Despitemillions spent on projects, flooding to remain a reality on Cypress Creek, experts say
The recent developments represent the first time there has been a specific plan for how to address flooding on Cypress Creek, Zeve said. Decisions on where new detention basins will be built are being guided by a study of Cypress Creek and its tributaries that was completed in February and an ongoing follow-up study. The tributary study also called for channel improvements to parts of the creek where tributaries, such as Faulkey and Pillot gullies, connect. One basin is proposed at Stuebner Air- line Road; four are proposed between Hwy. 249 and I-45; and three are pro- posed downstream of I-45. However, more basins are likely to be proposed. The study also called for a large expansion of a detention basin in Cypress Park near North Eldridge Park- way in Cy-Fair. The cost and timeline have yet to be determined. Flood control officials said they are looking to add another 25,000 acre- feet of detention along Cypress Creek. Comparatively, about 50,000 acre-feet of detention have been constructed across the county by the district since it was established in 1937, officials said. “Wewere able to complete the study, so now, we have a plan, and now, we’re executing the plan,” Zeve said. “We
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out through 2030. Other concepts that are still being studied, such as a proposed underground flood tunnel, would take even longer. “I think that in Harris County, flood- ing will always be a risk for people in the Cypress Creek watershed and in all of our watersheds,” HCFCD Dep- uty Executive Director Matt Zeve said. “But we do feel very strongly that we will be lowering the risk of flooding for tens of thousands of people in the Cypress Creek watershed in the com- ing decade.” Despite the investment, Har- ris County officials, local advocacy groups, and scientific experts all acknowledged that due to how the area was developed over the years, flooding will never be completely solved along Cypress Creek. Mean- while, climate change is contributing to more hurricanes and storms that produce more rain. “Will we continue to see storms that are more intense? Yes,” said Stephanie Glenn, program director
for hydrology and watersheds at the Houston Advanced Research Center. “But can we continue to plan so that the impacts we see aren’t as intense? I think, as a region, we have the capabil- ity to do so.” Frompassive toaggressive More than 8,700 homes flooded along Cypress Creek during Hurricane Harvey, and another 1,700 homes did so during the Tax Day floods of 2016. Some of the more heavily affected neighborhoods in Cy-Fair include Norchester, Ravensway, Enchanted Valley and Lakewood Forest. When the bond referendum was passed in 2018, the bulk of the $300 million for Cypress Creek was set aside for acquiring land, performing mainte- nance and building stormwater deten- tion basins in buyout areas. Late in the summer of this year, plans for detention basins started to emerge when district officials announced they would be taking a more aggressive approach to flood control planning.
BY SHAWN ARRAJJ, DANICA LLOYD & HANNAH ZEDAKER
Editor’s note: This article is the third and final in a series looking at flooding in the Cypress Creek watershed. On the heels of the busiest tropical storm season in history in the Gulf of Mexico, Harris County is spending more on flood control along Cypress Creek than it has at any other point in history. While the investment is expected to reduce the likelihood of flooding for thousands of homes over the next decade, experts said flooding will remain a problem for the many homes built in low-lying areas. The bulk of these efforts took form after voters approved a $2.5 billion bond referendum for the Har- ris County Flood Control District in 2018, which put roughly $300 million toward Cypress Creek projects. Flood control officials said plans are coming together for more concrete efforts to mitigate flooding on the creek. Bond projects will be carried
Making a Dent
LITTLE CYPRESS CREEK
C Y P R E
99 TOLL
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Although no easy fix exists to fully address flooding along Cypress Creek, the Harris County Flood Control District has launched a number of initiatives to lessen damage that could occur in future storms. Harvey-flooded communities SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT/ COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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CYPRESS CREEK
Timberlake area channel
Drainage improvements Cost: $135 million Targets a number of communities throughout the Cypress Creek watershed, including 16 neighborhoods in Cy-Fair Possible future projects Expansion of North Eldridge Parkway detention basin Cost: TBD Would target an existing detention basin at the confluence of Cypress Creek and Little Cypress Creek, which was recommended in the updated Cypress Creek Tributary Study released in February
Timberlake area channel improvements Cost: $8.5 million
CYPRESS N. HOUSTON RD.
N. ELDRIDGE PKWY.
Reduces risk of flooding along the channel and facilitates local drainage improvements Little Cypress Creek
Update of 2003 tributaries study Cost: $905,000
Frontier Program Cost: $111.9 million
Right of way acquisition Cost: $100 million Major maintenance Cost: $60 million Stormwater detention basins in buyout areas Cost: $40.4 million
The study endorsed building stormwater detention basins along Cypress Creek at a cost of $642 million; could reduce risk of flooding for more than 1,590 homes in the 100-year flood plain as defined by Atlas 14
Includes right of way acquisition, design and construction for 10 new detention basins; can also have benefits for communities miles downstream along Cypress Creek
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