Civil Engineering Magazine | by Robert L. Reid

The Eastern Glades project in Houston has added a new artificial lake and other amenities to the city’s Memorial Park. As a highlight of the park’s 10-year master plan, the multifunction Hines Lake provides the local community with stormwater treatment, flood control protection, aquatic wildlife habitats, recreational facilities, and other benefits. 

A devastating drought across the American Southwest in 2011 served as a catalyst for major improvements to Memorial Park, Houston’s largest urban green space. That drought killed off as much as 90% of the tree canopy in certain areas of the park, according to the website of the Memorial Park Conservancy, which operates and maintains the site for the city. This drought led to a new 10-year master plan, which was developed by Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects and adopted by the Houston City Council in 2015. 

Key features of the master plan focus on restoring the park’s ecological systems and creating greater resiliency, according to the conservancy. The plan will also work to reconnect the park’s land, waterways, trails, and people; maintain the land and the park’s cultural history; and enhance the park experience and amenities. 

The overall master plan for Memorial Park is being funded in part by a $70 million gift from the Kinder Foundation — a Houston-based philanthropic organization — which helped secure $50 million in additional funding from the public sector “for infrastructure improvements and maintenance,” explains the conservancy. Additional funding for the full master plan is still in the works. 

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