Valley Manor Ditch west of Kingwood High School now cleared

Small Success in the Fight Against Flooding Sets Good Example

9/11/25 – In the fight against flooding, success is not always defined by grand infrastructure projects costing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Sometimes flood risk can be reduced by simple maintenance. The ditch west of Kingwood High School that parallels Valley Manor Drive is an example.

Culverts under Kingwood Drive had become badly blocked with sediment and underbrush, reducing their conveyance.

To make residents safer, two Republican City Council members working with a Democratic Mayor mobilized the Houston Public Works Department and a private contractor.

Result: They reduced the flood risk of approximately 100 families living upstream from the blockages that flooded badly during Hurricane Harvey. People and homes are safer now. Because everyone worked together.

Before Photos

The photos below show what the ditch looked like before the project started.

blocked ditch under Kingwood Drive
Downstream exit
Valley Manor Drainage Ditch Scouting Session
Lower angle showing scale of downstream blockage
Valley Manor Drainage Ditch Scouting Session
Ditch had become totally overgrown in median.
Valley Manor Drainage Ditch Scouting Session
Aerial view of blocked ditch in median (below car)
Valley Manor Drainage Ditch Scouting Session
Public Works personnel survey the magnitude of the job from the upstream side of Kingwood Drive.

After Photos

Downstream exit now cleared.
Median now cleared
Median from opposite direction
Aerial shot of cleared median
Upstream entrance now all clear

Results, Not Rhetoric

This won’t make national headlines. It won’t inspire millions of clicks or likes. But it is a great example of working together across the political divide to make people safer. As City Council Member Fred Flickinger, no stranger to the political arena, said, “We have a lot more that unites us than divides us.”

The job isn’t quite done yet. Flickinger said that the City intends to hydro-mulch this area to reduce erosion. However, Council will have to approve additional budget for that.

Credit goes to:

  • Houston City Council Members Flickinger and Twila Carter
  • Dustin Hodges, Flickinger’s Chief of Staff
  • Houston Mayor John Whitmire
  • Houston Public Works
  • Kingwood Flood Fighter and Activist Chris Bloch

Bloch, a member of the Bear Branch Trail Association board, helped document conditions before the job and arranged rights of entry for contractors.

Thanks to all involved!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/11/25

2935 Days since Hurricane Harvey