HOUSTON — Harris County broke ground on the $32.7 million Poor Farm Ditch Project on July 13, 2026. The project aims to protect approximately 500 homes in West University Place and Southside Place by modernizing an aging drainage channel within the Brays Bayou watershed.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place at 9 a.m. at the Southside Place Police Department, located at 6309 Edloe St. in Houston. Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Texas State Rep. Ann Johnson, Southside Place Mayor Andy Chan, West University Place Mayor Susan Sample, and Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Marcus Y. Stuckett attended the event.

The project will modernize approximately 3,100 linear feet of drainage infrastructure. Plans call for widening the channel from about 30 feet to 40 feet and deepening it from 7.5 feet to 10 feet. These modifications will increase the channel's effective flow area by more than 60%, improving stormwater capacity for the surrounding neighborhoods.

Funding for the $32.7 million initiative comes from a partnership involving local, state, and federal sources. The financing includes federal Community Project Funding, Texas legislative appropriations, Harris County’s 2018 Flood Bond, and direct contributions from the cities of West University Place and Southside Place.

Why It Matters

West University Place and Southside Place are small municipalities within southwestern and west central Harris County, respectively, with combined populations under 17,000 as of the 2020 census. The Poor Farm Ditch Project represents a targeted infrastructure investment in communities that have historically faced flood risks due to outdated drainage systems.

The project builds on Harris County’s broader flood mitigation strategy, which includes the 2018 Flood Bond approved by voters after Hurricane Harvey. By upgrading critical channels like Poor Farm Ditch, the county aims to reduce repetitive flooding in vulnerable residential areas.