Figure 1. Timeline of community concerns registered through the City of 311 service and the Houston Health Department, 2010-2016.

Figure 2. Sunken cars and ambulance-treated asthma attacks and cardiac arrest in the study area, 2004-2011.

Figure 5. Percent of water quality indicators exceeding standards in Lower Brays by station ID, 2008-2015.

Table 1a. Ecosystem stressors and uncertainty, assumptions, and recovery potential. Ecosystem Risk: Ecosystem (green) and Uncertainty & Recovery Potential Stressor Line of Evidence Service Community (blue) Assumption and Path Sunken Damages habitat, creates unnatural Uncertainty: Low, cars/heavy deposition and erosion, damages 127 cars found with Flood trash Upstream extreme property, creates standing water up to four stacked Control blocking flooding increasing disease vectors and poor cars Assumption: Good, if cars and main aesthetics , limits use by joggers, Removal heavy trash are channel flow bikers, anglers and boaters =unimpeded flow removed and Car fuel, oil, Clean Water Act Uncertainty: clearance refrigerants, 303d list of Moderate, Human health, aquatic life health and maintained, but low metals, impaired water, connection not ecosystem health impacted; sheens if chain of disposal rubbers, and consumption of documented create poor aesthetic quality is not broken other blue crab/catfish Assumption: adversely effecting human well- synthetics banned, Removal will being degrade and documented positively impact enter system sheens quality Uncertainty: Low, Good, introducing a Third most High levels of bacteria pose human over 10 years water riparian buffer to Non-point impaired segment health risks, increased nutrients quality data, filter runoff from source in 13 county create algae blooms and decrease repeated fish kills fertilizer, limit pollution system, dissolved oxygen resulting in fish Assumption: excess algae and from runoff- documented algae kills; fish kills/algae create poor Reductions will normalize dissolved fertilizer blooms; four fish aesthetic quality adversely effecting positively impact oxygen; limit pet kills in four years human well-being quality waste Invasive fish Documented Uncertainty: Low, Clean Water species destruction of sediment analysis Good, reduction, for Habitat Destruction of current and future destruction City of Houston and sheens control can occur bayou vegetative natural filtration; of natural Public Works Assumption: through fishing destructed vegetation creates poor filtration and installed filtration Reduction, control of tournaments, but low aesthetic quality adversely effecting habitat for in plantings by invasive fish will if these activities are human well-being situ aquatic invasive Asian positively impact not sustained life Grass Carp quality Humans consume the contaminated fish, carcinogenic and no Dioxins, dioxin- Uncertainty: Low, carcinogenic in humans, this bayou Moderate for like PCBs and sediment analysis feeds the reducing new Non-point metals have been and sheens System and ultimately Galveston contamination ( source found in the Assumption: Non- Bay, habitat for commercial fish and riparian buffer as pollution sediment and fish point source shell fish food sources; dioxins are above) but the from runoff in the ship pollution reductions persistent in the environment, affect existing Dioxins and channel fed by the will positively human health and aquatic life at low PCBs are persistent bayou impact water quality concentrations, poses an ecological risk for fish and aquatic life

Table 1b. Ecosystem stressors and potential collaborative plan and synergisms. Ecosystem Recovery Path – Potential Stressor Potential Synergisms Service Collaborative Plan Sunken cars/heavy Harris County and local Flood Improvement in trails, encourages community trail trash blocking main government remove cars, community Control activity, which limits crime (car dumping), improves channel flow; recommends path to break cycle and human well-being, increases human health through Car fuel, oil, remove other trash, community-based exercise; large tree-planting increases the riparian buffer refrigerants, metals, organizations implement which in-turn reduces non-point source pollution which rubbers, and other recommendations (e.g., large tree increases habitat and carbon sequestration, which allows synthetics degrade planting at locations where cars can be dissolved oxygen to normalize, and eliminates fish kills and enter system driven in, cameras, walking trail/lights) Non-point source Community and community-groups Community-driven and collaboratively implemented pollution from recommend projects to increase riparian beautification fosters sustainability, requires Clean Water runoff-fertilizer buffer and limit pet waste labor/exercise which increases well-being for Habitat Invasive fish species Community/community-groups collaborative planning destruction of natural Community and community-groups increases the likelihood of success, stimulates filtration and habitat recommend projects to remove Asian communication to solve other community concerns; for in situ aquatic Grass Carp fishing in the tournament requires exercise life Community members and groups Community-driven and collaboratively implemented Non-point source recommend projects to increase riparian beautification fosters sustainability, requires pollution from runoff buffer labor/exercise which increases well-being Table 1c. Partner organization projects planned for the Lower Brays Bayou. Current and Future Projects Goals for Project Timeline Cost Submerged Vehicle Removal Pilot Project - The Refine removal process and 2016 - $300,000 Harris County Flood Control District (HCFD) launched document to use in future efforts; early a pilot project to remove 20 submerged vehicles from determine outcomes of removing 2017 Harris County . submerged cars. Submerged Vehicle Education Project - HCFCD Environmental education to 2016 - $50,000 with community groups to educate on risks and decrease dumping vehicles into 2017 negative impacts of dumping cars into bayou. Brays Bayou. Bayou Greenways Project for Lower Brays - Increase riparian buffer and limit 2016 - $500,000 Houston Parks Board improving greenspace by pet waste; improve the 2018 connecting biking/running trails and removing trash connectivity of trails. and planting meadows. Houston's 1st Annual Invasive Species Round-up Fishing tournament; reduce Annually $75,000 and Carp-a-thon Project - Multiple organizations destruction of wetland grasses; beginning host invasive fish tournament; educate on impacts of stimulate open communication to 9/2016 invasive species including Asian Grass Carp. solve other community concerns. Targeted Bridge Replacement - HCFCD leading Reduce flooding risks in Lower 2016- $15 efforts to reconstruct road and pedestrian bridge Brays Bayou watershed; improve 2019 million crossings along Brays Bayou at: (1) MLK Blvd. (2) infrastructure of the area; improve Forest Hill St. (3) 75th St. (4) Lawndale St. traffic flow in the area. Habitat Restoration at Lower Brays Bayou - With Restore key natural habitats along 2016 - $80,000 TX Coastal Watershed Program, Houston Wilderness, the Lower Brays Bayou. 2018 US Fish & Wildlife Services, and Student Conservation Association, initiate prairie-wetland matrix restoration of 100 acres in Mason Park along Brays Bayou.

Brays Bayou Paddling Trail Project – Community Provide critically-needed 2016 - $15,000 organizations establish landings for canoes/kayaks at recreational access along Lower 2017 either end of Lower Brays Bayou. Brays Bayou.

Table 2. Existing/secondary stressor, ecosystem, and health indicators. Existing/Secondary New/Primary Geographical Temporal Temporal Indicator Data Type Source Representation Representation Representation 1 ...on their health Census Tract Categorical 2010-2015 KIHAS,1 Year 1,3 (O) ...on how much a person's health is 2 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) affected by exposure to air and water ...on the quality of water in Houston's 3 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) bayous and streams ...about standing water that can breed 4 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) mosquitos in their neighborhood ...about if toxic wastes are leaking into 5 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G)

4 our streams and bayous

...about if their neighborhood has plenty 6 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) of safe and well-connected sidewalks

...about if they often see people being 7 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) physically active in their neighborhood

Respondents' opinion Respondents' ...about if they feel safe walking after 8 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) dark

...about if people in the neighborhood 9 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) generally get along well with each other ...about if there is a hike and bike trail 10 ZIP Code Categorical 2012 HAHS,2 Year 1,3 (G) within a mile or so of their home ...new questions developed for grant 11 ZIP Code Categorical Year 1,3 (G) objectives5 12 Crime Index ZIP Code Continuous 2010-2015 FBI, 1 Annual (O)

13 Sunken Cars Bayou Segment Count 2015 HCFCD,2 Annual (O)

14 Dissolved Oxygen 3 Stations Continuous 7 to 9 Samples/Yr BPCP,1 Bi-monthly (G,O)

15 Enterococci 3 Stations Continuous 3 to 8 Samples/Yr BPCP,1 Bi-monthly (G,O)

16 E.coli 3 Stations Continuous 0 to7 Samples/Yr BPCP,1 Bi-monthly (G,O)

17 Parameter Nitrate-N 3 Stations Continuous 7 to 9 Samples/Yr BPCP,1 Bi-monthly (G,O)

Water Quality Quality Water 18 Total Phosphorus 3 Stations Continuous 7 to 9 Samples/Yr BPCP,1 Bi-monthly (G,O) 19 Cubic Yards of Litter Collected Bayou Segment Continuous Monthly HPB,2 Monthly (O) 20 Count Regarding Fish Kills Census Tract Count Daily BPCP,2 Daily (O) 21 Count Regarding Litter in Bayou Census Tract Count Daily BPCP,2 Daily (O) 22 Count Regarding Sheens in Bayou Census Tract Count Daily BPCP,2 Daily (O)

23 Complaints Count Regarding Sewage in Bayou Census Tract Count Daily BPCP,2 Daily (O) 24 Verified Count of Sheens in Bayou Bayou Segment Count Daily BPCP,1 Daily (O) 25 Verified Count of Fish Kills Bayou Segment Count Daily BPCP,1 Daily (O) 26 Verified Count of Sewage Leak Events Bayou Segment Count Daily BPCP,1 Daily (O)

Figure 6. Logic model of proposed activities, outputs, and outcomes of the “Lower Brays Bayou Ecosystem and Community” project. Activities Outputs Short-term Mid-term Long-term Outcomes Outcomes Outcomes Data sources Increased Increased A model-based Objective 1 identified and community buy-in community framework for collected for research and engagement with community- and - Identify and collect Community ongoing ecosystem their surrounding data-driven existing data sources engaged in project improvement ecosystem ecosystem - Conduct community- and provided input efforts mitigation based qualitative data on model collection Water quality Reduced - Increase water quality measurements environmental measurements in the increased to bi- Improved and other Lower Brays weekly understanding of stressors - Evaluate the association Associations the association between stressors, evaluated and between stressors, ecosystem health, and analyzed ecosystem, and Enhanced Increased community health and health and well- ecosystem Findings from knowledge base well-being being health associations used to in the Lower - Develop a model of the build a model Brays Bayou associations community and Increased use of Improved Community the research data and community and engaged in project community community individual health and informed of the Objective 2 information for and well-being model and findings - Develop awareness of decision-making stressors and outcomes Partner Increased in the community organizations Improved community Engage stakeholders on engaged to utilize effectiveness of - engagement with the application of the the model mitigation and ongoing and future model to inform Use of the model other ecosystem decision-making for decision- environmental mitigation efforts - Evaluate the making evaluated efforts effectiveness of the Improved model and community Findings from the understanding of input on decision- use of the model the use of Ongoing making shared with Lower ecosystem and increased Brays and research human health utilization of data communities models for and community decision-making input/ buy-in for Mitigation and Objective 3 environmental other partner Revision of the efforts - Continue collecting data efforts evaluated model to account and information to using the model evaluate partners’ efforts for ongoing data Revision of the Evaluate the impact of collection and - model to include partner’s efforts through evaluation findings findings from its the model application Model-based Disseminate findings on - Findings from the Increased decision-making, progress to the evaluation of community evaluation, and community efforts shared with understanding of dissemination - Disseminate findings to the community, the relationship improved the general public and and in between the scientific community presentations and ecosystem and research journals health