HOUSTON – March 19, 2015 – Greens Bayou Corridor Coalition, announced today that it has secured $55 million for the Greens Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project, which will reduce flooding impacts in the 212-square mile Greens Bayou watershed.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District and Harris County Flood Control District will start work on the Greens Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project in north Harris County this year due to the $8 million in start-up funding allocated in the federal fiscal year 2015 budget for the Corps Civil Works program.
The approval of the funding for the federal project is the culmination of many years of hard work, said Mike Castro, Chair of the Coalition’s Public Policy Committee and a Coalition board member.
The project demonstrates what can be accomplished when community volunteers, government stakeholders and concerned citizens focus their combined efforts on a worthy endeavor. The project will have a demonstrable positive impact on the quality of life for residents who live within the Greens Bayou watershed.
The Corps is the lead agency on the $55 million Greens Bayou project and expects to start construction on the first phase of excavation of the stormwater detention basin located adjacent to Greens Bayou near Antoine Road and the Sam Houston Tollway.
Flood Control District Executive Director Michael Talbott said this project is a prime example of what happens when the Corps and Flood Control District partner to reduce flooding risks.
In 2009, the Coalition launched a strategic advocacy effort to help secure federal funding for this project, said Reginald Lillie, Coalition chairman. “We’re thrilled to begin this project and look forward to bringing much needed relief to the businesses and home along the Greens Bayou watershed that have suffered from flooding for several years.”
The Greens Bayou Corridor Coalition is a non-profit organization that addresses quality of life issues along the 45-mile watershed including, flood mitigation, park and trail improvement projects and economic development. More on www. greensbayou.org.