Hiking trails in many Harris County Precinct 4 parks are still closed due to flooding but Pundt Park and parts of the Spring Creek Greenway are expected to open this weekend.[/caption]
Several Harris County Precinct 4 parks remain closed due to repeated flooding, but Parks Director Dennis Johnston said work is underway to restore and reopen the damaged areas.
The following parks are closed or partially closed:
Pundt Park: 4129 Spring Creek Drive, Spring, is closed under further notice.
Mercer Botanic Gardens: 22306 Aldine Westfield Road, Humble, is partially closed. The west side playground and east side Arboretum are open, but the east side lake area and some trails are closed.
Jesse H. Jones Park: 20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble, is open, but the canoe launch and some trails are closed until further notice.
The
Spring Creek Greenway Trail is closed.
Johnston said Pundt Park is expected to reopen by the weekend of June 18 and the Spring Creek Greenway between Collins Park and Pundt Park is also expected to reopen.
One of the biggest problems this year has been trail washouts, Johnston said.
At Dennis Johnston Park, located at 709 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring, several buildings flooded during the heavy May rains and the trails washed out in the same places where they had been damaged in the April 18 “Tax Day” storm, he said.
“[The trails] had just been fixed, but we hadn’t had time to armor them,” Johnston said. “It was a one-two punch.”
Trails were covered with mud, silt and sand and many trees lay across the paths, he said.
At Pundt Park, some walking trails were rerouted and the banks of Spring Creek had to be rebuilt and armored with rocks and sand.
Other problems included a collapsed drainage pipe near Bellchase Drive that created a sinkhole on a trail, and damage at the Pundt Park dog park, where fence posts were damaged.
Further downstream, a section of trail washed out behind Cypresswood Golf Club at 21602 Cypresswood Drive, Spring.
Sections of Jesse H. Jones Park still have water across the trails, and the canoe launch will be closed for most of the summer, Johnston said.
“I hope we’ll get the canoe launch up and running by the end of July,” Johnston said.
Canoe trips, pontoon trips and trail programs in the affected areas are canceled for the summer.
At Burroughs Park, located at 9738 Hufsmith Drive, Tomball, erosion to the earthen dam has caused significant lake drainage.
“We had erosion like we’ve never seen before on that lake,” Johnston said.
Johnston said the recent flooding has been the worst he has seen since Tropical Storm Allison hit the area in 2001.
Hiking trails in many Harris County Precinct 4 parks are still closed due to flooding but Pundt Park and parts of the Spring Creek Greenway are expected to open this weekend.[/caption]
Several Harris County Precinct 4 parks remain closed due to repeated flooding, but Parks Director Dennis Johnston said work is underway to restore and reopen the damaged areas.
The following parks are closed or partially closed:
Pundt Park: 4129 Spring Creek Drive, Spring, is closed under further notice.
Mercer Botanic Gardens: 22306 Aldine Westfield Road, Humble, is partially closed. The west side playground and east side Arboretum are open, but the east side lake area and some trails are closed.
Jesse H. Jones Park: 20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble, is open, but the canoe launch and some trails are closed until further notice.
The Spring Creek Greenway Trail is closed.
Johnston said Pundt Park is expected to reopen by the weekend of June 18 and the Spring Creek Greenway between Collins Park and Pundt Park is also expected to reopen.
One of the biggest problems this year has been trail washouts, Johnston said.
At Dennis Johnston Park, located at 709 Riley Fuzzel Road, Spring, several buildings flooded during the heavy May rains and the trails washed out in the same places where they had been damaged in the April 18 “Tax Day” storm, he said.
“[The trails] had just been fixed, but we hadn’t had time to armor them,” Johnston said. “It was a one-two punch.”
Trails were covered with mud, silt and sand and many trees lay across the paths, he said.
At Pundt Park, some walking trails were rerouted and the banks of Spring Creek had to be rebuilt and armored with rocks and sand.
Other problems included a collapsed drainage pipe near Bellchase Drive that created a sinkhole on a trail, and damage at the Pundt Park dog park, where fence posts were damaged.
Further downstream, a section of trail washed out behind Cypresswood Golf Club at 21602 Cypresswood Drive, Spring.
Sections of Jesse H. Jones Park still have water across the trails, and the canoe launch will be closed for most of the summer, Johnston said.
“I hope we’ll get the canoe launch up and running by the end of July,” Johnston said.
Canoe trips, pontoon trips and trail programs in the affected areas are canceled for the summer.
At Burroughs Park, located at 9738 Hufsmith Drive, Tomball, erosion to the earthen dam has caused significant lake drainage.
“We had erosion like we’ve never seen before on that lake,” Johnston said.
Johnston said the recent flooding has been the worst he has seen since Tropical Storm Allison hit the area in 2001.
