The Texas General Land Office announced it awarded the city of Seguin $37.8 million and the city of Marion $9.9 million for storm water improvements.
This is the result of repeated storm damage in 2015 and during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, reported The Seguin Gazette.
The combined $47.8 million project will help to improve areas that have a majority of residents at low-to-moderate income levels (53.76%). The project will focus on drainage, wastewater, and water improvements.
“Texas has unfortunately led the nation in disaster declarations, and many of the areas hit hardest have never had access to funding needed to fortify communities against devastating storms and floodwaters,” said Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush, reported The Seguin Gazette. “The historic funding we’re awarding today will go directly to projects in Guadalupe County that will help protect Texas homes, businesses and critical infrastructure against future disasters for generations.”
The state started seeking applicants in May 2020 to give out the $2.3 billion in Community Development Block Grant Mitigation funds awarded to the state by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), reported The Seguin Gazette.
The city of Seguin experiences: street closures; flooded houses and businesses; heavy runoff; erosion; and infrastructure damage during heavy rainfall.
“The city of Seguin continues to experience severe flooding events that inundate our drainage and wastewater systems,” said Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen, reported The Seguin Gazette.
According to The Seguin Gazette, The Walnut Branch Drainage Improvement Project includes: acquiring land to extend the detention ponds near Interstate 10, Huber Road and Fleming Drive; constructing a small drainage system on Aladma at Kingsbury Street; building a bridge crossing on San Antonio Avenue at Walnut Branch and Williams Street at Walnut Branch; and replacing low water crossings further downstream.
The North Heidecke Street Drainage Improvement project will create a system for storm water on the northern end of the city bound by North Austin Street and Heidecke Streets, reported The Seguin Gazette.
The city of Marion will use the $9.9 million to build an elevated water storage tank and rehabilitate its wastewater collection system, according to Mayor Victor Contreras, reported The Seguin Gazette.
Marion will also: replace 38 manholes and the streets surrounding them; rehabilitate 50 other manholes; replace almost 10,000 linear feet of collection mains; and replace the existing headworks at the sewage plant.
