Converting an Old 178-acre Golf Course for Stormwater Management Near the Texas Coast Completes Phase Two

One of the largest urban stormwater initiatives ever undertaken in the state of Texas recently completed phase two of the five phase project involving the conversion of a 178-acre golf course into detention ponds, natural habitat areas, and recreational trails for the protection of thousands of homes from flooding events.

Located just outside of Houston in Clear Lake City, TX, an out-of-use 178-acre golf course and country club were purchased by Harris County for the purpose of converting the property into a series of five stormwater detention ponds that will protect approximately 2,000 – 3,000 homes from 100-year flood events. Named “Exploration Green” the project completed phase one in 2018 with the construction of a 23.7-acre detention pond, 15.2 acres of natural habitat, and 1.25 miles of recreational trails. When Hurricane Harvey hit in 2018, 80% of the first phase was completed and the detention area held enough stormwater runoff that houses that typically flooded with just 5 to 10 inches of water from storms had no flooding with the 45 inches of rain from Harvey.

With the recent completion of phase two, the project added an additional 26.2-acre detention pond, 18 acres of natural habitat, and 1.3 miles of recreational trails. Together the two ponds provide a 250 acre-ft. storage capacity for flooding with natural areas comprising nearly 3 acres of wetlands, a small island providing bird habitat, and almost 15 acres of planted native grasses. In 2018 the project received an Excellence in Green Infrastructure Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies and in 2020 the project was awarded the Engineering Excellence National Recognition Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies.

Ultimately, Exploration Green will consist of 5 detention ponds and 40 acres of wetlands designed to hold 500 million gallons of stormwater and clean the runoff from 95% of the storms that occur in the community. All five phases are expected to be completed by 2022.