Houston’s Memorial City area is in line for some much-needed flood prevention with a $76 million underground detention basin set to be constructed.
The project, which is expected to break ground near Memorial Middle School in February, is designed to store massive amounts of water during periods of heavy rain. The water is then gradually released back into the system. The basin lowers the amount of water that accumulates in storm sewers and channels, allowing more runoff to drain. The additional storage was planned to reduce the flooding potential for houses, businesses and schools in the Memorial City area.
The 95-acre basin is expected to take pressure off several drainage systems in the area that serve a dense hub of businesses and medical institutions, including Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center and Interstate 10.
As opposed to a retention basin, which has a permanent pool of water, a detention basin is dry and is designed to hold water, then empty over time. This basin also will be “subsurface,” which are considered by experts as safer than public ponds and receives routine maintenance to remove sediment and debris build-up.
The project is financed by federal hazard dollars given after Hurricane Harvey the tax revenue increases expected as a result of the work, according to Houston Public Works. It’s the combination of funding that will allow this project to be completed in just under two years, as opposed to using local dollars along.
Houston is actively constructing numerous stormwater detention basins to increase flood resilience. The tktk joins other major flood projects like the multi-phase Lauder Basin expansion in Northeast Harris County, which will be able to hold an additional 200 million gallons of storm water, and the 27-million-gallon Meyergrove basin, which was completed last year.
The Memorial City project is estimated to be completed in summer 2028.