Armand Bayou Watershed
About the Watershed
The Armand Bayou watershed is located in southeast Harris County and encompasses portions of the cities of Houston, Pasadena, Deer Park, La Porte and Taylor Lake Village. Armand Bayou flows in a southward direction from its headwaters near Deer Park to its mouth at Clear Lake. The watershed covers about 60 square miles and includes five primary streams: Armand Bayou, Horsepen Bayou, Big Island Slough, Willowspring Creek and Spring Gully. There are about 86 miles of open streams within the watershed, including the primary streams and tributary channels. The estimated population within the Armand Bayou watershed is just over 120,000.
Regional planning is important on Armand Bayou due to past historical flooding and future development, which is expected for this area. Sizable floodplains exist in areas along the main channel and in Pasadena, Deer Park and La Porte. The watershed is also vulnerable to storm surges from hurricanes or tropical storms. Structural flooding has occurred several times in the past.
Land Use
Development is heavy in the upper and southwestern regions, while the mid to lower regions are sparsely developed. Several parks and a nature preserve are located along the lower third of the channel. Due to the close proximity to Johnson Space Center, Houston Ship Channel and the Clear Lake area, urbanization is expected to rapidly continue in the near future.
Reservoir
The Corps has placed limits on the flow rates for channels entering the reservoir. The limits vary for each of the primary streams, based on the development levels that existed in late 1970's to mid 1980's. Operation of outlet facilities controls the discharges from the reservoir into Langham Creek, then into Buffalo Bayou.
Environment
The watershed hosts the 2,000-acre Armand Bayou Park and Nature Center at its mouth. An ongoing study is investigating the possibilities of creating habitat along the upper two-thirds of the channel and of linking regional detention sites and parks in the watershed in order to establish recreational and habitat corridors.
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