A project being carried out by the Harris County Flood Control District was launched March 19 in west Harris County with the goal of improving streams that drain into Addicks reservoir.

The $13.3 million project will start with the removal sediment and completion of repairs along Horsepen Creek in Cypress. Future plans will involve launching similar efforts along other creeks that drain into Addicks Reservoir, including Langham Creek and Bear Creek.

"The goal of this investigation is to assess and repair impacts from recent flood events on channels that carry stormwater into the federal reservoirs from surrounding neighborhoods," HCFCD officials said in a statement published to their website.

A contract approved by Harris County Commissioners in January calls for removal of approximately 500,000 cubic yards of sediment. The sediment—much of which was deposited in the channels during Hurricane Harvey and the Tax Day Flood in 2016—can impede the outfalls where stormwater is released and can also reduce channel capacity, HCFCD officials said in the statement.

About $5 million in funding is set aside to address erosion and damage on channel banks.

Work on Horsepen Creek, which is expected to take several months, starts near Hamstead Park Drive and runs up to the reservoir.

Final construction plans are under review for the Bear Creek project, which officials said should begin later this year. Meanwhile, the Langham Creek project is in the design phase.