PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the Cypress Rosehill Stormwater Detention Basin (HCFCD Unit M528-01-00) is to reduce flood risks in the Willow Creek watershed by safely storing excess stormwater during heavy rain events and slowly releasing it back to the bayou when the threat of flooding has passed.
In compliance with the 2018 HCFCD Bond Program, the Harris County Flood Control District held a community engagement meeting on June 27, 2019, to solicit public comments related to a planned project to expand the existing Cypress Rosehill Stormwater Detention Basin located on a 25-acre tract on the east side of Cypress Rosehill Road, between Burkhardt Road and Seidel Cemetery Road, in northwest Harris County.
Several attendees at the Community Engagement Meeting voiced concern about an apparent inadequate level of stormwater detention in the existing basin. As a result of the public’s input, the Flood Control District has conducted a preliminary evaluation of the existing basin and is currently coordinating with Harris County Engineering Department concerning alternatives for increasing stormwater flow to the basin.
In the interim, the Flood Control District has put the project to expand the existing basin on hold. However, we have initiated an Excavation and Removal (E&R) project that will allow us to get started on the most time-consuming part of the basin project, by removing a large quantity of soil from the site, and doing so at a fraction of the cost as compared to a typical basin construction project.
In an E&R contract, the Flood Control District provides a general excavation layout, in keeping with expectations for the basin’s ultimate design. The E&R contractor performs initial excavation within that limited footprint. By allowing a willing E&R contractor to appropriately use material excavated at the site, implementation of an E&R project helps reduce future construction costs, as compared with typical excavation and disposal costs. This allows available construction funding to go that much further.
The E&R for this project began in January 2021. Harris County Engineering is also planning repairs that will enable the existing stormwater detention basin at this site to more efficiently fill with stormwater and to drain after a rain event.
The duration of the E&R agreement is three years; however, this agreement could be extended or terminated at an earlier date. At a later date, a construction firm would be hired to complete construction according to the project design plans, producing a fully functional expansion to the existing stormwater detention basin.
This future expansion project will be funded with bonds approved by Harris County voters on August 25, 2018. When complete, it will add 140 acre-feet, approximately 46 million gallons, of stormwater storage, for a total capacity of 184 acre-feet, approximately 60 million gallons.