In 2020, RES was contracted to provide natural stable channel design construction services for approximately 3,500 LF of stream as part of a revitalization effort at Memorial Park in Houston, TX.

Once restored, this stream will flow under the Land Bridge and daylight south of Memorial Drive, increasing the connectivity of vital, native habitats within the park. Restoring this stream will also provide a riparian corridor for wildlife and increase the diversity of plants within this native landscape.

The construction scope of work includes stream grading, installation of toe wood, log vane, floodplain block, brush mattress, and constructed riffle structures. After the structures were installed and grading completed, our team installed coir matting along both sides of the channel to prevent erosion. Once the coir matting was installed, we planted native bare roots, aquatic plugs, and live stakes along the stream corridor to promote bank stabilization.

Due to the heavy recreational use of the park system by the public, we constructed the stream in two phases. The first phase, 850 LF, was constructed in 2021. The second phase, 2,650 LF, was constructed in the summer of 2022. This phased approach to stream construction allowed the park to remain open to the public during active construction.

Project Highlights

• Construction of natural stable channel design
• Planting of native bare roots, aquatic plugs, and live stakes