Drainage improvements working, county says

As bad as Monday's flooding was for people who had water in their houses, the city's improved drainage system proved that it's working by helping contain some of the water in the area with the heaviest rainfall, the Chronicle reports today. The article focuses on Sims Bayou, a part of which has been widened — though the project won't be finished until 2009, it saved between 500 and 1,000 nearby houses Monday, the Harris County Flood Control District estimates. (Not to say that there wasn't flooding near Sims Bayou, though. Just ask these people.)

"We are pleased with how the bayou system functioned during this event," Flood Control District Director Michael Talbott said. "However, we know that some bayous exceeded their capacity because of excessive rainfall. This is a reminder for everyone that there is still work that needs to be done, and we are continuing to put projects in the ground."

Some local bayous did overflow their banks, including Hunting, Halls and Armand. The flood control district is looking at how to improve drainage along those routes, but the problem is that no drainage system will be able to handle rainfall as heavy as some of Monday's — in some parts of the Sims Bayou watershed, 11 inches of rain fell in a few hours. The city's storm drains are built to handle about an inch an hour, and even the bayous will back up with heavy rain and runoff.

Since Tropical Storm Allison hit five years ago, the city has spent about $60 million improving its storm drainage system and the county has spent another $750 million to widen and deepen bayous.

Photo from flickr user laanba