Ask for the water route as well as the battery layout
Start with a property map that shows more than rows of battery equipment. Ask the company to mark the fence, entrance, construction staging, connection route and every proposed drainage feature. Include any pond, ditch, grading, fill and route needed to maintain those features. Mark fields, buildings and access you want to keep using.
The county’s posted checklist asks for existing topography, grading, a drainage area map, existing and proposed directions of overland flow, fill areas and depths, and proposed detention location and capacity. Those items help explain why a proposal may need land beyond its initial equipment outline. They are questions for the project team to resolve, not a design an owner must prepare to make an inquiry.
Ask where water comes from before reaching the site and where it goes afterward. A ditch through the property may carry runoff from other land, and work near the entrance may affect a road drain. Have the company identify affected areas and explain how the proposed work would avoid creating drainage problems for your remaining property or neighbors.
Use the county’s current permits page to locate the responsible office rather than relying on names in the older checklist. Have the team confirm the county, city, road authority and any drainage district involved at the actual location. A Wharton County mailing address alone does not settle which authorities must review the work.
Reference: Wharton County: current permits, inspections and drainage resources · Wharton County: drainage submittal checklist, revised January 8, 2015
A drainage study can extend beyond the proposed lease
The posted December 2008 manual distinguishes a project area from the larger drainage study area. It discusses the whole land holding associated with development, upstream land that sends water into it, and downstream areas along the route water follows. Its example of phased development also considers later phases when studying the first phase.
Ask the project engineer what area needs to be studied under the current requirements. If the company proposes batteries on one part of a larger farm, find out how it has treated the parent tract, land under an option and any future expansion in its drainage work. Keep that answer separate from the acres the company wants to lease or buy.
Studying surrounding land does not by itself give the company rights to build on it, enter it or direct water across a neighbor’s property. Ask for separate maps showing the study boundary, proposed construction, requested access and the final lease or purchase boundary. Identify where another owner’s permission may be needed.
If drainage work is proposed outside the paid equipment area, discuss how that land will be used and compensated. Ask whether it can still be farmed, fenced, crossed or developed, and whether the company wants permanent rights there. Have those rights and restrictions reviewed along with the main land agreement.
| Map to request | What it helps you understand |
|---|---|
| Equipment and construction | Where batteries, roads, staging and disturbed ground would go |
| Drainage study area | What surrounding land and water routes the engineer evaluates |
| Requested land rights | Where construction, drainage and maintenance access are proposed |
| Final paid area | What is leased or purchased and how other affected land is treated |
Settle who maintains the drainage work
The manual discusses drainage facilities in both private and public ownership. For facilities intended for public dedication, it treats maintainability and access as design considerations. It also describes easements and rights-of-way as space for water flow and maintenance, with uses limited where they would obstruct those purposes.
Ask who would own a proposed pond, ditch or outlet and who would maintain it. Do not assume that a county review means the county takes over future upkeep. If dedication or acceptance is proposed, ask what has actually been accepted and what remains the company’s responsibility.
Discuss how crews and equipment would reach drainage features without blocking your own work. Identify shared gates, crossing points, seasonal farming needs and any access across retained land. If a route or easement could restrict a future fence or building, understand that before agreeing to its location.
The private agreement should address inspection, vegetation control, sediment removal, repairs and damage caused by construction or poor maintenance. Ask how obligations continue after the project changes owners and what happens if the company cancels the proposal after starting drainage work.
For the end of the lease, discuss which features should be removed, restored or retained and who pays. Removing equipment does not necessarily restore drainage to its earlier condition. Have the company explain how the final condition will protect access and water flow on the land you keep.
Want to ask about your land?
Send the location and what you know. You don’t need a project plan.
Tell us about your landConfirm what counts as a complete drainage submission
The county currently links a checklist revised in January 2015 that asks for 90% complete plans including all proposed construction features. Its later drainage fee ordinance, approved in September 2020, says a complete submittal includes 100% construction plans with the information needed for permitting and construction.
Have the company confirm the current submission requirements with the reviewing office. The difference between those documents is a reason to obtain current instructions, rather than assume the older checklist guarantees acceptance of an unfinished plan. Ask whether the engineer has provided all required drawings, reports and supporting models for this proposal.
The manual describes preliminary and final drainage review, with the final plan approved before construction. It also discusses limited abbreviated plans for certain small projects, subject to the reviewing authority’s judgment. A small battery footprint does not establish that this proposal qualifies for an abbreviated review.
Ask what review stage has been reached and what comments remain open. Both the checklist and fee ordinance call for responses to review comments. Submission, a fee payment or an initial review is different from approval of the final design and permission to begin the actual work.
If the proposal changes after comments are received, ask to see the revised layout. Added detention, a moved entrance or a new outfall can affect land you expected to retain. Agree how you will review changes to the land area or private rights before the company treats the revised plan as settled.
Reference: Wharton County: drainage submittal checklist, revised January 8, 2015 · Wharton County: drainage review fee ordinance, approved September 14, 2020 · Wharton County: Drainage Criteria Manual, December 2008, selected introductory and administrative sections
Ask who pays for review, revisions and added land work
The posted September 2020 ordinance separates drainage review charges from the county development-permit fee. Its commercial/industrial category describes improvements such as structures, paving, driveways and drainage features. It lists an initial drainage review charge of $3,500 for land up to ten acres, with $100 for each additional acre. Treat those figures as dated posted information, not a current quote for this battery project.
Ask the office to confirm the applicable category, acreage used for charging and current schedule. The ordinance describes two initial review rounds, additional charges for later reviews and possible renewed initial fees for major changes. It also describes separate crossing, right-of-way and other activities. A single application charge does not represent the full approval or construction budget.
Agree who covers surveys, engineering, applications, responses to comments, redesign, additional land rights and physical work. Ask whether any cost can be deducted from payments to you and who approves expenses beyond the original estimate. Do not let a request to advance a review fee arrive without a clear payment arrangement.
If a revised plan needs more of your property, discuss compensation and restrictions before expanding the agreement. The company should explain why the additional land is needed, whether the change is temporary or permanent, and what happens if the revised project cannot move forward.
Keep the current technical requirements with the engineer and reviewing office. The fee ordinance says the requirements adopted when a complete application is submitted apply. This page does not establish the latest drainage criteria, a battery-specific fee category or the complete set of permits for your parcel.
Reference: Wharton County: drainage review fee ordinance, approved September 14, 2020
Match the approval work to the land agreement’s dates
Ask for a short schedule that separates drainage review, other county or city decisions, road access, project safety review and utility connection work. Identify who is handling each item, what access or information is needed from you and what can change the proposed layout.
Read that schedule alongside the option or lease. Check how long the company can hold the land, what it pays during that period, when operating payments begin and what allows an extension. County review dates do not automatically become the deadlines in a private agreement.
The posted 2008 manual describes time limits on drainage approvals and possible extensions. Have the company confirm the current validity period for the approval actually issued. Do not assume an old manual’s timing guarantees either a project completion date or an extension of your land option.
County drainage review does not determine whether the battery can connect to the grid. Ask separately about the connection application, studies, upgrade costs and remaining utility decisions. Keep updates on those matters separate so a finished drainage plan is not mistaken for a finished project.
Before signing an owner acknowledgment, dedication, easement or other document, understand the rights and duties it creates. Ask your adviser to compare it with the private agreement, especially where the company promises to handle costs or maintenance on your behalf.
Ask Sunland about your land before preparing plans
You can start with contact details and the property location. The form selects Wharton County and Texas; adjust those if the land is elsewhere. Acreage and parcel number are optional. You do not need a drainage study or a county application to ask about the property.
Tell us how the land is used and whether you would consider a lease, sale or use of only part of it. Mention a ditch, pond, shared entrance, recurring drainage problem or area you want to keep available. If you have received an offer, describe the proposed footprint and any extra rights the company is requesting.
Sunland may follow up to learn more and discuss possible next steps. An inquiry does not authorize entry, construction or changes to the property, and it does not establish that the land qualifies for battery storage. You can decide whether to continue after understanding the proposal.
Questions landowners ask
Does a battery proposal need land beyond the fence?
It may. Drainage features, access and connection work can extend beyond equipment. Ask for a complete layout and separate maps of the study area, requested rights and paid area. A study boundary is not automatically a lease boundary.
Can I assume the older 90% plan checklist is enough?
Confirm the current instructions. The linked 2015 checklist says 90% complete plans, while the later 2020 fee ordinance specifies 100% construction plans for a complete submittal. Ask the reviewing office and engineer what is needed now.
Will the county maintain a new drainage pond or ditch?
Do not assume that from plan review. Ask who will own and maintain each feature, whether any public dedication has actually been accepted, and how the private agreement covers access, repairs and continuing costs.
Are the posted drainage fees the total battery-project cost?
No. The dated ordinance separates drainage review from development fees and describes other review activities. Confirm the current category and charges, then separately agree who pays for engineering, revisions, land rights and construction.
Does an approved drainage plan mean the grid connection is ready?
No. Drainage review and utility connection work answer different questions. Ask for separate updates on connection studies, costs and remaining utility decisions.
Do I need plans before contacting Sunland?
No. Begin with contact details and the location. Acreage and parcel number are optional. You can describe an existing offer, retained land uses or a drainage concern without completing county paperwork.
Sources & further reading
Current county resource page reviewed October 8, 2026. The one-page January 2015 checklist was read; all three scanned pages of the September 2020 fee ordinance were visually reviewed. For the 233-page December 2008 manual, only the cover and selected introductory/administrative pages were reviewed: physical pages 5–26, printed pages 1–22. Remaining design chapters, current amendments, parcel maps and full floodplain, subdivision, fire and battery technical rules were not audited. Confirm the current requirements and fee classification for the actual project. The older checklist and later ordinance differ on plan completeness. Local rules and program details can change. Check the requirements for the actual project.
- Wharton County: current permits, inspections and drainage resources
- Wharton County: drainage submittal checklist, revised January 8, 2015
- Wharton County: Drainage Criteria Manual, December 2008, selected introductory and administrative sections
- Wharton County: drainage review fee ordinance, approved September 14, 2020