F-39 Spring Gully Watershed Planning Project

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Recent Actions

September 24, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved agreements with engineering firms to conduct Watershed Planning Projects.

July 9, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved negotiations with engineering firms in support of this project.

May 14, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized and initiated this project.

April 9, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved a request for a Statement of Qualifications from engineering firms in support of this project.

April 9, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved amended funding for Harris County from the CDBG-DR program.

August 18, 2018 – The State of Texas received additional Community Development Block Grant disaster relief funding of $89 million that included additional funding for watershed planning activities in Harris County.

July 10, 2018 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved a State of Texas action plan that included Community Development Block Grant disaster relief funding of $1.1 billion

Project Description

This effort resulted in a watershed-wide plan for major stormwater infrastructure improvements in the watershed of Spring Gully, HCFCD Unit O200-00-00. Completed in 2021, the Spring Gully Watershed Planning Project investigated flooding problems, identified ongoing and proposed flood mitigation projects, and evaluated and recommended potential projects to reduce the risk of flooding in this watershed.

Summary of Spring Gully Watershed Plan

Published March 17, 2021

The Flood Control District applied for and was awarded partnership funding for this project from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program (CDBG-DR) awarded through the Texas General Land Office of the State of Texas to Harris County Community Services Department.

Planners worked with Harris County, the city of Baytown and other agencies to clarify flooding issues in the watershed.

This type of Watershed Planning Project is a feasibility project, which means that results and recommendations are at a conceptual level. Each recommended project would need to be developed in more detail during separate preliminary engineering and design stages of the project lifecycle before proceeding to construction, which could be at least several years away.

Taking a watershed-wide approach will ensure that future flood risk reduction projects work together and are sequenced appropriately to achieve the maximum benefits.

The Spring Gully Watershed Planning Project had a contract budget of $450,000. The 2018 HCFCD Bond Program includes Bond ID F-109, which allocated $5 million for ROW acquisition, engineering and construction of individual flood risk reduction projects in the watershed.

Goals of This Watershed Planning Project

Goal 1: Identify Existing and Potential Future Flooding Problems. Goal 2: Evaluate Problems and Potential Solutions. Goal 3: Develop Watershed Strategy. Goal 4: Create Watershed Plan Document. Goal 5: Develop Additional Details for Immediate Projects. We are at goal 4.

Taking advantage of past Flood Control District reports and studies, the Watershed Planning Projects will:

Define existing conditions for the drainage infrastructure and identify existing and potential future flooding problems in the watershed.
Evaluate potential solutions to these problems using criteria provided by the Flood Control District.
Develop a strategy for the watersheds that provides appropriate improvements for future drainage infrastructure.
Create a comprehensive Watershed Plan to document recommendations for required improvement projects.
Develop a list of immediate improvement projects with more detailed costs and implementation information.

Additional Information

The Harris County Flood Control District conducted high-level Watershed Planning Projects to identify strategies for mitigation of existing flooding problems in ten multiple Harris County watersheds, and to address improved drainage infrastructure required for future development. Nine watershed planning projects are funded by Harris County, the Texas General Land Office of the State of Texas, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant Program to provide for disaster recovery and restoration of infrastructure for communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey. These include Armand Bayou, Jackson Bayou, Spring Gully, Galveston Bay, Luce Bayou, Vince Bayou, Goose Creek, Spring Creek and Willow Creek. A similar study for Carpenters Bayou is being funded through the 2018 HCFCD Bond Program. Approximately 10,000 structures flooded within these ten watersheds during Hurricane Harvey – with the most flooded structures located within Armand Bayou, Vince Bayou, and Goose Creek watersheds.

Previous Engineering Reports And Studies for this Watershed

The Flood Control District maintains a large library of engineering reports from various studies and projects related to flooding conditions across Harris County. These include:

15 Major Engineering Studies that cover a significant area within the watershed or involve multiple or large proposed projects.
10 Geotechnical and Environmental Studies to support various project activities within the watershed.

Project Lifecycle

Every flood damage reduction project is unique. Yet each project begins and ends, with common and predictable milestones along the way. Whether a project moves forward – and how quickly – depends on many factors, including the availability of funding at each milestone, shifting community priorities for flood damage reduction, and other changing circumstances (such as the price of trees or concrete) from year to year.