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Hunting Bayou Watershed
Hunting Bayou watershed, showing favored project alternatives.
Hunting Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Plan
In developing a Flood Damage Reduction Plan for Hunting Bayou, the Harris County Flood Control District has performed extensive data collection and analysis, resulting in a much better understanding of flood risks associated with Hunting Bayou. This work has been progressing well over the last five years. The District has held public meetings within the community several times over the course of developing the plan to determine the community's interests and flood damage reduction needs. Using this information, the District has developed numerous flood damage reduction plan alternatives and is currently evaluating these alternatives to identify a recommended plan.
Alternatives Considered as Final Plan Nears Completion
A final, recommended flood damage reduction plan has not yet been determined for Hunting Bayou. It is currently in the "alternatives analysis" stage. Various combinations of stormwater detention basins, channel modifications to Hunting Bayou, levees and flood proofing are being evaluated. Additionally, a "no action" alternative is being looked at, as well as a "buyout only" alternative. These alternatives are being presented to the public through public meetings to receive feedback on what the community supports and what the concerns are.
Many alternatives have been evaluated as part of the study. The most viable alternatives that have been shown to the community are as follows:
Alternative A
Alternative A contains channel enlargements and a stormwater detention basin. The channel enlargements would be along Hunting Bayou from approximately US 59 to the Englewood Yard, and the channel is to be lined with concrete. If this alternative is selected, investigations to identify appropriate environmentally sensitive versions of traditional concrete channel lining (e.g. cellular concrete block mats) will occur. The stormwater detention basin would be located just west of the railroad lines at the northeast corner of Hunting Bayou and Homestead Road. This alternative would require the acquisition of the land for the stormwater detention basin and channel modifications. Alternative A would benefit approximately 4,200-4,900 homes that are currently located in the 1% (100-year) floodplain. This benefit would be reducing their flood risks significantly enough to remove the 1% (100-year) floodplain designation from their property.
Alternative B
Alternative B contains a mixture of channel enlargements and a stormwater detention basin. The channel enlargements would be along Hunting Bayou from approximately US 59 to Englewood Yard, and the channel would be grass lined. The stormwater detention basin would be located just west of the railroad lines at the northeast corner of Hunting Bayou and Homestead Road. This alternative would require the acquisition of land for the stormwater detention basin and channel modifications. Alternative B would benefit approximately 4,200-4,900 homes by reducing their flood risks significantly enough to remove the 1% (100-year) floodplain designation from their property. Alternative B would cost approximately the same amount as Alternative A and will provide approximately the same level of flood damage reduction benefits.
Alternative C
Alternative C contains a mixture of channel enlargements and two stormwater detention basins. The channel enlargements would be along Hunting Bayou from approximately US 59 to Englewood Yard, and the channel would be grass lined. One stormwater detention basin would be located just west of the railroad lines at the northeast corner of Hunting Bayou and Homestead Road and the other detention basin is along Hunting Bayou, immediately southeast of its intersection with Lockwood (on both sides of a Hunting Bayou tributary). This alternative would require the acquisition of land for the stormwater detention basin and approximately 200-250 homes. It would benefit approximately 4,500- 5,200 homes by reducing their flood risks significantly enough to remove the 1% (100-year) floodplain designation from their property. Alternative C would cost approximately the same amount as Alternatives A and B, but would benefit the community in terms of flood damage reduction slightly more than those two alternatives.
Alternative D
Alternative D consists of two large stormwater detention basins without work done to Hunting Bayou. The first stormwater detention basin is located just west of the railroad lines at the northeast corner of Hunting Bayou and Homestead Road and the second stormwater detention basin is along a tributary east of Lockwood between Hunting Bayou and just north of Collingsworth. This alternative would require the acquisition of land for the railroad stormwater detention basin and approximately 350-500 homes for the second stormwater detention basin. Alternative D would benefit approximately 700-900 homes by reducing their flood risks significantly enough to remove the 1% (100-year) floodplain designation from their property. Alternative D would cost significantly less than Alternatives A, B, or C and provide benefits for a much smaller number of homes. Additionally, community acceptance is very low for this alternative due to the large number of home acquisitions, which is viewed as being destructive to neighborhood cohesion.
Alternative E
Alternative E consists of a voluntary buyout program for homes that qualify under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers criteria. These homes are typically the higher flood risk homes. This alternative would not require acquisition of any land beyond the land associated with the purchase of the houses being acquired under the buyout project; all qualifying homeowners would have the choice as to whether they would like to sell their home or not. Flood damage reduction benefits derived by implementation of Alternative E are associated only with the homes acquired as part of the buyout because they would be demolished and, therefore, would not flood again. Approximately 700-800 homes are predicted to qualify for the voluntary program if this alternative is selected. The cost of this alternative depends on how many choose to sell their homes.
Alternative F
Alternative F is the "no action" alternative. It means the District would do nothing more than regular maintenance of Hunting Bayou in a manner consistent with what is already being done. No homes would need to be acquired for this alternative. No benefits come from this alternative. This alternative costs far less than the other alternatives.
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Project Cost
Depending on the final alternative that is selected, cost to implement a Hunting Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project could range up to $150 million.
History Behind the Program
Flooding is not a new topic in the Hunting Bayou watershed. Over the years, flooding has been documented many times in different parts of the watershed. Hurricane Carla (1961) and Tropical Storm Allison (2001) were two major events that severely impacted the Hunting Bayou watershed, as well as other parts of Houston and Harris County. These two major flood events occurred twice within a 50-year period. Historically, the area has always flooded and has had a floodplain that looks very similar to the one that is mapped today. In simple terms, much of the land adjacent to Hunting Bayou is naturally flood prone, and Hunting Bayou is not capable of draining the floodwaters before there are flooding problems in neighborhoods.
Home Buyout Plays Equally Important Role in Current Efforts
The significant flooding history does not mean that residents of the watershed should have to live in constant fear of flooding. In addition to development of the flood damage reduction plan, the Harris County Flood Control District, working in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is also helping area residents reduce their risk of flooding through the Tropical Storm Alison Home Buyout Program.
In the aftermath of Tropical Storm Allison, the District, FEMA and the State of Texas, initiated a "fast track" voluntary buyout program throughout Harris County. The "fast track" was a modification to FEMA's normal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application and funding approval process. The fast track was designed to be responsive to the victims of Tropical Storm Allison and not just follow the normal process meant to mitigate damages for a future flood disaster. Through the fast track program, floodplain administrators could recommend homes for buyout that they deemed to be "substantially damaged," or in other words, that they deemed the cost to repair the damage was 50% or greater than the preflood value of the structure, excluding land value. Homes are purchased at "pre-Allison flood" fair market value for those homeowners who elected to volunteer. Environmental Justice Relocation Assistance (EJRA) is made available to income-eligible participants to assist in their relocation out of the 1% (100-year) floodplain. The goal of the EJRA program is to relocate individuals without adversely impacting their social and economic environment.
Buyouts in the Hunting Bayou watershed, and throughout Harris County, are an effective form of flood damage reduction, especially for those homes built deep in a floodplain. Buyouts ensure the flood?prone house will never flood again, because once a house is purchased through this program, it is demolished. FEMA rules require that the land remain as open space and owned by the public in perpetuity.
What Happens to Buyout Open Space?
The District works with communities, civic associations and neighborhoods, and individual neighboring property owners to determine what uses are feasible for the land. The goal is to have open space land become a community amenity with possibilities ranging from a community garden to a park or to an area that is left to return to nature. The District also works with a buyout property's neighboring owners so that they may use an adjacent lot as yard space in exchange for mowing and maintaining the land, which continues to be owned by the District.
What's Next for the Flood Damage Reduction Plan?
Initial feedback from the community points us in the direction of Alternatives A and B, with Alternative A being more favored by the community. Part of the District's mission is to balance our projects with "Community and Natural Values" - to find a project that is sensitive to flood damage reduction, the needs of the community and also the environment.
Engineers will be working to finalize the analysis and comparison of alternatives. After that, the plan will be presented to the public, Harris County Commissioners Court and the Corps of Engineers.
Your Input is Important to Us
As with all of the District's efforts, public involvement in the Hunting Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Plan is crucial to its success. The Hunting Bayou Citizen Advisory Committee was formed so stakeholders' interests would be represented throughout the planning process, and so stakeholders would have an opportunity to share ideas and give feedback on topics discussed during the planning process. In turn, the Citizens Advisory Committee members go back to their respective organizations in the community and report on the progress of the Hunting Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Plan.
If you would like more information the Hunting Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Plan, or would like to comment about ongoing flood damage reduction in the Hunting Bayou watershed, please contact the District at 713-684-4000, or contact us via e-mail at huntingbayou@hcfcd.org.
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The Hunting Bayou Watershed
The Hunting Bayou watershed is located in central Harris County, northeast of downtown Houston and is almost completely contained within the city limits of Houston, Galena Park and Jacinto City. The watershed covers about 30 square miles and flows into the Houston Ship Channel via Hunting Bayou, the watershed's single primary stream. There are about 45 miles of open streams within the watershed, including the primary stream and tributary channels. The estimated population within the Hunting Bayou watershed is just over 91,000.
The watershed is highly urbanized, with a mixture of residential, commercial and industrial developments. The middle reach is the only area that contains open space of significant size and includes Herman Brown Park. Most of the new development in the watershed is actually redevelopment of residential or commercial structures.
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