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Freshwater Tidal Marsh Project Fact Sheet
Overview
The Brays Bayou Freshwater Tidal Marsh Project at Mason Park is a gently-sloped freshwater marsh that provides a habitat for native plants, wildlife and fish. The 3.5-acre Freshwater Tidal Marsh Project is located two miles north of the IH-610 and IH-45 interchange in southeast Houston. HCFCD was primarily responsible for the overall engineering design and construction of the project. This Freshwater Tidal Marsh is a pilot project for additional wetland areas that may be constructed in Harris County.
Project Benefits
The approximate 3.5 acres of wetlands, or freshwater tidal marsh, was created from existing land to be a wetland area. Construction included creating a wetland that will catch stormwater runoff and improve water quality by removing pollutants from the water entering the main channel.
This wetland will provide an excellent opportunity to educate area students and communities in a natural setting.
Project Location
Located in southeast Houston, the Freshwater Tidal Marsh Project is about two miles north of the IH-610 and IH-45 interchange. The project is bounded by Mason Park to the north and west, Brays Bayou to the west and south and to the east by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.
Construction Schedule
HCFCD recently completed construction at the beginning of the first quarter of 2006. In the coming months, the community and project partners will continue planting marshland vegetation into the new wetland tidal marsh to further enhance the site and restore wildlife habitat.
A Model Partnership
Partners for the Freshwater Tidal Marsh Project include:
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Texas Parks and Wildlife |
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City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department |
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Galveston Bay Estuary Program |
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Texas Genco |
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-Costal Program |
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Natural Resource Conservation Service |
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Texas Master Naturalist |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
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Chavez and Austin High Schools |
Students Make A Difference
The partners have involved high school students in the project to help enhance their sense of ownership in the local environment. For example, HCFCD has been actively involved with students at Chavez and Austin High Schools working cooperatively to teach them the importance wetlands play in a community. These students have joined forces with the Texas Cooperative Extension/Texas Sea Grant to help restore the bayou along Mason Park and conserve wetland scenery, taking on a personal responsibility to educate others. The students collected native plants from other wetlands and are fostering them in a nursery until construction is complete and the plants are stable enough to be transplanted into the new wetlands at Mason Park.
For More Information
For additional information on the Freshwater Tidal Marsh, 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, 253KB, February 2006)
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