The City of La Porte has annexed the area just north of Highway 39 with the permission of those living in the annexed area. With the annexation comes a host of new benefits to the residents around Highway 39 North thanks to support from the municipal government.
One of the leading concerns addressed with the annexation is the fire risk in the 39 North area due to a lack of water infrastructure.
“The big issue out there was the fire flow,” Water Department Superintendent Tim Werner said. “The booster station had a pump capacity of 1,500 gallons per minute, while the hydrants could pump out anywhere from 1,000 to 1,200 gallons per minute. That means that the fire department could only use one hydrant before dropping the system pressure below standard.”
Since the annexation, the City of La Porte’s Water Department has been working to bring infrastructure changes to the area that increase the Fire Department’s ability to fight fires in the area. This includes an additional water tower in the 39 North system as well as plans to loop the system into 35 North.
Fire Chief Andy Snyder sees these improvements as an important step in keeping La Porte as a whole safe.
“I'm feeling much better because things are moving forward,” he said. “Knowing that a plan is in place and that steps are being taken to improve the water situation makes us feel much better.”
The volunteer firefighting force in 39 North will receive support from the city’s fire department, which has already drastically cut down on response times to medical and fire.
“One of the big benefits is that we are a full-time firefighting and rescue service. Because of the sheer nature of us being a full-time career department at the station 24 hours a day, the response time is diminished considerably,” said Snyder. “We can basically be anywhere in the area within three to four minutes. Just seconds can mean the difference between somebody surviving or not surviving, and we're able to respond directly from the station instead of having to respond from home to the station first.”
On top of providing additional water in fire safety situations, the revamp of the water infrastructure will also improve drinking water quality and prevent pipes from experiencing flows beyond what they can handle. The improved infrastructure will also set the area up for continued development.
“Previously, whenever there was an event like a fire on 39 North, the residents inside the city limits had to deal with things like rusty or cloudy water because of the stress the pipes were under,” Werner said. “As we continue to improve the system, it’s going to help with issues like that.”
Beyond the benefits coming to 39 North are the benefits coming to the City of La Porte from the influx of new residents. The 39 North area has experienced a lot of development over the past decade, and the residents are coming to the table with a lot of fresh ideas.
“This is just another step for La Porte moving forward as a community, as a county, as a city. We're excited to be part of it,” Snyder said. “There are several projects that are moving forward in the planning stages knowing that that water situation is going to be remedied that couldn’t even be considered before. The biggest thing that we're excited about is that the public safety issue is being addressed and will be remedied.”
“We’ve always considered the people of 39 North to be part of La Porte,” Werner added. “We’re just happy to be able to bring them the fire protection and services that they deserve. I commend the City of La Porte’s government and Mayor Tom Dermody for taking the concerns of the Water Department and the Fire Department and pushing solutions to completion.”
To learn more about the exciting developments happening in the City of La Porte, visit cityoflaporte.com.
