HCFCD Completes Phase 2 of Giant Lauder Basin on Greens Bayou

9/29/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) recently completed Phase 2 of the Lauder Stormwater Detention Basin on Greens Bayou. The basin is located south of Intercontinental Airport between the bayou, Aldine Bender Road, Aldine Westfield Road and Lauder Road. It brings the total stormwater detention in the area to 1200 acre feet and Phase 3 is still to come.

Funding from Multiple Partners

Built with 2018 Flood-Bond funds (see Bond ID C-34), help from the Texas Water Development Board, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Texas General Land Office, the detention basin complex will grow even larger when Phase 3 is completed.

*Flood Control District Map not yet updated. Phase 2 is now complete.*

Speaking at the dedication ceremony for Phase 2 on 9/17/25, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said, “The scale of this project is enormous. We have three different phases. Phase one was started in 2020, and it took two years to complete. This project started in 2022, and we completed it just this year in 2025.”

Flood Protection Plus Recreational Amenity

Petersen added, “One of the great things, too, is that we are able to partner with our precinct (Harris County Precinct 2), and they have been able to put trails along the first phase, and they are in the process of planning trails for this next phase. And so, not only will it provide flood mitigation, but it’s going to provide an amenity for this community.”

How much is 1200 acre feet? Imagine a football field stacked with water to the height of 1200 feet. That’s 200 feet taller than the tallest building in Houston and Texas – the JP Morgan Chase Tower which tops out at 1002 feet.

Resident in Alleged “500-Year Floodplain” Flooded 3 Times

At the dedication, Connie Esparza, President of the Castlewood Civic Club said, “What a great day to witness and be a part of this historic event. I moved to the Aldine area in 1979 when I built my house, never expecting to flood since the south side of Castlewood was in the 500-year floodplain.”

She continued, “But unfortunately, I, along with my entire subdivision, some of whom are present here, flooded in 2001 with Tropical Storm Allison, then again with Harvey in 2017, followed by Imelda two years later. We are certainly excited with the completion of this Phase 2 stormwater detention basin that will further reduce the risk of flooding.”

Esparza is also a member of the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force.