Buffalo Bayou Community Plan (BBCP)

Statement on the Houston Stronger Buffalo Bayou Community Plan

In November 2020, Houston Stronger submitted a formal response to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study (BBTRS) Interim Feasibility Report. This response was driven by overwhelming community opposition to the two alternatives proposed by the USACE to address flooding issues that were brought to light during Hurricane Harvey.

In place of the original alternatives, Houston Stronger urged the USACE to reconsider four previously dismissed options. Together, these make up what we have termed the Buffalo Bayou Community Plan (BBCP). The BBCP includes the following menu of options as opposed to strict alternatives to be considered:

Stormwater Tunnel from Addicks and Barker Reservoirs to the Houston Ship Channel;
Excavation and Expansion of Addicks and Barker Reservoirs to increase stormwater storage capacity and improve dam safety;
Upper Addicks Watershed Enhancements through additional basins and creek side stormwater retention;
Cypress Creek Watershed Improvements utilizing smaller-scale retention and detention basins, along with nature-based conservation and restoration strategies.

Since the public outcry over the 2020 BBTRS report and Houston Stronger’s formal comments, the USACE has partnered with the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to re-evaluate the stormwater tunnel alternative. A report on that analysis is expected by December 31, 2025.

Additionally, at the suggestion of the USACE, Houston Stronger and HCFCD jointly submitted a request for a feasibility study focused on the excavation and enhancement of Addicks and Barker Reservoirs. This study was authorized by Congress in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 (WRDA 2024), although funding for the study has not yet been appropriated.

It is important to note that these alternatives are conceptual at this stage. Their implementation will require further technical studies, inter-agency collaboration, and robust community input before any elements of the BBCP can move forward.