TEMPLE, Texas — This week’s heavy rains have caused flooding in parts of Temple, like at Lions Park, and sewage overflow into Bird Creek.
Karen Haley-Dungan, Temple resident and business owner, knows what to expect when it rains.
"Most of the roads are okay, but if it's a downpour, you have to get in the center lane, because the drainage on the curb-side, it fills up and it floods, and you can’t drive in it," Haley-Dungan said.
"If it’s a heavy rain, going home on the access road in front of the E.R Carpenter, right where the access road goes under the railroad track, that is a very dangerous spot.”
The City of Temple has several projects in the works to address flooding and drainage.
“They’re geared more towards the places where we see the persistent flooding and sewage overflows," said the City of Temple Public Relations Coordinator, Megan Price.
Two major projects going on now are the Bird Creek Trunk Sewer Project and Knob Creek Trunk Sewer project — the Bird Creek project is in its last phase.
"It's estimated to be done in December 2024, and it’s going to help alleviate any bottlenecks that might be in the sewer and try to prevent any other overflows from happening," Megan said.
Megan tells 25 News that while projects are underway, the city works to get ahead of the storm.
“With the sewage overflow that happened, on Thursday, our public works team kind of saw it coming, or knew that it was a possibility with all the rain that we had so they put disinfectant and dechlorination efforts into place before the sewage overflow happened," Price said.
"Luckily it’s not going to pose a threat to any wildlife or people or water quality in the area."
But that’s not all.
“Our Public Works team has several ways they deal with flood matters at several of the flood-proned locations within Temple city limits," Price said.
"Then the Public Works Department and our Temple Fire and Rescue teams, they are monitoring those and kind of see where water is coming into the area, and maybe reaching unsafe levels and responding to those if neede."
If you have flooding emergencies, call 911.
Contact Temple Fire and Rescue and Public Works Department for any other flooding issues.
