The HEN-1 tributary to Henrietta Creek, which drains through an area of industrial development in Haslet and Fort Worth, has been significantly modified and channelized over many years. As part of the Amazon Air cargo facility development, our team designed channelization for a 3000-linear-foot portion of the watercourse between Intermodal Parkway and the existing channelization just upstream of Tradewind Drive. The site plan required the channel to be relocated to the west, with the upper half of the reach running parallel and adjacent to Intermodal Parkway, and the remainder bending around and adjacent to existing and proposed buildings and an existing gas well pad.

Peloton Land Solutions, a Westwood company provided hydraulic design of the channel and four driveway culvert crossings, and designed erosion reinforcement for the outer areas of the three bends in the channel. Bends were also checked for freeboard while accounting for superelevated water surfaces. Our team designed a concrete baffled chute drop structure to provide energy dissipation and grade control. The grade break occurs at a 45-degree bend in the channel, which is less than ideal, but the structure was designed to turn flow at the top of the structure where velocities are low, so that water flowing down the chute has already turned and is generally flowing straight downstream. The chute contains baffle blocks to dissipate energy and further break up directional flows through the high-velocity portion of the channel.