You Have Been Given Notice …

By Gloria Way

  After the devastation across the entire county caused by the winds and flood waters of Hurricane Harvey and then just two years later with Tropical Storm Imelda, residents have never been more vocal about how Chambers County must be more proactive in flood mitigation. Chambers County is the fourth fastest growing county in Texas and the tenth fastest growing county in the country. With that growth comes more residential and commercial development, which translates to more concrete replacing wetlands and pastures. So, when it comes to torrential rains, where will the water flow?

  Ryan Dagley, Commissioner Pct 4, has asked Chambers County commissioners court to review and consider changes to the county’s Subdivision and Drainage Manual. “We need a cohesive drainage plan,” Dagley told the Court. The county must be considered as a “whole” instead of east v west v mid-county, etc. What changes/improvements are made in one part of the county must consider how it will affect the county as a whole.

  Dagley stated that the county engineers and others are forming a task force per se to determine how developers and buyers of large parcels of land need to have a plan on how the building and developing of subdivisions, retail centers, etc., will have on the drainage in their area. And that these plans are in coordination with the county’s drainage plan. So many housing developments are coming up very quickly and there is no defined plan on who is responsible for maintaining ditches and waterways.  Some say the developer needs to maintain all ditches. Some same the Home Owners Association (HOA) needs to maintain ditches and waterways, and some say the county should maintain all ditches all the time. All of this and all issues regarding drainage needs to be clarified and specified in the revised Subdivision and Drainage Manual.

  Dagley has asked the commissioners court to set up a public hearing for input from the public before for the committee presents its recommendations to the court. Dagley said that the changes to the subdivision and drainage manual will be posted online a month before the public hearing so there will be plenty of time for the public to read them. The public hearing is set for August 13, 2024, so the changes will be online on July 13, 2024. The location for the hearing has not been announced yet.

  Chambers County is also hosting two public meetings for residents to provide input. There will be two Countywide Drainage Study Info Meetings to be held on July 23,  2024, at 6pm at the Goss Memorial Branch Library in Mont Belvieu and July 30, 2024, at 6pm at White Memorial Park Community Building. These meetings are to discuss existing conditions, proposed conditions, proposed and modeled projects and Texas Water Development Board Grant Updates.

  You must give “kudos” to Chambers County. County government moves very slowly but at least the Commissioners Court are hearing the people and working to mitigate the countywide drainage issue en toto.

  So, for those who complain that they didn’t know about the meetings, etc., etc., you have now been given notice!