Excavators roll into Petronila as the county races the hurricane season clock.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Heavy rain can quickly turn roads into rivers in parts of Petronila. Now Nueces County leaders are hoping a new drainage project will help keep stormwater moving before neighborhoods flood.
County officials gathered this week near Petronila Elementary off County Road 67 to break ground on a flood control project aimed at improving drainage during major rain events.
This story continues below.
Multi million Petronila project drain
Nueces County breaks ground on Petronila drainage project
The project will widen and deepen drainage ditches that county leaders say are currently too small to handle the runoff produced by intense South Texas thunderstorms.
Excavators were already positioned near the site as crews prepared to begin construction.
Joseph Ramirez with ICE Engineers said the upgraded drainage channel is designed to move water away from neighborhoods faster.
“25 feet wide. It’s going to have a berm that comes along right here on the side wide enough. People can actually drive through it,” Ramirez said. “And it’s going to continue to help the residents out here that are always impacted by the heavy rains.”
Officials say flooding in the area can happen quickly when large amounts of rain fall in a short period of time, leaving roads and yards underwater.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Joe Gonzalez acknowledged the work will not completely eliminate flooding but said it should help reduce the impact.
“You never solve the problem completely really it’s more like a Band-Aid right,” Gonzalez said. “You’re hopefully gonna patch it here and patch it there.”
The project carries a price tag of about $1 million and is part of a larger $6 million flood control effort targeting nearby colonias that also deal with repeated flooding concerns.
Gonzalez said additional drainage projects are planned for Golden Acres and Tierra Grande.
“We got one coming up from Golden Acres and another project coming out for Tierra Grande,” Gonzalez said. “Those are major projects. Those are on the table. We’re trying to take one project at a time.”
Federal ARPA funds are paying for the work. County leaders say they hope to complete the project before the peak of hurricane season arrives in September.