Lake Vargo Floods During Hurricane Harvey
Lake Vargo is a gated residential community on the westside of Houston. The community lies along the banks of Buffalo Bayou as well as an ancillary detention pond. As a result, the property is susceptible to flooding from two different sources.
During Hurricane Harvey, that’s exactly what happened. The detention pond spilled through a pedestrian opening in the flood wall swamping resident garages. Flooding was exacerbated when Buffalo Bayou overtopped its banks sending more water down the garage slope, flooding the entire floor from 2 directions.
After this terrible devastation, the residents sought to prevent a similar event from happening again.
FloodBreak’s Solution
FloodBreak’s passive automatic technology and history of success protecting buildings from flood damage were critical in their solution decision.
Access to the detention pond is a core community amenity so the fact that the gate will provide 24/7 flood protection but let them have full access during dry times is a huge benefit. And without a 24 hour facility person, they won’t have to worry about someone being there to close the opening. The FloodBreak barrier deploys automatically.
The Challenge of FloodProofing A Residential Community
Lake Vargo is a gated community of over 20 residents and all members of the HOA had to approve the design, planned location, and funding.
FloodBreak’s proven track record of flood saves in Houston during major events like Harvey, Imelda, Memorial Day 2015 & Tax Day 2016 gave residents confidence that they would be protected. Lake Vargo’s leadership team also selected Trigon United, a Houston based contractor, to install the gates and extend the flood wall to ensure they had a project team that worked well together.
After numerous meetings, the project was approved by the HOA. Our gates were installed and a live demonstration was performed. The passive automatic floodgate deployed as designed, much to the satisfaction of the attendees. The event was captured on video for all members of the community to see.
We are proud of all our projects, especially one’s in our backyard of Houston. To know that we provided them with a permanent solution to a legitimate fear is an incredible responsibility and honor that we do not take lightly.
For more information on this project, please contact us at [email protected].
