Blanco Gardens community receives update on drainage, flood mitigation projects

Dozens of residents waited inside a repurposed classroom on Thursday in anticipation of the latest report from city staff on the Blanco Gardens Drainage Improvements Project.

Jacquelyn Thomas, City of San Marcos senior engineer and project manager, said the project’s first phase is anticipated to be completed by the “end of this month” and will include a storm drain and wastewater system along Conway Street; a storm drain along Smith Lane; and a new proposed outfall to the San Marcos River.

Thomas provided the update and introduced the city’s latest infrastructure project, the Blanco Riverine Flood Mitigation Project, during the Blanco Gardens Neighborhood Public Meeting held at KAD Korner Store on 820 Sturgeon St. on Thursday.

The Blanco Gardens Drainage Improvements Project began in March and is part of the city’s long-term recovery strategy from the Memorial Day and All Saints flooding events in 2015.

The City of San Marcos has contracted with Santa Clara Construction, Ltd., for the project. The estimated total cost is $12,246,218 and will be financed through CDBG-DR and MIT, city and city wastewater, and San Marcos Electric Utility funds.

The Blanco River Drainage Improvements Project is split into the following remaining phases:

•Phase 2 - Regrade River Road and construct new storm and wastewater systems on Barbara Drive.

Milestone Date: June 30, 2023

•Phase 3 - Create a storm drain along River Road and install an Electric Duct Bank along River Road from Animal Shelter Road to Old Martindale Road.

Milestone Date: Dec. 31, 2023

•Phase 4 - Install concrete channels within the alleyways parallel to Barbara and Conway to connect to stormwater pipes in River Road.

Milestone Date: May 31, 2024

“Right now, [the alleyways are] grass, that’s where the drainage goes now,” Thomas said. “But we’re improving it — We’re going to make it flow better, capture more water, and get it where it needs to go.”

The project’s expected completion date is Fall 2024.

Above, the City of San Marcos hosted a community meeting where an update regarding the Blanco River Mitigation Project was given to residents.  Daily Record photo by Zoe Gottlieb

In addition to installing new drainage systems, the city also launched the Blanco Riverine Flood Mitigation Project this month.

Outlined in the project proposal are plans for a relief channel, river lay-back and stabilization, and berm and floodwall, to prevent flood waters from entering the Blanco Gardens neighborhood and to reroute water from the Blanco to the San Marcos River. That project will be split into two phases and conclude in Fall 2024, for an estimated cost of $20.4 million.

The two catalysts for this project were historic flooding events in May and October 2015 that underscored the need for flood prevention measures in the event of extreme heavy rainfall.

On Memorial Day 2015, rainfall caused the Blanco River to swell to a staggering 43 feet, inundating homes and roadways with water. The natural disaster claimed 11 Hays County lives, and thousands of others were left stranded, their homes washed away.

City Councilmember Mark Gleason, who attended the Blanco Gardens meeting, recalled “significant flood damage” to his home from both the May and October floods.

“My neighbors and I lost pets, cars, and both sentimental and useful items,” Gleason said. “We had hours and hours of exhausting cleanup and thousands of dollars in damage. The floods took both a physical and emotional toll on all of us.”

Gleason remarked that he was glad to see such a high turnout at the Blanco Gardens meeting, along with people engaging and asking questions.

Gleason said the meetings are “a great chance for residents to ask questions and get answers for concerns they may have.”

“We want to know what’s on residents’ minds,” he said. “It’s a great chance for neighbors and community members to mingle and be included in important conversations.”