Engineer: Euclid Pump Station redesign focuses on conveyance, not new pumps; $5.09M GLO grant funds plan
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Summary
ICE engineers told council the Euclid Pump Station's failure stems from conveyance and outfall configuration rather than pump capacity; the project uses a $5,086,700 GLO grant, will prioritize outfall piping, flap gates and a sluice intake, and aims for final design and bids in 2026 pending environmental clearance.
International Consulting Engineers (ICE) presented a redesign of the Euclid Pump Station on Monday, saying the station's primary problem is flow direction and conveyance rather than pump capacity.
"What we're noticing... is it's really not the pumps that are the problem. It's the direction that the water is going," said Carlos Montalvo of ICE during a presentation to the Aransas Pass City Council. He described how storm conditions caused water to cycle into a channel adjacent to a mobile‑home community rather than flow out to the Navigation District as intended.
ICE proposed targeted changes: extend an outfall pipe to the Navigation District, install a flat flap gate at the outfall to prevent backflow, add a sluice gate upstream to create a controlled intake line into the pump station, upgrade one of the smaller pumps and modernize electrical and SCADA controls. Montalvo said the team would avoid raising the building to the full FEMA flood elevation because doing so would consume the grant funds without solving the drainage problem.
Montalvo cited the project's grant funding and draft budget: "The total grant amount for this project is $5,086,700. Now that includes a construction budget $4,182,152. And then the engineering and administration, grant administration, is roughly about $904,548." He said the GLO grant imposed review and environmental requirements that reshaped the design approach.
Because the site lies in a FEMA flood zone, ICE said replacing more than 50% of the building would trigger elevation work — a plan that would be costly and use most of the available funds. Instead, the team redesigned to focus on conveyance, culvert use and targeted pump/electrical upgrades. ICE expects 60% drawings by February 2026 (sooner if environmental clearance arrives earlier), 100% design by April 2026, advertisement for bids in May and construction beginning around June 2026 with a target completion later that year.
Montalvo said the team will coordinate with the Navigation District and the railroad for culvert access and permitting, and that geotechnical and environmental investigations remain ongoing.
What happens next: ICE will complete 60% drawings and the environmental reassessment, then return to council with more detailed plans and permitting requirements ahead of advertisement for bids.