Drainage ditches in Colony Ridge appear to violate Liberty County drainage standards from both 2004 and 2019. Both 2004 and 2019 regulations require developers to plant the slopes of ditches with grass to control erosion. In addition, 2019 regulations require backslope interceptor swales, another erosion-control measure. These prevent stormwater from running down the sides of […]
Twelve years ago, Hurricane Ike leveled the Bolivar Peninsula as it roared into Galveston Bay. Had Ike come onshore 10-20 miles west, Houston would be a very different place today. Most of Houston’s industrial might would have been on the dirty side of the storm instead of the dry side. Refineries, tank farms, and ships […]
In October, I reported on the Army Corps’ 210-page Buffalo Bayou and Tributaries Resiliency Study (BBTRS) Interim Report. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) provided eight pages of detailed comments on it. HCFCD shared concerns expressed by the public about certain alternatives such as the widening of Buffalo Bayou. HCFCD also expressed that they hoped […]
When last I checked on the lawsuits brought by Elm Grove residents against Perry Homes, et. al., it was early August. The plaintiff’s lawyers had added Concourse Development to the lawsuits and the defendants’ lawyers were blaming everyone in sight, including the flood victims, for their problems. Since August, both defendants and plaintiffs have filed […]
Although tropical storms and hurricanes can develop outside the June 1 to November 30 period, yesterday was the “official” end of the 2020 hurricane season. The 2020 season tied or set an astounding number of records. The following compilation comes from Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner. 2020 By the Numbers The 2020 season was the […]
Wayne Dolcefino, investigative reporter extraordinaire, posted a followup story today to his Thanksgiving expose of Colony Ridge, the world’s largest trailer park in Liberty County. It’s about a flood of foreclosures. More than 200 Foreclosures Before Christmas “More than 200 families will lose their land and homes Tuesday as the controversial developer in Liberty County […]
While reviewing the MAAPnext website today, I came across this 1-page PDF that outlines major changes to Harris County’s Policy Criteria & Procedure Manual (PCPM). It describes changes – based on new Atlas-14 Rainfall Statistics – that engineers and developers must follow when designing and constructing flood-control features as part of any development within Harris […]
Professor Emeritus William Dupré, Ph.D., of the University of Houston’s Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences filed a 36-page report with the TCEQ on sand mining in the San Jacinto River Basin. Dupré has broard experience with geologic hazards and risk assessment. He submitted his report in support of the petition filed with the TCEQ […]
Not long ago, Colony Ridge, the world’s largest trailer park, went to war with the City of Plum Grove. Now they are taking on Wayne Dolcefino, one of the nation’s leading. investigative journalists, too. Somebody needs to tell Colony Ridge developer Trey Harris to give his employees some media training. When Dolcefino set his sights […]
It’s easy sometimes to focus so much on problems, that we forget about progress. So let’s give thanks on this fourth Thanksgiving since Hurricane Harvey. We should truly take heart in what we have accomplished in flood mitigation so far. Detention The San Jacinto River Basin Master Drainage Study is virtually completed. This lays the […]