First Colony Levee Improvement District

The third segment of raising the FCLID levee is nearing completion this month, October, 2023 (ahead of schedule).

The contractor has brought in the select fill material from the neighboring District’s (FBC LID 2) Ditch “B” widening project and has filled the levee to the required height. As-built surveys of the levee top have been reviewed and all levee top elevations meet or exceed the required height. The contractor will be seeding the levee and cleaning up the site for his ultimate move out. We expect full completion of the project by the end of this month.

The levee raising project was completed in three segments, with the soils coming from two FCLID pond expansion projects and the FBC LID 2 project to complete the raising of the levee segments to at least the 500-year flood level of the Brazos River.

June 22, 2023

Levee Raising Near Lake “A-2”

Since the completion of the Ditch “B” and Lake “A-2”/Pond “A-3” projects in mid-2022, the District has undertaken a third project to complete the raising of the levee just south of Double Lakes Dr.

The former projects did not produce enough excavated material to raise the entire levee.  This third project is in concert with an excavation project within FBC LID 2 and the District is using that material to raise the remaining portion of the levee.  Construction traffic will be accessing the site using the Double Lake driveway near the Heritage Colony Clubhouse.

The project began in late May and is expected to be completed by December, 2023.

Future Project Update

June 22, 2023

Joint Pump Station with LID 19

The District is participating with LID 19 and MUD 115 (Riverstone districts) in the construction of a second pump station along Steepbank Creek which will provide approximately 200,000 gpm additional pumping capacity for extreme rainfall events coincident with high Brazos River events outfalling into the Flat Bank Creek Diversion Channel.  The District undertook this joint project in lieu of adding a pump station inside of the District near the Lake “A-2” outfall into Steepbank Creek since an internal pump station would have necessitated pumping that water a second time from the LID 19 downstream system.

The project has recently received its environmental clearance from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).  The final electrical controls design is currently underway.  The project is expected to go into the bidding phase in late 2023 with construction expected to begin in early 2024.  The estimated construction time is 12-15 months.

From Ready.gov

• Know what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.
• Prepare before hurricane season starts. Atlantic hurricane season starts June 1.
• Create an emergency communication plan with your family before a hurricane.
• Have emergency supplies in place at home, at work, and in the car.
• Consider purchasing flood insurance because damages caused by flooding are not covered under normal homeowner’s insurance policies.
• Learn how to prepare in the event of an evacuation.
• Listen to local officials.
• Sign up for alerts from the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.

The most serious threat to property protected by the FCLID levee comes from weather events that involve heavy local rainfall, possibly in combination with high water events on the Brazos River.

The following weather events can significantly impact our area:

• Local rainfall that exceeds 12” in 24 hours in our area.
• Severe Brazos River flooding from upstream dam releases or lower basin rainfall that raises the water level in the Brazos River.
• Moderate river events where high water limits the gravity
  discharge rate from inside the levee combined with moderate
  to heavy local rainfall that raises water levels inside the levee protected area.

During heavy rain events it is advisable NOT to park vehicles in the street or set out trash bins. Our streets are designed as part of the overall drainage system for the District, and you should expect water to drain through the streets before it drains out of the District.