Harris County commissioners approved extended deadlines for three flood-control detention basins at the Oct. 29 Commissioners Court meeting.

The court also unanimously approved a $533,444 University of Houston study on floating vegetated islands.

The votes lock in more time for the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to finish Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) pre-disaster mitigation projects, Community Impact Newspaper reported. None of the extensions come with extra money.

As we reported Oct. 28, the items were on the Commissioners Court agenda. The court approved them all.

Three basins get more time

The approved FEMA extensions cover:

  • East T.C. Jester Stormwater Detention Basin: extended through April 1, 2027
  • Halls Bayou Blue Bell Detention Basin: extended through April 1, 2027
  • Meyergrove Stormwater Detention Basin: extended by six months and 18 days

The East T.C. Jester basin sits at Cypresswood Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard in the Cypress Creek watershed. Construction on its $18.6 million first compartment broke ground in August, according to the HCFCD. The east side of the project covers about 128 acres across three compartments and is expected to provide roughly 1,000 acre-feet of stormwater storage. The HCFCD thanked Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey and his team for supporting the project.

The Halls Bayou Blue Bell basin aims to reduce flooding along the Halls Bayou main stem near Interstate 45, according to the HCFCD. The flood control district is working with the Texas Department of Transportation on that project.

Commissioners also approved an extension for an Urban Flood Risk Study, which develops models and maps to inform "decision-makers in Harris County about urban flood risk," according to agenda documents.

Other extensions approved

The court approved extensions for two U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants. One gives the HCFCD an extra 92 calendar days to finish Hurricane Beryl debris removal. The other applies to three stormwater detention basins and minor tributary conveyance improvements in the Armand, Greens and White Oak bayou watersheds, according to agenda documents.

$533,444 floating islands study

Commissioners unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with UH to study floating vegetated islands at the Reverend William and Audrey Lawson Park stormwater detention basin. Agenda documents describe the islands as an "innovative water quality and habitat enhancement feature."

The three-year study will let the HCFCD and UH evaluate whether the islands work as a stormwater quality management practice for detention basins. A Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) grant will provide additional funding to address non-point source pollution, according to agenda documents.

County Judge Lina Hidalgo did not attend the meeting. Individual vote tallies for the FEMA extension items were not available in public reporting as of publication.

The next Commissioners Court meeting had not been announced in the available record.