West Dallas neighborhood credits new pump station for easing flooding woes

by DEMOND FERNANDEZ

WFAA

Posted on July 24, 2014 at 11:28 PM

DALLAS -- Things are looking up in a neighborhood with historic water worries.

La Bajada, in West Dallas, has seen its share of flooding from the Trinity River. Now, a new pump station is tackling the problem.

The Trinity River has long been a destination in Dallas, with it’s narrow channels, green spaces, and recreational options. Until recently, it’s been a bit of a neighborhood nuisance for some folks, like Michael Dominguez.

“We’d get water out here, and then nobody could come through here,” Dominguez said as he described patterns of flooding that used to hit Topeka Avenue.

Neighbors on that street say until two years ago, they would cringe each time it rained.

“Inside my house, it would almost be knee high,” said neighbor Pedro Martinez.

Martinez said flooding covered his street and damaged his house a few years ago. The man’s home has since been rebuilt.

His family is crediting the new Pavaho Pump Station in the area for easing some of La Bajada’s historic water worries.

“Oh, it’s working real wonderful,” Martinez said of the two-year-old pump station. “We don’t have the trouble no more.”

Workers with Trinity Watershed Management gave News 8 a rare, behind-the-scenes look into the city’s new Pavaho Pump Station. Flood Control Manager Dhruv Pandya explained how the new pumping system has been updated and designed to handle any volume of rainfall impacting West Dallas.

“It can pump 375,000 gallons of water per minute,” Pandya said as he explained how the system captures and directs water into the river. "This will take care of any event that we have historically seen in the last 50-plus years."

A similar operation is under construction across the Trinity River right now. It will tackle flood concerns in the Design District, East Dallas, and Downtown. Work on the new Baker Street Pump Station is nearly complete.

Back in La Bajada, former flood victims say they will continue watching the water levels to see what happens.

"Hopefully, it won’t come back up,” Martinez said.

E-mail dfernandez@wfaa.com

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