding community. The operations building will have a brick façade and similar architecture to neighboring residential buildings. The landscaping of the front yard will keep most of the existing yard trees for the lots and maintain groomed grass.
Fence construction design acknowledges aesthetics and sound control, and will be an 8-foot tall brick wall on the street-facing and sides, with the back 16 feet of side lot fence to be a combination of cyclone fencing material and wood. Planting trees within the Pump Station site will provide additional concealment and minimize views from adjacent streets and residential homes.
Schedule
The current schedule for construction milestones is as follows:
- April 25, 2022: Demolition of residential homes starts
- May 9, 2022: Complete Demolition of residential homes
- May 23, 2022: Start Pump Station Construction
- October 25, 2023: Complete Pump Station Construction
During construction, residents will see a lot of activity in the area and the Board of Directors understands there could be some impact to traffic and noise in the area. To mitigate some of the concerns of residents, LJA Engineering and the contracted parties on the project are taking steps to make this as easy a transition as possible.
Construction fencing will be placed around the site to partially conceal construction activity. Construction vehicles will not be allowed to park in public streets for extended periods of time, and off-site parking is being provided for workers so personal and commercial vehicles are not causing traffic issues. Access to the project will be from Cunningham Creek Boulevard to Evandale Lane, and large deliveries will be limited to windows early in the morning and later in the afternoon. Construction activity will typically occur Monday through Saturday, 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., with the occasional equipment maintenance being performed on Sundays, as needed.
Contracting parties will be responsible for controlling dust from the project site, and the District will be utilizing a Stormwater Manager to conduct weekly inspections to identify issues that may arise with dust, silt, and construction debris. The District has also engaged a provider to place vibratory monitoring equipment around the project site to monitor vibrations from existing conditions and construction activity, as an added measure of protection for neighboring residents.
Contact Us
For questions regarding the project, please reach out to the District via the “Contact Us” page on the FBCLID 7 website. For concerns that necessitate immediate attention, you can reach project representatives below:
- Phil Martin @ 713-574-5261, 281-343-0712
- William T. Ehler, PE. @ 832-692-1840, 713-953-5028
- Kane Mudd, PE @ 713-953-5215
Again, the FBCLID 7 Board of Directors thanks all the residents of New Territory for their support and patience as these flood mitigation projects proceed.