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Halls Bayou Watershed
Halls Bayou watershed, a major sub-watershed of Greens Bayou, showing project elements.
Halls Bayou
As a tributary of Greens Bayou, Halls Bayou is located in north central Harris County and includes the City of Houston and unincorporated areas of Harris County, with approximately 197,000 people living in the area. Flowing east to join Greens Bayou, it covers nearly 42 square miles and is approximately 20 miles in length. Halls Bayou collects drainage from west of Veterans Memorial Drive eastward until it joins Greens Bayou at Brock Park.
Halls Bayou consists primarily of developed urban land with a mix of residential, commercial and industrial uses, as well as some pockets of undeveloped land. There are nearly 5,900 structures in the mapped 1% (100-year) floodplain of Halls Bayou.
Halls Bayou Federal Study
Under the authority of a 1996 federal law, the Harris County Flood Control District is conducting the Halls Bayou Federal Feasibility Study in an effort to identify a plan that would address flooding problems along Halls Bayou and qualify for federal funding. If federal participation is secured, this powerful partnership will allow the District to work hand-in-hand with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and combine the strengths of both agencies to bring greater flood damage reduction benefits to the communities along Halls Bayou.
As the local sponsor, the District has local control of the study process and has the option of constructing parts of the projects included in the plan prior to federal approval and Congressional appropriations. The District, as the local sponsor, initially funds the planning, design and construction, but can be reimbursed for at least 50 percent of implementation costs if the proposed project is approved and if funds are appropriated by Congress. The main benefit of this process is that time for implementation can be significantly reduced from 25 years to 10-15 years to get from project concept to the start of construction.
The feasibility study, which began in 2005, is in the early stages and is currently focusing on gathering information and gaining a better understanding of the problems and opportunities within the Halls Bayou watershed. There are many participants that work on federal feasibility studies. For the Halls Bayou Federal Feasibility Study, the participants are:
- Harris County Flood Control District
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- Engineers and Consultants
- Interested Federal and State Agencies
- The Halls Bayou Communities
- General Public
As part of the study, the District is conducting environmental assessments and public involvement activities to comply with the standards set forth by the National Environmental Policy Act to ensure we have the information needed to make quality decisions on the plan for Halls Bayou.
Since there are many projects throughout the United States competing for available funding, obtaining sufficient and sustained federal funding for a recommended project may be difficult.
Study Schedule
Flood damage reduction on a major stream is a decades-long process. To meet the requirements and be considered for federal funding support, the District is required to do an extensive and lengthy study, in cooperation with the Corps.
The study is expected to take five to seven years to complete. Depending on the size of the project and the share of federal participation, project implementation could take from five to 20 years. With the District taking the lead, implementation of flood damage reduction projects can begin prior to completing the study. If federal support for the plan is secured, partial reimbursement for previous projects can be made to the District.
Halls Bayou Capital Projects
Three stormwater detention basins are being developed to help reduce the risk of flooding. Recreational opportunities are being incorporated into two of these projects, in cooperation with partners such as Harris County, the City of Houston and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
The three stormwater detention basins are:
- Stormwater Detention Basin at Keith-Wiess Park (P518-02-00): Stormwater detention basin of about 100 acres to be constructed within the City of Houston's Keith-Wiess Park. Construction began in April 2006.
- One Big Basin, One Big Park
The Stormwater Detention Basin at Keith-Wiess Park will cover roughly 100 acres within the 500-acre park. The design provides for the preservation of old forest habitat along the bayou, while creating large ponds and wetlands in the bottom for water quality enhancement and habitat value. Trails and other multi-use amenities have been included in and around the basin. The District will also be planting thousands of trees and shrubs, as well as wetland vegetation.
- Trees and Multi-use Enhance Community and Natural Values
Tree plantings are expected to be common in other potential detention areas, as well as along any areas proposed for channel modifications. Although the District does not fund recreational amenities, it is our hope that recreational sponsors will build trails and other amenities along the channel and throughout the basins when the project is complete. The District is actively searching for multi-use partners.
- Hall Park Stormwater Detention Basin (P518-03-00): Stormwater detention basin of about 93 acres located just downstream (East) of U.S. Highway 59. This basin is currently in the design process for utility abandonments and relocations and the permanent closing of streets.
- Bretshire Stormwater Detention Basin (P518-04-00): Stormwater detention basin of about 68 acres located just upstream (West) of U.S. Highway 59. Street pavement removal and design are currently in progress, and construction is scheduled to begin soon.
Your Input is Important to Us
Public input is vital for all of the District's flood damage reduction efforts. If you would like more information or would like to comment about ongoing flood damage reduction in the Halls Bayou watershed, please contact the District.
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The Halls Bayou Greenway Project
Harris County has come to the forefront as a potential recreational partner for much of the work being planned for Halls Bayou. A $2 million Texas Parks and Wildlife grant for recreational amenities - known as the "Halls Bayou Greenway Project" - was recently awarded to Harris County.
For this project the county has partnered with the Harris County Flood Control District, Harris County Precinct 1, Harris County Precinct 2, the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department, the Aldine Community Improvement District and Aldine ISD. Most of the $2 million grant proceeds will go for trail construction along different segments of the Halls Bayou Greenway, offering connectivity to Greens Bayou. It also includes an extensive trail system through both Keith-Wiess Park and the proposed Bretshire Basin.
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