20 Year Old Drainage Problem Resolved

The drainage flume in the southeast corner of the property is functional for the first time in twenty years. The flume was initially designed to direct 25% of the community rainwater to White Rock Creek via a storm drain located just east of Lakes of Bent Tree Condominiums on the 6th hole of the Bent Tree Country Club (BTCC). During the BTCC course renovation in 2001, the surface grade for the flume on the golf course side of the brick wall was raised by two feet, forming a 20-foot wide dam. This rendered the 4,500 gallons per minute stormwater flume useless.

In addition to losing the ability to remove massive amounts rainwater in heavy storms, the blockage effectively created a pond that holds 50 - 300 gallons of stagnant water along with mosquitos, dead rodents, and the smell rotting leaves.

Removing the dam would require relocating 26,000 pounds of topsoil on the golf course. This is beyond anything the course was willing to do or the association would want to fund now.

Instead, with permission from the BTCC, an underground, 4-inch drain pipe has been installed to alleviate the stagnant water problem and provide stormwater removal for light to moderate rain storms. The capacity of the new drain pipe is 25 gallons per minute, which will drain the entire flume in 12 minutes.

Below is the demonstration of the water flow.



BTCC has agreed to restore the soil grade (relocate the 26,000 pounds of topsoil) on their side of the wall to its original level when the course is renovated in 2026, and they have heavy excavating equipment onsite. This removal will bring back the total capacity of the 4,500 gallons per minute of stormwater runoff, ensuring rainwater drainage during heavy/intense rainstorms.

The 4-inch drain was constructed using a sewer pipe which is 3 times heavier than the irrigation pipe and will last 30+ years. The outgoing drain opening is constructed of cinderblock, which will also last 30 years but can be easily sledge-hammered out when the flume is restored. The cost of the project was under $1,000.