Government
BY RYAN REYNOLDS
Precinct 3 invests $11M in drainage projects
With more than $11 million in taxpayer dollars on the line, Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting two ood control projects aimed at improving drainage via detention ponds at Cypress Park and Deputy Darren Goforth Park. “We now have another tool in our toolbox to help prepare for when a storm event happens,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said. “We are using every technique we know about to try to keep water in the creek and out of people’s homes.” How it works At Cypress Park, the county is installing a manually operated valve system that allows crews to lower the pond’s water level ahead of major storms. The $6.7 million project is designed to reduce ooding from Cypress Creek by creating extra capacity in the pond before rain hits. Ramsey said the process begins two to three days before a fore- casted storm, when crews open the valve to drain the pond at a rate of about 28,000 gallons per
minute, creating extra space. The Cypress Park detention pond can hold up to 120 acre-feet of water, equivalent to about 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools, Ramsey said. Construction recently started on Precinct 3’s second pilot pond enhancement project at Goforth Park, where ocials are installing a pump system to provide additional detention for Horsepen Creek. Once complete, the park’s detention pond will hold up to 250 acre-feet of water. Ramsey said crews will pump the water level down between storms to create space ahead of the next rainfall. What’s next As of press time, the Cypress Park project was set to be com- pleted by May, while construction at Goforth Park is scheduled to nish by the end of 2025. Ramsey said Precinct 3 will monitor the performance of both sites and use watershed models based on past storms to identify areas where similar detention strategies could be eective.
Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting ood control projects at two Cypress-area parks to improve drainage.
N. ELDRIDGE PKWY.
Cypress Park
Deputy Darren Goforth Park
CYPRESS NORTH HOUSTON RD.
WHEAT CROSS DR.
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CY FAIR JERSEY VILLAGE EDITION
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