Conveyance of Lower Ben’s Branch Nearly Restored

A flyover of the lower portion of Ben’s Branch on March 6, 2020, revealed that Harris County Flood Control has nearly restored its conveyance, even if some sediment still needs to be hauled off.

With most of lower Ben’s Branch cleaned out, the Kingwood Library (left), Kingwood Greens (right), and The Enclave (background) can now breathe much easier.

Among Hardest Hit Areas During Harvey

During Hurricane Harvey, some of the hardest hit areas in Kingwood bordered Ben’s Branch. Ben’s Branch cuts diagonally through Kingwood from St. Martha Catholic Church on the north to Town Center, Kingwood Greens, The Enclave, Kingwood Village Estates and Kings Harbor on the south. Post-Harvey surveys showed significant sediment buildup along the creek which reduced conveyance.

Twelve seniors in Kingwood Village Estates died after Harvey as a result of injuries sustained during the storm or the stress of losing their homes.

In August of last year, Harris County Flood Control began cleaning out the creek.

The project scoped by HCFCD is to remove approximately 80,000 cubic yards of sediment between the red line at Kingwood Drive and the YMCA at the bottom right of the circle.

Flood Control estimated they would need to remove 75,000 to 80,000 cubic yards to restore the conveyance. Despite a setback called Tropical Storm Imelda, the project has been moving along nicely.

Looking west from the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge at Ben’s Branch before the project started. To get a sense of scale, that’s a HCFCD surveyor in the yellow jacket!
The same area today (looking west from a helicopter over the WLHP Bridge (lower left).

Here’s how the rest of the project looks.

East of the WLHP Bridge (foreground), some sediment is still drying along the banks before removal. However, the channel is open again for business.
The long stretch behind the Kingwood Town Center Apartments has been restored.
The stretch just south of Kingwood Drive by ReMax still needs clean-out and touch up.
The area just east of the YMCA is still being actively excavated.
Same area, still being actively excavated near YMCA.

Merchants and residents alike should breathe much easier during the upcoming hurricane season.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/10/2020

924 Days after Hurricane Harvey

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