June 21, Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7 General Manager Allen D. Sims released a statement on social media concerning flooding.
The district covers an area of 107.42 square miles and encompasses the cities of Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland and Port Neches and unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. Two thirds of the district is below 5 feet above sea level and 60-70% of the district drains to Taylor’s Bayou.
In his statement, Sims explained the situation with the pumps. Sims said the pumps were staffed at 4;30 a.m. before a quarter of rain had fallen.
“The pumps were operated as soon as there was water available at the stations to pump,” said Sims. “Please be aware it takes time for a drop of rain to hit your yard, travel to the street, travel along the street or storm sewer to a DD7 channel, then to travel to a pump station. Because the area is so flat, it takes 30 minutes to one hour for the first raindrop to reach the pumps.”
“We live here and don’t want your properties or ours to flood. Even the best systems can be overwhelmed by large events,” Sims said. “We can easily handle 1 to 2 inches an hour or even 12 to 15 inches in a day. But the rain of 6 plus inches in an hour — like we experienced this morning — was extreme.”
Rainfall for the area averages 53 inches per year.