HOUSTON
THE SEDIMENT PROBLEM
OUR REGIONS WATERWAYS ARE BECOMING CONTAMINATED
The soil underneath our sprawling city is that of a sandy/clay texture. That famous brown color that our waterways are known for is the result of soil sediment and sand washing into the bayous, rivers, creeks, and lakes, all of which feed into the bay and out into the ocean.
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All of this is a normal process. Weathering and erosion make their mark across our region every day. But recently, millions of cubic feet of that sand and sediment are washing into our drainage systems, and with that they are blocking storage for the floodwaters coming upstream. This creates new sand bars in the middle of rivers (like the San Jac. or Spring Creek) and Lakes (Lake Houston, Lake Conroe) once the excessive rainwater cycles out of our region.
A recent article in Community Impact, highlighted a new bill in the Texas state legislature.
That bill, House Bill 1532, aims to create the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District, whose responsibility will be regularly dredging Lake Houston, removing the millions of cubic yards of built up sediment that washes into the reservoir each year from the West and East Fork of the San Jacinto and its tributaries (Spring Creek and Cypress Creek).
All of this done in the hopes of alleviating some of the flooding that has become commonplace in our region.
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The San Jacinto River, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, and all the famous bayous that run through our community form a very large watershed that cuts through one of North America's most populous metros. These waterways are our forgotten neighbor that gets easily drowned out (no pun intended) by the city on its banks.
But there is something else that can help keep sand and sediment build-up out of our waterways...
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Our region's natural ecosystem is a network of forests, wetlands, swamps, and grasslands. They all play a part in regulating the excessive rainwater we get during regular early summer thunderstorms, to the late summer hurricanes.
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That complex relationship between us and Mother Nature's design has regularly been undermined when planning new development for the growing needs of our city.
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The mature trees and natural forests of our area form a complex root system under the ground that helps keep the sandy, clayish soil under our feet in place.
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Oftentimes, after a major flood, you see the buildup of sand bars that have washed sediment from upstream. But just looking at the banks of the rivers in our area, you can see how flood waters erode riverbanks. Trees nearby sometimes have their root ends exposed. And there is where you can see how the tree protects soil from excess erosion.
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Saturated soil in a loose soil. And that means it can easily be picked up by moving floodwater as it drains downstream. By keeping more of our forests intact and demanding new development save and build around or incorporate mature trees and waterways in their design, we help prevent excessive soil erosion and better manage the sediment that drains into our waterways every hour of every day.
Development projects like the one shown in the picture above don't incorporate the existing ecosystem into their planning beyond anything that isn't required by law to meet flood control protections,
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Most new development in the greater Houston area takes the same look and shape. Raze the ground underneath, get rid of all the mature trees on the lot, fill in the unnecessary waterways or ponds that are on the property. Then build. All of the ecosystems footprint on the land is erased by a bulldozer and concrete mixer and replaced by our footprint of brick, glass, and metal. None of which helps with draining water during excessive rainfall.
Flood control is going to be a bigger and bigger threat the more our region grows. And finding solutions for that threat will be more pressing the more lives that develop around our floodplain. And without smarter planning and designs that build with our environment, not over it, the harder it will be to address the issue.
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That is why we are launching the Bayou You By Me Initiative. We want to see smarter designs and development practices that will incorporate and protect our region's waterways, lakes, and ponds. And encourage, educate, and cultivate healthier habits in our community to achieve this. ​​
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But this starts with YOU! Join us and sign the petition so together we can create a greener, more vibrant, healthier Houston for everyone.