From 9 a.m.-11 a.m. April 24, volunteers will clean up a 20-acre area just inside Loop 610 and south of Brays Bayou. Though not given an official name, Brays Bayou Association has called the section the Meyer tract detention basin.
“The bottom line is that we want to start making a dent in the amount of trash out here,” Brays Bayou Association representative Charles Goforth said.
Trash has accumulated for years in the area with its location adjacent to Loop 610. The groups want to ensure as much trash is picked up as possible ahead of mowing from the Harris County Flood Control District sometime in May that would make clean up more difficult as much of the trash would be shredded into “trashfetti,” Goforth said.
Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and trash bags and to wear clothes they do not mind getting dirty.
“There has to be community involvement to make sure it stays clean,” said Brawnwen Ranck, director of philanthropy and engagement with the Bayou Preservation Association.
The event comes ahead of the future installation of a segment of trail from Stella Link Road to South Rice Avenue, which is under review and planned for sometime in 2022, according to the Houston Parks Board, the group managing the project. It is part of the board’s $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020 project, a public-private partnership that has been building out 150 miles of new trails and 3,000 acres of green space across the city.
The Meyer detention basin will include a new pedestrian bridge over Willow Waterhole, along with the trail, which will utilize the existing drainage weir just south of Brays Bayou that will stretch all the way under Loop 610 to South Rice Avenue for that portion of the project.
Though the April 25 event will not clean up all the trash in that area, the hope is that community-run trash cleanup events will pave the way for future resources and maintenance from public and private entities, Goforth said.
Volunteers are asked to park at the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Park & Ride lot under Loop 610, just south of Brays Bayou, then use the crosswalk at North Braeswood Boulevard to access the site.
Should the event be canceled due to rain or storms, the event will be held instead at the same time and place May 1.
