GROVES —The issue of ditches and recent flooding led to a heated discussion during a packed council meeting in Groves on Monday.

Groves Mayor Brad Bailey, noting the larger-than-usual number of residents in the room there for discussion of maintenance of ditches and a future ordinance regulating this, opened the floor to discussion.

“After the storm we got water in our house and just now got out house back together again,” Martha White said. “It’s so disheartening. Thirty-plus years we never had water; now it’s two times in five months. It doesn’t make sense. Are there not enough pumps? I’ve seen when the pumps are at full blast; I’ve gone and looked. When we’ve had a lot of rain and it flooded, it makes a current.”

White wondered why there wasn’t any flooding in the previous 30 years at her home, adding that her ditches are clean and are kept clean.

Suzanne Williamson also questioned the flooding and found answers with DD7 through a tour and explanation of how it all works.

Resident and homeowner James Baker said Williamson made valid points … to a certain extent.

“There are a lot of ditches that need to be dug but when they hold water all the time it’s hard to clean the ditch,” Baker said.

Baker’s home flooded during Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey and again during recent heavy rainfall.

“The issue is when you wake up to water in your back yard. I want to know what y’all are going to do,” he said. “If you’re not going to do anything, I’m going to sell.”

Flooding was so bad in his neighborhood that passing cars were pushing water into homes so he parked his truck to block traffic, knowing there were “10 other streets that were clear to pass.”

He also questioned when DD7 pumps kicked on, saying he normally hears the pumps during an east wind.

It was Mike Cabaniss who commanded a fair amount of attention, and the ire of Baker.

A longtime employee with Jefferson County Drainage District No.7, Cabaniss is well versed on how the drainage system works, from the ditches all the way to the pumps and retention ponds. He easily cites statistics; some of the district’s pumps can pump 75,000 gallons per minute and a larger one can pump 600,000 gallons per minute — “the size of an Olympic-sized pool every minute.”

Of late he has been posting on a Groves neighborhood Facebook page citing facts, he said. But not everyone is happy with DD7.

“We had one of the DD7 guys, a foreman, chased into a parking lot,” Cabaniss said.

DD7 has widened ditches but there needs to be a comprehensive approach to the flooding problem.

“OK, homeowners, get the crap out of your ditch. City, send somebody to clear the ditches,” he said.

With that said, Baker stood up and told Cabaniss, “You’re a brave man.”

“I don’t care about Harvey, that was an act of God. We will continue to get rain. How many times are we going to get 10 inches of rain,” Baker said, asking why he didn’t hear the pumps turn on.

A few more words were exchanged; a council member asked for the conversation to be toned down, then Baker left the building.

Talks returned to debris in ditches, which stymied the flow of rainwater — that was a key factor in the flooding — and to the reason behind the discussion in the first place.

“I know for a fact I raked leaves for three hours. It’s a thing all of our neighbors agree with — I take one shift, someone else takes another and a little lady down on the corner makes us coffee,” Bailey said. “As far as ordinances go, we’re going to work one up. I’m not a big government guy; I think we need to take responsibility for ourselves.”

The council members will also look at placing roll-off dumpsters in hard-hit areas of town so residents still working on their homes will have a place for debris.