Why Are There So Few Trees Along Braes Bayou In The Third Ward?

[Jax]

I've been driving back and forth between my hood (the Museum District) and UH lately and I generally drive along McGregor as it follows Braes Bayou north. I have noticed the lack of natural foliage along this particular bayou and I was wondering why are there so few trees? Braes Bayou is quite different from Buffalo Bayou which looks to me like a natural waterway, at least as it approaches downtown. Buffalo Bayou might not be the most beautiful waterway, but at least it has trees along it and natural banks. Braes Bayou is incredibly ugly as it is, but it has so much potential. Does anybody have any plans to beautify Braes in the vicinity of Riverside Terrace?

Attached is a photo from Google Street View showing the bayou along McGregor. Notice there are no trees on one side of the street, and on the other side there's just a grassy bank with some trees on the opposite side of the street. The lack of trees and the concrete banks really ruin the aesthetics of what could be a nice waterway.

[sarahiki]

...and a follow-up question: why is the whole bayou paved?

[Dan the Man]

The bayou banks were widened, cleared, and lined with concrete in the 1950s to help control flooding. I agree that this totally ruined the aesthetic of the bayou. However, many new trees were planted with Project Brays. Hopefully they'll be allowed to mature and help soften the landscape.

[Jax]

Did the paving really help with the flooding issues? I've heard that the idea of paving the sides of waterways is kind of controversial, and it obviously ruins the look of a waterway, so I wonder if it was worth it. Every time I see egrets walking along the concrete looking for fish I feel kind of sad for them (I guess I can't complain too much though because egrets were almost extinct at some point and at least they still exist). I'd much rather see natural flood prevention measures like wetlands or widening the waterway while still preserving some of the natural aesthetic.

I think Riverside Terrace would be a kind of cool place to live if it wasn't for the fact that the river was damn ugly.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Jax

[musicman]

Bernoulli studied and described the issue years ago.

[august948]

Come get some from the median of Dairy Ashford just north of Westheimer and transplant them. A few months after the city announced the million tree program some idiot planted hundreds of trees literally three or four feet apart there.

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Did the paving really help with the flooding issues?

From a strictly hydraulic standpoint, yes.

The map above shows that the current floodplain of Brays Bayou is half the size that it was back in 1915, in spite of the development in the watershed. The wider, deeper, straighter, slicker Brays Bayou is much more efficient at carrying water, and does indeed provide much better flood protection for hundreds of thousands, if not over a million, residents of the watershed.

Granted, it's not very scenic, and there's nearly nothing for an ecosystem, but it does move a lot of water when necessary.

Given today's environmental climate, I don't think you'll see another concrete-lined bayou anytime soon. Clear Creek and Buffalo Bayou are two that have been spared that fate...although there's still an on-going debate on Clear Creek (4 or 5 decades old at this point.)

Channelizing and concrete-lining the channel was seen as a satisfactory solution to a chronic flooding problem back in the 30's and 40's.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Original Timmy Chan's

[Subdude]

It was seriously proposed to channelize Buffalo Bayou as well since it has always been prone to large floods. I'm not sure why it was shot down - probably because it became less necessary after the upstream reservoir was built - but I'm glad it never happened.

[Dan the Man]

I remember reading somewhere that the neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou were very influential in killing the channelization proposal.

[Jax]

I wonder if it's possible to channelize a waterway and yet not make it look like crap. I recall that the RIver Liffey which runs through Dublin has concrete (or stone?) banks and yet it is pretty scenic still (and it also does not have many trees, it's in a really dense urban area). Maybe that's not a good example though because Dublin is probably less flood prone than Houston. It has to be possible to at least balance the flood prevention aspect with ecology and aesthetic though. Does anybody have any examples? The River Walk in San Antonio is concrete lined and still looks nice, although I know what they did there is a lot more complex. They re-route most of the water away from the river walk part of the river to keep the restaurants from ever flooding, right?

I've heard that channelization sometimes results in reduced flooding along the channel but it also leads to enhanced flooding upstream an downstream of the channel. I'm not sure if that's the case here though.

Anyways, I think Braes would look a lot better if they planted trees on the sloped banks of the bayou, even though it has been channelized. I think those bare grassy hills along the sides in combination with the concrete gives the worst possible aesthetic. The roots of large trees on a sloped bank like that generally prevent erosion so I imagine it would be an all around positive thing to do.

[sarahiki]

I wonder if it's possible to channelize a waterway and yet not make it look like crap. I recall that the RIver Liffey which runs through Dublin has concrete (or stone?) banks and yet it is pretty scenic still (and it also does not have many trees, it's in a really dense urban area). Maybe that's not a good example though because Dublin is probably less flood prone than Houston. It has to be possible to at least balance the flood prevention aspect with ecology and aesthetic though. Does anybody have any examples? The River Walk in San Antonio is concrete lined and still looks nice, although I know what they did there is a lot more complex. They re-route most of the water away from the river walk part of the river to keep the restaurants from ever flooding, right?

I've heard that channelization sometimes results in reduced flooding along the channel but it also leads to enhanced flooding upstream an downstream of the channel. I'm not sure if that's the case here though.

Anyways, I think Braes would look a lot better if they planted trees on the sloped banks of the bayou, even though it has been channelized. I think those bare grassy hills along the sides in combination with the concrete gives the worst possible aesthetic. The roots of large trees on a sloped bank like that generally prevent erosion so I imagine it would be an all around positive thing to do.

Didn't they do that in the easternmost section of it? Re-naturalize it? I thought that was part of the project.

[musicman]

Anyways, I think Braes would look a lot better if they planted trees on the sloped banks of the bayou, even though it has been channelized.

yeah let's exacerbate the flooding issue by hindering water flow.

[Jax]

There has to be a happy medium between so many trees that the water can no longer flow and having the bayou look like an open sewer. I find it hard to believe that trees on the banks would hinder the water flow enough to make it an issue.

[musicman]

There has to be a happy medium between so many trees that the water can no longer flow and having the bayou look like an open sewer. I find it hard to believe that trees on the banks would hinder the water flow enough to make it an issue.

there are many factors involved with the portion of brays you're talking about. as OTC mentioned the HCFCD is minimizing the use of concrete in bayous. they are increasing capacity by widening where possible and softening the bends of the bayou so that water flows more smoothly. in areas that are more dense, the HCFCD has less options because less land is available. i'm sure you've seen the capacity that was added near 610 and braeshood.

if they did have natural habitats with trees, you'd be complaining of the trash captured in the bayou. oh wait, you do that too.

Edited October 27, 2009 by musicman

[Texasepies]

Letting bayous be bayous

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/6486933.html

[Texasepies]

They learn a lot after doing Brays Bayou , I hope we will never see another concrete ditch like that.

http://www.hcfcd.org/P_simsbayou.html

[Jax]

if they did have natural habitats with trees, you'd be complaining of the trash captured in the bayou. oh wait, you do that too.

What is your point?

Is there anything wrong with hoping to preserve or rebuild natural waterways AND have less pollution? I'm interested in moving things forward and improving Houston, unlike some people on this forum. What's wrong with suggesting we improve the situation with pollution in the Bayous? I guess Braes looks so much like an open sewer right now that it's hard to notice the pollution that's probably in it, but I don't think pointing out the fact that we need to do something about pollution is a bad thing. I think Buffalo Bayou is way nicer than Braes but yes, I did point out that there seems to be much more pollution in it than in the waterways I've seen in other major cities. That is another problem I'd like to see dealt with.

Thanks for posting the link about Sims Bayou, Texasepies. I'd love to see something like that happen with Braes. I like the idea of treating our natural waterways as water removal systems AND natural habitats. Those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

[houstonranger]

It must just be me but I don't mind Braes the way it is....there are plenty of trees along some of its banks and its nice enough to me...as long as it gets the water the heck out of here that is good enough for me....

[musicman]

What is your point?

Is there anything wrong with hoping to preserve or rebuild natural waterways AND have less pollution? I'm interested in moving things forward and improving Houston, unlike some people on this forum. What's wrong with suggesting we improve the situation with pollution in the Bayous?

with your suggestion, you can't have both. planting trees along with sides of the concrete lined bayou hinders water flow which makes the flooding situation worse and also will trap debris you complained about seeing previously.

I guess Braes looks so much like an open sewer right now

i'm sure everyone has a preference here.

open sewer

brays bayou

[Texasepies]

Thanks for posting the link about Sims Bayou, Texasepies. I'd love to see something like that happen with Braes. I like the idea of treating our natural waterways as water removal systems AND natural habitats. Those two things don't have to be mutually exclusive.

The Brays Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project

http://www.projectbrays.org/

[Original Timmy Chan's]

Trees do have an impact on the channel's conveyance, but a few solitary trees have a pretty minor impact, especially in a channel the size of Brays Bayou. If the trees are planted near the top of slopes, or on top of the banks, the only blockage that the water sees is the trunk of the tree, which is a pretty minor loss.

HCFCD has been pretty progressive over the last 10-15 years in "greening up" the bayous around town, and now plants about 20,000 trees per year. In fact, HCFCD runs its own nursery that has room for around 10,000 trees. With 2,500 miles of channels to maintain, it's a long, slow and expensive process. And it's not helped by the fact that no one wants to pay for flood control or drainage around here.

The bayous can definitely be made to look more natural, but it takes lots of land, which is already developed, which means buyouts, which means lots of money, and lots and lots of time.

[musicman]

The bayous can definitely be made to look more natural, but it takes lots of land, which is already developed, which means buyouts, which means lots of money, and lots and lots of time.

JAX read closely.

[Dan the Man]

Aside from allowing greater water flow, the lack of trees also makes mowing easier for the city. I agree that trees probably shouldn't be planted within the banks of the bayou, but it would be nice to see some more in the top part along the hike & bike trail.

[NenaE]

link: http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth5865/m1/77/

The bottom picture shows S. MacGregor Dr.'s bayou before concrete, photo probably shot in the 1940's (book date). Maybe someone more familiar with the area could place where this is, exactly, with reference to the church.

[Dan the Man]

Hmm...another HAIF mystery... My gut reaction is that the 1940s photo is looking north across the bayou towards UH, and the church is the one on the northwest corner of Cullen and North MacGregor. However, the church at that location has the steeple on the side, not on the front. There is another church located a few blocks to the west, but this church also has the steeple on the side. I checked HistoricAerials.com back to 1957, but I couldn't find a church on North MacGregor with a configuration like the one in the photo. Perhaps one of these two churches was remodeled between the time the photo was taken and 1957?

[JLWM8609]

Hmm...another HAIF mystery... My gut reaction is that the 1940s photo is looking north across the bayou towards UH, and the church is the one on the northwest corner of Cullen and North MacGregor. However, the church at that location has the steeple on the side, not on the front. There is another church located a few blocks to the west, but this church also has the steeple on the side. I checked HistoricAerials.com back to 1957, but I couldn't find a church on North MacGregor with a configuration like the one in the photo. Perhaps one of these two churches was remodeled between the time the photo was taken and 1957?

It's the church on the NW corner of Cullen and North MacGregor. That church has two steeples, and the original steeple is still standing, and is the same steeple in the photo.

You can see it here. It's the steeple on the right.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=nyjrx171mqyw&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=32532126&encType=1

[Dan the Man]

It's the church on the NW corner of Cullen and North MacGregor. That church has two steeples, and the original steeple is still standing, and is the same steeple in the photo.

You can see it here. It's the steeple on the right.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCP&cp=nyjrx171mqyw&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&scene=32532126&encType=1

You're right...I didn't scroll far enough up Cullen on Google Streetview to see it.

[Jax]

That's pretty cool, thanks for the link. I think it looked pretty good back then.

Here's a horrible photo I took from my car window with my iPhone while waiting at a red light.

IT NEEDS TREES!

Obviously not on the concrete part but I don't see why planting trees on the grassy part would be so bad. Buffalo Bayou doesn't have as much grassy "dead space" separating the water from the road, and it seems to be fine.

Another big factor that people have;t mentioned is that River Oaks has a lot more money than the 3rd ward, so I'm sure the people in River Oaks had more influence over what happened to the bayou, and somehow they were able to prevent it from being paved.

Here are some photos of Buffalo Bayou for comparison.

5

There are even some parts of Buffalo Bayou that have paved banks but it doesn't look so bad because the grassy part is more nicely landscaped and the concrete is much less visible. It might not be the prettiest waterway in the world, but at least it has less of that "sewer" look.

Edited November 4, 2009 by Jax

[musicman]

Obviously not on the concrete part but I don't see why planting trees on the grassy part would be so bad.

[arisegundo]

They could as least line the trails with vegetation. By the time flood water were to get that high, flow restriction would be a moot point.