City studies Dews Drive flooding; staff to return cost estimates for curb-and-gutter, ditch upgrades or property purchase

The White House City Council heard a technical presentation on Sept. 23 about chronic flooding near 107 Dews Drive and along the length of Dews Drive. Staff described hydrologic findings, four improvement alternatives and the trade-offs for rights-of-way, easements and remaining localized flood risk.

Staff engineer Blake Whitney told council most runoff from the adjacent Reserve Apartments is captured in two detention ponds and does not substantially add to flows on Dews Drive, but the culvert at Highway 110 and Dews Drive is likely undersized for a 10-year storm and 107 Dews Drive sits in a local depression, which makes it especially prone to flooding. Staff presented four options: (1) widen the roadway to a 32-foot section with curb-and-gutter and an enclosed storm sewer system (which would require additional right-of-way or easements and multiple outfall easements), (2) improve ditches to handle up to a 25-year storm (requiring relaying the road in…