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» HAS Newsroom
Houston Airport System
January 2, 2007
The rain drops may keep falling on our heads, as singer B.J. Thomas noted, but the Houston Airport System (HAS) is stepping in to help solve some of the flooding problems on the local and state controlled roads surrounding Hobby, Bush and Ellington Field.
“I think it is part of our requirement as good neighbors to the community that we ensure there is appropriate drainage and support,” that’s the forecast from Eric Potts, deputy director of planning, construction and design for HAS.
A team from his department is taking the lead in this soggy saga which sometimes dampens the spirits of airport travelers.
“Hobby doesn’t flood but the roads around it do,” says Adil Godiwalla, with the airport system planning division, “and we are going to take a look at the roads and what needs to be done to address the problem.”
As a proactive response, the Houston Airport System will pay Civil Tech. Incorporated, close to $1.4 million to study and determine what causes the flooding on the four main roads surrounding Hobby Airport. The airport system will then present the findings to the three other agencies responsible for those roads; they include the Harris County Flood Control District, the Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Houston Public Works Department.
The comprehensive study is designed to pinpoint drainage problems and offer solutions.
“It’s just good business for us to help these agencies understand the big picture and make the improvements they need to make,” says Beecroft Shittu, one of the supervising engineers with the Houston Airport System working on this project.
Shittu is also crafting a drainage plan for Ellington Field. He says, by law the airport is required to control drainage at its facilities, and does. However, the airport system is not responsible for the flooding on perimeter roads and does not regulate or control drainage procedures in areas surrounding Hobby, Bush or Ellington Field.
HAS is taking a new role in coordinating efforts to solve the flooding while keeping an eye on the airport systems, “2020 expansion plans,” and broader goals by other agencies. More than 80 million passengers per year are expected to travel through Houston’s airports by 2020.
Making the needed drainage improvements now makes for a win-win situation for everyone in the future, Potts says.
“We want to make sure that our efforts and master plan link up with the county and city comprehensive drainage master plans,” he added.
Currently, four detention ponds at Hobby control the run-off of rainwater as part of an agreement between the airport system and the Harris County Flood Control District. The airport system built and maintains one of the ponds – the other three were built and are maintained by some of the airport’s tenants.
This mandate is part of a system wide drainage plan enacted several years ago. The detention ponds are designed to store rainwater for a 24 hour period until it can slowly be released into the surrounding bayous. They differ from the more common retention ponds found in many housing subdivisions, which are designed to hold rainwater on a more permanent basis.
“The airport does not contribute to the flooding in the area,” explains Godiwalla, “but people in nearby subdivisions thought we were flooding them. They didn’t know who to call, so we took the lead in addressing their concerns.”
Work on the study begins the second week in January and results should be available by the end of the year. Once the results are released discussions will follow about who will pay for the improvements.
The Houston Airport System is also investing an additional $1.3 million for a similar study at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where six detention ponds currently control the run-off.
Though flooding is a citywide issue, discussions are still underway about the possibility of building so called, “regional detention ponds.” Under this plan, each airport would utilize only one large detention pond that hypothetically could reduce the amount of flooding in neighboring communities, depending on its location.
In the meantime, airport officials are determined to keep passenger traffic increasing at Houston’s airports, despite the rain.
“We’re going to come up with the game plan to try and help these other agencies get an idea of what needs to be done,” says Godiwalla, “it’s not an airport issue, but if people can’t get to the airports then it is our concern and we’re going to do what ever we need to, to help.”
With more than 52 million travelers, passing through Houston’s airports in 2006, and increasing prominence as an international travel gateway, the Houston Airport System is assuming the new leadership role and responsibilities to help increase the flow of people, not water through the system and surrounding areas.
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