Waller County will use $25 million — recently allocated through the state’s approved budget — to build regional flood detention facilities and parkland on a 1,600-acre plot of land. The county plans to buy the parcel from the Houston Airport System to facilitate construction.
Adjacent to the Houston Executive Port, the site will provide the space needed for the county to invest in critical infrastructure to mitigate future catastrophes caused by inclement weather. The county plans to dedicate 1,000 acres of the land for detention and recreational facilities, with the remaining 600 acres reserved for conservation.
The initiative will provide critical mitigation to combat recent disasters, providing drainage to protect and preserve infrastructure. Waller County has been hit with multiple “500-year floods” within the past few years, causing widespread damage and overwhelming existing stormwater infrastructure.
The completed regional detention facility will be integrated with an interconnected stormwater mitigation system, leveraging strategic utilization of flood mitigation solutions in lieu of isolated solutions. The project will also supplement a separate detention facility initiative already underway.
The regional detention project was announced at the third annual Waller County Infrastructure Conference, where discussions on how to improve road, drainage and power infrastructure reigned as focal points.
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