08-02-2010, 02:44 PM
Just to give some background on the Houston area bayous and the issues we have been dealing with for decades, I found a bit of info on the flood control project that caused the railroad bridge's original concrete footers to be up in the air. Hope someone finds this at least a little interesting!
The Sims Bayou flood control project actually started back in the 1990s. Houston does have a bad flooding history, a decent rain will put many streets under water, and a real good rain has been known to actually put floodwaters up into houses in the low-lying areas. As such, flood control projects are pretty routine.
These flood control projects have typically consisted of digging miles of wide, straight channel and paving it over with impermeable concrete so that rainwater ran out to sea quickly. Problem is, this has the effect of "sterilizing" the bayou and leaves them pretty unattractive:
A Houston area architect, Kevin Shanley, had a different idea of what could be done. He designed a plan to improve stormwater drainage along Sims Bayou that would change the way these projects were looked at. He envisioned a more natural waterway which would be an aesthetic asset instead of an eyesore. Instead of the solid concrete basin, he proposed using a concrete lattice that would still allow vegetation to grow on the bayou slopes.
He also thought that the bayou should meander like a river and occasionally widen into large detention areas, where water could be held safely and allowed to drain more slowly.
Water detention areas under construction:
The Flood Control engineers were intrigued by the new plan, and when they ran sophisticated flood-control models, they found that Shanley's plan worked better to control flooding than their original proposal. The result was a more natural, pleasant watercourse. (Impermeable concrete is still used under the bridges for erosion control as seen in the photos of the bridge I am building.)
And here’s a photo of the bayou after Hurricane Ike. The bayou is full, but the homes along the drainage were safe from flooding.
The Sims Bayou flood control project actually started back in the 1990s. Houston does have a bad flooding history, a decent rain will put many streets under water, and a real good rain has been known to actually put floodwaters up into houses in the low-lying areas. As such, flood control projects are pretty routine.
These flood control projects have typically consisted of digging miles of wide, straight channel and paving it over with impermeable concrete so that rainwater ran out to sea quickly. Problem is, this has the effect of "sterilizing" the bayou and leaves them pretty unattractive:
A Houston area architect, Kevin Shanley, had a different idea of what could be done. He designed a plan to improve stormwater drainage along Sims Bayou that would change the way these projects were looked at. He envisioned a more natural waterway which would be an aesthetic asset instead of an eyesore. Instead of the solid concrete basin, he proposed using a concrete lattice that would still allow vegetation to grow on the bayou slopes.
He also thought that the bayou should meander like a river and occasionally widen into large detention areas, where water could be held safely and allowed to drain more slowly.
Water detention areas under construction:
The Flood Control engineers were intrigued by the new plan, and when they ran sophisticated flood-control models, they found that Shanley's plan worked better to control flooding than their original proposal. The result was a more natural, pleasant watercourse. (Impermeable concrete is still used under the bridges for erosion control as seen in the photos of the bridge I am building.)
And here’s a photo of the bayou after Hurricane Ike. The bayou is full, but the homes along the drainage were safe from flooding.
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