ROCKDALE, Texas — With four to six inches of rain expected to fall over the next few days in the Brazos Valley, residents in Rockdale are expecting flooding, an ongoing issue for years.
But the city is planning to add more drains.
- The City of Rockdale is planning to add more drainage around Childress, Meadow, Belton and MLK roads.
- Rockdale residents say they've been dealing with flooded roads for years.
- Drains are expected to be installed in the next 18 months.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Flooding has always been an issue for Kenny Kilcrease since he moved to Alcoa Avenue in Rockdale years ago.
"We catch all the runoff. We're kind of like at the bottom of the hill, and we have all these side streets that drain off onto our main street in front of our house," he said.
It's damaging roads in front of his drive, and he says he's spending nearly $200 per year to fix it.
"I had a former council member tell me that at one time they were going address this issue, but it got put on the back burner and that was two years ago," Kilcrease said.
Until now — City Manager Barbara Holly says a lack of funding cause the delay.
"This community just doesn't have the cash to do these projects," she said.
Rockdale isn't the only city in Central Texas that has been dealing with drainage issues.
Debris can clog drains and a lack of drainage systems can exacerbate problems.
But now, the city is receiving a grant to add more drains.
"After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the state let out several grants and we were lucky enough to be awarded one that was a $4.4 million grant, and with that, we will be able to take care of all of our known drainage issues," Holly said.
But it won't be on Kilcrease's road.
Instead, they're taking care of Childress, Belton, Meadow and MLK streets.
Kilcrease just wishes the city would take action.
"I wish the city would address it," he said. "They've got some major issues with the roads here. "
