Richardson proposes $4.86 million for drainage, erosion-control projects

Richardson’s next drainage package puts the city’s most vulnerable corridors in focus, from creek banks and erosion sites to streets where repeated flooding can chew up pavement, threaten property and disrupt daily travel.

City officials proposed $4.86 million in drainage projects for fiscal year 2026-27, a slight increase from the $4.73 million projected for the current year. Assistant Director of Engineering Katie Barron presented the plan to Richardson City Council on June 1, outlining a program built around watershed studies, creek-bank erosion assessments and recurring stormwater needs.

The proposal lands in a city where drainage demands are large and long-running. Richardson’s stormwater system covers about 28 square miles across 12 drainage basins, with more than 10,000 inlets, over 350 miles of storm drain line and nearly 45 miles of creek beds. City guidance says much of that system was developed decades ago as subdivisions were built, which leaves modern maintenance and upgrades catching up with older infrastructure.

The city’s Drainage Utility Program, created during the 2011-2012 budget process after a public hearing on Nov. 28, 2011, helps pay for storm drain maintenance, street sweeping, flood prevention and erosion-control projects. Residential customers pay a flat $6.25 a month. Commercial properties pay $0.175 per 100 square feet of impervious area, with a minimum charge of $6.25. Churches, school districts and state property, including The University of Texas at Dallas, are exempt.

Barron said Richardson has completed seven watershed studies that identified 157 projects, and staff are ranking them by need and available funding. The city also has 105 erosion sites on its list, with work concentrated on medium- and high-severity locations to protect infrastructure and development. Larger projects are planned from fiscal 2027-28 through 2030 on West Arapaho Road, Cambridge Circle, Creekside Drive and Spring Valley Road, while work is underway this year at Edith Circle, Westwood Drive, Tam O Shanter Lane and Ridgedale Drive.

The stakes rose further when Richardson voters approved Proposition E in the city’s May 2 bond election. The $16.5 million drainage measure, approved by 3,218 to 1,159 in unofficial results, will help fund drainage capacity, flood prevention and erosion-control projects, including Lois Branch channel improvements. The city’s full bond package totaled $223.4 million and passed without an anticipated property-tax-rate increase.

City Manager Don Magner has said council-backed fee increases over the last several years have given Richardson room to take on bigger projects and absorb inflation. For neighborhoods near creeks, drainage channels and aging subdivisions, that spending is more than a budget line. It is the difference between keeping water moving and letting the next storm widen the damage.