An area of floodwall near Taylor Bayou is damaged and officials are worried that it will not withstand a local tropical storm or hurricane.

Jefferson County Drainage District No. 7 notified the U.S. Army Corps of engineers of the issue Tuesday morning. DD7 and the Corps of Engineers are currently assessing the situation and are working on a temporary measure to be constructed immediately, while a more long-term repair is pursued, according to a press release from the Corps of Engineers.

The floodwall is part of the Port Arthur Vicinity Hurricane Flood Protection system.

Randy Cephus, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the floodwall failure was found during routine maintenance and inspections.

“A portion of the floodwall is compromised so that risk reduction is no longer functioning as designed,” Cephus said.

The cause of the failure is under investigation and tests will be run to determine the best course of action.

DD7 is one of three drainage districts located in Jefferson County. It covers a little over 107 square miles and encompasses the cites of Port Arthur, Groves, Nederland, Port Neches and the unincorporated areas of Jefferson County, according to the DD7 website.

Two-thirds of the district is below five-feet above sea level, 60 to 70 percent of the district drains into Taylor Bayou.

A joint venture between the drainage district and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1962 helped create a hurricane flood protection system.

At present there are 281 miles of concrete and earthen outfall ditches, 36 miles of levee and seawalls and 20 pump stations to serve the district.