CI-031 Cost Share with City of Houston on Wallisville Outfall Study

CI-031 Cost Share with City of Houston on Wallisville Outfall Study
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December 1, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners approved an amount not to exceed $700,000, with a partial encumbrance of $583,452 for a feasibility study in support of this project.

August 25, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the Flood Control District to negotiate an agreement for engineering services for a feasibility study in support of this project.

April 28, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized and initiated this project.

project description

This feasibility study investigated flooding along the Wallisville Outfall Channel, formally identified as HCFCD Unit H103-00-00, to identify potential solutions. The study was completed in May 2023. The Wallisville Outfall Channel is mainly an open, grass-lined channel that starts near the intersection of North Wayside Drive and Wallisville Road. The channel drains eastward and ultimately outfalls into Hunting Bayou just north of IH-10.

The channel and its tributaries service approximately 4.5 square miles of the H103-00-00 area located within the City of Houston and a small area of Jacinto City. The secondary drainage system that drains to the Wallisville Outfall Channel consists of multiple roadside ditches and storm sewer networks owned and maintained by the City of Houston. Historically, flooding of structures and roadways is frequent in the project area.

The feasibility study identified the primary factors causing historical flooding in the Hunting Bayou watershed, including the limited conveyance capacity of the main Wallisville Outfall channel and inadequacies in the drainage system. This analysis identified four areas subject to frequent flooding: the Denver Harbor neighborhood, the Gellhorn Drive industrial area, the lower Hunting Bayou area and the City of San Jacinto City. The study then recommended two potential alternatives to reduce structural and roadway flooding using the available $10 million in funds through the 2018 Bond Program.

The recommended project will provide significant benefits by reducing frequent flooding in the Denver Harbor neighborhood. In addition, the recommended improvements include construction of a stormwater detention basin, construction of a new open channel and changes to local drainage systems to increase their capacity. This will result in more efficient local storm-sewer drainage systems in the City of Houston.

The study also recommended the construction of a stormwater detention basin and channel conveyance improvements in the Gellhorn Drive industrial area.

The project will next move into the Preliminary Engineering stage of the overall project lifecycle under Bond ID F-17 (for additional information visit F-17). The project will be coordinated with existing City of Houston plans. To view a summary of the feasibility study click here.

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