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Aransas Pass staff describe new permanent pump stations, say new equipment will move far more water
Summary
City staff presented details on recently installed and planned permanent pump stations, saying hydraulically driven pumps can move over 15,000 gallons per minute and should reduce standing water and the need for temporary hoses across the harbor.
Aransas Pass staff presented details Monday on a multi-site effort to replace portable pumps with permanent pump stations and add new stations in low-lying parts of the city.
In a presentation to the Aransas Pass City Council, Michael Bonner said the new hydraulically driven pumps, at their lowest idling setting, are capable of moving “over 15,000 gallons per minute,” a marked increase over the portable pumps the city previously used. Bonner said the portable pumps required running temporary hoses across streets and the harbor and were subject to theft and long repair lead times.
Bonner said the city has completed start-ups and run-throughs for 24-inch pumps at existing sites and is designing additional stations at Wheeler (near Wheeler and Huff avenues) and Euclid. He described Wheeler as a “throttle point” between two existing stations and said adding a pump there should reduce load on Maddox and Goodnight stations. The Euclid design will add a second inflow ditch to speed runoff from streets, staff said.
The presentation emphasized the public-safety role of the pumps and the local geography’s limited natural runoff. Bonner framed the pump work as infrastructure that “saves lives, saves homes” and said the new permanent systems should end the need for hoses that block roadways during storms.
Council members and audience members offered brief praise after the presentation and asked timing questions; Bonner said the Wheeler and Euclid stations remain in design and environmental review. He declined to give a firm start date for the new stations but said start-ups at the recently completed sites were successful.
Background: Bonner noted the city has worked with FEMA and the Texas General Land Office on permanent stations since Hurricane Harvey. He said older portable pumps once cited as capable of “25,100 gallons per minute” had limits and operational problems; the transcript contains that figure as stated during the meeting.
Council members did not take a formal vote on project funding during the presentation; the briefing was presented as a staff update and to invite questions.
Looking ahead: Staff said they will continue environmental review and design work for Wheeler and Euclid and will return with additional details when available.
