ARANSAS PASS, Texas — Bypass pumping is a thing of the past for the City of Aransas Pass.
"Now we don't have to roll the hoses over the street. Now, we're pumping 20,000 gallons per minute,” Public Works Director David Flores said.
Now rainwater goes from the roads to the storm drains, through the pump stations and out to the Bay.
Flores said it took more than seven years to get the two new pumps, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and shipping delays that set it back. During that long wait, neighbors suffered through the flooding.
"We had so many times where 4 to 5 inches would cause a major disruption at the intersections,” Jay Loretta Masterson said.
Neighborhood News Reporter Victoria Balderrama spoke with Masterson nearly a year ago when she told us about the bad flooding. This time around, she was happy to give us some good news.
"I appreciate you giving me the chance to say, yes, the average guy driving on the street didn't have to drive around an intersection filled with water,” Masterson said.
But the true test is still to come.
"Unfortunately, I can't tell you this was put to the full test, but we are confident that when the times comes it will be successful,” Masterson said.
The Public Works Department is on standby if they need to turn on the pump stations. Making these streets safe for everyone.
