At a Glance

Award-winning project restored a degraded rural stream and transformed it into the centerpiece of a 3,200-acre community.

Project Description

Biohabitats designed the restoration of approximately 15,000 linear feet of Flewellen Creek. Years of ditching, grazing, and loss of riparian vegetation resulted in severe erosion and the rural stream channel’s loss of connection to its floodplain.

Biohabitats, along with SWA Group and Brown & Gay Engineers, helped restore the degraded stream corridor and establish it as the centerpiece of a 3,200-acre, mixed-use community development. More than 25 miles of trails follow 400 acres of open space corridors that meander along the restored Flewellen Creek.

After performing a fluvial geomorphic assessment, Biohabitats developed a concept plan that reconfigured the planform, profile, and cross section to a stable form under the existing hydrologic regime. The design realigned the stream as a low gradient, meandering system, and created floodplain wetlands and native riparian zones. Biohabitats then helped prepare final design drawings and provided construction oversight. The project received a Merit Award from the Texas Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a Silver Award in Engineering Excellence from the Texas Chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies.

Details

Bioregion

Other

Physiographic Province

Coastal Prairies

Watershed

Buffalo-San Jacinto

Expertise Areas

Ecological Restoration

Owner

Trendmaker Development Company

Location

Fort Bend County, Texas, United States

Project Team
  • SWA Group