The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will hold a virtual Community Engagement Meeting for Adlong Ditch Conveyance Improvements on May 25. The purpose: to share project information and update residents on status of the project. This project is in the Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) stage. PER objectives include delivering more detailed recommendations for flood […]
One of the more innovative flooding solutions in the Houston area can be found in Clear Lake. It’s called Exploration Green. Exploration Green is an old 178-acre golf course converted into a series of five large stormwater retention basins that also act as wetlands, wildlife habitat, and recreational amenities. Reforestation forms an extensive part of […]
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) delivered its March 2022 Flood Bond Spending Update yesterday to Commissioners Court. It shows $226,476,745 dollars worth of active capital construction projects underway throughout the county. But only two of those valued at a grand total of $2,000 are in the Lake Houston Area. That’s less than one-tenth of […]
Last month, the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) approved a $2,208,906 grant from the State’s Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) to the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for expansion of the Lauder Stormwater Detention Basin. The detention basin will eventually hold 1,260 acre-feet of stormwater in Aldine along Greens Bayou. The project will help reduce […]
Ironically, Hurricane Harvey united us in disaster and divided us during recovery. Perhaps that is the storm’s most lasting insult. United by Disaster 1,714 days ago, Hurricane Harvey ravaged Harris and surrounding counties. The storm dropped the greatest rainfall in the history of the North American continent. It flooded 154,000 homes in Harris County and […]
Back in 2019, portions of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest Villages flooded twice. The first time occurred on May 7th. According to Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) report on the storm, “A 30-min rate of 2.9 inches was recorded at US 59 and the West Fork of the San Jacinto River and a […]
Less than six months ago, Guefen started clearing land for the Preserve at Woodridge. Plans showed that the Preserve would contain 131 Lilliputian-sized homes for rent, some as large as 668 square feet. Already, more than half the homes are framed out. And one fifth have roofs. I counted 73 homes either completely or mostly […]
I last updated Humble ISD’s Kingwood Middle School (KMS) and New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School construction projects in mid-March. Since then, KMS contractors have continued work to finish the exteriors while beginning interior work. Humble ISD has not updated its web page on KMS construction details, but some changes are visible from the […]
Houston Community College last week announced what it called a first-in-the-nation Resilience Center. The Center will offer continuing education and certification in seven aspects of resiliency that affect ten industries. From Virtual to Real-World Similations Students will experience all the dangers an individual is likely to encounter in a real disaster. Those include “flooded residential […]
Two weeks ago, I wrote a post about the brain drain at the highest levels in Harris County government, and its impact on productivity and service delivery. Sixteen departments have had a total of 34 leaders under Lina Hidalgo. Since then, dozens of people have contacted me describing the impact of turnover on programs and service. […]