The Wilderness Among Us - Reduce Flooding

Houston, unlike most major cities, still boasts of vast wilderness areas nearby – largely because of the epic flooding problems they have. The wilderness among us somehow manages to attract people to an environment plagued by heat, humidity, frequent flooding and roaches as large as Buicks.

Wilderness is restful. It rejuvenates the spirit. It anchors us.

But in our zeal to live near wilderness, we destroy the very thing that attracted us.

You lose beauty, solitude and the sense of peacefulness that come from watching a deer born in your yard or an eagle land on your tree.

Lawn fawn — *Photographed minutes after birth…outside my front door.*

Two-Hour Helicopter Flight Reveals Hidden Problems

Today, a rented helicopter took me over one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in north Houston. It’s property owned by developers between Spring Creek and the West Fork, south of the Grand Parkway and north of Humble.

Ryko Flood risk — *Floods in this area could reach as much as 25 feet above the land surface according to FEMA.*

Regardless, people have plans to develop this property.

*Looking northwest at the confluence of Spring Creek (left) and the San Jacinto West Fork (bottom).*

*Farther west, we encountered this view at the northern end of Townsen Boulevard in Humble. Looking N across Spring Creek running left to right above the middle of the frame.*

*As I snapped this shot, I pondered nature’s uniformity in randomness.*

I couldn’t understand why such a large area so close to a major population center remained undeveloped. Then we flew north over it. Below are several representative shots.

*The property is riddled with swamps and wetlands.*

*Wading birds such as egrets, great blue herons, roseate spoonbills, ibis and more live here.*

*Swamps stretched for miles. However, we did see dozens of deer stands in some of the higher areas.*

*One hydrologist said homes in these areas should be built on stilts, like on the Bolivar Peninsula, to remain flood safe.*

But homes are not being built on stilts.

*As we flew north, we saw civilization consuming wilderness like a giant maw*.

A Park Could Overcome Potential Problems

I’m not saying all the land above has flooding problems. Some areas may be high enough to weather the storm, especially on the northern end. But I see several big problems with all that swampy land to the south.

If developers, regulators and unsuspecting buyers pretend those wilderness areas will not flood, someone could be killed.
Repeat flooding could cause the area to deteriorate and adversely affect the value of homes on higher ground.
Areas downstream will be adversely affected by increased runoff.
Wildlife will be forced to move elsewhere, eliminating one of the primary attractions of the area.
Early buyers who wanted to live next to wilderness will be forced to move….again.

I wish the undeveloped swamp land could be turned into a nature park where people and wildlife could make peace with each other. And actually increase home values.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/22/25

2854 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.