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On September 13, 2022, Harris County Commissioners Court awarded a contract for Excavation & Removal (E&R) at a stormwater detention basin formally identified as HCFCD Unit M524-04-00. Preconstruction activities are underway, and excavation and removal of soil is expected to begin in February 2023. Please check the project webpage at hcfcd.org/F37 for updates, as the actual start date may be impacted by weather and other factors.
This E&R project will begin preliminary excavation in an area where multiple separate or interconnected stormwater detention basins may ultimately be constructed in the future. The excavation site is located on a 171.87-acre tract north of Willow Creek and south of Humble Road, on the west side of Hillegeist Gully, formally identified as "HCFCD Unit M124-00-00". The future stormwater detention at this location is part of an overall flood risk reduction project for Hillegeist Gully, which includes stormwater conveyance improvements and multiple stormwater detention basins. Phase 1 of that project was completed in 2022. The Phase 2 Design stage is in progress.
The purpose of the basins along Hillegeist Gully is to work in conjunction with future channel conveyance improvement projects to reduce flooding risks in the Willow Creek watershed. While the channel conveyance improvement would move the stormwater more efficiently out of an area, the stormwater detention basins would take in and temporarily store stormwater to ensure that the increased conveyance does not transfer the flooding risk to upstream or downstream communities. Typically, stormwater detention is constructed first and can provide flood risk reduction benefits on its own.
An E&R project is a way to get started with preliminary excavation of the basins in advance of major project construction. The E&R contractor has an excavation target of more than 820,000 cubic yards (approximately 82,000 truckloads) in three locations within the M524-04-00 tract.
Access to the work area will be off Holderrieth and Calvert roads. The contractor will use heavy construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators and bulldozers. Motorists are urged to be alert to truck traffic when passing near construction access points and along truck routes.
More about the Flood Control District’s Excavation & Removal Program
An E&R project allows the Flood Control District to get started on the most time consuming part of a basin project, by removing a large quantity of soil from the site, at a fraction of the cost as compared to typical basin construction.
- The Flood Control District provides a general excavation layout to the E&R contractor, in keeping with expectations for the basin’s ultimate design.
- The E&R contractor can appropriately use material excavated from that limited footprint, helping to reduce future construction costs, and allowing available construction
funding to go that much further.
- 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, and based on funding availability, the Flood Control District will hire a construction firm to complete construction according to future design plans, producing a fully functional stormwater detention basin.
The Flood Control District appreciates your patience through the duration of this project. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact us online at hcfcd.org/F-37.
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