Willow Waterhole Bayou is a narrow 4-mile-long natural tributary of Brays Bayou. It flows through Houston’s Brays Oaks area—once oil tycoon Walter Fondren's ranch—and Westbury neighborhoods. In the 1940s, when the ranch land was being developed, portions of the original stream bed were rerouted. Today the bayou emerges southeast of the intersection of W. Bellfort Blvd. and Fondren Rd. and eventually flows northeast from Braewick Dr. through the Westbury and Willow Meadows neighborhoods.

The bayou, Scout Lake, its weir (similar to a spillway), and the culvert connecting the lake to the basin complex can all be seen at the end of the 500-foot-long Bayou Trail, which begins at the left of The Gathering Place on S. Willow Dr.

In generations past, the bayou was known by people living nearby as “the ditch.” Even today it is generally a quiet stream of muddy water that stays within its banks, with a normal water level between 44.55 and 44.74 feet above sea level.

In the last decade, however, the bayou overflowed several times—in April 2013, May 2015, October 2015, April 2016, and August 2017—inundating homes in the surrounding area. But since 2018, when the detention basin complex was completed and connected to the bayou, no structural flooding has occurred.

Houston's Flood Problem

As anyone who has lived in Houston for a few years knows, Houston has a flood problem. The reasons are many.

Man-made factors play a leading role. Explosive suburban growth, the proliferation of impermeable concrete, asphalt, and brick, and Houston’s aging drainage system—all contribute to Houston's frequent street flooding.

The area’s natural topography discourages runoff. The flat ground rises only about 1 foot per mile, and the indigenous clay soil repels rainwater.

The weather gets most of the blame—whether global warming, long-term climate cycles, random weather patterns, or simply intense downpours that overpower drainage systems. For example, in 2001, Tropical Storm Allison delivered up to 80% of Harris County’s average annual rainfall in less than a week. And in 2017, Hurricane Harvey dumped 40 inches of rain over Houston in just 4 days.

Unfortunately, Houston’s sprawl shows no real signs of containment, despite new policies regarding developments and water detention—and climate models predict even larger, more frequent storms. And unfortunately, because the funding allocated by government entities and taxpayers for long-term flood mitigation will probably never be enough, dealing with storms and floods may always be a factor of life in Houston.

Houston's 21st Century Floods