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Arthur Storey Park Fact Sheet
Overview
Every weekend, hundreds of Harris County residents enjoy all that Arthur Storey Park has to offer. As part of Project Brays, the Arthur Storey Park Project is designed to reduce flood damage for area residents and businesses, as well as to bring recreational amenities and added greenspace to southwest Houston. It is a great example of how a flood damage reduction project can be transformed into a multi-use facility for the community that features recreational amenities such as picnic pavilions and activities such as bird watching.
Background
The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began acquiring property along the upper reaches of Brays Bayou in the mid 1980s to create stormwater detention basins that would hold excess stormwater during heavy rain events. At the same time, the HCFCD and Harris County Precinct 3 created a partnership in which they used property to serve as both a flood damage reduction project and a recreational area for the surrounding communities. They designated an area west of the Sam Houston Tollway as a county park.
In 1997, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved changing the park's name from Brays Bayou Park to Arthur Storey Park in honor of Arthur L. Storey Jr., PE, executive director of the Harris County Public Infrastructure Department, who started the vision of using flood damage reduction properties as a way to provide the community with recreational and aesthetic areas. The project has become the benchmark for future HCFCD flood damage reduction projects and demonstrates how multiple entities can work together to better serve their communities.
Project Benefits
Once complete, the detention basin will have the capacity to hold approximately 1.15 billion gallons of stormwater, resulting in a reduced risk of flood damage for thousands of residents and businesses along Brays Bayou. To date, Arthur Storey Park is about 90 percent complete and is already reducing the risk of flood damage along Brays Bayou. The project is one of four regional stormwater detention basins that hold excess stormwater during heavy rainfall to reduce peak flows that can cause flooding, benefiting thousands of residents and businesses.
Prior to Arthur Storey Park, many flood damage reduction projects had only one purpose - to reduce the risk of flood damage. The vision of creating this project that served multiple purposes - flood damage reduction and a place for neighbors and families to enjoy - was started by Arthur L. Storey Jr., PE, executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District and fostered by Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Steve Radack. Their partnership was the foundation for Arthur Storey Park, which brings an additional 210 acres of greenspace to the community, boasts both recreational and aesthetic amenities and provides a habitat for native plants and wildlife. The park includes a gazebo overlooking the basin, walking/running trails bordered by beautiful old oak trees, playground equipment, picnic tables, a new Tai Chi court and a meeting room/learning center.
Bird Watching at the Park
This man-made park and habitat has become Houston's newest hot spot for both coastal and migratory birds. The Osprey and White Pelican are two examples of normally coastal species that are attracted to the fish life in Arthur Storey Park's detention ponds. Following is a list of other birds and the areas they frequent at the park.
| Detention Basins |
Concrete-lined Pond |
Woods, Grasslands and Fencerows |
Snowy Egret
Great Blue Heron
Pied-Billed Grebe
American White Pelican
Double-Crested Cormorant
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Cattle Egret
White Ibis
Osprey
Red-Tailed Hawk
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Ring-Billed Gull
Swamp Sparrow
Red-Winged Blackbird
Sandpiper
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Muscovy Duck
Mallard
American Coot
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American Pipit
Rock Dove
European Collared Dove
White-Winged Dove
Eastern Phoebe
Loggerhead Shrike
Blue Jay
Golden-Crowned Kinglet
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Eastern Meadowlark
Common Grackle
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
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Location
Arthur Storey Park is west of the Sam Houston Tollway, between Bellaire Blvd. and Beechnut in southwest Houston.
Construction Schedule
The flood damage reduction portion of the project is approximately 90 percent complete, with ongoing construction efforts presently underway. Despite continuing construction, many of the recreational amenities are already being used by the community.
For More Information
For additional information on Arthur Storey Park, please visit our at www.projectbrays.org or call the Project Brays Hotline at 713-316-4820.
Last updated Feb. 2006
> View Printable Version (PDF) (PDF, 109KB, February 2006)
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