Below are two videos taken by Jim Zura of Zura Productions before and after Harvey. Together with other still images, flooding statistics and the Army Corps’ Value Engineering report, they demonstrate how radically Harvey transformed the West Fork. As you review these, keep in mind that the proposed new high-rise development in this area based […]
Before After Keith Jordan, a resident of Kingwood Lake Estates, sent me the pictures below today. They show how quickly Great Lakes Dredge and Dock and the Army Corps are reducing the giant blockage nicknamed “Sand Island” south of Kingwood Country Club. Keith generously consented to let share his pictures with you. He says that […]
Guidelines for floodplain development can bewilder even professionals. Overlapping jurisdictions often have different guidelines. And guidelines often change, as Houston’s just did. Houston now manages the 100-year and 500-year floodplains differently. Cities also have building codes that include more requirements. Overview People ARE generally allowed to build and place fill in floodplains. However, they must follow […]
If you witness illegal discharges, dumping, or mining, following these guidelines will ensure the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) can act on evidence you provide. Make sure you follow proper procedures. Rules of Evidence TCEQ procedures pertain to the way you gather, collect, label, and document evidence. This link contains a great deal of […]
Good news: The Emergency West Fork Dredging Project is still active. The government allocated funds for the project before the shutdown. Also, because FEMA designated it an emergency, it enjoys preferred status. Dredges are still dredging. Bad news: Every other Lake Houston area flood mitigation project that depends on federal dollars is on hold. Watershed […]
Three months after supposedly reaching an agreement in principle to remove the mouth bar, FEMA, the Army Corps, the State and City still have no agreement in writing. From Day 1 of negotiations, FEMA and the Corps have consistently said they can’t address pre-Harvey conditions. I’m beginning to believe them. How did we reach this […]
Last night after posting the third flash flood warning in less than a month, several flood-weary people on FaceBook flashed back to Harvey. They questioned why the SJRA wasn’t releasing water in advance of the storm. I quickly went to SJRA.net and looked at their dashboard. They WERE releasing water. The discussion then morphed into […]
The developer of a proposed new high-rise resort in Kingwood plans to develop the marina portion in an area that was once the riverbed of the San Jacinto west fork. Aerial photos taken in 1943 clearly show the outline of an old meander about .4 miles north of the current riverbed. Google Earth lets users […]
The National Weather Service in Houston/Galveston has issued a Flash Flood Watch for a large portion of southeast Texas…including Harris, Madison, Montgomery, Liberty, San Jacinto, Walker, Waller and Washington Counties. From Wednesday morning through Thursday morning. Flash flooding and flooding will be possible Wednesday into Thursday. A band of heavy rainfall may form Wednesday morning […]
Jim Zura of Zura Productions filmed this video of rescue efforts on August 29th, 2017, during Harvey at the northern most (highest) end of the proposed new high-rise development in Kingwood. He filmed the video at the intersection of Woodland Hills and Seven Oaks. For those not familiar with the neighborhood, it’s four blocks north […]