Woodridge Village Detention Ponds Passed Sunday Test, But...

On Sunday morning, Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident who lives near Woodridge Village, reported 5.5 inches in his rain gage. That compares to a 6.24 inch rain that fell on Woodridge on May 7, 2019, when hundreds of homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest flooded. Also, Woodridge falls about 40% short of current Atlas-14 standards required to hold back floodwater from a 100-year storm.

So you can understand how nervous Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest residents felt, especially considering that excavation of additional detention ponds on Woodridge Village has not yet started. Regardless, Woodridge did not flood homes across the county line this time. Here’s why.

Important Factors to Consider

Other important factors came into play last weekend that should relieve some of residents’ anxiety and help explain what happened.

First, remember that on May 7, 2019, Perry Homes’ contractors had clearcut 268 acres, but had barely begun work on detention ponds. Only one of five was complete.

Second, the intensity of the May 7, 2019 rain was higher than last weekend’s. On May 7, 6.24 inches fell in 5 hours. Last weekend, 5.5 inches fell in 9 hours.

Third, in 2019, the S2 detention area had been partially excavated but didn’t have any outflow control restrictions installed yet. So it didn’t really function as a detention pond.

Fourth, contractors had destroyed a berm between Elm Grove and Woodridge, and filled in a natural stream on Woodridge. Both have since been replaced.

Fifth, by current standards, last weekend we had a 5-year storm. But the detention ponds were designed to hold what today would be classified as a 25-year storm.

Photos Taken Sunday Morning

I took the photos below Sunday morning between periodic sprinkles, several hours after heavy rain stopped. They show how the current Woodridge Village detention handled the storm. All ponds were well within their banks. One was empty.

*The triangular pond on the left is N2. N1 is out of sight above it. The two ponds on the right are S1 (foreground) and S2 beyond it. N3 is out of sight at the top of the frame.*

*S2 was about halfway to two-thirds full.*

*The tail of S2 is already silting in but had plenty of room to spare.*

*N3 Pond on eastern edge of property was supposed to have had an outflow control device but never got one.*

*The Junction where water from all five ponds comes together before flowing into Taylor Gully. N3 is at top of frame.*

*Reverse angle shot of the Junction with Taylor Gully in the background. Note how high the detention ponds are compared to the gully.* *The areas that flooded so badly in 2019 are just beyond the ponds.*

*Water coming from the big trianglar N2 pond now has to go through these twin culverts which were almost completely inundated.*

*Wider shot shows volume of water backed up in N2.*

Only N1 in the NW corner of Woodridge was totally dry. The outflow capacity is much greater than the inflow. So this pond provides no detention benefit whatsoever. Local resident Jeff Miller says he has NEVER seen standing water in this pond.

Big Test and Additional Excavation Yet to Come

So the Perry-installed detention passed another test. But it was far from what college students would call a final exam.

Flood Control purchased this site last year and plans to turn it into a regional detention basin by more than doubling the detention capacity. However, the excavation contract lets the contractor take the dirt when it can be sold, while only meeting minimum monthly requirements which have not yet kicked in.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/11/2022

1596 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.

Important Factors to Consider

Photos Taken Sunday Morning

Big Test and Additional Excavation Yet to Come

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