This project is part of the Little Cypress Creek Frontier Program, which focuses on the 52 square-mile Little Cypress Creek watershed in northwest Harris County. This area, which is experiencing rapid development with construction of the Grand Parkway, lacks sufficient natural drainage to accommodate expected growth. By collaborating with landowners and developers, the program works to identify a large-scale, mutually beneficial plan for drainage that cost effectively maximizes stormwater mitigation, flood damage reduction and water quality, as well as opportunities for public recreational amenities and open space.
The Bauer-Hockley basin project involves design and construction of a stormwater detention basin to reduce flooding risks in the Little Cypress Creek Watershed. This basin will help reduce existing flood levels and allow for future stormwater infrastructure improvements that will reduce the risk of flooding in this area. The 101-acre basin site is located north of the intersection of Bauer-Hockley and Becker roads in northwest Harris County.
Construction on Phase I of the ultimate basin began in August 2019 and was completed in Fall 2020. During this phase, crews excavated approximately 383 acre-feet of detention, which will hold approximately 124.8 million gallons of stormwater.
Starting January 2021, excavation of the property will continue under an excavation and removal (E&R) contract. The E&R contractor removes a set amount of soil, which helps expedite the construction of the detention basin and keep costs down. This E&R contract allows the contactor to excavate no more than 500,000 cubic-yards of soil.
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.
When all planned phases are complete, the basin is expected to hold a total of approximately 251 million gallons, or more than 770 acre-feet, of excess stormwater.
Projects that are part of the Little Cypress Creek Frontier Program will be partially funded by the 2018 Bond Program. Development impact fees also support the frontier program. Bond Project F-35 is a “Local Only” bond project, which means there is no other funding partner at this time and construction costs will be paid with bond funding.
Total allocation for this project is currently $5.3 million on the Bond Project List.
Stormwater detention basins reduce flooding risks and damages during heavy rain events by safely storing excess stormwater and slowly releasing it back to the bayou when the threat of flooding has passed.