Aldine Westfield Office Warehouse — Backfill Detention Civil Engineering in Harris County, TX
Harris County · Texas
Industrial, Warehouse & Metal Building Development
Maximum rentable area on a space-constrained MUD-served site
JRH Engineering provided complete civil engineering design for a new office warehouse on a space-constrained site in Harris County, Texas, served by a MUD district. The challenge was maximizing rentable square footage while meeting drainage requirements with minimal pond footprint. JRH engineered a backfill detention system — using the site itself as the detention basin by placing a restrictor at the front — eliminating the need for a dedicated pond and preserving maximum rentable area.
AT A GLANCE
Site civil and drainage design
Full site civil design for an office warehouse including grading, paving, access, and building pad
Backfill detention system engineered — a restrictor placed at the front of the property, allowing the site itself to serve as the detention basin during storm events
No dedicated detention pond designed or constructed — the entire site footprint available for building and operations
MUD water and sanitary connections coordinated concurrently with Harris County drainage permitting
Permitting and agency coordination
Harris County drainage permit secured through the backfill detention approach
MUD utility connection coordinated in parallel with county permitting
Backfill system documentation provided complete engineering calculations to Harris County
The Challenge — office warehouse developers need every square foot
A dedicated detention pond on a space-constrained site consumes land that should be generating lease revenue. The challenge was finding a drainage solution that met Harris County requirements without sacrificing buildable area.
JRH’s Approach — make the site the pond
A backfill detention system works by placing a flow restrictor at the site outfall point. During heavy rain, stormwater temporarily backs up across the site paved surface, using the site itself as the storage volume rather than a dedicated pond. JRH engineered the restrictor sizing, calculated the storage volume available from the site paved area, and confirmed it met Harris County detention requirements.
The Results
01
Dedicated detention pond eliminated — the backfill system used the site paved area as detention storage
02
Maximum rentable square footage preserved on a space-constrained Harris County site
03
MUD utility and Harris County drainage approvals coordinated simultaneously
04
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the main engineering challenge on the Aldine Westfield Office Warehouse project?
The space-constrained site needed to maximize rentable square footage while still meeting Harris County drainage requirements, leaving little room for a dedicated detention pond.
How did JRH Engineering eliminate the need for a detention pond at Aldine Westfield?
JRH engineered a backfill detention system using a flow restrictor at the site's outfall, allowing the paved site surface itself to serve as temporary stormwater storage during heavy rain rather than building a dedicated pond.
What were the results of the Aldine Westfield project?
JRH eliminated the need for a dedicated detention pond, preserved maximum rentable square footage on a space-constrained site, and coordinated MUD utility connections concurrently with Harris County drainage permitting.