The Harris County Flood Control District will hold its third and final public meeting for the Cedar Bayou Flood Risk Reduction Study in early May. The third meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, from 6:00 – 8:30 p.m. at the Baytown Community Center located at 2407 Market Street, in Baytown, Texas 77520.
The purpose of this meeting is to inform residents about the status of the Cedar Bayou Flood Risk Reduction Study, share conceptual recommendations for future flood risk reduction projects in the Cedar Bayou watershed that have been developed during the study, and gather feedback from the public about these recommendations.
Funding for the study is made possible by a $250,000 Flood Protection Planning Grant awarded to the Flood Control District by the Texas Water Development Board. The Flood Control District has committed an additional $450,000 towards the work effort.
The purpose of the study is to identify flood risks, develop options to mitigate those risks, update the Harris County Flood Control District Hazard Mitigation Plan, and explore enhancements to the existing flood warning system. The principal focus is on Cedar Bayou and 18 of its tributaries located in Harris County. The study provides updated hydrology and hydraulic modeling information along Cedar Bayou and the studied streams. In addition, the study investigates flood risk reduction measures for the studied streams and provides a recommended plan for the watershed that considers environmental concerns, such as stream processes and the natural environment.
The study began in February 2017, and it is expected to be complete in summer 2018. Now in the third and final stage of the study, the study team has identified and assessed potential flood risk reduction measures for the studied streams and study recommendations will be presented for public consideration at the May 9 public meeting.
The Cedar Bayou watershed has a known history of flooding, with several noteworthy rainfall events since the late 1970s, including storms in June 1979, June 1981, August 1983 (Hurricane Alicia), May 1989, October 1994, June 2001 (Tropical Storm Allison), September 2008 (Hurricane Ike), April 2009, and October 2015, and most recently, Hurricane Harvey in August 2017.
The Cedar Bayou watershed is located in east Harris County. Cedar Bayou forms most of the boundary between Harris County and Liberty and Chambers counties, with about half of the watershed in Harris County and the remainder in the other two counties. Cedar Bayou flows south from its headwaters in Liberty County to its mouth at Galveston Bay.
Cedar Bayou Flood Risk Reduction Study information and updates will be posted at www.hcfcd.org/CedarBayouStudy. To ask questions about the study, contact the Flood Control District's Project and Study Information Line at 713-684-4040.
ABOUT THE HARRIS COUNTY FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT
The Harris County Flood Control District provides flood damage reduction projects that work, with appropriate regard for community and natural values. With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by devising flood damage reduction plans, implementing the plans and maintaining the infrastructure.