Harris County officials announced Jan. 20 the start of a $25 million restoration project along channels connecting to the Addicks Reservoir in the Cypress-Fairbanks area.

In a nutshell

The latest construction marks the third repair package of the Addicks Channel Restoration Project through the Harris County Flood Control District, a shared effort between Harris County Precincts 3 and 4.

HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said the restoration will tackle sediment buildup and erosion along the channels caused by the Tax Day Flood in 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in 2017. She said the project aims to address a “backlog” of maintenance at an estimated 24 different channel sites.

“These channels play a critical role in carrying storm water to the reservoirs, and it strengthens this system and provides critical flood risk reduction for thousands of homes and businesses across northwest Harris County,” Petersen said during a Jan. 20 news conference.A closer look

HCFCD will spend approximately $5 million annually over the next five years, Petersen said. Funding for the channel restoration comes from a tax rate increase narrowly approved by voters in November 2024, Community Impact previously reported.

The project is separate from Harris County’s 2018 flood control bond program, which includes $2.5 billion in bond funds and $2.7 billion in partner funds for an assortment of flood mitigation initiatives. However, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said the Addicks project places a similar focus on flood maintenance.



Ramsey said the scope of work includes:

• 8 miles of channel repair
• 11,000 linear feet of storm pipe placement
• 50,000 cubic yards of sediment removal
• 115,000 tons of rock for slope stabilization

“I can tell you that when the storms hit, it impacts people, it impacts their homes, and we need to provide more assurance to them that not every storm—not every time it clouds up—that we’re going to have an event,” Ramsey said.

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said Harris County residents carry a shared trauma following Hurricane Harvey’s destruction, and voter approval of the flood maintenance funding represents an investment in community safety.

“Know that we will be relentless in delivering the flood bond projects as well as using this investment that you have made in maintenance so that we can keep our families as safe as possible,” Briones said. “We know it’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when.”

Before you go

The $25 million investment builds on two previous phases of work along the Addicks channels, according to the project’s website.

The first repair package included restoration along Langham Creek and Horsepen Creek, and the second repair package focused on Bear Creek and South Mayde Creek, according to the scope of work. Both packages, totaling about $30 million, were funded by the 2018 bond, according to HCFCD.

Find a more detailed map of the upcoming channel improvements on the flood control district’s website.