CASE STUDY 24 — Lutheran South Academy Sports Complex 23-Acre Sports Complex | Civil Engineering Design

PROJECT OVERVIEW
JRH Engineering provided complete civil engineering design for a 23-acre sports complex expansion at Lutheran South Academy in Houston, Texas, located within the Harris County floodplain inside the City of Houston. The project required a City of Houston permit on a constrained budget without sacrificing sports field area. JRH used open ditch drainage instead of underground storm sewer, minimized building pad fill, and located detention near the outfall — keeping both construction cost and permitting complexity as low as possible.

AT A GLANCE

Site Civil Design

● Full civil design for 23-acre sports complex expansion including field layout, grading, and access

● Open ditch drainage selected over underground storm sewer — significantly lower construction cost and fewer agency approvals required

● Building pad fill minimized — less fill means less impervious impact means less detention volume required

● Sports field layout maximized usable athletic area within the floodplain site constraints

Stormwater & Drainage

● Open ditch drainage eliminated underground storm sewer from the construction scope — cost savings passed directly to the project budget

● Detention located near the outfall — minimizing pond size by reducing travel distance and taking advantage of natural topography

● Building pad fill kept to a minimum — cascading cost and permitting savings from reduced fill requirement

Permitting & Agency Coordination

● City of Houston permit pursued with a streamlined submission — open ditch drainage reduced the complexity of the storm sewer design package

● Floodplain compliance achieved through fill minimization strategy — less fill, less detention, simpler floodplain documentation

THE CHALLENGE
Sports complexes in the Houston floodplain have a specific tension: the fields need to be flat and usable, but raising them above the Base Flood Elevation requires fill, which requires detention, which costs money and consumes land. On a constrained budget, every unnecessary dollar spent on drainage infrastructure is a dollar that cannot go toward athletic facilities.

JRH's Approach
JRH made every decision in service of the budget. Open ditch drainage replaced underground storm sewer — same drainage function, a fraction of the construction cost, and a simpler city review package. Building pad fill was minimized to reduce the detention volume requirement and cut earthwork cost. Detention was placed near the outfall to take advantage of natural grade and minimize pond size. Three decisions, each saving money independently, combining to deliver a budget-compliant sports complex permit.

The Result
A fully permitted 23-acre sports complex in the Houston floodplain — delivered on a constrained budget through a series of engineering decisions that reduced cost at every stage.

RESULTS

● Underground storm sewer eliminated — open ditch drainage reduced construction cost and simplified city review

● Building pad fill minimized — cascading savings in detention volume, earthwork cost, and floodplain documentation

● Detention located near outfall — natural grade used to minimize pond size and construction footprint