New “greenspace” projects seek to beautify Houston, mitigate future flooding

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Several projects in the works around town are reportedly aiming to lessen the impact of major floods across Houston, while also providing residents with scenic natural beauty.

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These projects are said to include parks and detention basin/ponds, as well as efforts to preserve the native wetlands.

Since 2012, officials with the non-profit agency Houston Parks Board said their company acquired 223 acres as part of its Bayou Greenways project, which they said also includes forging hiking and biking trails to connect each of the city’s 12 major bayous.

Government agencies are also reportedly taking part in the effort:

Reports show the Houston Flood Control Board developed the Willow Waterhole project in southwest Houston, including parks and wetlands surrounding detention ponds as a means to absorb floodwaters.

RELATED: Harris County Commissioners Court Considers Projects to Prevent Floods

“We’re not primarily a flood-mitigation project,” Houston Parks Board Director Beth White said in an interview with Grist Magazine. “But everything we do has to be looked at through the lens of flood mitigation.”

Just two months prior to Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, the final phase of construction on Willow Waterhole began:

Originally said to be designed to include six interlocking basins designed to retain floodwaters.

While the area still sustained serious damage from the storm, expert said the results came with the potential to be a lot worse without the detention ponds.

Architects of these projects’ guiding principles behind these efforts say their plan is relatively simple: soil and detention ponds absorb floodwaters, while asphalt and concrete don’t.

Since the devastating rains of Hurricane Harvey, the swell of support for these “greenspace” projects is reportedly rising nearly as fast as the floodwaters from storms, like Harvey.

RELATED: West Houston Association Announces “Comprehensive” Flood Control Plan

District A City Council Member Brenda Stardig praised these efforts during an interview; a seven-acre park now stands in place of blighted, crime-ridden apartment complexes, which, as she said, plagued her northwest Houston district for decades:

“It’s above and beyond what I could have ever expected there,” Stardig said in an interview with a Houston newspaper.

During another interview, local resident Maria Gomez said she walks along the greenway trail almost every day, enjoying the flowers and the fresh air:

“It’s very beautiful, and, if one walks, it gives you peace of mind,” she said.

If things stay on track, Houston could see a lot more functional greenspace like Terry Hershey Park, shown below.

See y’all outside!

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article claimed the Houston Parks Board acquired 5,000 acres for their efforts; however, a spokesperson reached out to clarify the source from which Rare utilized this statistic was incorrect. The Houston Parks Board, in fact, acquired 223 acres. 

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