Four Years of Persistence by Flood Activist Finally Paying Off

11/13/24 – Four years of persistence by flood activist Chris Bloch are finally paying off. HCFCD is clearing a drainage ditch blocked by silt and vegetation.

Bloch, who does not live near the ditch, has no financial stake in the clean-out effort. Yet he has stayed on top of the project and gently pushed it along out of concern for Kingwood. His persistence should be an example for everyone everywhere.

Effort Began in 2020

Concerned about how flooding could affect the future of his community, Bloch, a retired engineer, began exploring local drainage issues after Harvey and quickly became a flood activist. In 2020, he reported problems related to G-103-36-02.1 to Harris County Flood Control. The unnamed ditch runs from Kingwood Drive to Lake Kingwood, a couple blocks east of Woodland Hills Drive.

The ditch is only about 1,500 feet long, but helps drain a much larger area around it, including the major intersection of Kingwood Drive and Woodland Hills. The intersection often floods in heavy rains when water backs up in storm sewers because they are blocked by sediment and silt in the ditch.

The two thoroughfares are important evacuation routes during major floods. The flooded intersection also causes major inconvenience at other times. In addition, homes, yards and streets along the ditch have flooded multiple times in recent years as it has become increasingly blocked.

Bloch worked with the Kingwood Lakes Community Association to grant access, so that Flood Control could cross Kingwood Lakes Property.

Overcoming One Obstacle After Another

Finally, in 2021, Bloch received an email indicating the Flood Control District was finally going to start a clean-out project in June of that year.

But a railing installed by the City of Houston along a Kingwood Drive sidewalk still blocked access to the site.

It took several months for HCFCD to get permission from the City to remove the railing.

June 2021 came and went, and the project never started.  When Bloch inquired about the delay, he was told they would start in September. That did not happen.

In November, HCFCD told him it had cancelled the project because it did not have “property rights” to the channel. This was despite the fact that HCFCD had posted its signs on the channel. 

Bloch persisted. After investigation, he found the City of Houston originally inherited the channel from the MUD District as a result of annexation. The City agreed to transfer the property to the Flood Control District, but somehow the paperwork was never finalized.

So Bloch approached former District E City Council Member Dave Martin. Martin got the paperwork finalized.

Confusion and Nature Lay Down More Obstacles

Finally, in March 2024, HCFCD admitted they had property rights to the ditch and would reinstate the project. 

But HCFCD indicated it would have to clear vegetation before the project could start. According to Bloch, crews came out to Kingwood, but mistakenly cleared vegetation on a different tributary of the Bear Branch channel.

Before they could straighten that out, Hurricane Beryl further obstructed the proper channel. Several trees and limbs fell into it. 

Bloch worked with a FEMA contractor to make sure they cleared the channel of all tree debris. As a result, HCFCD could finally initiate sediment removal and the project began several weeks ago.

Bloch Remains Vigilant

But Bloch has not let up. He continues to watch the contractor like a hawk. His concern: that sediment piled along the channel’s edge could back water up into yards and homes if we get a heavy rain.

Few people would take on a project like this unless it affected them personally. I find Bloch’s persistence amazing, inspiring and refreshing. I see him popping up at projects I follow all over Kingwood. His activism is a shining example of what it takes to get things done when dealing with multiple entities and overworked bureaucracies. It’s just too easy for things to get lost in the shuffle.

Thank you, Chris Bloch! We need more flood activists like you.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/13/24

2633 Days since Hurricane Harvey