Aug. 7-Sept. 3, 2019<\/p>\n
Part of a series exploring e\u00adfforts to make Houston a flood-resilient city. <\/em><\/p>\n Flood researcher Sam Brody is not ashamed to admit he keeps a broom in the trunk of his car at all times. If he spots a clogged street drain across Houston, he puts it to work.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll sweep those drains out,\u201d said Brody, the director of Texas A&M University\u2019s Center for Texas Beaches and Shores<\/a>. \u201cIf these neighborhoods and associations knew how important it was, they\u2019d be out there doing it, too. We need to make sure what we have is working before we spend billions on projects.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n Inside the heavily developed Inner Loop, the flood control district\u2019s options are limited. There are virtually no buy-out candidates and very little opportunity for large detention ponds. But other opportunities exist, said Christof Spieler, a researcher with the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium<\/a>, such as the North Canal project, which would create a bypass where White Oak and Bu\u00adffalo bayous meet.<\/p>\n \u201cThat could reduce flooding in that area by several feet alone,\u201d Spieler said.<\/p>\n That project, at an estimated $100 million, is one of the priciest on the district\u2019s bond-funded capital plan.<\/p>\n With large tracts of land unavailable, another solution is to think smaller.<\/p>\n \u201cWith microdetention, you could have several little pieces of land rather than one large pond,\u201d he said. \u201cExisting development, such as schools and service centers, could be retrofitted with this approach\u2014another opportunity that has not yet been looked at fully.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n Solutions inside the Loop will have to be outside the usual toolbox, said Susan Chadwick, the president of Save Bu\u00adffalo Bayou. \u201cWhat is it that makes a project? Unfortunately, most of it is designed for engineering companies to come in and solve … but we could be thinking more about the natural environment,\u201d Chadwick said.<\/p>\n Read the rest of this report in the Community Impact Newspaper<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\nSpace Race<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Greenways\u2014And New Ways Of Thinking<\/h4>\n
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