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I honestly cannot believe I am typing this but they finally cleared the debris out of Bee Creek and it looks like a real waterway again. My head is kind of spinning because I thought we would be fighting the city forever but it worked out and I am just …

February 15, 2017

Emerald Forest Flooding

Emerald Forest Flooding

🏆 Won — 336 supporters Verified

Final supporters

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Craigpaupt
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MichaelKef
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RicardoFut
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GeorgeJok
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Stephendaync
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Craigpaupt
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ClydesherT
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GeorgeJok
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Stephendaync
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RicardoFut
+326 more
BM
Started by Bonnie Mallen 9 years, 9 months ago

Summary and background: Bee Creek in Emerald Forest has never looked this bad. No one has been maintaining the Emerald Forest Bee Creek drainage easement for the last 4-6 years or more. As a result, Bee Creek has 4-6 year old trees growing through the middle of the creek bed and creek side. These newly growing trees and brush continue to collect debris and sediment which is compounding the problem. The flow of water has been slowed greatly due to the vegetation that has grown over the past 4-6 years, water no longer flows through Bee Creek in Emerald Forest like it used to and should, instead it spreads out. It spreads out and is flooding homes and properties at an increasing rate, like never before.

Adding greatly to this problem is the City of College Station's new development upstream of the Emerald Forest Bee Creek flooding. This development has increased the amount of water Bee Creek has to drain. In the past 8 years, the development of the parcel of land where Keller Williams is located has added to the amount of watershed that Bee Creek must drain. And there is more land for sale right next to Keller Williams.

Also, in 2010 the City of College Station completed a Capital Channel Improvement Project along Bee Creek to the west of Texas Ave. This project was done because homes were being flooded along Bee Creek west of Texas Avenue. In this project, the City of College Station, per Alan Gibbs, purchased drainage easement from private property owners to complete the channel improvements and stop the flooding. We are wanting the City of College Station to do the same for Emerald Forest. We are wanting the City to purchase drainage easement from private property owners along Bee Creek in Emerald Forest, we are wanting the creek channel cleared and improved so that homes don't continue being flooded at an increasing rate.

Until drainage easement along Bee Creek in Emerald Forest is purchased by the City, cleared and improved (as was done for homeowners along Bee Creek west of Texas Ave.) we do not want any additional nearby development upstream of Bee Creek. Additional development will mean more water for Bee Creek to drain and Bee Creek in its current state cannot handle anymore watershed from upstream development. We are not against development we are simply against nearby upstream development that will destroy our homes and properties by way of flooding.

Action: We the homeowners of Emerald Forest urge College Station City Council NOT to approve rezoning the Corsair parcel of land from Light Industrial to General Commercial for the Wingate Hotel development. Any change in rezoning would definitely result in immediate, increased and more dense development and Bee Creek is in absolutely no shape to absorb additional watershed that will result from this major increase in development. Keeping this small parcel of land Light Industrial will mean much slower development and will allow time for this drainage problem to hopefully be resolved and fixed. It is irresponsible, it is neglectful and it certainly does not seem legal for the City to intentionally and knowingly rezone land where immediate development will result and will immediately add to a major drainage problem along Bee Creek in Emerald Forest. Please save the Emerald Forest neighborhood and do not rezone this small parcel of land at this time; please wait until the extremely poor drainage of Bee Creek is fixed and corrected.

Updates

December 7, 2016

I just blinked and saw the counter hit two hundred fifty signatures which feels completely surreal considering I was just sitting here staring at the mess of tree limbs in the creek bed earlier today. It is honestly relieving to know so many of you are dealing with this same soaking wet nightmare in your own backyards because for a while I thought I was just imagining the scale of the neglect here.

Reached 250 supporters

December 6, 2016

Reached 100 supporters

December 3, 2016

91 Comments

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Lynn McCarl
9 years ago Featured

The City of College Station has a moral obligation to protect its citizens from the consequences of actions it undertakes or knowingly allows to occur. If the flooding of Bee Creek on the West Side of the city was important enough to address then it certainly is equally as important an issue on the East Side.

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Glenn Starnes
9 years ago Featured

Please clean up and improve the drainage of Bee Creek throughout Emerald Forest area to ensure flood does not occur. This past year resulted in damage to homeowner property and flooding of the neighborhood pool leading to costly cleanup and restoration of pool services.

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Tracy Parks
9 years ago Featured

We have lived in Emerald Forest for 14 years. The creek flows right behind our house. Because of the flooding problem in EF our mortgage company has recently forced us to get flood insurance. Please fix this problem and don't add to it by allowing commercial businesses to build close to the neighborhood.

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Sharon Hansen
9 years ago Featured

We back up to the flood plain on Amber Ridge and the picture is our next door neighbors. It was the worse we have seen in 30 years and was all the way up to our driveway parking places. We need help with this problem!!

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Laurie Oberhelman
9 years ago Featured

This past spring our property flooded terribly, then suddenly receded. It was very evident that there was a blockage causing the unusual flooding, and it broke though with an almost immediate resolution of flooding. The overgrowth is completely unacceptable.

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Brent Maxwell
9 years ago Featured

Until the City of College Station can accept responsibility for the poor Bee Creek drainage and the resulting flooding of citizens' properties, it should now allow any development which increases runoff. This is not the same thing as being against all development.

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Zephyr Marek
9 years ago

Save Emerald Forest a family addition.

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Debbie Cheshire
9 years ago

Please help us by cleaning the creek bed of Bee Creek and fixing the drainage problem in our neighborhood! Thank you!!