The erosion—which happens when flood waters reach a high enough flow rate to wear away the riverbank’s soil—was exacerbated by floods in 2015, 2016 and Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, Sugar Land City Engineer Jessie Li said.
This can be seen at the 150-acre Sugar Land Memorial Park, where portions of trail near the riverbank are fenced off, with a sign asking visitors not to cross due to erosion.
“We lost about probably 300-400 feet of riverbank after several [flood] events,” Li said.
After years of funding efforts, the city of Sugar Land and Fort Bend County will receive millions from the state and federal government to address critical erosion points along the river as part of the Brazos River Riverbank Erosion Mitigation Project, also known as Project Brazos.
A 2018 study showed that if Brazos River’s erosion was not addressed, parts of the banks could wash away further, causing billions in damages and potential loss of life due to the impact to infrastructure and homes.
Two-minute impact
Two erosion studies identified 13 points along the Brazos River deemed the most critical for the erosion already seen and the projected erosion rate, officials said.
Since then, officials have sought grant funding to tackle these 13 projects, said Mark Vogler, the Fort Bend County Drainage District general manager and chief engineer.
Of the 13 critical sites, four locations are in the city of Sugar Land, Li said. However, one site near the New Territory neighborhood at Hwy. 99 is already under construction by a levee improvement district.
Now, county and city officials will partner to tackle the remaining three locations within the city limits, and city staff will also take on an erosion site near the Riverstone community—not included in the 13, officials said.
The four projects the city is working on include:
- Riverstone community near LID 15
- Eastern bank north of the Hwy. 59 bridge
- Western bank south of the Hwy. 59 bridge
- Sugar Land Memorial Park near LID 14
“It is highly unlikely that we’re going to get a fully functioning turnaround back in that area, but there is work that needs to get done to stabilize the area underneath the bridge still,” Precinct 4 Commissioner Dexter McCoy said at the Feb. 13 Fort Bend County Commissioners Court meeting.
The breakdown
Project funding came from Texas’ 2023 legislative session and funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Texas General Land Office, city and county officials said.
On Jan. 16, Sugar Land City Council voted to approve a $28 million grant application to the Texas Water Development Board to go toward erosion mitigation near the Riverstone community.
Li said the funding was set aside for the city via House Bill 1 in the 88th Texas Legislature, and the city should have access to funding in March after the TWDB approves the allocation.
Meanwhile, funding from the GLO should be made available in June, Vogler said. However, to help get started on the design of the other joint city and county projects as soon as possible, Vogler said the county will fund up to $12.45 million toward the Brazos River projects.
“The county is fronting money to get this thing moving because, as with any grant, there’s timelines and short windows of opportunities, so we’ve got to get going,” Vogler said. “Hopefully we’ll get reimbursed for what we invest upfront out of the grant funds.”
The bottom line
Tackling erosion is a balancing act: Too much vegetation in river channels can reduce a river’s capacity and slow water’s speed during heavy rain events, which can extend the river’s flood plain, Vogler said.
Meanwhile, certain vegetation can also strengthen the river’s bank and mitigate erosion, he said.
Despite the federal and state investment toward the Brazos River, officials said the stone toe dike and tie back projects will only mitigate future erosion—not repair the erosion that’s happened.
The stone toe dike and tie back erosion-control method involves placing tons of stones on the bank. The stones will:
- Settle and fill voids in sand as they appear.
- Allow vegetation to still grow while roots work to stabilize the bank
