Several parks along Cypress Creek and in other flood-prone areas in Harris County Precinct 4 will be closed until further notice, according to a precinct statement released April 21. The parks closed in Precinct 4 include Meyer Park, Collins Park, Pundt Park, Mercer Botanic Gardens, Dennis Johnston Park, Carter Park, the 100-Acre Wood Preserve and Little Cypress Creek Preserve. The proximity of houses and businesses to that flood plain along the creek is where problems arise, said Jim Robertson, Cypress Creek Greenway Project chairman. “In many areas that I walk in regularly along the creek where we have trails in their natural state, the degree of inundation is something I’ve never experienced in all the years I’ve been out here,” he said. Robertson has lived in the area for 28 years. In addition to maintaining natural habitat and providing flood mitigation, preservation along the creek has aesthetic value and can help to increase the value of area houses, Robertson said. The goal of the Cypress Creek Greenway Project is to preserve the corridor, partly because of its value in flood mitigation, Robertson said. “It confirms why these areas should not be developed and why we’re trying to protect and preserve them,” Robertson said. All park programs and activities at the parks have been canceled until further notice while recovery efforts continue. North and northwest Harris County received 14 to 17 inches during this week’s storms—more than the 5 to 10 inch averages reported elsewhere in the county, according to the Harris County Flood District. Several roads crossing Cypress Creek were closed for high water levels during the week, including TC Jester Boulevard, Champions Forest Drive and Stuebner Airline Drive.