Project Description
The Carpenters Bayou Watershed Planning Project, which was completed in 2021, investigated flooding problems and evaluated and recommended potential projects to reduce the risk of flooding in the watershed. The planning study was funded by the 2018 Bond Program, Bond ID F-124. The resulting Carpenters Bayou Watershed Plan made recommendations for major stormwater infrastructure improvements in the watershed.
In 2021, the Flood Control District was awarded $10 million in grant funding for construction of a flood risk reduction project in the Cloverleaf area of the watershed, as recommended in the Carpenters Bayou Watershed Plan. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation program (CDBG-MIT) through the Texas General Land Office and Harris County Community Services Department.
The grant will fund the Cloverleaf Area Drainage Improvements Project (N100-00-00-E001), which will improve the internal drainage systems and related infrastructure that convey stormwater from the Cloverleaf subdivision to Carpenters Bayou. As part of the project, roadside drainage ditches in the neighborhood bounded by Alderson Street to the north, Hershe Street to the south, Hollywood Street to the west, and Sam Houston Tollway to the east, will be desilted, regraded and/or resized to increase stormwater carrying capacity and reduce street flooding in the area.
As of summer 2022, the project team is completing the Preliminary Engineering stage and is in the Design stage of the project lifecycle. This means that engineering and environmental specialists have developed and evaluated possible alternatives for the project, and engineers are also developing construction plans, specifications, and cost estimates in support of the recommended alternative. It is not typical to start the Design stage before the end of Preliminary Engineering; however, given the funding timeline for this project, some of the work had to be completed concurrently.
The Preliminary Engineering stage of the project considers alternatives for drainage, stormwater conveyance improvements and stormwater storage solutions. The recommended alternative is expected to include the construction of a stormwater detention basin and an underground drainage culvert. The culvert will be designed to convey stormwater from the improved neighborhood drainage ditches to the nearby stormwater detention basin. The stormwater detention basin will temporarily store the stormwater from the Cloverleaf neighborhood during heavy rain events until it can be slowly released into Carpenters Bayou. Engineering and environmental specialists are investigating potential locations for the culvert and stormwater detention basin. Further evaluation of the proposed locations will continue during preliminary and design engineering.
When the Design stage nears completion, a community engagement meeting will be held to share the results of the Preliminary Engineering effort and the proposed design plans for the recommended project. This meeting is expected to be held before the end of 2022.
About Drainage Jurisdiction
The Flood Control District works with other agencies and shares jurisdiction over flooding issues in Harris County. Inside neighborhoods, internal drainage systems include underground storm sewer systems and roadside ditches, and are typically the responsibility of the underlying municipality, utility district and/or Harris County in unincorporated areas of the county.
The larger bayous and channels that take the collected stormwater and move it through the drainage system to Galveston Bay are the responsibility of the Flood Control District, and sometimes these drainage systems are constructed by the Flood Control District. In some instances, the Flood Control District leads the effort on drainage system improvements.