Public works: Duncan Channel floodgates being replaced; gates damaged in 2019–2020, repairs months away

City of Wichita Falls public works officials told the council on May 6 that floodgates at the end of the Duncan Channel — a primary drainage route for the East Side — were damaged in a storm event between 2019 and 2020 and are currently being replaced.

Why it matters: Residents described past flooding that trapped neighbors and raised questions about access, evacuation plans and sheltering. Staff said the gates help protect roadways but, when closed, require bypass pumping to avoid trapping storm runoff inside the neighborhood.

What staff said about the gates and the repair timeline

Russell Shriver, director of public works, told the council: "There are a set of floodgates there ... They became damaged in a storm event in somewhere between 02/2019 and 2020. The city then put a project to get it to replace those gates. That project is under construction now." Shriver said the contractor required almost a year to get the prefabricated gates built and delivered and that completion depends heavily on weather; he estimated, weather permitting, the project could be finished in the next four to five months.

How the gates function and operational limits

Shriver explained that the gates are typically closed when the Wichita River reaches "around 16 to 17 feet," at which point the city must begin bypass pumping because closing the gates traps locally falling water on the East Side. He said the gates protect roadways up to a point: when the river overtops other storm drains, water still flows back into streets. During the May event, the city could not close gates because replacements were under construction.

Resident accounts and safety concerns

Several East Side residents described anxiety and evacuation risks. Josie Rose said she had been the first caller to 911 during a prior flood and urged the council to close or relocate a daycare center she said was vulnerable. Candace Archie asked whether a floodgate exists, where it is, and what its function is; Russell Shriver responded with the replacement status and operational explanation.

Technical and maintenance suggestions

Other residents and speakers urged study of local culverts, dams and drainage corridors — including the Duncan Corridor and the dam near Holiday Park — and asked the council to consider upgrades where creeks bank out and send water back into neighborhoods. Ricky Lowe and other residents suggested some culverts and structures might be undersized and in need of design updates.

Discussion versus direction

Discussion: Multiple residents recounted past floods and requested immediate mitigation, sheltering plans and clearer evacuation messages. Staff laid out the technical reasons for the current flooding patterns and the limits of the gates.

Direction/assignment: Public Works described the ongoing replacement project and said bypass pumping procedures are used when gates are closed; staff committed to continuing monitoring and to bring a design professional services agreement for future phases of drainage work (Quail Creek Phase 3 design) to council.

Clarifying details from the meeting

- Shriver said the gates were damaged in a storm event "somewhere between 02/2019 and 2020." - The city closes the Duncan Channel gates when the Wichita River reaches about 16–17 feet; once closed, bypass pumping is required to evacuate locally falling water. - The gate-replacement project was under construction; staff said fabrication and contractor scheduling caused delays and estimated a remaining window of four to five months for completion, "if it stops raining." - Shriver noted that structures that flooded during the 2007 flood were bought out by FEMA after that event; current street flooding was described as roadway-level rather than widespread structural inundation in recent events.

Ending: Public Works said it will continue replacing the gates, pursue designs for additional channel and culvert work, and coordinate bypass pumping and emergency procedures during high-river events. Residents asked the council to accelerate work where feasible and to publish clearer evacuation and sheltering information for East Side neighborhoods.