HCFCD Briefs Community on Last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project
6/27/25 – In a virtual public meeting tonight, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) briefed the public on the last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project associated with the 2018 Flood Bond. The project name: Cypress Creek Channel Rehabilitation and Stormwater Detention Basin, Main Stem, Batch 5.
Batch 5 consists of two smaller packages:
- Channel Rehab at Kuykendahl and the Cypress Hill Stormwater Detention Basin, expected completion by Q4 2027.
- Channel Rehab near I-45 and the first phase of the Senger Stormwater Detention Basin, completed by Q2 2028.
Currently, HCFCD is finalizing design for both packages. They expect to complete design by July 2025 and advertise it for bids beginning in Q2 of 2026.
Batch 5 consists of channel repairs for 1.4 miles of the creek and its tributaries, plus two major detention basins that together will hold 631 acre feet.
All Flood Control District projects receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Develop Block Grant mitigation funds must be completed by March 31st, 2028.
During the channel repairs, HCFCD says it will make the side slopes of channels less steep to minimize future erosion.
About Cypress Creek and Repairs
The first four batches of repairs restored approximately 24 miles of Cypress Creek and its tributaries. HCFCD has completed Batches 1-3 and Batch 4 is still in progress. Estimated completion for Batch 4: Q1 2026.
Cypress Creek is a highly developed watershed located in northwest Harris County. It extends into Waller County. The watershed comprises 267 square miles, making it one of the county’s larger watersheds. It has 250 miles of open channels including Cypress Creek itself.
During Hurricane Harvey, 29 inches of rain fell across the watershed, damaging more than 9,500 structures.
No Adverse Impact Allowed Downstream
This is the fifth of five major maintenance programs along Cypress Creek associated with the 2018 Flood Bond.
The detention basins are actually designed to mitigate the channel rehabilitation work. Specifically, the channel rehabilitation work will speed floodwater up. The basins will offset that by slowing floodwaters down and reducing the volume in the creek.
As one presenter tonight pointed out, “The flood control district is a “no-adverse-impact” agency. That means we do not allow our projects to reduce flooding risks for one area, while increasing risks somewhere else. That’s why stormwater detention basins are often built before or at the same time as channel conveyance improvements or channel rehabilitation to prevent any unintended impacts downstream.”
The detention basins will hold enough water to cover a football field to a depth of 478 feet.
Getting Closer to Lake Houston Area
Batch 5 includes two separate packages. One is near Kuykendahl.
And the other is near I-45.
HCFCD should hear from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and HUD on funding soon. The District submitted a grant application for almost $54 million that is still under review (as of 6/7/25) by GLO.
Project Benefits
The District was a little hazy about the benefits. Of course, this is a maintenance program, not a capital improvement program.
A spokesperson said, “Pre-Atlas-14 100-year design storm models show a water-surface elevation reduction of up to one foot near the I-45 project limits” for the Kuykendahl package.
Altogether, HCFCD estimates the benefit area of this project will include nearly 40,000 people, who either live near and/or commute through the area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2025
2849 Days since Hurricane Harvey
