C-03 Federal Flood Risk Management Project

Recent Actions

January 25, 2022 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved a contract amendment in the amount of $559,100 for additional engineering and related services in support of this project.

September 28, 2021 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized a transmittal of the Clear Lake 2nd Outlet Channel and Gate Operations Evaluation report in support of this project.

November 30, 2021 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the Flood Control District to negotiate an interlocal agreement with the Galveston County Consolidated Drainage District to provide access to Clear Creek, HCFCD Unit A100-00-00, for the purpose of removing downed trees and debris in the channel.

March 9, 2021 – Harris County Commissioners Court has approved the acquisiton of one tract of land in support of this project.

January 26, 2021 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized an additional $550,000 for engineering and hydrologic/hydraulic analyses in support of this project.

September 29, 2020 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved $320,000 and $431,850 for two engineering consultants for surveying services in support of right-of-way investigations and acquisition metes and bounds for this project.

July 28, 2020 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved engineering consultants to provide survey services as needed for right-of-way investigations and acquisition metes and bounds for this project.

July 14, 2020 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the acquisition of one tract in support of this project.

June 30, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the Flood Control District to negotiate agreements with Brazoria County, Brookside Village, Texas Department of Transportation, Brazoria County Municipal Utility District No. 34, and BNSF Railway for collaborative efforts in support of this project.

June 30, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the purchase of a tract of land in support of this project.

June 30, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the purchase of two tracts of land in support of this project.

June 6, 2020 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized a $9,259,410 agreement for engineering services for owner’s advisor services using Design-Build project delivery in support of this project.

May 19, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court approved updates to project details in the 2018 Bond Program List. Update changes funding based on 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act signed February 2018; precinct information also corrected to reflect project area in Precinct 1 only. Additionally, a previously authorized acquisition of one tract was revised and a $900,000 agreement with an engineering firm for hydrologic and hydraulic analyses was authorized for this project.

April 28, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiations with an engineering firm in connection with hydraulic and hydrologic analyses for this project.

April 28, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the acquisition of one tract for this project.

February 11, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized a $600,000 agreement with an engineering firm for owner’s advisor services using Design-Build project delivery in support of this project.

January 28, 2020 - Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiations with an engineering firm for owner’s advisor services in support of this project.

December 17, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court approved an additional $200,000 for engineering services in support of this project.

November 12, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiations with various political jurisdictions for agreements in support of collaborative efforts to implement the Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management project and Clear Creek watershed bond projects.

September 10, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized a $750,000 agreement with an engineering firm for owner's advisor services using the Design-Build project delivery method.

August 27, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiations with an engineering firm for owner's advisor services using the Design-Build project delivery method.

July 30, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized an additional $1.9 million for surveying services in support of this project.

June 4, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized a Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in connection with this project.

June 4, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiation of interlocal agreements with Brazoria Drainage District No. 4 and Galveston County to share the non-federal costs and the operations and maintenance responsibilities of the project.

June 4, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized an agreement not to exceed $750,000 with an engineering firm for engineering services and hydraulic and hydrologic analyses in support of this project.

May 14, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized negotiations with an engineering firm for hydrologic and hydraulic services in support of this project.

May 14, 2019 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the execution of a document certifying the Harris County Flood Control District’s financial ability to participate as a local sponsor of this project.

October 9, 2018 – Harris County Commissioners Court authorized the County Judge to execute an agreement with a consultant for surveying services in support of this project.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management Project is a partnership project between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Harris County Flood Control District, Galveston County, Brazoria Drainage District No. 4 and the City of Pearland. As of the June 2019 Project Partnership Agreement between the Corps and the Flood Control District, the Flood Control District is the lead agency for this project, under a non-federal implementation pilot program authorized by Section 1043(b) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014.

As with other Corps projects led by the Flood Control District under Section 211(f) of WRDA 1996, this pilot program allows local sponsors to carry out federal projects subject to certain federal requirements, with the Corps providing administration and oversight. The pilot program also allows the Corps to transfer the estimated federal share of eligible project costs to the local sponsor before costs are incurred.

As the lead agency, the Flood Control District will manage, design, and build the project; buy land, easements, and rights-of-way; relocate utilities; adjust or replace bridges; and operate and maintain portions of the project within Harris County after construction is complete. The Flood Control District will enter separate interlocal agreements to share the non-federal costs and the operation and maintenance responsibilities of the project.

The project was identified and recommended by a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) completed by the Corps in 2013. The GRR presents an alternative to the Clear Creek Federal Project that was previously being implemented by the Corps, Flood Control District, and Galveston County based on a 1986 agreement. The revised project that will be constructed includes:

2nd Outlet Channel and Gates from Clear Creek to Galveston Bay (already complete)
15.1 miles of channel conveyance improvements along Clear Creek from State Highway 288 to FM 1959
2.4 miles of channel conveyance improvements along Turkey Creek from FM 1959 to Clear Creek
2.1 miles of channel conveyance improvements along Mary's Creek from Harkey Road to State Highway 35
0.8 miles of channel conveyance improvements along Mud Gully from Sagedowne Lane to Beamer Road
500 acre-feet of in-line stormwater detention along Clear Creek
Additional offline stormwater detention basins
17 bridge replacements or modifications
Environmental mitigation and enhancements

Once complete, the Clear Creek Federal Project will help reduce the risk of flooding in the 1% (100-year) floodplain along Clear Creek.

FAQ for Clear Creek Federal Project

Frequently Asked Questions for this project.

Clear Creek Federal Project Procurement Process

Updated May 2022

The table below shows all active projects under Bond ID C-03, the Bond ID assigned to the Clear Creek Federal Project, including the Mud Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements Project. Visit the Mud Gully Project webpage for more information on the project.

Submit a Comment

Federal Project Overview

Description

Federal Project Overview Map

From Spring 2020 Federal Briefing

Federal Project Cross-Section Map

From Spring 2020 Federal Briefing

Information on project right-of-way acquisition

To build projects, which include widening and deepening bayous and their tributaries and constructing large stormwater detention basins, the District often needs to acquire additional land for right-of-way, which could include homes, businesses, churches and other structures. See more Information on Project Right-of-Way acquisition.

Project Status

The Mud Gully portion of the Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management project project is expected to begin construction in January 2021. More details regarding this project can be found on the Mud Gully project page.

The remainder of the federal project is in preliminary engineering including a drainage analysis and conceptual plan update.

Project cost and Funding

The current budget for this project is $236 million, as reflected in the March 2021 update on the 2018 Bond Program to the Harris County Commissioners Court. This includes $70 million in local funds from the 2018 Bond Program and $166 million in federal funds (for design and construction) through the 2019 Project Partnership Agreement with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

The Clear Creek Federal Project is one of four partnership projects between the Flood Control District and the USACE that were funded to completion by the federal Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018. The USACE has allocated a maximum amount of $187 million in federal funds to complete this project.

Environmental Benefits

Over the years, as a result of the extensive public outreach efforts and studies, and in partnership with the Harris County Flood Control District, Brazoria Drainage District 4 and Galveston County, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers incorporated multiple environmental components into the Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management Project that preserve and enhance the environmental function of the riparian corridor. These components will improve the floodplain forest and wetland habitat, which are crucial to the overall health of the Clear Creek watershed. Once the Clear Creek Federal Flood Risk Management Project is complete, the Flood Control District will be responsible for maintaining the project areas for 35 years.

Public benefits include:

Bird and wildlife observation opportunities.
Educational opportunities.
Improved water quality to Clear Creek due to enhancements in wetlands and riparian corridor vegetation.
Possibility for project partners to make recreational enhancements along Clear Creek through improvement of existing nature trails and construction of new trails. For example, as part of the City of Pearland’s Trail Master Plan, the City is coordinating with the Flood Control District to construct trails along the Clear Creek corridor.

Environmental considerations and enhancements include:

Avoidance of impacts to coastal prairies and tidal marsh habitats. Approximately 40.6 acres of the 41.5 acres of wetlands under the project will be avoided, restored or preserved. Wetland vegetation planting will incorporate sustainable practices by utilizing a local wetland nursery.
Improvement in the function of adjacent remnant oxbow channels that provide important habitat refuge and wetland vegetation. The term “oxbow” describes a curved bend in a creek or river that becomes cut off from the channel due to natural erosion or manmade channel improvements. This cut off forms an independent body of water, typically resembling a “U-shape” when observed in an aerial photo. As an example, Figures 1 and 2 show a distinctive, representative oxbow lake feature that formed adjacent to the Brazos River over a 25-year span from 1995 to 2020. The existing oxbows along Clear Creek were cut off by previous manmade channel improvements, but they will be restored to function more like natural oxbows.
Native tree planting throughout the corridor, obtained from local tree nurseries.
Rehabilitation and/or enhancement of 278 acres of existing floodplain forest.
Removal and management of invasive species that impair the success of habitat enhancement and restoration.

Figure 1. Aerial view of a 1995 bend in the Brazos River

Figure 2. Aerial view of the same oxbow after a 25-year period.
Note the main channel course alteration and separation of the previous bend.

Figure 3. Sample cross section of proposed improvements on Clear Creek.

History

The original 1986 Clear Creek Federal project called for more than 14 miles of channel conveyance improvements from Clear Lake to the Brazoria County line near FM 1959. Eleven bridge replacements or modifications were planned, and eight have been completed.

A mile-long Second Outlet Channel from Clear Lake to Galveston Bay was also part of the plan, and its construction was completed in 1997 and was turned over to the Flood Control District to operate and maintain in 1998. The Second Outlet includes a large gated control structure that is opened during certain flooding conditions to allow flood waters to drain from Clear Lake to Galveston Bay, which in turn allows Clear Creek to drain sooner. During non-flooding conditions or "normal" conditions, the gates are closed to maintain a pre-project salinity level and environmental conditions in Clear Lake.

In June 1999, in response to community opposition to the Federal Project, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Corps initiated a General Reevaluation Study to evaluate various alternatives. Brazoria Drainage District No. 4 joined the Flood Control District and Galveston County as local sponsors for the Corps reevaluation study. Up-to-date data and computer models were used, and public involvement continued through the reevaluation process.