Converted golf course in Clear Lake City proves its flood-control worth during Harvey
A former golf course being turned into the Exploration Green park in Clear Lake City held about 100 million gallons of water during Hurricane Harvey, despite the project not being finished.
The Clear Lake City Water Authority purchased a shuttered golf course in 2011 and started converting it into Exploration Green, a nearly 200-acre urban park with a network of storm-water detention lakes, wetlands, trails and one outlet fields. The project was designed to retain runoff that would otherwise overwhelm drainage systems, aiming to store up to 500 million gallons across five planned ponds. During Hurricane Harvey, only about 80 percent of the first pond had been dug, yet it still detained roughly 100 million gallons, which officials say saved around 150 homes from flooding.
Long-time resident Spyros Varsos, who cleared debris from his street, credited the unfinished facility for protecting his property. Community groups, including the Exploration Green Conservancy, helped shape the park to remain usable for recreation when not serving flood control. The early performance of the site illustrates how repurposing vacant land can provide immediate flood relief while larger regional projects are underway.
Why it matters
It shows how local land reuse can quickly reduce flood risk in storm-prone areas.
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