Contractor Only Partially Complies with BMPs at Foster Elementary Reconstruction Site

1/6/2025 – Before New Year’s Day, I posted about the lack of best management practices (BMPs) at the Foster Elementary reconstruction site in Kingwood. A contractor let sediment-laden runoff escape the site, fill the street and flow into unprotected storm drains. Photos taken yesterday after a storm front passed show that it’s still happening.

Partial List of Sediment Control BMPs for Construction Sites

The EPA considers sediment a major source of pollution. And not following best practices to control it can clog storm drains, channels and streams, raising flood risk. I quote from the Agency’s brochure: “Sediment fills up storm drains and catch basins to carry water away from roads and homes, which increases the potential for flooding.”

To reduce the potential for flooding, the EPA recommends several best practices. They include, but are not limited to:

1. Silt Fencing around the perimeter to intercept and slow down runoff, so sediment can settle before water flows off the construction site.

2. Stormwater-Inlet Protection, such as sandbags, placed around stormwater inlets to capture sediment before it enters the storm drainage system.

3. Sediment Control Logs (Wattles) filled with straw or other materials to capture sediment before it leaves the site.

4. Mulching with organic materials such as straw, hay, or wood chips to help to protect soil.

5. Sediment Basins & Traps to capture sediment from runoff until it settles out of suspension. 

6. Erosion Control Mats or Blankets to stabilize disturbed soil and prevent erosion.

7. Stormwater Diversion Channels to direct runoff to sediment-control ponds or a controlled discharge areas.

8. Construction Entrance/Exit Stabilization with gravel to minimize tracking of mud onto roads from construction vehicles.

9. Geotextiles to stabilize soil.

Slight Improvement, But Still Lacking

After the last post, the Humble ISD contractor did add straw wattles (#3 – sediment control logs) in front of the main construction site entrance.

But storm drain inlets remained unprotected. And part of the perimeter lacked silt fence.

As a result, sediment still escaped the site, entered the street, and entered the storm sewer. See the photos below taken by Chris Summers, a local resident and retired commercial photographer, after a recent storm front dropped .84 inches of rain on 1/5/25.

While that showed some improvement, other parts of the perimeter still lacked protection and let water escape.

Summers says he took the photos above after the storm front on 1/5/25 passed through.

How much effort does it take to drop a couple sand bags next to a storm sewer inlet? Could it cost much more than coffee and a danish? There’s just no excuse for this.

Sound Off to the School Board

I have already emailed members of the Humble ISD school board and suggest you do, too. We have lots of good contractors in the area that know how to follow best practices.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/6/25 with photos by Chris Summers

2687 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.