BY KEVIN VU
What else?
Funding the project
Looking ahead
Bellaire and Houston also agreed to a land swap deal in July to help improve flood mitigation. Bellaire acquired the Beechnut Tract—used primarily for Bellaire’s Southwest Wastewater Treat- ment Plant north of Brays Bayou—for $6.46 million, which City Manager Sharon Citino said the city will demolish to build a new detention area. Houston acquired the Ruffino Tract, which is located along the southern bank of Keegans Bayou and served Bellaire as a municipal landfill in the ‘90s, to turn it into a flood detention zone.
Jones said the city received numerous funding sources for the $110 million proj- ect, including funding from a $40 million bond referendum approved by voters in November 2024. “The citizens were willing to back [the project], and put money into leading it,” Citino said. “I don’t think we would have been able to be where we are now had we not said we’ll lead it, we’ll be the lead agency and we’ll take this on.”
Jones said the city is in the design and planning phase for the Cypress Ditch project. City officials are aiming to demolish the Beechnut Tract site in December and immediately start constructing the south detention pond by early next year. The final step will include constructing the north detention pond, Jones said, as the city aims to decommission the wastewater treatment plant located north of Brays Bayou. The item, Pappas said, will be voted on at a future City Council meeting. “We’re trying to be more resilient,” Jones said. “With very proactive building codes and the improvement of Cypress Ditch, these are big steps to living with the water and the storm events that we are just going to have these days.”
Beechnut Tract 13.15 acres
Ruffino Tract 76 acres
Cypress Ditch Improvements Project funding
$54M: State of Texas $40M: Bellaire bond $15M: Harris County Flood Control District $1M: Federal government
KEEGANS BAYOU
BEECHNUT S
Total $110M
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SOURCES: CITY OF HOUSTON, CITY OF BELLAIRE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
SOURCE: CITY OF BELLAIRE/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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