GROVES — It was a packed house at a recent Groves City Council meeting as residents waited for the results of two drainage studies.

Mark Kelly and Will Larraine with Action Civil Engineers PLLC presented the information that showed the area of Martha and McKinley was in need of a change. The recommendations are to either double the size of the culverts, going from one 24-inch culvert to two 24-inch culverts, or an open ditch concept.

A study of West Jefferson showed that there is a dropped join to the original alignment at West Jefferson Street and adjusting the alignment will bring it back to full capacity.

A previous story on the drainage issue misstated the cost of the survey, which is estimated to be around $2,000. The city has set aside $40,000 for the repairs though no action was taken at the meeting, as it was a discussion only agenda item.

John McMahon, who lives on Lawndale, addressed the council and the engineers about flooding issues. McMahon met with city officials last summer to talk about the problems, and during the meeting on Monday he offered to pay $5,000 out of his own pocket to have the additional 24-inch culvert added to a problem area.

“I feel like we’ve been let down by the city,” McMahon said.

Groves City Manager D. Sosa spoke with The Port Arthur News on Thursday and clarified some of the drainage issues.

While there are some issues with drainage, the area has also received more harder, faster rains in the past three years

“It’s not how much it rains but how fast it rains,” Sosa said. “One to two inches per hour, our system can handle; but six inches an hour?”

Data from the National Weather Service shows that from 2005 to 2015 there were 1.8 major rain events per year but that number has nearly tripled to 5.6 major rain events per years since 2015. A Labor Day major rain brought six to eight inches of rain in less than a 2-hour span, he said.

Drainage in the city is broken into five areas with the largest area — 55 percent of the city, draining to Crane Bayou Main.