Why flood-weary Houston needs more willow water holes

HOUSTON - On the near Southwest side, Houstonians can find a half dozen man-crafted lakes the banks of which are laden with wild grass and rising timber.

And while a haven for walkers and bird watchers alike, the principle mission of these willow water holes is purely defensive - a 291-acre receptacle to drain the danger from a Harvey-like deluge. 

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Bill King endured the repercussions of a downpour so long and intense, that Willow's capacity to retain 600 million gallons of the run-off was simply not enough.

"I never realized the power of water, when the doors aren't open, and it's coming in and there is nothing you can do to stop it. On that fateful day we got six inches in the house," said Bill King with the Willow Water Hole Conservancy.

King's Westbury area home was swamped, along with hundreds of his friends and neighbors. And yet, if anything, the flooding only confirmed his support for more retention because, without Willow, so many more homes would have been inundated with high water.

 "To me, it's just plain old common sense," said King. "If you have more places like this that can hold water out of residential and business areas. We need it. We need it."

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Boosted by a $2.5 billion voter-approved bond issue, more than 160 projects are underway across the County.

King says even Willow has benefited with a completed culvert to nearby Prairie Lake increasing its capacity.

CONTINUOUS HURRICANE HARVEY COVERAGE

That said, he's troubled by the slow pace of protective progress, as Houstonians approach the peak of yet another storm season.

"The more (Harris County) is built out, the less ground there is for the water to soak up into, so you need places that will hold it. It (Hurricane Harvey) occurred once and the climate is not improving," said King.