4/15/2026 – In the quest the build the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood, there’s still much work to do. But contractors have made significant progress on Northpark in the last few weeks. The two ponds that bracket Northpark Drive at the US59 entrance are getting deeper. Meanwhile, the bridge abutment east of the railroad […]
4/14/26 – The San Jacinto Watershed received only 1% of all HCFCD spending in Q1, despite being the county’s largest watershed and having the worst flooding. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has published updated spending figures for 2018 Flood Bond Projects through the end of the first quarter of 2026. Analysis also revealed: Separately, […]
4/13/26 – Since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I’ve documented how numerous factors contribute to flooding. Individually, none is unique. You see them in operation everywhere around the world. But collectively, their impacts can “stack” in a way that degrades margins of safety and resilience – in some areas more than others. Progressively Eroding Margins of […]
4/12/26 – Numerous human and geologic factors drive flood risk. Where they exist in combination, flood risk degrades the most. One of the most important “lessons learned” since Hurricane Harvey has been how A) extreme population growth in B) a flat river basin with C) a constrained outlet … combine to increase flood risk. Extreme […]
6/11/26 – Those seeking to understand flooding in the Lake Houston Area need to understand the placement and construction of the dam within the larger San Jacinto River Basin. Lake Houston is what hydrologists call a “terminal reservoir.” Flood risk in the Lake Houston area is governed less by any single upstream factor and more […]
4/10/26 – Sediment buildups reduce river conveyance everywhere. But sedimentation is especially threatening in the Lake Houston Area because: Consequences of Sedimentation This combination of factors is not unique, but it is unusual in its magnitude and consequences. Here’s why. There is no way to remove sediment from Lake Houston except by dredging. Texas Water […]
4/9/2026 – Another “lesson learned” about flooding since Hurricane Harvey has been role of sedimentation from industrial-scale sand mining upstream from Lake Houston. It can only be appreciated from the air. Few, if any, urban watersheds have such dense clusters of sand mines directly upstream from their water reservoirs in major river channels. This is […]
4/8/26 – Water extraction from aquifers, driven by population growth, causes subsidence. It is a well-recognized phenomenon across the U.S. and in southeast Texas. Here in the Lake Houston Area, differential subsidence is creating a bowl in the landscape that amplifies flood risk for people in southern Montgomery and northern Harris Counties. Let’s look first […]
Flat terrain is one of the most under-appreciated aspects of flood risk. It complicates virtually every aspect of flood control. Flat terrain increases flood risk primarily by reducing the speed of runoff. It causes water to pool rather than drain away. Also, lack of gradient lets floodwaters spread wider, increases sedimentation, backs water up into storm […]
4/6/26 – One of the biggest “lessons learned” from Harvey is that coordinated Joint Reservoir Operations are crucial. The San Jacinto River Basin has two reservoirs controlled by dams. But coordinating their operation to reduce flooding remains elusive after 53 years. The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) finished the Lake Conroe dam in 1973, but […]