DALLAS — The City of Dallas and the Army Corps of Engineers broke ground Thursday on the next phase of flood control in the city: a seventh pumping station along the Trinity River.
The Trinity Portland Pumping Station is being built at the end of Mexicana Road in West Dallas along the west fork of the Trinity River. Scheduled for completion at the end of 2025, it is designed to pump up to 250,000 gallons a minute and protect the western neighborhoods of Dallas, like Eagle Ford.
“It’s a major threat,” said Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Omar Narvaez of the flooding potential for this section of the city.
“We’re talking about people’s homes. Which just on its own merit is enough,” he said of the reasons for the project. “But it’s not just that neighborhood. You also have to think about the Design District as well as downtown.”
Eduardo Valerio, assistant director over storm water operations with Dallas Water Utilities, said it is a long-overdue project for the Trinity River Corridor and Dallas Floodway.
"This is just one of the multiple efforts that we are collaborating with the Corps of Engineers to strengthen our levy system. And making improvements that our residents have been waiting for decades," Valerio said.
"And with this Trinity Portland Pump Station we’re going to be able to provide more flood protection to our West Dallas," he added.
The Dallas Floodway Project has been a partnership between the City of Dallas and the Army Corps of Engineers since the 1950s.