Entries by admin

Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Taylor Gully Preliminary Engineering Projects Begin

On June 29, 2021, Harris County Commissioners approved two contracts for preliminary engineering on the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Taylor Gully Projects. This week, I’ve been getting reports of boots on the ground. So I grabbed my camera and went looking for activity this morning. I found a soil survey truck at Kingwood Drive next […]

Don’t Miss “Floods and Phytoremediation” This Saturday At Jesse Jones Park

Want to learn how to create healthy, resilient, natural spaces in your community that can mitigate the effects of flooding? Harris County Precinct 4 will sponsor a free event this weekend at Jesse Jones Park called “Floods and Phytoremediation.” It starts at 1PM, 20634 Kenswick Drive, Humble, TX 77338 near Spring Creek. For directions, click […]

Possible Street Flooding Later Today

A front moving into the region could bring high hourly rainfall rates and rapid street flooding, according to Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist. He says, “A weak front will move into the area today and tonight, and stall near the coast or just offshore on Tuesday and Wednesday.” Slow-Moving Front, Training Cells, Possible Street Flooding […]

China’s “Sponge Cities”

A reader sent me a link to a fascinating article by Ann Scott Tyson in the Christian Science Monitor about China’s “sponge cities.” It reminded me of a recent study by Dr. Matthew Berg about the need for conservation to be a component of all flood solutions. Tyson’s Sponge City article focused on recent Chinese […]

Lake Lowering to Start as Peak of Hurricane Season Nears

According to its lake lowering policy adopted last year, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) should start to drop the level of Lake Conroe this weekend. Text of Lake-Lowering Policy The lake-lowering policy states: “Beginning August 1, release only an amount of water from Lake Conroe to create a one foot capacity to catch rainfall […]

Changes to ReduceFlooding: New “Funding” Page

I have made two major changes to ReduceFlooding.com by adding a new page dedicated to “Funding” and removing the “High Rise” page from the menu. High-Rise Issue No Longer Topical, Funding Is Funding is a hot topic at the moment and the high-rise battle is over…at least for now. Even though I removed the high-rise […]

Northpark Drive Expansion Details

On July 28, 2021, Stan Sarman, chairman of the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA), discussed details of the Northpark Drive expansion project with a group of Kingwood executives. The story below is based on his comments. Improvements Motivated by Traffic Congestion, Railroad Delays and Flooding The severely congested Northpark Drive will expand from four lanes […]

Conservation Flood Planning in Texas

Texas has a dubious distinction that not many people realize. We lead the nation in flood events and their impacts. Not one of Texas’ 254 counties has escaped flooding. Despite our prowess in engineering, engineering alone has not prevented flooding. As a growing number of leaders are now starting to recognize, success will require the […]

Lauder Basin: Another Flood-Mitigation Project that Doesn’t Exist According to Some

On Lauder Road west of JFK, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has been building a detention basin next to Greens Bayou. This is another one of those detention basins that doesn’t exist, according to some politicians and community activists. Even though the politicians voted to fund the projects, and the projects are well underway, […]

Take Two Minutes To Help Reduce Flooding in San Jacinto Watershed

The Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative needs your help. The group’s four-year effort to establish best management practices (BMPs) for sand mines in the San Jacinto River basin is drawing to a close. But one of the rules needs strengthening. Leave a public comment to that effect on the TCEQ website. It should […]