CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Nueces County Commissioners recently discussed the results of a finalized tri-county drainage study that will be used to help secure state funding to combat flooding in the Coastal Bend.
The study includes Jim Wells, Kleberg, and Nueces counties.
The Tri-County Regional Drainage Master Plan Study examined areas across the three counties to get a snapshot of areas that need significant attention when it comes to flooding. Nueces County Precinct 3 Commissioner John Marez said that the area he presides over will see significant benefits.
"The project does include a big area that is impacted by flooding that there is little to no infrastructure to deal with flooding," he said.
Marez said that due to the unpredictability of South Texas weather conditions, the study helps pinpoint areas where additional drainage potential could be beneficial.
"And that is difficult when you get into slopes, creek beds that are clogged up, ditches that are filled to capacity. And so that's the problem that you've been tackling," he said.
However, even with all that data, Marez said that this is only the first step in acquiring funding from the state. He said that just for his area alone, he's looking at a multi-million-dollar price tag.
"You have to have a study," he said. "You can't just say, "generally, these are areas that we have problems with.'" This was an 18 month process where we took public meetings, public input, photographs..
Robstown Independent School District Education Foundation Vice President of Development Yvette Villalobos, who has lived in the area for more than 30 years, said she would like to see more done when it comes to drainage around the city.
"They're trapped in their homes," she said. "We got elderly people that aren't able to get out, you know, disabled people. We've got to take into account that these people are stuck in their homes. And they don't have people to go to them at times."
Villalobos said that a study like this can make a huge impact on the community and help give residents a sense of security after heavy rains.
"With this, it would help to get this taken care of, you know? Life would continue. After a rainstorm it would just pause," she said.
It's a plan Marez said was long overdue.
"The fact is that we didn't have a previous updated plan in 15 years and now we have one," he said.
Marez said that he is hopeful the county will get a sizable amount of funding to move forward with drainage projects in the area. He said that the study will only bolster Nueces County as it competes for funding against other communities outside of the Coastal Bend.
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