By Lorenzo Salinas

l.v.salinas@panews.com

 

The Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7 (DD7) is a taxing entity that develops and manages a system responsible for the drainage of storm water and the elimination of clean outfall for the municipal, agricultural and industrial consumers throughout the District’s limits in South Jefferson County.

According to its website, DD7 covers an area of 107.42 square miles that includes Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland and Port Neches, along with unincorporated areas of Jefferson County. Most of the District is above sea level at less than five feet and 60 to 70 percent of it drains to Taylor’s Bayou.

DD7 currently has 281 miles of concrete and earthen outfall ditches, 36 miles of levees and seawalls and 19 pump stations with a combined estimated pumping capacity of 8.2 million gallons per minute.

DD7 manager Phil Kelley said all properties within the District’s boundaries pay taxes to fund it. In the current year, that tax rate is $0.160545 per $100.

Kelley said the annual budget varies, but this year’s is $39.8 million. This includes a big project supported by the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program by FEMA after Hurricane Ike. The project involves construction of a new pump station, Alligator Annex, which would add an additional 1.5 million gallons per minute pump capacity to the Alligator Bayou Pumping Facilities.

Of that $39.8 million, Kelley said $24 million was being put into special projects, such as Alligator Annex.

DD7 is a local sponsor of the Port Arthur and Vicinity Hurricane Protection System, which Kelley said ensured maintenance of the levee system and the four accompanying pump stations. The system includes Port Arthur, Groves and lower Nederland.

DD7 is currently operated by a staff of 75 workers at its stations, levees and canals. The administrative staff oversees day-to-day operations under policies set by the board of commissioners.

Board member James Gamble Sr., who represents Port Arthur, said the commissioners are elected officials.

“We are the ones who are basically responsible for giving the authority to the manager,” Gamble said. “The board votes yay or nay on whether something’s the best thing to do.”

Elections are held every four years; commissioners serve four-year terms.

Currently, the offices of DD7 are housed out of the third floor of the Community Bank of Texas building in Port Arthur. It is a temporary spot while their regular office on 9^th Avenue is remediated and restored after flooding by Harvey.