The muddy rivers — notably the San Jacinto and the Buffalo Bayou — that meander through Houston struggle to carry much water. But by Monday, the authority had no choice but to open the flood gates to send 79,141 cubic feet of water to flooded Houston every second. The Corps spent $14.2 billion to improve flood control in New Orleans after Katrina, which was aimed at building up levees and flood walls. In the aftermath of Katrina, the American Society of Civil Engineers said that New Orleans’ flood control was a system in name only. Chicago, for example, has massive tunnels hundreds of feet underground that can store 21 billions of gallons storm water and prevent sewage contamination of Lake Michigan, he noted.

Source: Los Angeles Times August 29, 2017 10:01 UTC