PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The Harris County Flood Control District completed preliminary engineering on a project to improve the flow of stormwater and reduce flooding risks along lower South Mayde Creek, a tributary in the Addicks Reservoir watershed of northwest Harris County.
A Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) recommended details for channel improvements between Fry and Greenhouse roads, and will explored the possibility of a bypass channel to increase the discharge of stormwater into Addicks Reservoir. Preliminary engineering activities included collecting survey, geotechnical, and environmental field data, as well as coordinating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which owns, operates, and maintains the reservoir.
The channel conveyance improvements along South Mayde Creek could reduce the risk of flooding for over 70 structures and remove the 1% floodplain from an estimated 19 miles of roads near several schools.
The PER followed a feasibility study completed in 2017, which explored various ways to reduce the frequency of riverine flooding events along South Mayde Creek, as well as their depth and duration. The goal of the feasibility study was to achieve a level of protection equal to a storm that has a 1 percent chance of occurring each year (the “100-year flood”). The feasibility study recommended stormwater conveyance improvements for South Mayde Creek downstream of the Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) to Greenhouse Road, and construction of a bypass channel east of Greenhouse Road on the Addicks Reservoir. The feasibility study also considered the potential for future stormwater detention and retention, as well as property buyouts.