This month, Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District 19 (LID 19) broke ground on expanding the Steep Bank Creek pump station. Initially, the pump station was designed to remove 80,000 gallons of water per minute (GPM) out of LID 19 during a weather event. The expansion will add three permanent 50,000 GPM pumps each with backup power generation. When adding the twelve portable pumps that the District added in 2019, the total pumping capacity will increase to over 310,000 GPM. This represents a significant improvement since Hurricane Harvey.
“We made a promise to this community that we would thoughtfully expand our capabilities. We have carefully evaluated different options, and this expansion is one of many upgrades to improve the flood resiliency of our community.” Kalapi Sheth, President, LID 19.
The total cost of the expansion project will be approximately $8.9 million. As they share the watershed, the expense is shared by both levee districts that serve the Riverstone Community; LID 19 and LID 15.
The project broke ground with an estimated completion in May 2022. Construction will be executed by Garney Companies, Inc. with oversight by the District’s consultants. The construction will be executed in a manner that will not compromise the safety of LID 19 during construction.
From left to right: Glenn Wong (LID 19), Sreekanth Pannala (LID 19), Dean Cooper (LID 19), Chad Hablinski (Costello), Nancy Carter (Muller Law Group), Fort Bend County Commisioner Ken DeMerchant (Precinct 4), Rohit Sankholar (LID 15), Fort Bend County Commisioner Grady Prestage (Precinct 2), Jeff Perry (LMS), Matt Reed (Schwartz Page Harding), Jeff Anderson (LID 15) and Phil Martin (Mike Stone Associate).
About Levee Improvement District 19 – Fort Bend County Levee Improvement District #19 is primarily responsible for providing flood protection and stormwater discharge management. LID 19 maintains a flood protection system that includes a levee and other related flood protection infrastructure, including a pump station. Additional information about the District can be found on the District’s website, https://www.fblid19.com, and Facebook page.