At a city council workshop Aug. 28, City Administrator Kent Manton and public-works staff reviewed the city’s response to widespread flooding in 2024 and described remaining tasks and funding options to reduce future flood impacts in neighborhoods around Third Street and FM 107.

Manton said the 2024 storm delivered far more rain than typical seasonal patterns and that state officials declared a severe weather disaster during the period. "It’s estimated that this was a 40 year flood event that affected both Falls and McLennan County," Manton said.

What staff have done: Manton listed immediate and short-term field work completed since the high‑rain event: four bar‑ditch regrades along FM 107/Third Street, removal of one failing culvert at Mackay Ranch Road, replacement of two culverts and cleaning of four larger culverts between Third and Fourth streets. Crews also installed temporary soil‑water barriers to slow flows while longer‑term solutions are planned.

Planned and outstanding work: staff said they still need to deepen bar ditches on the north side of Third Street, replace a repeatedly damaged culvert at Franklin and Third, clear culverts on the south side of Third Street, and perform channelization work in the downtown area. Staff told the council they have placed requests with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) for some work in the TxDOT right‑of‑way and that coordination with TxDOT could take months.

Constraints: staff cautioned that shallow underground utilities (gas lines and fiber) limit where heavy ditching can occur; tractor‑trailer traffic has compressed some replacement culverts; and some houses sit below highway grade so water runoff from the roadway contributes to persistent pooling. Manton said coordinating with property owners will be necessary for some work, especially in tight downtown blocks.

Funding and planning: Manton said the city updated the McLennan County hazard‑mitigation plan and included the city’s drainage needs to improve grant eligibility. He added the city included a master drainage study and improvement plan in a GLORCP grant application now awaiting award determination. If awarded, consultants would inventory culverts and storm drains and produce a prioritized, costed plan for improvements.

Challenges: staff said TxDOT’s response has been slow and that public‑works crews have repeatedly been diverted to support the city sewer project, limiting available manpower for drainage tasks. Manton urged use of grant funding and engineering studies to set priorities rather than ad hoc fixes.

Why it matters: staff said the 2024 event produced several flooded homes (Manton cited one home in Shady Shores that was destroyed and four homes flooded near Mackay/Third/Fourth) and substantial repair costs for homeowners that will recur without more robust drainage solutions.