|
|
 |
|
|
Armand Bayou Watershed
Armand Bayou watershed, showing project elements.
Flood Damage Reduction Efforts in Armand Bayou
Since before 1990, the Harris County Flood Control District (the District) has been spearheading efforts to reduce damages from flooding in the Armand Bayou watershed. Several planning studies of the area have indicated that a program consisting of channel enlargements and detention basin construction will significantly reduce the frequency and magnitude of flooding in the Upper Armand Bayou area. A final configuration of Capital Improvement Program project phases in the upper watershed area will be determined after new topographic and hydrologic modeling information from the ongoing Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project (TSARP) is completed. In the meantime, the District has completed construction of the initial phases of several detention basins in the upper watershed area, has initiated construction of subsequent phases and plans further construction in the near future.
History Behind the Efforts for Armand Bayou
House flooding and recurring flood damages have been a major problem for residents in the upper portion of the Armand Bayou watershed. The most severely affected areas are generally located upstream of Genoa-Red Bluff Road. For the most part, homes in this area were built deep in the floodplain, prior to Harris County, the City of Pasadena and the City of LaPorte joining the National Flood Insurance Program, which has strict rules for building within the regulatory floodplain. Thus, these developments took place prior to the availability of detailed floodplain maps and prior to floodplain management regulations.
Project Costs
Within the current 5-year window of the District's Capital Improvement Program (FY2003-07), it is estimated that approximately $33 million will be spent toward ongoing activities in the Armand Bayou watershed, including completed and ongoing study efforts, construction projects and buyout of flood prone homes. Specifically, this includes funding to support construction of the Underwood Road, Spencer Highway, Red Bluff Road, Fairmont Parkway, Baywood and Anthony Road stormwater detention basins, as well as the future conveyance improvements along Armand Bayou from Pansy Street to Fairmont Parkway.
Overview of Current Activities
Using the results of the previously completed stormwater management studies of the Armand Bayou watershed, the District has started work on the six stormwater detention basins in the Upper Armand Bayou area. Collectively, these detention basins cover about 518 acres and, when complete, will significantly reduce flood damages in the area. The area's reduction in flood damages will be even further realized when channel modifications are introduced and become operative.
Home Buyout Plays Important Role in Current Efforts
Home buyout is playing an equally important role in current flood damage reduction efforts in the Armand Bayou watershed. Many homes have been purchased and demolished as part an ongoing buyout program after significant flooding events that occurred in 1996 and during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. The District and the City of Pasadena are presently contemplating asking for FEMA's assistance to extend home buyout to other repetitively flooded homes in the upper portion of the watershed. Buyouts using FEMA funding are totally voluntary on the part of the seller. The District may also consider buyout of other homes that are hopelessly deep in the floodplain and cannot be removed from harms way by planned capital improvements. The need for such additional buyouts will be determined as part of a Watershed Master Plan Study for Armand Bayou.
Multi-use Enhances Community and Natural Values
A master plan will form the basis of a flood damage reduction program for the watershed and will provide guidance to potential sponsors for multi-use opportunities along Armand Bayou and its major tributaries. The idea is to establish flood damage reduction and drainage features with enough right-of-way to allow willing sponsors to implement a variety of multi-uses compatible with occasional stormwater inundation.
The multi-uses can be areas designated for wildlife habitat preservation and creation, stormwater quality management areas, recreational amenities and open space. The District is also looking at this as an opportunity to plan for alternate channel cross-sections with varying geometries that allow for principles of naturally sustained erosion control. Channels having these characteristics are less susceptible to erosion due to lower stormwater flow velocities and vegetation cover, and eventually, will need less frequent mowing. Other measures include promoting the establishment of tree canopies and other desirable vegetation to lessen the long-term maintenance burden of this infrastructure on the public.
Your Input is Important to Us
Public input is vital for all of the District's flood damage reduction efforts. If you would like more information or would like to comment about ongoing flood damage reduction in the Armand Bayou watershed, please contact the District.
|
|
|
|
The Armand Bayou 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 in 2000 was just over 120,000.
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 continue in the near future.
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.
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
