Edinburg North drainage project nears completion after years of campus flooding
Arnoldo Mata
Edinburg TX – A long-awaited drainage project at Edinburg North High School is nearing completion, aiming to ease chronic flooding that has affected the campus and surrounding neighborhood during heavy storms. Edinburg CISD Board of Trustees members heard the news during the Dec. 9th regular meeting.
Facilities Director Jose Luis Alvarado reported that the $741,629 project, designed by SDI Engineering and built by Synergy Development and Construction, includes a large on-site detention pond and new underground piping to route stormwater away from buildings. The district issued a notice to proceed on Oct. 15.
Contractors have completed installation of a 36-inch reinforced concrete pipe and manholes connecting Edinburg North property to Truman Elementary, along with underground drainage on the north side of the high school’s main building. Tree trimming and removals are underway and will continue into the holiday break.
The detention pond, excavated with support from Hidalgo County Drainage District No. 1 and Hidalgo County Precinct 4, is designed to hold much of the water that previously pooled behind campus. A new line, starting as a 24-inch pipe at the pond and increasing to 36 inches as it moves west, will discharge into a drainage-district system at the Truman side of the property.
Trustees credited Commissioner Ellie Torres and the drainage district with contributing more than $1 million in in-kind work and moving quickly to excavate and haul soil. Board members asked staff to share drone footage and progress photos with the community to show how the project is addressing a problem that has existed “since before many current students were in school there.”
Alvarado said the excavation work should be complete by the end of the week, with overall project completion expected soon after, weather permitting.