Harris County Flood Control project at Poor Farm Ditch targets 2030 completion

With a project start timeline of early summer, Harris County Flood Control District officials told West University Place residents and city officials on Feb. 3 that construction on Poor Farm Ditch could be completed by the second quarter of 2030.

The $32.5 million in funding to improve a vital flood mitigation project across three cities was secured from multiple entities, including federal and state funding, two cities and Harris County, as previously reported in Community Impact.

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HCFCD Chief External Affairs Office Emily Woodell gave project updates during the February public meeting at West U's administration building and shared that the county opened bids for potential contractors in February, taking into consideration contractors’ safety records to meet safety standards.

“This project is happening very close to people’s homes and backyards and daily lives, and that is not something that we take lightly,” Woodell said. “At the same time, we also know that this is really important work that will help keep this community safer and reduce flood risk for you all and for your neighbors.”

The flood mitigation project aims to reconstruct Poor Farm Ditch in the Brays Bayou watershed between Bellaire and University boulevards to address failing concrete lining which has exceeded its useful life, according to HCFCD officials.

HCFCD officials aim to reconstruct the channel with a concrete-lined trapezoidal cross section, according to Dec. 8 agenda documents. Design work on the human-made, concrete-lined Poor Farm Ditch has been underway since 2015, though studies into the stormwater conveyance channel date back to the 1990s, HCFCD officials said.

As of February, Woodell said project design is complete, and once the project is fully completed, she said the project will increase Poor Farm Ditch’s stormwater capacity by at least 60%, allowing it to carry significantly more stormwater during heavy rainfall.

"Once a start date is confirmed, we'll share construction advisories with the community," Woodell said, "and then I'll have details like sequencing schedules [and] what to expect nearby."