Brays Bayou

Brays Bayou
Almeda Road bridge over Brays Bayou near Hermann Park.
Other name(s)	Braes Bayou, Bray's Bayou
Country	United States
State	Texas
County	Harris
Physical characteristics
Main source	Detention basin Western Harris County 29°42′45″N 95°40′21″W / 29.712394°N 95.672520°W / 29.712394; -95.672520
River mouth	Buffalo Bayou Harrisburg, Houston 29°43′37″N 95°16′37″W / 29.726926°N 95.276936°W / 29.726926; -95.276936
Length	31 miles (50 km)
Basin features
Basin size	129 square miles (330 km2)
Population	717,198
Tributaries	Left: Harris Gully Right: Willow Waterhole Bayou, Keegans Bayou

Brays Bayou is a slow-moving river in Harris County, Texas. A major tributary of Buffalo Bayou, the Brays flows for 31 miles (50 km) from the western edge of the county, south of Barker Reservoir along the border with Fort Bend County, east to its convergence with the Buffalo at Harrisburg. Nearly all of the river is located within the city of Houston; it is a defining geographic feature of many neighborhoods and districts, including Meyerland, Braeswood Place, the Texas Medical Center, and Riverside Terrace.

As a result of its central route through Harris County, the Brays Bayou watershed is heavily urbanized. Over 700,000 people reside within its 129-square-mile (330 km²) drainage area, which contains 124 miles (200 km) of open-channel waterway, mostly from artificial drainage channels. This high level of development, combined with a relative lack of flood control infrastructure, means Brays Bayou is extremely prone to flash flooding events.

The origin of the name Brays Bayou is unclear, and the alternate spellings Braes and Bray's have been used throughout its history, most prominently in Braeswood Place, a neighborhood which straddles the bayou southwest of Rice University, and Braeswood Boulevard, which runs along the river between Interstate 610 and Texas State Highway 288.