Harris County Flood Control District initiates final excavation phase of Eldridge project

This month, the Harris County Flood Control District launched the final phase of excavation on the 340-acre site near the intersection of State Highway 6 and the Westpark Tollway in West Houston.

When the Eldridge Stormwater Detention Basin is completed, it will be the third of four regional stormwater detention basins finished as part of the Brays Bayou Federal Flood Damage Reduction Project, or Project Brays.

To start the project, a $12.4 million construction contract was given to Williams Equipment Services LLC by the Harris County Commissioners Court in May.

The construction project involves removing approximately 2 million cubic yards of soil from the Eldridge Stormwater Detention Basin. This is the ninth and final phase of construction. The project will take 24 months to complete in total.

The purpose of the basin is to retain approximately 1.5 billion gallons of stormwater that could have potentially flooded homes and businesses. The completion of the basin will reduce flooding risks for those who live downstream along the banks of Brays Bayou.

In addition to the stormwater basin, the area has 240 acres of usable green space for local communities, including jogging and walking trails, playgrounds and pavilion facilities in Archbishop Joseph A. Fiorenza Park.

Project Brays is a $530 million project cooperatively developed by the Flood Control District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project includes the widening of 21 miles of Brays Bayou from the Houston Ship Channel to Fondren Road and from Old Westheimer Road to State Highway 6, as well as the detention basin projects.