DRAINAGE
DRAINAGE SOLUTION. TONIGHT FOLKS WHO LIVE IN PORT ARTHUR AND MID- COUNTY, SHOULD FEEL
BETTER.
A MAJOR MULTI- MILLION DOLLAR
PUMPING STATION FOR DRAINAGE
DISTRICT 7 WILL BE ONLINE --
BEFORE THE START OF HURRICANE
SEASON.
OUR TYLER SEGGERMAN IS CHECKING
INTO HOW IT WORKS. HE'S LIVE IN
PORT ARTHUR TONIGHT.
FOR MORE THAN A DECADE, LOCAL
ENGINEERS
ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND MONEY AND BUILD A DESIGN FOR A PUMP STATION THAT CAN
DRAIN MORE THAN A MILLION
GALLONS OF WATER PER MINUTE.
WELL...IN A FEW MONTHS...THAT
HOPE WILL BECOME REALITY.
NATS RAIN VIDEO WHEN RAIN
FALLS, FLOOD FEARS RISE. AND
NOW, IT SEEMS LIKE THE NEW
NORMAL FOR MANY PEOPLE IN
SOUTHEAST TEXAS. ONE MAN HOPES
TO HELP WITH THAT PARANOIA.
"THIS IS PROBABLY THE
SINGLE-LARGEST PROJECT THAT'S
OCCURRED IN THE LAST 30 YEARS IN
THE SYSTEM." ALLEN SIMS IS THE
VICE PRESIDENT FOR WATER
RESOURCES AT L-J-A ENGINEERING
IN BEAUMONT. DRAINAGE DISTRICT 7
-- OR DD7 -- HIRED HIS FIRM TO
COMPLETE THE ALLIGATOR BAYOU
PROJECT.
"WE'RE ADDING ABOUT 60 PERCENT
OF THE PUMPING CAPACITY TO THE
VERY LAST PUMP STATION AT THE
END OF THE SYSTEM." D-D-7
SUPERVISOR RONNIE HOLLIER SAYS
HARVEY HELPED REINFORCE WHY THIS
PROJECT IS SO IMPORTANT
"I PERSONALLY DIDN'T THINK
ANYTHING LIKE THAT COULD HAPPEN,
BUT OBVIOUSLY, NEVER SAY NEVER."
CONSTRUCTION STARTED ON THE
MASSIVE PUMPING STATION IN 2015.
IT'S LOCATED OFF HIGHWAY 82 IN
PORT ARTHUR...NEAR THE VALERO
REFINERY.
"THE PROJECT STARTED BACK IN THE
MID 80S, LOOKING FOR LOW- FLOW
PUMPING TO HANDLE JUST DAILY
FLOWS." MONEY STOOD IN THE WAY
FOR A LONG TIME. THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT LEFT DD7 IN LIMBO...
BUT THEN, A GRANT CAME THROUGH.
"AFTER IKE IN 2008, WE GOT A
GRANT." THAT LED TO THIS $62
MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT GETTING
UNDER WAY. THE GOAL??? TO NEARLY
DOUBLE THE ALLIGATOR BAYOU
STATION'S PUMPING CAPACITY.
"REALLY, WE'RE TALKING IT TO AN
ALMOST 15-INCH RAINFALL IS ABOUT
WHAT WE CAN HANDLE. WHERE BEFORE
IT WAS SET UP FOR ABOUT AN EIGHT
INCH." NOW, THE DRAINAGE
DISTRICT WILL BE ABLE TO MANAGE
15 INCHES OF RAIN IN A 24-HOUR
SPAN.
"THAT'S A TREMENDOUS INCREASE,
IT IS." AND THERE'S MORE. BEFORE
A MAJOR STORM -- THE NEW PUMPS
WILL LOWER LOWER THE WATER
LEVELS IN CANALS AND DITCHES.
THINK OF IT AS PROVIDING EXTRA
ROOM
ROOM --
ROOM -- FOR ALL OF THE RAIN WATER. "IT WILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO
LOWER THE CHANNEL'S WATER
SURFACE IN ADVANCE OF A STORM."
70
70 PERCENT OF THE RUNOFF AND RAIN WATER FROM PORT ARTHUR AND MID- COUNTY ENDS UP IN THESE
PUMPS -- AT ALLIGATOR BAYOU.
NATS
"THIS EXISTING COFFERDAM WILL BE
PULLED OUT. THE WATER WILL COME
IN, THIS WILL HAVE A RAKE SYSTEM
TO KEEP TRASH OUT OF THE PUMPS."
WATER WILL THEN RUN INTO SIX
NEW PUMPS INSIDE THE ANNEX.
"THE PUMP IS AN EIGHT-FOOT
DIAMETER PIPE WITH A PROPELLER
AT THE BOTTOM THAT WILL LIFT THE
WATER UP. IT'S 30 FEET DEEP,
PICKS THE WATER UP AND
DISCHARGES IT OUR TOWARD THE
INTRACOASTAL CANAL. THERE'S SIX
PUMPS, EACH PUMP HAS 250,000
GALLONS PER MINUTE PUMPING
CAPACITY FOR A MILLION AND HALF
GALLONS A MINUTE TOTAL FOR THE
STATION." BEFORE THIS PROJECT,
THE EXISTING PUMP STATION NEXT
DOOR COULD MANAGE A 25-YEAR
STORM EVENT. THE NEW ONE SHOULD
BE ABLE TO HANDLE A 100-YEAR
STORM, BUT EVEN THESE PUMPS --
COULD NOT HAVE SAVED THE AREA
DURING HARVEY.
"THE EXISTING STATION CAN HANDLE
ABOUT 5,000 CUBIC FEET OF WATER
PER SECOND. THE NEW STATION WILL
BE ABLE TO HANDLE 8,500 CUBIC
FEET PER SECOND. THERE WAS
ALMOST 30,000 CUBIC FEET PER
SECOND THAT WAS GETTING TO THAT
STATION DURING HARVEY."
CONSTRUCTION HERE IS MORE THAN
95 PERCENT COMPLETE.
"REALLY, THE BIGGEST PART IS
GOING TO BE SITE CLEAN-UP." AND
SIMS SAYS THESE NEW PUMPS WILL
BE READY FOR HURRICANE SEASON.
"WE'VE ADDRESSED A LOT OF
FLOODING ISSUES." PROVIDING SOME
PEACE OF MIND -- TO PEOPLE WHO
DON'T WANT TO WORRY -- EVERY
TIME IT RAINS.
JEFFERSON
JEFFERSON COUNTY DRAINAGE DISTRICT SEVEN HOPES TO HAVE THE ALLIGATOR BAYOU PUMP STATION UP
AND RUNNING...BEFORE HURRICANE
SEASON WHICH STARTS IN JUNE. THE
OLD STATION...WHICH HAS BEEN
USED SINCE 1979..WILL REMAIN ON
AND SERVE AS A BACKUP FOR
EMERGENCIES. TYLER
SEGGERMAN...12NEW S.