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Engineer proposes detention pond, backflow prevention and other measures for Edinburg North flood-prone campus
Summary
SDI Engineering recommended a multi-part plan—backflow preventers, elevated entrance thresholds, subsurface storage and a larger detention pond—for Edinburg North to reduce rapid flooding. The estimate presented to the committee was about $1.8 million, with an estimated $797,000 of in-kind city assistance possible.
Edinburg North High School's Facilities Committee presentation on March 27 storm damage focused on multi-level drainage interventions to reduce rapid campus flooding during heavy rains.
Isael Posadas of SDI Engineering described the campus as sitting in a low area relative to surrounding streets and noted multiple sources of inflow during storms: subsurface infiltration into the municipal sewer, pressurization of city lines, and surface runoff from neighboring streets and swales. "One of the things that we could do also is discharge directly from this detention area ... and connect to that 72 inches line that the city installed," Posadas said while outlining site-specific options.
Recommended measures: Posadas and district staff presented a layered strategy: - Install a drainage backflow preventer at the primary outfall so the district's storm drainage cannot be backfed when the municipal system is pressurized. - Add small grade barriers (speed-hump-like curbing) at vulnerable drive entrances to block above-ground overflow from streets during extreme events. - Reconstruct a detention area on the campus northwest quadrant, expanding and deepening the original design to hold runoff temporarily away from buildings; SDI estimated effective capacity near 2,000,000 gallons for the design under consideration. - Where on-campus storage is insufficient, explore a discharge connection across neighboring parcels to reach a larger city line sooner; SDI reported the irrigation district general manager had indicated willingness to present potential property dedication to his board.
Costs and city assistance: Posadas presented a total program estimate of roughly $1,800,000 for the suite of measures. He said about $797,000 of that could be covered by in-kind assistance from the City of Edinburg (excavation, hauling, landfill fees and possible tree removal), if the city agrees to provide equipment and labor rather than cash for those components.
Operational and near-term measures: The committee discussed shorter-term fixes, including covering or temporarily sealing floor drains and trimming or removing overhanging trees that drop leaves and plug roof and inlet grates. SDI also recommended subsurface (gravel) detention under high-traffic areas to reduce immediate flash flooding during the first 15 minutes of intense rain.
Board direction: Committee members asked SDI Engineering to finish plans quickly so district staff can present them to the city for permits and coordination; the district will pursue phased implementation once the final designs and cost estimates are complete.
Why it matters: Edinburg North serves a large student population (district comments referenced the campus and adjacent neighborhoods). Committee members said the plan should be prioritized against the district's broader five-year facilities list, focusing first on life-safety and operational items such as lighting and building-envelope repairs while advancing drainage projects in coordination with the city and irrigation district.
