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Council approves detention-pond change order after engineering review; pipe diameter reduced from 48 to 36 inches
Summary
Council approved a change order for the Pitts Road and Morton Road detention pond improvements that reduced a discharge pipe from 48 inches to 36 inches after engineers and the Berkshire Katy Drainage District concluded the smaller pipe would not cause downstream impacts and would improve pond operation.
The City of Katy on April 14 approved change order No. 1 for the Pitts Road and Morton Road Detention Pond Improvements Project that reduces the contract price by $5,470 and reduces the diameter of a discharge pipe from 48 inches to 36 inches.
City staff told council the design engineer, Costello, and the Berkshire Katy Drainage District (BKDD) reviewed the design and concluded the 36-inch pipe would have no adverse impact downstream or upstream and would make the pond operate more efficiently. "That pipe size was part of the permit process that Costello went through with BKDD to optimize that pond operation and to prove no impact downstream or upstream," a staff member said. The staff member added the change reduced the contract price.
Council members pressed staff on whether the smaller pipe would be sufficient and whether BKDD preferred holding water longer. Staff answered that the expanded detention pond effectively doubles the size of the existing pond and would hold more water for a longer time, and that the 36-inch pipe size was chosen to help prevent faster downstream flows. "That would raise water surfaces either downstream or upstream. That's how they arrived at the 36 inches in consultation with BKTD," the staff member said.
The original contract amount was $1,620,933.70; after the $5,470 reduction the total contract amount is $1,615,463.70. The project was awarded previously under Resolution Number 1673 and the change order was approved by voice vote. Council discussion noted the change was intended to improve pond function and avoid increasing flows to downstream neighborhoods such as Pine Forest and Cane Island.
Staff said the project also involved coordination with the BKDD and that the revised design would result in net positive storage and hold water longer than the previous configuration. The transcript records that council members voiced concern about drainage impacts before ultimately approving the change order.
