PETRONILA, Tx — A flood mitigation project, nearly four years in the making, is now complete in Petronila, where neighbors and officials say flooding can happen with as little as four inches of rain.
The centerpiece of the project is a newly constructed drainage pond designed to capture stormwater and redirect it away from homes and roads.
Tomas Hinojosa, a lifelong Petronila resident, said he has seen the flooding firsthand.
"I've seen it where some of the water goes into the neighbors' houses, and it floods," Hinojosa said. "You can't drive cars or trucks sometimes."
Hinojosa described how severe flooding has cut residents off from their own homes.
"Some people couldn't come in," Hinojosa said. "They would have to stay in town. They wouldn't be able to come to their houses. It's just because you can't access it."
When asked how long those conditions would last, Hinojosa said it could stretch on for days.
"It would take a few days, sometimes a week, depending because it would continued raining," Hinojosa said.
Nueces County Commissioner Precinct 2 Joe A. Gonzalez, also known as JAG, said the drainage challenges are a key reason the county pursued the project.
"This pond will catch as much water as you can," said JAG. "Once it's full, the water starts draining out through those pipes you see behind me. And once it drains out, it'll go into the road across, and then we have some pipes in the road we just install and those pipes will lead the water into a bigger pond."
JAG said the project will keep water out of homes. Joseph Ramirez, public affairs officer for International Consulting Engineers, said these upgrades are vital for rural communities like Petronila.
"Water knows no boundaries, and just because a storm might start off even in Jim Wells County," Ramirez said. "The brunt of the hit will always end up here near the Petronila or in the Nueces rural area."
For Hinojosa, the new pond brings more than just flood relief.
"It's definitely going to help the community… Actually less mosquitoes in their yards because there's not gonna be as much water on their yard. It's gonna be here," Hinojosa said.
Commissioner Gonzalez said more drainage projects are planned for the area.
Next week, there will be a drainage groundbreaking ceremony for Belk Lake on Monday, May 11th, at 10 am. It will be located at 2391 Co Rd, Robstown, TX 78380 (Across the Petronila Elementary School).
