Residents along San Jacinto River say flooding problem has worsened

The West Fork of the San Jacinto River is a beautiful but somewhat cranky neighbor.

In the 30 years he's lived in the Belleau Woods subdivision, David Fonseca has endured its temper tantrums that have driven so many away. This one, he says, is fairly mild.

"One to ten? I'd say it's a three. Yesterday, it was at a four," Fonseca says.

He says they they started getting worse in the 1990's. Since then, 60 homes in Belleau Wood have been destroyed. Last year, the river had its worst tantrum of all: Harvey. It's been worse since then.

Ken Dugas move here in 2003. He agrees. 

"Actually I'm surprised that it's this high after such a small amount of rain in that short a period. That it stayed this high. It put eleven feet on top of the 42 foot average over here," Dugas says.

Just in case, he stashed his sport car at Fonseca's home on higher ground. 

They both have a theory. Harvey moved so much sand and silt down stream that the water moves more slowly out to sea. That theory, if you'll pardon the pun, holds water. Harvey flooded 650 homes in the area and created a sand bar that restricted the flow. In September, the Army Corps of Engineers started dredging a two mile stretch of the river down stream of here. It will last until well into 2019.

It's won't fix everything, but Fonseca says it's a start.

"Well we definitely have got to dredge the river. We gotta dredge the lake. At least a wide channel. Deep. So that the water can escape," he says.

Hopefully, there will be no major rain events until it's done.