How Willow Waterhole became a model for flood control in Houston Photo Karen Warren, Staff. Image 1 of 2. Families cross a bridge at Willow Waterhole. Strip The Willow' title='Strip The Willow' />Families cross a bridge at Willow Waterhole. Photo Karen Warren, Staff. Image 2 of 2. The park like basins that constitute Willow Waterhole represent an example of flood management as urban. The park like basins that constitute Willow Waterhole represent an example of flood management as urban. Photo Eric Kayne, For The Chronicle. How Willow Waterhole became a model for flood control in Houston. Back to Gallery. The prevailing story in Houston is that not enough is being done to mitigate flooding. Calendar_2_JPG.jpg' alt='Strip The Willow' title='Strip The Willow' />Its hard to argue with that, given the rising impacts from flooding, the citys long standing culture of privileging growth at all costs and our historical unwillingness to steer that growth in any way that would reduce the risk of flooding. But theres another story that tends to get lost in the conversation that follows every devastating storm. What if the problem isnt that we have done too little to manage floods, but that we have not been smart about itRecently, with little fanfare, one of Houstons most significant efforts to manage flooding has reached a major milestone. Conceived nearly 2. Willow Waterhole Stormwater Detention Basin is now beginning work on its final phase of construction. In this article, I look at this example of a big, smart approach to flood management that shows what we have done right and what we can do more of. Willow Waterhole is actually a network of six interconnected basins essentially massive manmade lakes designed to hold nearly 6. But the basins are also designed to serve purposes well beyond drainage an expansive urban park ranking as one of the largest in Houston over 2. Strip The Willow' title='Strip The Willow' />Houston landscape of strip malls, industrial facilities, residential subdivisions and vacant land. Though it was the long term duration of the project that made news recently, the sheer size and vision of the Willow Waterhole complex would be newsworthy enough. The recent Willow Waterhole milestone is significant for several reasons. Descargar Musica De Muestra Windows 7 on this page. It comes at a time when Houston is experiencing a greater frequency of flooding than ever in its history. It culminates what has become one of the regions best examples of drainage infrastructure that doubles as an urban amenity. Roberto Salas, left, and Lewis Sternhagen check a flooded car near Willow Waterhole. Roberto Salas, left, and Lewis Sternhagen check a flooded car near. Most critically, it renders visible just how much the landscape of Houston needs to be altered to properly mitigate the flood waters it regularly receives and will continue to receive in the future. How we choose to make these alterations is ultimately a design decision that holds enormous consequences for the city and for us, its inhabitants How will a city designed to better manage flood waters impact our daily lives Can it actually improve our lives beyond the basic necessity of keeping water out of our homes NAVIGATING SOUTH Willow Drive, a small side street that connects South Post Oak to Chimney Rock, youd never expect to see the massive lakes that constitute the Willow Waterhole Stormwater Detention Basin. But as you walk around the various lakes which constitute the basin, its OK to suspend your disbelief. Nearly 2. 0 years in development by the Harris County Flood Control District HCFCD, the lakes feel woven into the urban fabric of the area, as if theyve become an honorary part of the areas native landscape. Now managed jointly with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy, the network of parks, trails and habitat areas is less dramatic than Barker and Addicks Reservoirs, but its still one of the best examples of drainage infrastructure as a community commons. Additionally, plans for Levitt Pavilion, to be completed by 2. Willow Waterhole to the level of a signature park that stitches the neighborhoods around it an example of flood management as urban design. Photo Eric Kayne, For The Chronicle. A culvert leads into a small basin at Willow Waterhole. Facebook is building a new campus that includes 1,500 apartments and a grocery store. Pornstar Willow Hayes picture galleries found on Hairy Beauty. A culvert leads into a small basin at Willow Waterhole. The recent announcement of the basins final phase of construction puts into perspective just how much the project has evolved since it was first conceived in the late 1. It was actually in the 8. Houston, but also on their relationship to surrounding communities. Pivotal was the effort started in the late 6. Strip The Willow' title='Strip The Willow' />Terry Hershey, the nascent Buffalo Bayou Preservation Association now Bayou Preservation Association, and an unlikely comrade in arms in then U. S. Rep. George H. The Goal Goldratt Ebook. W. Bush that saved Buffalo Bayou from being reshaped in concrete. But the later creation of Terry Hershey Park along Buffalo Bayou in 1. Houstons expanding west side. After state legislative action provided a new allowance for trails along flood control easements, and Congress passed the 1. Water Resources Development Act, which enabled the Army Corps to work with local partners on flood control projects, community input became an integral component of major infrastructure projects. The 1. 99. 0 Sims Bayou Federal Flood Damage Reduction Project stands as the first effort to treat flood channel improvements along a bayou as more than infrastructure by also creating a greenway amenity for surrounding communities. Many of the bayou enhancements we now consider commonplace planted banks and paved trails, interpretive signage and seating areas, preserved or restored habitat areas and destination parks sited strategically at stormwater detention basins along the trails were first tested on Sims Bayou. Willow Waterholes wetlands attract more than 1. Willow Waterholes wetlands attract more than 1. But it was the drainage policy and design proposals of former HCFCD director James B. Green that had the most transformative impact during those years. His letter to the Harris County Commissioners Court planted the seed for much of the landscape infrastructure that defines Houston today. Detention basins were once seen as an untested idea that could have unintended consequences, offering at best a temporary fix, but the straightforwardness of the concept undeveloped tracts of land are purchased, excavated into deep craters with inflow and outflow channels and intentionally flooded with overflow from bayous and other tributaries during peak storm events proved to be not only highly effective for flood control but also highly adaptable. As Houston grew, and more and more impervious surfaces pushed larger volumes of stormwater toward the bayous and their tributaries, it became clear that they could not carry it all. Harris County policies filled the gap by requiring on site stormwater detention for all new roadways and any new construction larger than five acres. Houstons landscape is now replete with basins of all sizes and in places you might never expect.