Houston's parks flood. That's a good thing. - Chron.com
You might have thought you fell down a rabbit hole recently and landed in a crazy, soggy land with rain and flooding all around you. Those waterways are good to us: They provide the basis for the Port of Houston, the water supply for millions of people and the Galveston Bay system, as well as an avenue for flood management, recreation and significant green space. But what about our city and county parks and other large green spaces. As Houston's open land is developed into residential and commercial uses, our parks and dedicated green spaces grow ever more valuable for recreation and as public space. Inside the Houston city limits, more than 350 parks are designed not only to serve their traditional park functions, but also to flood and retain water during severe weather events. Yes, during a "rain event," a flooded park is not available for recreation (sorry, basketball players and dog walkers). As an example, consider Project Brays, still under construction by Harris County Flood Control. It was actually born as a flood-control project, intended to reduce flooding risks in part by widening miles of Brays Bayou from the Houston Ship Channel to State Highway 6, so that floodwaters can flow more quickly into Galveston Bay. But along the 31 miles of Brays Bayou, Project Brays also uses parks as a flood-control strategy. Source: www.chron.com
