HOUSTON – Buffalo Bayou Park and the Cistern were hit hard by the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey.
Here's a look at the burning questions about the park:
1. When will the dog park reopen? The reopening will take months. Right now, there is no exact time frame. The dog park has flooded several times in the last two years. Water still stands in the middle of the park.
2. When will the Cistern reopen? The 91-year-old Cistern will reopen Thursday. It had a lot of water inside what was previously a giant water storage tank. Stephanie Kiouses of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership said, “Around 13 feet. So if you've been inside, just beneath the lighting on the railing, and a lot of that was due to parking lot runoff. When we redesigned the space, that's something that was added to it.”
3. How are the walking and running paths? All 5 miles of the concrete walk/run/ride trails are open again. However, some of the lower asphalt trails remain closed. You may find some of the concrete trails are occasionally closed as workers remove more of the sand.
4. Speaking of sand, what's in the sand and where will it go? The Buffalo Bayou Partnership said it sent sand samples out for testing. The results of those tests will determine what will happen with the sand. Anne Olson, president of the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, said, “We're in the process of testing it using a company that knows about this sort of thing. We hope to start hauling it off probably by next week or the week after."
5. How can I help and where can I get the latest information on the cleanup? Check out buffalobayou.org. Individual volunteers, groups and companies are helping with the cleanup.
