Perry Contractors Opened Up Woodridge Ditch Hours Before Rain Struck

Thursday evening, I posted about a drainage ditch on the western edge of Woodridge Village in Montgomery County that Perry contractors had partially blocked off.

Last year, residents of Adams Oaks, a Porter subdivision that borders Woodridge Village, say that alterations to that same drainage ditch contributed to flooding dozens of homes twice. Recently, the encroachments on the ditch became more pronounced as construction on the Perry site kicked into high gear.

*Encroachment on Adams Oaks drainage ditch by Perry Homes Contractors in Woodridge Village. Note how dirt spills past silt fence still visible in upper right.* *Picture taken on Monday, 5/11//2020*.

With storms and possible flash flooding predicted for Friday and Saturday, nervous residents worried about possibly flooding a third time and expressed their concerns to the contractor. Luckily, the current batch of Perry Homes’ contractors proved far more responsive than the last.

Contractors Clean Out Ditch Friday Morning Before Storm

Friday morning, they started cleaning out and widening the ditch. The rains came that night and into Saturday morning. And the nervous residents breathed a sigh of relief. There was no visible flooding, according to Jeff Miller, who toured Adams Oaks Saturday morning as rain ended.

Miller sent in these pictures of work in progress on Friday morning before the rain.

*Looking north. Adams Oaks resident inspects widening in progress on Friday morning. Photo by Jeff Miller taken 5/15/2020.*

*Reverse angle looking south toward N2 detention pond and Kingwood.* *Photo by Jeff Miller taken 5/15/2020.*

Miller’s pictures make it apparent that the ditch which emptied Adams Oaks is becoming part of a much bigger ditch that extends south from Detention Pond N2. In fact, the old ditch looks as though it will become the backslope interceptor swale for the new, bigger ditch, which is really the tail of the N1 detention pond that helps connect it to N2 and Taylor Gully. See map and photo below.

*The newly “rehabilitated” ditch ran along the western (left) edge of Woodridge Village between N1 and N2.*

Photo by Jeff Miller taken Saturday morning, shows that the old ditch, left, became the backslope interceptor swale for a much bigger new ditch (right.) This should improve Adams Oaks drainage. Photo take Saturday, 5/16/2020 after about 2 inches of rain.

Regardless, the contractors responded to concerns and scrambled to connect Adams Oaks with their drainage system before the storm.

*Standing at the end of Flower Ridge in Adams Oaks and looking west toward Woodridge Village.* *Photo by Jeff Miller taken Saturday, 5/16/2020.*

*Further south, you can see east/west drainage from Mace and Joseph reaching north/south drainage on Woodridge.* *Photo by Jeff Miller taken 5/16/2020.*

As additional detention ponds take shape, they will help hold water back from S1 and S2. That may help them prevent overflowing which flooded Elm Grove twice last year.

Status of Sale to County/City

That’s important. By Houston law, any financial transaction greater than $50,000 must be approved by a vote of City Council. And the Council did not consider the donation of land to Harris County Flood Control this week for a Perry deal this week.

You may remember that that was one of two conditions Harris County put on a purchase deal with Perry Homes. And Friday was Perry Homes’ deadline for consummating a deal. However, if the City and County can work something out before Perry finds a private buyer, I assume the land would still be for sale.

The purchase is not on the Harris County Commissioners’ Court agenda for next week.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/16/2020 with photos and reporting by Jeff Miller.

991 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.