Fighting the floods From the cover
At a glance
Drainage project overview
KEY
9 Benson Bayou Regional Conveyance & Mitigation Pond 10 Leisure Lane and Pecan Orchard Drainage Study 11 Bayou Brae Drainage Improvements 1 Clear Creek Tributaries Clearing and Desnagging 2 Hurricane Harvey Drainage Project, Phase 1 3 FM518 at Wesley Drive Drainage Improvements 4 North Detention Pond 5 Main Street & Wesley Drainage, Phase 2 6 Interurban Neighborhood Drainage 7 Hughes Lane - West Deats Road Culvert Modifications 8 Magnolia Creek and Cedar Gully Channel Improvements Project
Upcoming On Hold In construction Complete League City Limits
When Hurricane Harvey struck the Greater Houston metro, League City residents saw significant flooding in and around their homes. Neighborhoods saw flood waters rise to about a foot, according to city drainage study documents. Since then, officials have pursued several drainage projects to prevent future flooding. One ongoing $5 million effort—the Lower Clear Creek and Dickinson Bayou Watershed study— aims to make “transformative improvements” to reduce flood elevations, said Christopher Sims, the city’s executive director of planning and development. Rooted in a 2023 drainage study, construction is also underway in League City’s Historic District to install 24- and 36-inch pipes and storm boxes beneath roadside ditches on Wisconsin Avenue, Third Street and Fourth Street. The $66,000 project is expected to be completed by spring 2026. “You can’t fix all the issues instantly ... but from where we were during Harvey to where we are today, we are pretty proud of the changes we’ve made,” League City City Manager John Baumgartner said.
CLEAR LAKE
146 146
12 The Meadows Drainage Improvements, Phase 1&2 13 Bay Ridge Flood Reduction, Phase 1 14 Study - Wisconsin Street 15 Bay Ridge Flood Reduction, Phase 4
11
45
MARINA BAY DR.
518
45
12
2
15
12
14
5
13
16
16 Bay Ridge Flood Reduction, Phase 2 17 Southeast Detention Pond
3
1
6
9
646
4
17
10
LEAGUE CITY PKWY.
8
3
7
45
SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/ COMMUNITY IMPACT
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45
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The funding source
Public input
particularly through grants, Baumgartner said. A grant was awarded to the city after Hurricane Harvey, allowing them to run a study that analyzes the city’s creeks, drainage channels and their capacity, Baumgartner said. Over the coming years, League City will spend over $50 million on drainage projects, including $31 million in fiscal year 2025-26, according to budget documents.
Some residents throughout the city have experienced flooding as a result of the recent storms. League City resident William Drake, who lives in Bay Ridge, said his home flooded during Hurricane Harvey. He described the storm as a “turned-on faucet.” The Bay Ridge neighborhood borders State Hwy. 96 and Bay Ridge Drive, where the city installed water lines and is now raising the road. Drake said he is concerned about flood waters coming into homes as the city raises the road.
League City relies on a mix of local, state, fed- eral and voter-approved bond funding to support its drainage projects. Baumgartner noted that one of the city’s “biggest challenges” has been rising costs, with expenses increasing by about 50% since the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite those hurdles, the city continues to seek additional funding for drainage improvements,
Funding sources for League City's drainage projects Later-year funding is subject to change as funding, grants and bonds are finalized.
$40M
$31.4M
$28.2M
$30M
$20M
“I think it’s all the building [they did] around here too quick. When they built [schools in the area], they didn’t have enough adequate drainage.” WILLIAM DRAKE, LEAGUE CITY RESIDENT
$12.4M
Existing city funds (capital and reinvestment project funds) Other funding (grants and potential grants) Future debt needed (bonds or future bonds needed)
$10M
$6.3M
$2.1M $2.1M
Fiscal year
SOURCE: LEAGUE CITY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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