ARANSAS PASS, Texas — The possibility of heavy rain over the weekend has brought anxiety to some Coastal Bend communities.
Aransas Pass residents have expressed concerns about flooding, with several people posted images of Tuesday's storm and its aftermath on Facebook. They showed streets filled with water and sewers backed up. Some residents claim it took several days for areas to be drained.
"The pumps were not the problem. It was just so much rain all at once," Aransas Pass Public Works Director David Flores said. "You can only pump so much water in a certain amount of time. And when you pour that much water in such a short amount of time it's going to stress any system out."
According to Flores, more funding will be used to rehabilitate two other pump stations after others were upgraded. Proactive measures were being taken ahead of the next expected rain event.
Flores said crews were cleaning pipes and drain boxes to keep things flowing into the bay.
Public works has a plan to eventually realign the city's 250 brick manholes.
"It is going to take a bite out of this problem little by little. Every manhole we're going to realign, it's gonna prevent rain water from going into our sewer system," he said.
This plan was approved by the Aransas Pass City Council last year and it could take about three years for the project to be complete.
Specific machinery used for the project cost about $160,000. 80 manholes are budgeted for the next three years, which would cost around $120,000 by the time the city project is finished.
Meanwhile, people are encouraged to use sandbags to prevent flood damage. Officials are also urging people to stay off of the roads when the streets are flooded.
When severe weather is over, people are asked to directly call and report issues with drainage or infrastructure to public works by calling (361) 758-3111so problems can be addressed. For emergencies, call 911.
