Harris County has officially started tearing into one of its oldest problem spots, breaking ground on the Poor Farm Ditch modernization project on July 13, 2026, in Southside Place. The roughly $32.7 million effort is designed to cut flood risk inside the Loop and protect about 500 homes in West University Place and Southside Place, wrapping up years of planning and funding wrangling that finally pushed the project into construction this summer.
What the project will do
The Poor Farm Ditch project will overhaul about 3,100 linear feet of the concrete-lined drainage channel in the Brays Bayou watershed. Crews will widen the channel from about 30 feet to 40 feet and deepen it from roughly 7.5 feet to 10 feet, changes that officials say increase the effective flow area by more than 60%. Commissioner Rodney Ellis marked the July 13 groundbreaking alongside U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Texas state Rep. Ann Johnson, West University Place Mayor Susan Sample, Southside Place Mayor Andy Chan and Harris County Flood Control District Executive Director Marcus Y. Stuckett. Engineers say the upgrades will significantly increase conveyance capacity for storm flows, according to Harris County.
Funding and partners
The Harris County Flood Control District will manage construction, paid for through a mix of federal community project funding, Texas legislative appropriations, Harris County’s 2018 flood bond and direct contributions from West University Place and Southside Place. Local officials and the county coordinated through an interlocal agreement and right-of-way conveyances so the Flood Control District could move the design into active construction. Documentation and background are available from West University Place and the Harris County Flood Control District.
Timeline and neighborhood impacts
To keep the project from overwhelming nearby streets and backyards, work will roll out in roughly 500-foot segments, with each stretch finished before crews move to the next. Bids opened earlier this year and construction was expected to begin in early summer 2026. Community reporting notes that the reconstruction will directly affect a small number of properties that sit immediately along the channel, and that the full effort is targeted for completion by 2030. Mitigation measures such as temporary fencing and staged access are planned to minimize impacts on homeowners, according to Community Impact.
Why it matters
West University Place officials say Poor Farm Ditch handles drainage for a substantial share of homes in the local floodplain, and the channel’s deteriorating concrete lining has been flagged as a vulnerability for decades. “A third of West U homes in the floodplain are drained by Poor Farm Ditch,” a city official told Community Impact, a reminder of why county and local leaders pushed this rebuild to the front of the line.
