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Fort Bend County announces million-dollar expansion of pump station to help reduce flooding
Officials said if this expansion would have been in place during Hurricane Harvey, there wouldn’t have been major flooding.
FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Fort Bend County officials have announced a $9.1 million expansion of the Steep Bank Creek Pump Station in Riverstone.
The expansion will add capacity to help mitigate flooding, signaling one of the most significant capital improvements for flood protection for the suburban Houston county since Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
During Harvey, the primary watershed in Riverstone flooded over 500 homes when the rain pushed the Steep Bank Creek Pump Station to its limits.
The facility had a total pumping capacity of 80,000 gallons per minute.
With the expansion, there’s an additional 150,000 gallons per minute of pumping capacity, which would have prevented flooding during Hurricane Harvey, according to Chad Hablinski, the Fort Bend County district engineer.
John Thagiss, a recent home buyer, said the added pumps give them confidence in the area.
“I think the county is doing a great job getting it done and so hopefully we don’t have problems in the future,” he said.
Fort Bend County Judge KP George said the investment was to make sure residents can live safely.