Author: FBLID 19

With school back in session, it is important to address safety concerns for students walking to Elkins High School in the morning. In doing so, the LID board wants residents to be aware that the route shown in the map below is available for students. This route provides a path for students walking from subdivisions near Elkins HS which keeps them from walking on streets or on top of levees while en route in the morning.

For students using alternative routes, please be sure to strictly use sidewalks and be mindful of oncoming vehicles.

Recently, Flat Bank Creek, the County’s drainage channel between Riverstone and Sienna Plantation, has experienced erosion of its slopes. We understand this issue has been a concern for many LID 19 residents as the erosion could adversely impact the levee.

In the coming weeks, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will begin repairs on the slopes of Flat Bank Creek surrounding the LJ Parkway bridge. In addition, the Fort Bend County Drainage District will begin erosion repairs on the slopes of Flat Bank Creek located south of Riverstone.

As repairs begin, we will continue to update residents on the status of these repairs.

Usually, during the spring rains, there is an increase in the mosquito population. Some have asked if the district would be spraying in the area. The Levee Improvement District 19 (LID 19) directors have decided not to spend additional tax dollars on mosquito spraying. The mosquito population tends to decline quickly during the summer as the heat increases, but most importantly, the effectiveness of spraying is limited. The US Department of Health has stated that spraying does not provide a long-term solution for mosquitoes. It only kills the adult mosquitoes, but the larvae remain unharmed.

In terms of safety, the Fort Bend County Road and Bridge Department surveys for West Nile by placing traps across the county and sending specimens to the State Department of Health for testing. If West Nile is detected, Road and Bridge will conduct mosquito mitigation operations for three consecutive evenings, re-trap and submit until the traps return a negative test result LIDs can request surveillance traps in specific locations.

The LID 19 board of directors encourages all residents to follow the US Department of Health guidelines for preventing mosquitos:

• Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out any items that hold water like tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. Mosquitoes lay eggs near water.
• Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
• For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.
• Use larvicides to treat large containers of water that will not be used for drinking and cannot be covered or dumped out.