Bellaire City Council members received a third-quarter update on current and future works within the Cypress Ditch Regional Flood Mitigation Program at an Aug. 17 City Council meeting.
The update, presented by Quiddity Engineering officials and Deputy Program Manager Casey Goforth, revealed that several key milestones have been met through ongoing design and demolition projects. The program’s next steps are scheduled through the end of this year and early 2027.
Two-minute impact
Commonly referred to as the Cypress Ditch project, the mitigation program is geared toward reducing flooding in Bellaire during heavy rain and extreme weather events. It is sectioned into three different phases, each phase involving its own subset of construction-related tasks: south basin projects, north basin projects and channel projects.
Initial planning for this program began in September 2025, with city officials moving forward with its first phase earlier this year, per previous reporting from Community Impact.
Current situation
As of Aug. 17, Quiddity Engineering officials said that the south detention basin is currently in design with many projects being developed simultaneously. These designs are targeted to be completed sometime before the end of the year.
In the meantime, developers have begun demolition work at the south detention basin parcel after program managers issued a June 23 notice to proceed.
Current activities underway include the removal of the site’s concrete and asphalt. Once finished, demolition efforts will then be focused on removing a handful of buildings that previously occupied the property, primarily the Beechnut Street Car Wash, officials said.
Presentation details indicate that the estimated completion date for the south basin’s demolition is Sept. 25.
Marking a milestone
The city of Bellaire also reached its first funding milestone for developments related to the drainage program by receiving a $54 million fund from the Texas Water Development Board in July, officials told the council.
Program managers submitted an application for additional funding to the Texas Division of Emergency Management on July 22. Though subject to change, Quiddity Engineering officials anticipate executing a sub-recipient funding agreement with TDEM by the fourth quarter of 2026.
What’s next
As the city continues to progress with infrastructure improvements related to the Cypress Ditch project, further coordination is planned between Bellaire, Houston, the Harris County Flood Control District and the Texas Department of Transportation, according to presentation details.
Completion of the south detention basin’s design is slated for the end of this year’s third quarter, with the bidding phase for construction scheduled to occur shortly after in the fourth quarter.
Program managers anticipate issuing a notice to proceed with the site’s construction work early next year, which is in line with the project’s overall schedule.
Lastly, information from the meeting presentation highlighted Quiddity Engineering officials’ future plans to issue a request for qualifications, which will package together three different projects related to the north basin phase.
These projects include:
- The north basin design
- The decommissioning and demolition of Bellaire’s Wastewater Treatment Plant
- The demolition of various public works facilities and infrastructure
The goal behind this strategy is to tighten the timeframes between projects as they are being completed to remain on schedule, program managers confirmed.
Items worth mentioning
Also at the Aug. 17 session, Bellaire City Council authorized a Utility Construction Services Agreement with CenterPoint Energy.
Under this agreement, CenterPoint Energy officials will remove and relocate several poles currently located on the south detention basin parcel at Beechnut Street and Newcastle Drive, according to agenda documents.
This proactive arrangement between the city and the electrical company ensures that future excavation of the south basin can commence in support of the Cypress Ditch project.
As part of the ordinance, Bellaire City Council agreed that the city will pay $397,668.63 to cover the associated relocation fee. This is due to CenterPoint Energy’s already existing utility easement spanning through the involved site, placing the burden of costs to move its facilities onto the city, agenda documents indicate.
