Harris County Flood Control District Awards Brickhouse Gully Detention Pond Contract

HOUSTON–State Representative Dwayne Bohac (R-Houston) is pleased to announce that the Harris County Commissioners Court voted to award a construction contract for the Brickhouse Gully stormwater detention basin today.

“I would like to commend the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and Commissioners Court for their steadfast determination and commitment to this important project,” Bohac said.

The construction contract was awarded to Lecon, Inc., and valued at $1,969,417. Flood control officials and Lecon will then hold a pre-construction meeting to determine when construction will begin, HCFCD senior project coordinator, Clay Haynes said.

The basin will be located on 16 acres on the west side of Highway 290 between West 43rd and West 34th streets. It is designed to reduce flooding primarily in the flood-prone Mangum Manor subdivision during a 10-year flood, a 25-year flood and floods of greater frequency. The basin will safely store stormwater that might otherwise flood homes and businesses.

The basin also will contain water quality features, such as wetland plants like cattails and sedges. These will act as biofilters, removing sediment and pollutants from stormwater before it returns to the channel. Almost anything placed on the ground ends up washing into a bayou: oil dripping from a leaking engine, lawn fertilizers, pesticides and pet waste. Wetlands plants absorb these toxins, leaving behind cleaner water. Tiny living animals in the soil feed off of their roots, removing pollutants or changing them into less harmful substances. Water trickling through the basin will be cleaned by these plants’ extensive root systems and microorganisms, providing cleaner runoff for residents downstream. The plants also will create a new wetlands wildlife habitat for the area.

“This project is going to go along way towards alleviating many of the flooding issues that plague our neighborhoods along Brickhouse Gully–particularly in Mangum Manor and Oak Forest,” Bohac said. “We have been working hard on this project, and we are now beginning to see results.”

Brickhouse Gully extends from Gessner and Clay roads, runs east between Clay (43rd Street) and Kempwood (34th Street) and intersects White Oak Bayou in the Watonga area.