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Flooding is a major concern for residents of Harris County, and truly understanding flood risk includes learning about how much stormwater our detention basins can hold. The Harris County Flood Control District reports storage capacity in acre-feet, a unit of measurement that helps engineers plan and design flood risk reduction projects.
An acre-foot is a simple way to help visualize how much volume a detention basin can hold during a major rainfall event. Think of an acre as an area of land a little smaller than a football field. One acre-foot equals one foot of water spread evenly across that football field. For reference, one acre-foot equals 325,851 gallons, so even a single stormwater detention basin holding a few hundred acre-feet makes a significant difference in flood risk reduction.
During Hurricane Harvey, it is estimated that 1 trillion gallons of rain fell across Harris County, or around 3,068,887 acre feet. To put it in perspective, it’s enough water to fill NRG Stadium almost 1600 times. Understanding acre-feet helps us visualize just how much storage capacity it would take to mitigate the impact of tropical systems as massive as Hurricane Harvey.
The Flood Control District is continuing to make historic progress in flood risk reduction projects and maintenance efforts thanks to voter support and dedicated staff. Stay informed by following us on social media.