Police waiting for dozens of vehicles to be pulled from Houston bayous this summer

Houston police investigate the scene after a car was submerged in Buffalo Bayou in George Bush Park at 16800 Wertheimer Parkway, Thursday,Dec. 8, 2016 in Houston. One body was found inside the vehicle. Houston police investigate the scene after a car was submerged in Buffalo Bayou in George Bush Park at 16800 Wertheimer Parkway, Thursday,Dec. 8, 2016 in Houston. One body was found inside the vehicle. Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Police waiting for dozens of vehicles to be pulled from Houston bayous this summer 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

Houston Police Department investigators are standing on the banks of Houston bayous this summer, watching and waiting as contractors dive into the muddy waters to find dozens of submerged vehicles in an effort that began Wednesday, according to the Harris County Flood Control District.

Police expect to find evidence of crimes dating back decades. In recent efforts, many of the discovered vehicles had been reported stolen years ago, such as one from a 1999 armed robbery and another after a 2000 home invasion, according to the flood control district. The oldest vehicle recovered in the pilot project last year was a 1978 Datsun 280Z reported stolen in 1982.

Some cars, however, have contained human remains, such as a sedan pulled in December 2016 from Buffalo Bayou in George Bush Park and another pulled in July 2015 from Sims Bayou, the Chronicle previously reported. That's less likely, but not out of the realm of possibility.

More than 100 possible submerged vehicles were identified in 2012 when Texas Equusearch, a nonprofit that organizes search parties for missing people, conducted a sonar survey of the bayous.

Russ Poppe, the flood control district's executive director, said the Equusearch map has proved invaluable, as vehicles generally sit in the same spots five years

As vehicles are tugged out of the water, police look for any clear evidence that could help solve an investigation, Poppe said. Then the vehicles go to city lots where police examine them more closely before they head to an evidence lot or disposal.

"I think there's a high degree of concern that these vehicles (may contain) evidence that would solve a missing-persons case," Poppe said. "There's a strong desire to find out what secrets do lie in these submerged vehicles."

A pilot project in 2016 removed 20 vehicles and paved the way for follow-up efforts, the flood control district said. This phase of the project began Wednesday and will continue for about two months, funded equally by the city of Houston and Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Jack Morman. Work could continue in the future if vehicles remain after this summer.

Harris County awarded the $218,255 contract to Huffman Contractors LLC, a Port Arthur-based diving and marine construction company. Poppe said they were selected through a competitive bidding process run by Harris County purchasing officials. They are expected to remove about 65 vehicles.

"The contractor will use certified commercial divers and an excavator mounted on a series of floating barges to extract the submerged vehicles, along with other techniques," according to the flood control district, which oversees projects meant to reduce the damage from flooding from the 2,500 or so miles of bayous and creeks in Harris County. The divers operate according to strict safety protocols.

"That's why you don't see us yanking out dozens of vehicles a day," Poppe said. "It is a slow process because we want to make sure that it's a safe process."

In addition to providing new evidence for criminal investigations, removing vehicles from the bayous carries some environmental benefits.

"As vehicles get put in the bayous, they have a tendency to leak the liquids that keep them running— the oil, the antifreeze, the gas," Poppe said. Getting the vehicles out of the water may prevent further contamination.

The locations targeted this summer include Lidstone Street on Brays Bayou, other spots along Brays Bayou and several parts of Sims Bayou.