How the Flood Control District Protects White Oak and Buffalo Bayou’s Walls of Steel near Downtown Houston

Near downtown Houston, Buffalo Bayou flows through a narrow corridor surrounded by buildings, bridges, trails, and parks. Just upstream, White Oak Bayou joins Buffalo Bayou at their confluence at Allen’s Landing. Because there is not enough open land for wide, sloped banks, the Harris County Flood Control District uses steel sheet pile walls to hold…

December 15, 20250Comments

Projects

Maintenance Matters: What’s Ahead in 2026 and How You Can Help

This article continues our two-part series marking the one-year anniversary of Proposition A, the maintenance funding measure approved by voters in November 2024. In Part 1, we reviewed the major accomplishments achieved during Fiscal Year 2025. In Part 2, we look ahead to Fiscal Year 2026, explore what residents shared during the recent public meetings,…

December 9, 20250Comments

Projects

Maintenance Matters: A Year of Impact Across Harris County

One year ago, Harris County voters approved Proposition A, giving the Harris County Flood Control District the reliable maintenance funding needed to care for the drainage system that supports millions of Harris County residents. To mark this important anniversary, the Flood Control District held two virtual public meetings this November to share maintenance accomplishments from…

December 4, 20250Comments

Projects

Brays Bayou Today: Building a Resilient Future

From past floods to future strength, our two-part series explores how Brays Bayou’s story is one of change, resilience, and community progress. (Read Part 1: Brays Bayou Through the Years: A History of Changes) In the mid-1980s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted watershed studies examining Brays Bayou and surrounding watersheds. Their findings concluded…

November 19, 20250Comments

Projects

Stormwater Storage Capacity: What Is an Acre-foot?

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…

November 17, 20250Comments

Projects

Brays Bayou Through the Years: A History of Change

From past floods to present progress, this two part series on Brays Bayou’s history highlights more than a century of change, resilience, and ongoing work to reduce flood risk for surrounding communities. Brays Bayou begins near Mission Bend in northern Fort Bend County and flows east about 31 miles through southwest Harris County before joining…

November 13, 20250Comments

Projects

Why the Flood Control District Plants Wildflowers

The Harris County Flood Control District is committed to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of its drainage infrastructure to better serve the residents of Harris County. Planting wildflowers is a beneficial practice that promotes native vegetation and beautifies the local landscape. Planting slow-growing wildflowers can delay the first mowing cycle, saving maintenance dollars and allowing…

November 12, 20250Comments

Community

Shaping Harris County’s SAFER Future

The Harris County Flood Control District recently wrapped up the first round of listening meetings for the Solutions for Advancing Floodplain Evaluation and Resilience Study (SAFER) Study. These meetings gave residents a chance to share experiences, ask questions, and talk about ideas for reducing the impacts of flooding. The SAFER Study is a major effort…

October 31, 20250Comments

Community

When October Brought a Hurricane: Remembering Hurricane Jerry

On October 15, 1989, as most of the Gulf Coast was easing into fall, Hurricane Jerry made a surprise landfall near Jamaica Beach on Galveston Island. With sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, Jerry wasn’t the strongest storm to hit Texas, but it was one of the latest. In fact, Jerry was the latest…

October 16, 20250Comments

Community

Remembering the Floods of October 1994: A Turning Point for Harris County

Thirty-one years ago this week, relentless rain fell over southeast Texas and changed lives forever. Between October 15 and October 18, 1994, a slow-moving weather system combined with tropical moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and remnants of Hurricane Rosa in the eastern Pacific to unleash catastrophic flooding across southeast Texas, including portions of…

October 15, 20250Comments