HUBER TrashMax® Provides 100-year Flood Protection in Houston

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The Challenge:

In August 2017, Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, causing unprecedented flooding that resulted in more than 100 deaths and $125 billion in property damage. Hundreds of thousands of homes were destroyed when the area was pummeled with over 40 inches of rain, the wettest storm on record in the United States.

Dubbed as “Americas Flooding Capital” by the National Weather Service, the Houston area continues to see frequent major storms. Their system of levees, pump stations, reservoirs and retention ponds are designed to manage the flow of water in this near-sea level, flat landscape. Fort Bend County in particular has over 100 miles of levees to contain these flood waters.

To better protect the area from possible 100-year flood events, Fort Bend Levee Improvement District No. 2 (FBLID#2) initiated an improvement project to increase the drainage and capacity by 400% at one of its pump stations.

The district tapped consulting firm AECOM for the pump station design. At the heart of the design was the incorporation of seven 1,500HP vertical turbine pumps which have the combined capacity to pump an astonishing one million gallons per minute. Large screens to protect the pumps from oversized debris that is commonly found in storm drainage areas was vital to the success of the project.

The Solution:

The original design was based on multi-rake, front-rake bar screens like the HUBER RakeMax®, however Huber partnered with the contractor, consultant and owner to offer an even more robust solution in the HUBER TrashMax®. The TrashMax® unique rake design can lift and transport larger storm debris than conventional multi-rake, front-rake screens, so objects like tree branches, building wreckage, bicycles and shopping carts can be washed down after a storm.

In October 2021, six HUBER TrashMax® screens were started up, ready to handle a peak flow of 274 MGD. These 37-foot-tall screens have 3” bar spacing and fit into 6.5-foot-wide channels that lay adjacent to the levee and in front of the pump station.

This station, proudly named The Andre D. McDonald Pump Station in Sugar Land, TX is the largest of its kind in the state. HUBER was proud to work with FBLID #2 in providing the first line of defense in the protection of the residences, business and hospitals served by the District.