Over the past decade, an abandoned golf course in Houston's Clear Lake area has been transformed into an urban oasis called Discovery Green.
Community members go there to walk and bike along six miles of trails, past ponds and wetlands filled with birds and other wildlife.
But essentially, the area was designed to serve a more practical purpose: protecting homes from flooding.
David Sharp is with the Exploration Green Conservancy, a nonprofit that helps support the project.
Sharp: “We have a lot of homes in the neighborhood and any heavy rain can cause flooding, water intrusion, which of course is devastating for homeowners.”
As climate changes, risks increase.
As a result, residents sought assistance from the local water department. The agency purchased the old golf course and built a series of stormwater detention ponds.
During heavy rains, ponds collect water that would otherwise flow into streets and homes.
Sharp: “We have the ability to retain 500 million gallons of water.”
It is then slowly released into local estuaries.
Sharp's team, led primarily by volunteers, helps restore the natural habitat around the pond…
…so nearby residents can escape nature and return to a dry home.
Report source: Sarah Kennedy/ChavoBart Digital Media
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