Historic agreement reached on Clear Creek flood project

August 1st, 2019

Congressman Pete Olson (R-TX) commended the Army Corps of Engineers and the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) June 12 for reaching a historic agreement that will allow HCFCD to lead construction of the Clear Creek Flood Risk Reduction Project.

This agreement will transfer primary authority and funding for the Clear Creek project to HCFCD, he said, noting that authority to make this transfer from the Corps to a local sponsor like HCFCD has only been used once previously and the first time for a full project. This action will allow work on the project to begin much sooner, providing critical help for communities along Clear Creek.

“The Clear Creek project was first authorized in 1968 and federal bureaucracy has delayed this critical project for over half a century,” Olson said. “I’ve fought to get this project funded and completed since my time as a senior staffer in the Senate. I was thrilled to get it included in our Harvey disaster recovery projects and now it will move quickly and help manage flooding in a strategic part of our region.  I applaud the Army Corps and Harris County Flood Control for reaching this historic agreement to help finally get this project completed.”

State Rep. Dennis Paul added, “I am glad to see the Army Corps of Engineers working with our local flood officials is finally starting, and doing what they can to speed up the process to get flood mitigation on Clear Creek going. This has been the result of a lot of hard work by our federal, state and local elected officials working together to get this project started.”
“Congressman Olson has been working on the Clear Creek project since he was a senior Senate staffer, long before he was elected to Congress,” Russ Poppe, executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District said. “We deeply appreciate his years of dedication to seeing this project come to fruition through the signing of this PPA, as well the entire Harris County delegation who all work tirelessly to give us more tools to address flooding in our Gulf Coast region.”

Olson helped secure the $295 million for the Clear Creek Flood Damage Reduction project in the 2018 Disaster Supplemental funding bill. Olson also sent the Army Corps of Engineers a letter urging quick action to complete the Clear Creek Project in February.

The Clear Creek Project is a Flood Risk Management project that was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1968. The project is located in Harris and Brazoria counties, Texas, with 17 cities within the watershed. Now that the PPA is signed, HCFCD will execute construction and the remaining design. The estimated completion date is September 2025.

Harris County Flood Control District plans public hearings

July 11th, 2018

With Harris County planning a vote Aug. 25 on its $2.5 billion bond proposal to fund flood risk reduction projects, several meetings are being held beforehand to hear the public’s thoughts on flooding issues.

One such public hearing Tuesday, July 17, from 6 to 8 p.m. concerning the Clear Creek Watershed and involving a number of area projects, will be held at the El Franco Lee Community Center, 9500 Hall Road, just off the Beltway. The Clear Creek Watershed covers a wide area through which Clear Creek flows – Nassau Bay, Taylor Lake Village, El Lago, Webster, Friendswood and a small part of Seabrook.

Another meeting that might be of interest to Bay Area residents and concerning the San Jacinto/Galveston Bay Watershed will be held Tuesday, July 24 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sylvan Beach Pavilion (1 Sylvan Beach Drive, La Porte, TX 7757) and is expected to focus more on Seabrook, Shoreacres and La Porte projects.

Potential projects that may impact Seabrook include:

  • Pine Gully Channel Improvements
  • Todville Bridge at Pine Gully
  • Wildlife Park Drainage Expansion
  • Lower Pine Gully Drainage Improvements
  • Improvements to Hester Gully
  • Increase depth and capacity of El Mar Ditch
  • Drainage Improvements to Miramar Subdivision
  • Drainage Improvements to Baybrook Section 1
  • Improvements to the Seabrook Slough

Citizens can view watershed area maps at:

San Jacinto and Galveston Bay:

https://www.hcfcd.org/projects-studies/san-jacinto-galveston-bay/

Clear Creek Watershed:

https://www.hcfcd.org/projects-studies/clear-creek/

Seabrook is encouraging its citizens to attend one or both meetings or email comments into Harris County Flood Control District for the upcoming bond election (HCFCD Community Input).

At this time, Seabrook does not have projects listed on the interactive map but has submitted a number of projects for consideration during this comment period before the election. This is a good chance for citizens to have their voices heard, a Seabrook spokesman said.

Bay Area Houston Magazine