FAIR OAKS RANCH, Texas – People living in one Fair Oaks Ranch neighborhood dread a heavy rain because of a ditch that they say floods every time.
During one recent storm, the floodwaters caused Daryl Kirchner’s septic system to overflow and contaminate the water.
"If we have a large storm, you know hurricane season's coming on and so forth, that's a threat to us,” he said.
Kirchner says he took a sample of the contaminated water to a lab and the results detected E. coli.
“If anything, that should be the driver to get this fixed,” he said.
He says his dogs fell ill after drinking the water and had to be treated.
Thursday morning, Kirchner and his neighbors took their fears to the Fair Oaks Ranch City Council.
Mayor Cheryl Landman assured them a drainage project is already in the works to address the flooding. It's part of a $7 million dollar roads and drainage package approved by voters two years ago.
“Construction on the whole project is expected to begin around September,” Landman said.
Neighbors say they’re glad to hear about the plans, but they will be cautiously optimistic until work begins.
Landman says the city hopes to okay engineering plans for the project soon. She estimates once works starts it'll take a little less than a year to finish.