During Hurricane Harvey, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) released almost 80,000 cubic feet per second from the Lake Conroe Dam. This amounted to ONE-THIRD of all the water coming down the highly populated corridor between Humble and Kingwood. Massive damage resulted. How Lake Lowering Policy Started Almost 6,000 structures along the West Fork flooded. […]
Today, the Texas Water Development Board formally approved the $30 million grant that will extend the mouth bar dredging program started by the City of Houston last week. Approval had been expected, but in the often-delayed world of flood mitigation projects, the signed deal was a welcome relief. This means that mouth bar dredging can […]
Social psychologists call it “diffusion of responsibility.” People tend to shun responsibility for action or inaction when others are present. Individuals assume that others will take action or have already done so. We saw an example that yesterday when exactly one person from Kingwood protested a resolution in MoCo Commissioners Court to stop lowering Lake […]
Everyone from County Commissioners to people on the street are picking up sides. MoCo Commissioners Oppose Lowering in Split Vote In a 3-2 vote this morning, Montgomery County Commissioners approved a resolution to OPPOSE the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Judge Keough, Commissioner Meador and Commissioner Noack voted FOR the resolution. Commissioners Riley and Metts […]
On January 10, Mayor Sylvester Turner wrote the SJRA Board to support continued lowering of Lake Conroe. “This temporary measure,” said the Mayor, “will help mitigate against future flooding until permanent flood gates can be installed and dredging of the San Jacinto’s West Fork can be completed.” Reminding LCA Who Owns the Water The Mayor […]
To avert another seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe, the Lake Conroe Association is appealing to State Representatives, State Senators, the Governor, the Conroe City Council, and Montgomery County Commissioners. They focus on the temporary loss of recreation in some parts of the lake. They also say that “damages” home values and businesses. Finally, they’re telling […]
After pulling all construction equipment from the Woodridge Village site in December, Perry Homes’ contractors returned this week. They are still working on the S2 (second southern) detention pond. But the new work appears to undo some previous work, and make sediment-laden runoff worse. Woodridge Still Far Short of Promised Detention Capacity After about 15 […]
Tuesday, January 14, Montgomery County Commissioners will consider a resolution to OPPOSE the continued seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. The lowering provides a buffer against flooding for people on Lake Conroe, Lake Houston and communities between them during the rainiest period in the spring and the peak of hurricane season. It was designed primarily to […]
On December 30, 2019, the City of Houston issued a Notice To Proceed (NTP) for debris removal services. Specifically, that means the large silt deposit at the confluence of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston. The area is commonly known as the “mouth bar.” See below. Mechanical, Not Hydraulic Dredging The City […]
In December, the New York Times published a story about a company called Descartes Labs, which had trained computers to scan satellite images to detect changes in impervious cover. Descartes found that Texas had 9 of the top 20 counties in the US when ranked by the growth of impervious cover. So I contacted them […]