At a March 23 press conference held along the Brays Bayou Greenway Trail, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher announced the allocation of just under $10 million in federal funds for the 7.5-acre Meyergrove Stormwater Detention Basin project.

“Projects like [this] are critical to ensuring safety and resiliency in our district,” Fletcher said at the press conference.

The basin, to be built along Brays Bayou, will hold excess rainwater in order to reduce flooding, according to the Harris County Flood Control District. It can hold more than 21 million gallons of water, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said.

The construction of the basin is set to begin in the fall with an estimated completion in summer 2023, according to the HCFCD. The project will be funded by a mixture of funds from a 2018 bond referendum and the recently acquired federal funds, Petersen said.

The $10 million in federal funding comes from a $1.5 trillion government spending bill signed by President Joe Biden on March 15, also known as the Funding For The People Act.

The basin is located at the former site of Meyergrove Apartments, a site that was purchased by the HCFCD in 2019. The district has spent about $15 million so far on right of way and plans to put another $3 million toward construction, officials said.

“Flooding remains a top priority,” said Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, who also attended the event.