Lutheran South Academy Sports Complex — 23-Acre Athletic Facility Engineering in Houston, TX
Houston · Harris County · Texas
Institutional, Educational & Athletic Facilities
A sports complex expansion inside the Harris County floodplain
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 a 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 and 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 a reduced fill requirement
Permitting and 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 the fill minimization strategy — less fill, less detention, simpler floodplain documentation
The Challenge — flat fields, floodplain fill, and a fixed budget
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 — three decisions, each saving money independently
Open ditch drainage replaced underground storm sewer — the same drainage function at 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.
The Results
01
Underground storm sewer eliminated — open ditch drainage reduced construction cost and simplified city review
02
Building pad fill minimized — cascading savings in detention volume, earthwork cost, and floodplain documentation
03
Detention located near the outfall — natural grade used to minimize pond size and construction footprint
04
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the main engineering challenge on the Lutheran South Academy sports complex?
Raising sports fields above the Base Flood Elevation on a constrained budget required minimizing every cost driver in the drainage design without sacrificing usable field area.
How did JRH Engineering deliver the sports complex within budget?
JRH used open ditch drainage instead of underground storm sewer, minimized building pad fill to reduce detention volume, and placed detention near the outfall to take advantage of natural grade.
What were the results of the Lutheran South Academy project?
JRH reduced construction cost through open ditch drainage, achieved cascading savings in detention volume and earthwork by minimizing fill, and delivered a fully permitted 23-acre sports complex within the client's budget.