Drainage projects in Beaumont, Port Arthur dominate 2022, 2023

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Here is the north side of a detention basin near the intersection of E. Clubb Road and Texas 124 just outside Fannett on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Drainage District 6 is currently finishing construction on the detention basin's south side.

Construction resumes on the south side of a detention basin near the intersection of E. Clubb Road and Texas 124 just outside Fannett on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Water from Port Arthur, Port Neches and Nederland flows into the east side of Drainage District 7's annex pump station, seen here on on Monday, May 8, 2023. The pump station is located near the intersection of Texas 73 and West Port Arthur Road.

Here is a look inside Drainage District 7's annex pump station near the intersection of Texas 73 and West Port Arthur Road on Monday, May 8, 2023, in Port Arthur.

Here are two generators at Drainage District 7's annex pump station in Port Arthur, seen here on on Monday, May 8, 2023.

Here is a look inside Drainage District 7's Alligator Bayou pump station on Monday, May 8, 2023, in Port Arthur.

Here is a portion of the Port Arthur and vicinity hurricane flood protection levee, seen here on Monday, May 8, 2023. An ongoing Drainage District 7 project entails 70% of the levee surface height being raised about 2 feet.

Detention pond and drainage ditch under construction in Lumberton across from the Timberwood Apartments

Detention pond under construction in Lumberton across from the Timberwood Apartments

Future detention pond in Lumberton on Williams Road May 10, 2023

One of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor on on West David

One of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor on on West David

One of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor on on West David

One of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor on Burt Street

A drainage ditch on Burt Street, one of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor.

A drainage ditch on West Davis Loop, one of the recent drainage improvements in Vidor.

While the lead-up to hurricane season usually means cities, counties and drainage districts are cleaning out drainage ditches, ensuring they have fuel on hand and performing necessary last-minute maintenance, drainage improvement is a year-long process.

The Beaumont Enterprise sat down with agencies across Southeast Texas to learn more about the work they've done in the past year and what's coming soon, all in an effort to mitigate the effects of flooding.

Here is an inverted siphon, which carries sewage or storm water under streams, on the south side of a detention basin near the intersection of E. Clubb Road and Texas 124 just outside Fannett on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Drainage District 6 is prepping for hurricane season with a number of culvert and detention basin projects to help keep floodwaters moving.

"We’re trying to enlarge culverts -- make them bigger to where they can move more water faster," said Doug Canant Jr., interim chief operating officer for Drainage District 6. "All these projects like the 609 project (in China, Texas), that widens the channel, deepens the channel."

Canant also said the detention basin projects store huge volumes of water underground and help prevent flooding downstream from the detention basins.

RELATED: Scientists weigh in with early 2023 hurricane season forecasts

In Beaumont, the district is installing new storm sewers in the Gulf Terrace neighborhood, which would divert rainfall runoff to the north away from Gulf Terrace and into both an existing detention basin and a new detention basin. That project is called the McLean Project.

The district also completed a 60-acre detention basin on the northwest side of China, as well as a project to enlarge ditches in Cheek to help take water away from that part of the county. It is meant to help push water away from the roads and nearby houses.

Although Tropical Storms Harvey and Imelda overwhelmed the drainage system, Canant said Drainage District 6's work is geared toward addressing areas known to have problems.

"Everything we do improves the drainage situation," Canant said.

This year, the city of Beaumont kicked off a new five-year ditching project to make sure all ditches are running at full capacity, according to Director of Public Works Bart Bartkowiak.

The five-phase project will focus on completing 20% of needed ditching in all four wards each year. Bartkowiak said. In 2022, the city went through and surveyed the ditches to see what the flow line and depth should be.

"What this will do is it'll go in, it'll dig them out to where they're on grade and as designed," Bartkowiak said. "We will also reset and replace any culvert that's more than three inches out of grade in the area."

So far, in phase one, the city has ditched 20% of Ward II and Ward III -- the Amelia Neighborhood between Todd Street and Major Drive and neighborhoods from Forest Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Park to the Beaumont RV and Marina.

Bartkowiak said within the next few months, the city plans to ditch 20% of Ward I and Ward IIII -- from Broadoak Street to Lawrence Drive and between Washington Boulevard and West Cardinal Drive to just before Houston Street.

The project was originally expected to cost $2 million annually, but is coming out a little bit higher, according to Bartkowiak.

In addition to beginning the ditching project, Bartkowiak said the city has also done storm drain inspection and repair -- starting with running a camera down the relevant drain and taking video.

"The big one was we went and we cleaned and televised all of the storm drains down the length of Fourth Street as part of our project to overlay (the street), and we identified a number of spots that need addressing. So, we're going to go forward and get those done before the road is repaved," Bartkowiak said.

The city also recently received a $1 million grant to improve drainage in the Laura Addition. Bartkowiak said the project will begin in a few months and will be funded with the grant money and around $500,000 from the city of Beaumont.

Here is a water pump inside Drainage District 7's annex pump station near the intersection of Texas 73 and West Port Arthur Road on Monday, May 8, 2023, in Port Arthur. This pump is capable of filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool with water in less than a minute.

Drainage District 7 is waiting to see if several new projects will receive Federal Emergency Management Agency funding.

"You have to do a lot of work up front, engineering, surveying to come up with a benefit-cost ratio to submit to FEMA," said Phil Kelley, General Manager of Drainage District 7. "That benefit-cost ratio has to be a one or higher… So, we don't know yet if we’re going to get the actual funding to do the project on those grants."

The FEMA grants came in the aftermath of Tropical Storms Harvey and Imelda.

If Drainage District 7 presents a positive benefit-to-cost ratio to reduce things like structure flooding, Kelley said the second phase would entail being granted the funding to get things rolling.

"The design and construction would follow," he said.

RELATED: Scientists weigh in with early 2023 hurricane season forecasts

Drainage District 7 will also start construction on three detention ponds in the Groves area within the next year.

The district is continuing to work with several other stakeholders on the Sabine to Galveston Project, which, in Port Arthur, would raise levees about two feet and ensure the entire system is level, according district assistant manager Allen Sims. The levee goes to multiple pump stations in Port Arthur.

Kelley said the estimated total cost to raise the Drainage District 7 levee is $863 million. Local dollars will cover 35%, while federal dollars will cover 65%.

RELATED: Port Arthur ready to upgrade sewer system in District 3

"Basically, our share is a little over $300 million," Kelley said.

The levee protects against storm surges.

"We have several pump stations in and around Port Arthur where all of our storm water has to be pumped. On an annual basis, we’re always maintaining our channels to keep them clear for rainstorms, as well as maintaining our pump stations. When we do get rain, we can depend on them to perform," said Kelley.

Otherwise, Drainage District 7 is largely performing maintenance work.

Kelley said the district is making sure several gates along its levee system close properly and aren't inhibited by rocks other debris.

"That's the kind of stuff we do just right ahead of hurricane season," he said.

Here is a storm ditch at the intersection of Farm Road 365 and Jade Avenue in Port Arthur's Port Acres neighborhood, which the city will add a new drain system to.

Port Arthur is planning to use FEMA dollars to improve drainage in Port Acres, El Vista and Stonegate, according to John Cannatella, city Capital Improvement Projects Engineer.

The city would use $29.8 million to add a new storm drain system in Port Acres, which spans Garnet and Jade avenues along Farm Road 365.

RELATED: Scientists weigh in with early 2023 hurricane season forecasts

"The Port Acres area was a predominantly rural area that the city annexed years ago, but it was mainly open ditches that we needed to install a storm sewer system," Cannatella said.

El Vista, which spans 60th Street and Maple Avenue, will see upgrades to the outfall condition at Maple Avenue, costing about $10.8 million. Stonegate, which spans Jimmy Johnson Boulevard and 9th Avenue, will utilize some of water detention ponds from nearby Babe Zaharias Golf Course to provide storage for future flooding and cost $16.9 million.

"It's providing a more efficient route for storm water to get out of the residential neighborhoods into the (Drainage District 7) main outfall system," Cannatella said. "And keep in mind, the DD7 system is a pump facility. So, we’re trying to get the water into their canals and streams, to their pump stations."

The city also is working to increase its drainage system to accommodate a 25-year storm, as opposed to a two-year storm, as it's currently rated.

RELATED: Port Arthur ready to upgrade sewer system in District 3

"It can add more capacity to the system to handle larger floods in the system," Cannatella said.

In the last year, the city spent $189,000 of American Rescue Plan Act money to upgrade storm drainage at the end of Houston Avenue, according to Cannatella.

Depending on FEMA's final funding approval, Cannatella said the goal is to start construction on the Port Acres, El Vista and Stonegate projects by August or September.

In the past year, the majority of the work on drainage projects Jefferson County has completed has been as sponsors of the projects Drainage Districts 6 and 7 have been working on, as is typically the case, said Jefferson County Engineer Michelle Falgout.

"The only thing that we do, because we have limited crews and limited equipment, our main focus for drainage is just keeping the ditches clean," Falgout said. "I know that our guys are always working on that, but we just really rely on the drainage districts to do most of the heavy lifting for the big drainage projects."

The only other drainage related project the county completed in the past year was the replacement of a culvert on Hebert Road that was damaged in 2017 during Tropical Storm Harvey, Falgout said. The project was funded through a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

Hardin County residents face a unique challenge compared to some others in the region, as they must address potential flooding without the structure of a specific drainage district.

Alex Parker, Floodplain Administrator for Hardin County said drainage is handled directly by the county judge and commissioners.

Drainage is a year-round activity for counties and doesn't just focus on hurricanes and severe weather. An important tool for evaluating and planning for drainage in any situation is an accurate flood map.

"Orange County just updated their flood map and now Jefferson County is in the process of stabilizing their new flood map," Parker said. "Our flood maps are from 2010. I think we're the only county in the area that's got the older flood map looking for (FEMA) to hit us with a new flood study and flood map."

Parker said the county is proposing adding another Lumberton retention pond and others. Current drainage enhancements include replacing culverts along Beaver Brook near Pine Island Bayou and building a bridge. The Cooks Lake Road area, on east side of Pine Island Bayou, is under study to add a drainage system to be built in that vicinity.

He said the county is always looking for additional funding resources from FEMA and other state and federal agencies to improve the quality of drainage for Hardin County residents.

Hardin County in November 2022 updated its Hazard Mitigation Plan. The goal of the plan update is to minimize or eliminate long-term risks to human life, property, operations and the environment from known hazards by identifying risks and implementing cost-effective hazard mitigation actions. The plan and the county's participation in the process ensures it can be eligible for Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant funding in case of emergencies.

The extensive 430-page plan is available for viewing and download at www.co.hardin.tx.us under Emergency Management and Homeland Security.

Parker added that the county is working to add Geographic Information Systems data to its website so residents can get "real time" information about flooding in their area.

"Once I get the information from FEMA, we'll try to get it all on GIS," he said. "That way, you can basically sit in one spot and know at this level with this sensor that these homes here are safe."

Sensors have been installed in critical locations to monitor water levels, and Parker said he expects more will be added as soon as this summer. These monitors tie into other regional resources such as Texas Department of Transportation, the United States Geological Survey and Drainage District 6 in Jefferson County.

Residents are encouraged to register and sign up for free to the Southeast Texas Alerting Network (STAN) to receive emergency notices. STAN serves the residents of Jefferson, Orange, Hardin and Jasper counties. Emergency messages, outreach messages, traffic notices and weather notices are posted on the STAN website www/thestan.com/ 

Drainage ditch under construction in Lumberton May 10, 2023

Lumberton City Manager Steve Clark said the city is seeking grant funding to expand the Boggy Creek Detention Pond from 32 to 100 acres, he said. The city also is seeking to add an additional up to 70-acre detention pond.

In the mean time, city crews are frequently making small improvements to area ditches, cleaning them and using Earthen Ditch Liners to prevent erosion and allow water to drain freely.

"I don't know where they're working at today, but I guarantee they're working somewhere, cleaning ditches," Clark said. "So, what we are we are doing today, it would be it'd would be almost impossible (to know)."

Orange County has had its fair share of flooding and storm damage over the years, and memories are still fresh to many residents, some of whom are still recovering from the devastation wrought by the massive inundation of water.

Tropical Storm Harvey in 2017 and Tropical Depression Imelda in 2019 caused catastrophic flooding throughout the county, impacting thousands of households, along with businesses and schools. Federal disaster declarations were issued to Texas counties because of those storms and Southeast Texas counties were among the hardest hit.

Neal Ford, Orange County drainage district general manager, who oversees the day-to-day operations for operations, said that while hurricane season gets the widest attention for the area, drainage maintenance is a year-round effort.

"We're constantly digging, putting stuff back to grade, and residents may not always see us," Ford said. "We're out there. We're here every day. Many of our structures are out in the woods, away from where a lot of people can see.

He said one of the district's operational goals is to make sure every structure within the district's system gets attention every year.

"If a storm has potential to hit us, we send our crews to our major outfalls to check them out," Ford said. "Many of our structures are in the woods and we make sure nothing has fallen in to cause blockages."

Routine maintenance is the key to minimizing drainage problems, he said. The drainage district is responsible for approximately an area of 380 square miles — with over 600 miles of ditches.

"All year is our routine maintenance," he said. "Our goal is that we try to hit every one of our structures at least once a year."

Orange County currently does not have levees or gate structures, like Port Arthur, but projects are in the planning stages to improve the county's ability to better protect residents against future storms and flooding.

The largest such project, The Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Coastal Storm Risk Management Program, aims to reduce the risk of storm surge impacts in Orange, Jefferson and other counties along the Texas coast. It incorporates three projects, including the construction of a new levee system in southern Orange County along with other improvements to existing hurricane flood protection projects at Port Arthur and Freeport.

Ford said the Orange County component of the project is in the design phase, with the US Army Corps of Engineers project website reporting that construction is not scheduled to begin until 2025.

Ford encourages resident to contact the drainage district to report drainage issues or for information at (409) 745-3225 or on the web at www.ocddtx.com.

Terry Gully outfall, a detention pond in Vidor Northwest of Highway 12

Vidor City Manager Robbie Hood said the city has worked over the past year to identify areas that need to see drainage improvement, and are working to gather information on which way the water flows and what kind of fall the relevant drainage ditches have.

"We will shoot (that) grade with an instrument to see which way the water flows and what kind of fall that we have in that drainage ditch. Once we do that, we then dig the ditch according to that grade, and dig towards that grade to get the water to flow more efficiently," Hood said. "Once we have captured the fall, and we're in essence through digging in the neighborhoods, we have a jet rider machine, and it shoots around 2000 psi of water pressure and we will blow out the culvert with that machine to make sure there's no debris or dirt from the digging that has gotten clogged into the culvert to in essence, create a backup so we eliminate that."

Hood said the city is working to make drainage improvements with help from the Orange County Drainage District.

Vidor Finance Director Katrina Jones said the city has been approved for a $3.2 million hazard mitigation grant to construct the Terry Gully Detention Pond around Old Spanish Trail. The funds will be granted during the summer and construction should take about four months.

The city also received a $15.8 million grant to construct detention ponds and replace storm sewer lines.

"We have some areas that in particular that this grant is targeting such as Maple Crest, Heritage Drive and Orange Street, the last five crossings, Tiger Creek crossings at Ferndale Street and Lexington Drive and Concord Street," Jones said.

Design is underway, and Jones expects those projects to take 18 months to construct.

Silsbee and Orange did not respond to multiple requests for information about their drainage work.