Public Works' Week in Review for December 12, 2024

The Public Works Department is made up of various sub-departments including Fleet, Line Repair, Streets/Stormwater and Traffic, Wastewater, and Water. Each week, over 100 employees are responsible for the maintenance, monitoring, and improvement of existing and new infrastructure across League City which includes everything from roadways and traffic lights to storm drains, sewers, and water production.

Below are some tips and projects they are working on:

Water Tower Navigation Light Maintenance

The Importance of Navigation Lights on a Water Tower - Water towers, often towering over their surroundings, play a crucial role in supplying water to communities. While their primary function is to store and distribute water, they also serve as prominent structures in the landscape. For safety and visibility, it is essential for water towers to be equipped with navigation lights.

1. Ensuring Safety for Aircrafts - The most critical reason for having navigation lights on a water tower is to prevent accidents involving aircrafts. Water towers can be high enough to pose a hazard to low-flying planes, helicopters, or drones. Navigation lights, typically red or white, make these structures visible from a distance, especially at night or in poor weather conditions, reducing the risk of collisions.

2. Regulatory Compliance - There are aviation regulations requiring tall structures like water towers to be marked with lighting to ensure air traffic safety. These regulations are in place to protect both pilots and those on the ground.

3. Improving Nighttime Visibility for Drivers and Pedestrians - Beyond aviation safety, navigation lights help improve the visibility of water towers for motorists and pedestrians, especially in areas where the structure stands out as a landmark. At night, lights provide a clear indication of the tower's location, ensuring that drivers or walkers are not unexpectedly close to such a large structure, especially in foggy or dark conditions.

4. Preventing Accidental Encroachments - Water towers are sometimes located on open lands, where they may be approached by construction vehicles, agricultural machinery, or even trespassers. Navigation lights provide clear visibility of the tower from a distance, reducing the risk of accidental collisions or encroachments into restricted areas around the tower.

In summary, navigation lights on water towers are a vital safety feature, ensuring the protection of both air and land traffic. These lights help prevent accidents, adhere to regulations, and improve the overall visibility of the structure, making them a crucial component of any water tower.

Vegetation Clearing along Newport Concrete Ditch Embankments

The Public Works Stormwater Vegetation Management Division is working with contractors to cut and remove overgrown vegetation along concrete ditch embankments. Some areas of League Cities drainage infrastructure have concrete sloped channels as shown in the pictures below. When the mowed grass and leaves from the surrounding areas breakdown into soil and washes into the concrete channel it builds up over time in the expansion joints and along the top embankments creating a favorable environment for plant seeds to grow. Once the plants start to root and develop, they will take hold of the area and won't be washed away during heavy rainfalls. Periodically Public Works crews must go into these locations to cut and clean out the unwanted vegetation to restore the area back to its original state.

1992 Military Dragoon 300 in Fleet Maintenance for Repairs

The City's 1992 military Dragoon 300 was brought in for overheating, which can be caused by several factors. Some factors could be low coolant levels, a coolant leak, a clogged radiator, a faulty thermostat, or a malfunctioning water pump. The mechanics checked the unit over, thinking it would be a coolant leak, but they found the radiator was the problem as it was leaking antifreeze. We removed the radiator and will send it out for repair. Once the repair is made, we will reinstall and return it to service. The police department will be able to use this unit again if needed to assist with a hostage situation.

What is Yaupon Holly?

Yaupon Holly (Ilex vomitoria)

• Native to eastern Texas
• May be grown as shrub form--Dwarf Yaupon Holly (which grows to about 2-ft in height), or as a tree-form shrub (which grows up to 15-20 ft in height)
• Evergreen, small, spineless leaves
• Beneficial status: birds and other wildlife feed on red berries in Winter

For more information, check out the following website: https://neilsperry.com/2019/01/yaupon-holly-is-texas-star-native-shrub/

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