The City of Houston is launching its “Equity Indicators” project by asking for your comments to one important question: What makes a community equitable? Reflecting Houston’s Diversity Houston is the most diverse city in the nation, but despite the strength of our diversity and multiculturalism, Houstonians experience vast racial and ethnic disparities. The Equity Indicators […]
About a half block west of Kingwood High School, G-103-36-03, a small drainage ditch without a name, cuts under Kingwood Drive. More than a hundred homes near this ditch flooded during Harvey. Before Imelda, Harris County Flood Control District did an emergency “de-snag” on the ditch. That means they cleaned out fallen trees that were […]
Today, I came across an eye-popping presentation by John Blount, P.E.. Blount served as Harris County’s Engineer for decades. He left his position last year after serving the Engineering Department for 34 years. The presentation discussed how new building regs adopted in 2009 (and later amended) reduced damage rates during Harvey by approximately 20X. Before/After […]
Last week, the City of Houston started clearing debris from the culverts under Kingwood Drive near Kingwood High School. Local flood-fighter Chris Bloch has been working for years behind the scenes to document drainage issues such as this one and convince local officials to address them. Un-named and Long-Forgotten Tributary Finally Getting Attention One of […]
Along Halls Bayou, HCFCD is constructing a large stormwater detention basin and making channel conveyance improvements as part of Bond Project C-25. The detention basin will reduce the risk of flooding by taking in excess stormwater during heavy rain events and then releasing it slowly back to the channel when the threat of flooding has […]
I learned a new word today: solastalgia. I came across it while reading the UN Intergovernmental Panel 2022 Report on Climate Change. There it was on page 17 of the Technical Summary. Unequal Impact of Mental Health Challenges Section TS.B.5.2 says, “Mental health challenges increase with warming temperatures (high confidence), trauma associated with extreme weather […]
Four months after Laurel Springs RV Resort contractors started tying into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system, they may finally finish the job in the next few days. I spotted them yesterday and today, digging a trench from the pumps to the pond. At their present rate of progress, and with gasoline prices spiraling out […]
Within the last week, the focus of dredging moved from the East Fork San Jacinto to the mouth of Rogers Gully on the west side of Lake Houston near the Walden Country Club. HCFCD conducted a dredging operation upstream from the Rogers Gully mouth bar in 2020. But the mouth bar itself is in Lake […]
Since development of the Laurel Springs RV Resort started last October, the Centerpoint easement below the development has turned into a small lake. It’s not clear at this point what caused the lake to develop. Several theories come time mind: increased runoff; sediment blocking drains; heavy January rains; poorly drained soils; illegal discharges; or some […]
New data obtained from Harris County Flood Control District via a FOIA Request breaks down flood-mitigation funding by watershed through the end of 2021. It shows where your flood-bond money is going. It also debunks some popular myths. Those include the oft repeated: Rich watersheds get all the funding; poor watersheds get none. Partner funding […]