Houston drainage
Stance: Accept flooding by adapting to its consequences
Flooding must be accepted because we must accept the natural climate of the area we live in. To
attempt to keep an area from its natural state will only further damage that area and is usually not
sustainable when coupled with any kind of environmental responsibility. The city of Houston must
accept the natural order of things in this area and become less rigid in its flooding policies. Flooding is
going to happen. It is necessary for the city to adapt this and try to reap any benefits it can from it.
Raise the level of areas that cannot handle water above grade.
Maximize the flexibility of the drainage plane and use all aspects of the city to control the drainage as
much as possible. Create a highly flexible drainage path that can be flooded, drained, made impervious,
etc. to fit the needs of the areas around it. This will allow the city to adapt to differing drainage needs as
it grows. Return the drainage to as natural estate as possible.
Major buildings/development
Lower floors- create resilient structures that can withstand flooding
intent:
Building exteriors act to re-direct water to bayous, large specially designed buildings to
be placed at key locations and weak areas in the drainage system.
Placing building in such a way to improve this drainage is a cost effective way to shore
up drainage system, and produce more development to help the city grow at the same
time.
Lower floors can flood to act as retention and detention ponds, this keeps damage to a
minimum and expands the available water retain age area.
Water being forced between these buildings can speed up and aid drainage/power
production.
A combination of impervious walls and previous ones allows city to control the path of
the water through major development.
Single family housing
intent:
Create an “open grid” drainage system that drains to the major development areas.
This allows water to flow more naturally to the developed areas and, hopefully, create a
more natural drainage cycle.
Raise houses above grade to allow water to flow freely out of the area.
Change regulations about fence types etc. to not impede water drainage
Move inhabitant’s living plane above grade to avoid damage
Streets
Intent:
Increase the transmission capability of water along streets
Pervious concrete increases depth of channeling area of street
Act as waterways for supplies distribution and evacuation during an event
Park spaces
Intent:
Create spaces that can be used by the public that can easily flood with no damage.
Water benefits
Re-use
Recycle for drinking water to take some of the pressure off the existing water system
Store water for non-potable uses
Power generation
Water flow can be used to generate power
Water may be too slow for turbines, perhaps similar devices to tide power generators?
Can the evaporation or humidity be harvested?
Recreation
Typical water sports during normal times
Can act as a transportation thoroughfare during flooding with this proposal.
Policy:
Require pier and beam construction for all residential houses.
Maintain the equal drainage before as after development and expand its requirements.
Encourage development around, and in, the bayous of major buildings that aid the drainage
flow through the area and into to the bayous.
All major development’s first floors must be able to accept total flooding without major damage
to structure of building.