With more than 1,500 bayous and creeks totaling approximately 2,500 miles in length, the Harris County Flood Control District is responsible for implementing flood damage reduction projects.
About the Brays Bayou Watershed
One of the major watersheds in Harris County is drained by Brays Bayou. The Brays Bayou watershed covers approximately 129 square miles and drains stormwater from unincorporated areas of Harris County, as well as West Houston, Bellaire, Houston, Southside Place, West University Place, Meadows Place, and Missouri City. More than 720,000 people live in the area covered by this watershed.
The 31-mile Brays Bayou originates west of Highway 6 and flows east through many residential, commercial, institutional and industrial areas, where it joins Buffalo Bayou at the Houston Ship Channel. Key sites where the bayou flows through are Meyerland, The Texas Medical Center, Hermann Park, the University of Houston and Mason Park.
Over the decades there have been persistent flooding events along Braes Bayou, most significantly between Meyerland and Hermann Park, that have damaged thousands of homes and businesses. To address this, the Harris County Flood Control District and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers have implemented $530 million Project Brays that includes the widening of 21 miles of Brays Bayou from the Houston Ship Channel to Fondren Road and from Old Westheimer Road to State Highway 6. Construction started more than 20 years ago and is now finally nearing completion. Much of the bayou widening has already been done. The project includes excavating four stormwater detention basins that when completed, will hold the equivalent of seven Astrodomes of water. Additionally, the work entails replacing or modifying 32 bridges. The bridge construction phase is well underway, with a number of these projects having been completed.
The Project Brays is a flood mitigation project. That means it will reduce the risk and extent of flood events along Brays Bayou, However, be mindful that in Houston where it is not uncommon for storm events to drop more than 20 inches of rain in 24 hours, the risk of catastrophic flood events can be reduced, but not eliminated.
For more information on the scope of the project and construction status, go to https://www.projectbrays.org.