Entries by admin
Updates Relating to Proposed Sand Mining and Flood Mitigation Legislation
At the start of this legislative session, I added a new page to this web site called Legislation. Its purpose: to help people track key pieces of proposed legislation affecting the Lake Houston area that have to do with sand mining and flood mitigation. On it, you can see summaries of issues, links to the […]
Huberty Proposes Amendment to Appropriations Bill that Would Allocate $30 Million to Dredge Mouth Bar
Senate Bill 500 is an omnibus appropriations bill passed by the Texas Senate on March 13. The bill passed to the House for committee review and consideration the same day. Last Friday, March 22, State Representative Dan Huberty offered an amendment to SB 500. It would allocate $30 million to dredging the mouth bar where […]
After Town Hall Meeting, Confusion Still Swirls Around Status of Mouth Bar
To hear the City tell it, we’re days away from agreement to dredge 1.5 million cubic yards of the mouth bar. To hear Congressman Dan Crenshaw tell it, the permit application hasn’t even been filed yet. So where do things really stand. A reader asked last weekend, whether the Houston Chronicle story about the meeting […]
County Demolishes First of Buyouts In Forest Cove
Harris County Flood Control District, working with the help of the City of Houston, has demolished 803 and 805 Timberline Ct., and 1060 Marina Dr. (a burned structure) in the Forest Cove Townhome complex. Demolition Work to Date The parking lot and sidewalk at 1060 Marina are in process of removal. Grading of the lot […]
Stilts Not Always Answer, Evac Not Always Possible For High Rises Near Floodway
Last Monday, Gabriel Haddad, the Romerica developer who wants to put up 25-50 story high rises and 5,000 condos near the floodway of the West Fork, told a packed audience at the Kingwood Community Center that he would construct his buildings on stilts. Of course, he also wants to put 150,000 cubic yards of fill […]
Simple Policy Proposal to Change Economics of Floodplain Development
Want to change the economics of floodplain development? Deny flood insurance to anyone who builds new structures within a floodway. Grandfather structures that already exist. But don’t sell flood insurance policies to anyone who wants to, for instance, buy a new condo in a high-rise in the floodway of the west fork of the San […]