Cedar Bayou to benefit from Flood bonds

Pct. 2 Commissioner Jack Morman talks with Luce Bayou and Cedar Bayou watershed residents at the I.T.May Community Center last Thursday.

HUFFMAN – Thursday, July 19, at the I.T. May Community Center, a public meeting was held to discuss the $2.5 Billion bond proposed by the Harris County Commissioner’s Court to sponsor comprehensive flood relief programs by the Harris County Flood Control District.

The measures are to initiate a comprehensive flood control program that begins in the north of the district all the way to the sea. The meetings focus on the needs of local populations and interact with the neighborhoods through a series of meetings. The H.C. Flood Control District presented 14 proposed anti-flood projects to be paid for by the bond.

Cedar Bayou has been flooding for decades now and a study of the watershed has been completed.

In the HCFCD proposal the upstream Cedar Bayou Project would receive $74M from the bond for right of way acquisition, design and construction of channel conveyance improvements and stormwater detention basin upstream of FM 1960. This 1% floodplain could be reduced in size from about 1,500 acres to less than 100 acres.

Another upstream project on Cedar Bayou would cost $11M but almost entirely eliminate the flood risk along upper Cedar Bayou.

About $33M is proposed for the Magee Gully for the same treatment and infrastructure improvement. About $23M is proposed for the Adlong Ditch right of way purchases, and channel improvements. It would improve the flood plain from about 2,300 acres to 200 acres.

Clawson Ditch would need some $19M for right of way, design and channel improvements to make it less than 800 acres from the current 2,700 acres.

Near IH-10 a proposed $23M project would construct a stormwater detention basin near Coastal Water Authority canals. Proposed is a $1M project for design and construction of Crosby Eastgate Environmental Mitigation Bank for restoration and enhancement of wetlands to create credits for wetland mitigation supporting construction of District projects.

The total from the bond for these and smaller other projects is $249,500,000. About $2,745,500 are to come from Grant Totals. Partner Sharing with other counties would account for $1,950,000 and local match requirements would need $675,000.

The work needed for Luce Bayou in Huffman would require $20,500,000 from the bond.

The proposed bond portion of the San Jacinto Watershed upper basin would run about $50M Also there would be a requirement of $281,165,500 from Grants, a share partnership with Montgomery County of $183,370,000 and a local match of $117,754,000.

Voters will be asked to approve the $2.5 Billion bond package on August 25th, the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey