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Congratulations to Mayor Elect, Ramona Neal.

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This is  the link, furnished by the Fort Bend County Election Administrator, to see election day results.

https://results.enr.clarityelections.com/TX/Fort_Bend/98375/web/#/summary

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Revised Preliminary Flood Map for Fort Bend County are

Ready for Public View

The revised preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) are available for review by residents and business owners in the cities of Fulshear, Simonton, and Weston Lakes, and the unincorporated areas of Fort Bend County, TX.  Officials encourage property owners to review the latest information to learn about local flood risks and potential future flood insurance requirements.

For this physical map revision, the Flood Insurance Rate Maps for Fort Bend County serve multiple purposes, including defining Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHAs) and setting rates for flood insurance.  SFHAs are areas at high risk for flooding. Communities and residents can use the information to make informed decisions about building, development and flood insurance.

FEMA stresses that flooding can and does happen outside of the most vulnerable areas.  “Along with our state and local partners we’ve worked hard to bring this critical information to Fort Bend County. We hope everyone will review the maps to understand their individual flood risks,” said FEMA Region 6 Administrator, Tony Robinson. “Flood water does not stop at a line on a map, so I encourage everyone to purchase flood insurance because more than 25 percent of flood damages occur outside of the Special Flood Hazard Area.”

Review the preliminary flood maps by visiting your local floodplain administrator (FPA).  A FEMA map specialist can help identify your community FPA and is available by telephone at 1-877-FEMA-MAP (1-877-336-2627) or by email at FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.

The preliminary maps may also be viewed online at the following locations:

• The flood map change viewer at http://msc.fema.gov/fmcv
• The FEMA map service center at http://msc.fema.gov/portal

For more information about the flood maps:

• Use a live chat service about flood maps at http://go.usa.gov/r6C (click on the “Live Chat” icon)
• Contact a FEMA map specialist by telephone at 1-877-FEMA-MAP (1-877-336-2627) or by email at FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.

Most homeowner’s insurance policies do not cover flood.  There are cost saving options available for those newly mapped into a high-risk flood zone. Learn more about your flood insurance options by talking with your insurance agent, visiting https://www.floodsmart.gov, or calling 1-800-427-4661.

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The City would like to thank Commissioner Andy Meyers and the County Engineers for attending and speaking at  our City Council meeting on May 22, 2018.

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Weston Lakes Drainage Study

Executive Summary

(Released April 24, 2018)

Shortly after the flooding related to Hurricane Harvey had subsided, several community leaders began meeting to discuss ways to prevent the street and structural flooding that the community experienced.

Drainage Committee

A committee was appointed to initiate a formal study of the causes of the flooding within the community and provide recommendations to minimize the impact of future floods.  The committee was comprised of representation from each of the following entities:

City of Weston Lakes

Weston Lakes Property Owners Association

Fort Bend MUD #81

Surface Properties (Developer)

Weston Lakes Country Club

Jones  & Carter (Consulting Engineers)

Engineering Firm commissioned to Perform Drainage Study

The Committee commissioned Jones & Carter (consulting engineers for the City of Weston Lakes, Fort Bend #81 and Surface Properties) to perform a comprehensive study of the Pecan Lake drainage patterns in both normal and extreme events to determine what improvements could be made to alleviate both home and street flooding related to future events.

Pecan Lake Drainage Patterns (Normal v. Extreme Events)

Under normal rain events, Pecan Lakes drains to the north, through Weston Lakes across FM 1093 (near Fulbrook) into Bessie’s Creek, and ultimately discharges into the Brazos River.  Recently, during extreme rain events such as the Memorial Day Flood (2015), Tax Day Flood (2016) and Hurricane Harvey (2017), the water from Bessie’s Creek backed up into the outfall for Pecan Lake (FM 1093 near Fulbrook) and forced the water back toward the southwest, causing adjacent street and structural flooding in several sections of Weston Lakes.

Study of Potential Relief Routes

With an understanding of these drainage patterns, engineers sought to utilize elevation data from LIDAR topography, coupled with a series of site visits to identify ways to incorporate additional storm water retainage as well as potential relief routes to direct impounded storm water from Pecan Lake (and Bessie’s Creek in extreme events) in the Brazos River at lower elevations than the existing outfall near FM 1093 near Fulbrook.

Recommendations for Pecan Lake Drainage Improvements

Ultimately the engineers were able to identify four improvements, ranging from general maintenance to new drainage infrastructure that could be implemented over a period of time to help reduce the potential for street and structural flooding in the future.

Ditch Cleanout/Restoration (Bradford on the Bend)

Removal of the trees and brush and restoration of the drainage ditch at the southern end of the Bradford on the Bend section would improve localized drainage and allow a connection to the undeveloped 70-acre tract to the south for overflow drainage during extreme storm events.

Creation of Lake System on 70 Acre Tract (East of Bowser Rd.)

The construction of a series of interconnected lakes on the 70-acre undeveloped tract located immediately south of Bradford on the Bend coupled with the installation of two connection points to allow flood water from Pecan Lake to flow into the 70-acre tract, would provide significant storm water detention during extreme events and would also create a path for water to be directed from Pecan Lake toward the Brazos River.  Surface Properties (Developer) has already begun construction of the lake system as recommended in the study.

Connection to Secondary Lake System on 60 Acre Tract (West of Bowser Rd.)

A 60-acre tract located west of Bowser Road (controlled by the Developer already contains an additional 6 acres of lakes, which if connected to the lake system on the 70-acre tract (east of Bowser Rd.) would provide additional detention during extreme events and would become a critical part of creating a potential path for drainage to the Brazos River at the lower elevations mentioned above.

Removal of Restriction of Secondary Drainage Channel to Brazos River

Initial engineer investigations and modeling, as well as ground surveys at the site have revealed a restriction that is negatively impacting the secondary flow of flood water to the Brazos River during extreme events.  An earthen dam with inadequate sized culverts is affecting the natural flow of water to the Brazos during extreme events.  Recommended improvements that could assist in providing a secondary relief point to allow flood water to flow to the Brazos River would be to remove the existing 24” culvert and replace it with four 48-inch pipes.  The restriction to this secondary drainage channel is located outside the Weston Lakes subdivision and also outside the City of Weston Lakes.  Implementation of this recommendation will require the approval of the property owner.

Next Steps

The Committee has adopted the drainage study and resulting recommendations for drainage improvements presented by Jones & Carter as part of their report issued April 24, 2018.

• Committee members will be responsible for communicating the results of the study to their respective organizations and constituencies.
• Surface Properties (Developer) will continue to expedite its efforts to complete the construction of the lake system that is already underway on the 70-acre located south of Bradford on the Bend.
• The Committee will continue to meet to formulate a strategy to implement the full scope of the drainage improvements listed above with a goal of implementing each as soon as reasonably possible.
• Further updates will be communicated to the residents of Weston Lakes as additional information is available.

To view the complete study please copy and paste the following link;

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4z3Xi1kGspDcjc2a0FxR0hsVUxmbzEyX25CWlBSdTVVVTZv/view?usp=sharing

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EMC Board Positions Available

Weston Lakes Emergency Management is seeking individuals interested in participating on our EMC Board as well as other volunteer areas within Emergency Management.  If you have an interest please fill out a volunteer application form located on this website and return it to City Hall.  The application can be scanned and emailed to either of the following addresses; westonlakes@sbcglobal.net and/or westonlakeseoc@gmail.com  The application can also be mailed or delivered personally to the City office.  Mailing address is PO Box 1082 Weston Lakes 77441

The positions available are as follows; Public Information Officer, Safety Officer, Liaison Officer, Operations Section Chief, Planning Section Chief, Logistics Section Chief.  Full descriptions and guidelines of all these positions are available through our office or they can be located on the FEMA website.

**Volunteer Applications can be found under the City Government tab and then proceed to Documents and Forms

Information regarding training through the County and FEMA as well as other helpful guides can be found on the Emergency Management tab at the top of the page under Emergency Preparedness.

To go directly to the Emergency Management website;

 Click Here

Weston Lakes Emergency Management is in the process of planning future training events that will perhaps better serve the needs of the community.  We are looking into more weekend training possibilities and venues that are closer to our immediate area.  If you have questions and or suggestions regarding training please let us know.

Below you will notice a “Volunteer with Us” hotlink.  We are asking that all residents  that wish to volunteer register on this website to aid in the creation of a more cohesive database.  Thank you.