Amarillo staff outline permanent pump station, force main to reduce Playa 7 flood risk

City staff detailed a plan to build a permanent pump station and force main to reduce flooding at Playa 7, telling the Amarillo City Council the project is in design and expected to enter construction after bidding in late 2026.

The project, presented by Alan Harder, drainage utility project manager, would place a pump station on the south side of Greenways Park near the existing temporary pump and route a new force main to the South Sanse storm sewer near 40th and Fifth, ultimately discharging to the John Ward area, Harder said. The recommended configuration includes two submersible pumps for redundancy and excavation of a channel to connect a nearby pond to the main playa to increase dewatering capacity.

The plan responds to recurrent flooding at Playa 7, which the city temporarily mitigates with a portable pump purchased after the 2023 event. Harder told council that the city purchased a portable pump because acquisition cost was cheaper than a one‑year rental and that pump remains in place for immediate use. He said the temporary pump discharges through the Greenways to McDonough Lake, then into the TxDOT storm sewer and onward to John Ward Lake during operations.

Harder summarized the preliminary engineering report prepared by Half Associates (contracted May 2024), which evaluated survey, hydrologic and hydraulic conditions, environmental permitting, force main alternatives and value engineering. The report recommends the South Greenways location, a force main to South Sanse and construction of a channel between the two bodies of water to allow greater removal of standing water. Harder said city engineers considered, but are not recommending, a permanent force main to McDonough Lake because of concerns about "daisy chaining" lakes.

Harder provided a schedule: final design is expected by summer 2026, with bidding and award in fall 2026 and construction complete and the station in service in winter 2027. In the interim, the city will keep the portable pump in place and continue coordination with the Greenways PID and adjacent property owners for temporary easements, he said.

Council members and residents pressed staff on capacity and operations. Harder said the current temporary pump moves about 3,000 gallons per minute, and that the difference in elevation between the smaller pond and the main playa is about 11 feet based on survey data. He described operational constraints, noting the city will not run pumps when storm runoff is actively flowing in curbs because that risks overloading the gravity sewer system. Harder said the city proactively monitors seasonal rainfall and keeps the portable pump ready to begin pumping immediately when conditions permit.

Residents and stakeholders told council they welcome the project but urged urgency. Laura Abernathy, a neighborhood resident, and Kimberly Hamlin, vice chair of the Region 1 Flood Planning Group, emphasized that a large share of the watershed feeding Playa 7 comes from land inside city limits; the meeting included a handout claiming roughly 82% of the contributing watershed lies in Amarillo. Hamlin said the downstream and adjacent residents include elderly households and expressed concern that current site conditions could put lives at risk in a major storm.

Harder acknowledged the long timeline for design and construction and said staff will evaluate phasing options—such as excavating the channel early—to provide additional near‑term capacity while design proceeds. He also said other lake projects funded in the capital improvement program remain underway and that staff can return with similar engineering overviews for Lawrence Lake and other sites.

Council did not take formal action on the Playa 7 presentation; staff said they are negotiating a new professional services agreement with Half Associates to finish design.