Doug Toney is editor and publisher of the Herald-Zeitung.
Posted: Sunday, August 8, 2010 12:00 am | Updated: 9:18 am, Sun Aug 8, 2010.
By Doug Toney Herald-Zeitung Publisher | 0 comments
Why is such a meeting needed? For starters, to get answers to these four questions:
Are the city's standards for ensuring that new construction does not contribute to the flooding of adjacent and downstream properties inadequate?
Is the city's ability to inspect projects to ensure that city standards are met inadequate or inept?
Is it a combination of these problems?
And if not, then what is the problem?
Let's consider Landa Park.
During the June 9 flood, Panther Canyon lost all five bridges.
The wading pool, one of the most popular and historic features of Landa Park, remains closed and a date when it might reopen, if ever, seems to be un
Preliminary inspections indicate that about seven feet of rock underneath the bridge and road washed out.
The channel between the bridge and wading pool is at least six feet deep.
That's a heck of washout, considering that channel was probably no more than 24 inches deep before the flood.
The damage and debris seems worse than during the 1998 or 2002 floods. Yes, those of us who have been here for these floods
Drive to the new HEB's parking lot at Loop 337 and Highway 46. Stand in the parking lot and look east toward New Braunfels High School. You will see the detention pond at the end of the parking lot. Look at the pond's drainpipe. The drainpipe from that detention pond goes under Highway 46 and goes into that concrete structure between the access road and Loop 337.
From that drain structure, the water appears to go under Loop 337 and open up into what eventually becomes Panther Canyon. If you drive over there you can see where the drainpipe comes out.
Did this development's drainage system contribute to the velocity and volume of the water that extensively damaged Landa Par
If so, what can be done?
Also consider what's occurred on the bace development.
Residents who live along the back part of the long-established neighborhood of Hunters Creek, especially those closest to the WestPointe development, say they have suddenly developed extensive flooding issues.
These residents say the first flooding began this past September when a rain that previously would not have caused severe flooding, resulted in their neighborhood being inundated with high velocity flooding.
In June, the run off from the WestPointe development, which is behind where HEB leases, turned into virtual raging streams, with water reaching way beyond what had been previously adequate drainage easements in the neighborhood.
Across town, residents in some of the neighborhoods near I-35 apparently also are complaining about floodwaters on streets and in yards and homes where they said they had never seen it flood before.
Have the acres and acres of new motels, parking lots and other construction along the interstate contributed to these new flooding issues in nearby neighborhoods?
Four of the seven councilors have some sort of connection to either residential or commercial construction or development. The mayor has a title company. Councilors Sandy Nolte and Mike Ybarra sell real estate and councilor Steven Digges has a plumbing business. Mentioning this fact should not be construed as an insinuation that some sort of chicanery is involved.
What this fact does provide, however, is another reason why allowing citizens to question the city manager and city engineer and others directly could go a long way to clear the air for residents who are frustrated with what they say has been very little information and/or ambiguous answers.
City manager Morrison apparently has told some councilors he would conduct some neighborhood meetings sometime in the future to address these concerns. That's not enough now.
A citywide meeting would ensure that residents from all the affected neighborhoods could hear the same answers from the same officials at the same time.
And, finally, a citywide meeting also would allow the public to determine whether "I don't
Let's find out the real problem or problems and who or what is responsible and then let's get it fixed.
Update: The city will be having a meeting regarding drainage on August 30th at 6:00 pm at the New Braunfels Civic Center.
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