Entries by admin

Final Kingwood Diversion Ditch Study Up for Approval Thursday

9/15/25 – Harris County Commissioners Court is being asked to approve a contract for final engineering of new Kingwood Diversion Ditch conveyance improvements this Thursday, 2/18/25. See Item 272 on the Agenda. The Kingwood Area Drainage analysis ranked Diversion Ditch improvements as the most important project in Kingwood. That’s in large part because improving flow […]

Harris County Commissioners to Discuss Future of Flood Bond on Thursday

9/14/25 – On Thursday, 9/18/25, Harris County Commissioners Court is scheduled to discuss the future of the 2018 Flood Bond. Again. Item 117 on the agenda says, “Request for discussion and possible action regarding a report from the Flood Control District related to the 2018 Bond Program.” Unfortunately, no report is attached to the agenda. […]

TCEQ Cites Hallett Mine for Five Violations But Issues No Fines

9/17/25 – Update – In response to a request from ReduceFlooding.com, TCEQ has now supplied its FULL report, WITH attachments. Accordingly, I have modified the copy below to delete references to the missing attachments. I have also hyperlinked the full report where the partial report was previously. Caution though: it’s almost 20 megs. I also […]

Small Success in the Fight Against Flooding Sets Good Example

9/11/25 – In the fight against flooding, success is not always defined by grand infrastructure projects costing tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Sometimes flood risk can be reduced by simple maintenance. The ditch west of Kingwood High School that parallels Valley Manor Drive is an example. Culverts under Kingwood Drive had become badly […]

Major Causes of Northpark Project Slowdown Being Removed

9/10/25 – Ralph DeLeon, Northpark project manager, had good news to share this afternoon. Two out-of-place water lines that have slowed the Northpark expansion project for months are finally being moved out of the way. Construction crews discovered the out-of-place pipelines during the boring operation under the UnionPacific Railroad tracks back in July. Contractors were […]

Development of Edgewater Park Restarting

According to Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, “Exciting plans are in motion for Edgewater Park in Kingwood!” Ramsey’s most recent newsletter says that starting in 2026, visitors can look forward to: “And that’s just the beginning,” says Ramsey. “This is only Phase One of a three-phase project!” Future improvements will bring: Plans to […]

Northpark Drive Lane Switches Scheduled for This Week

Update 9/10/25 – The traffic switch has been delayed a week. See this update. 9/8/25 – In the quest to build an all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood, contractors for the Northpark Drive expansion project will switch traffic to accommodate new phases of construction. Two Four-Month-Long Traffic Switches This Week According the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority […]

Flood Insurance Rate Maps Slip for Fourth Straight Year

9/6/2025 – On August 26, 2025, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) transmitted an update to Commissioners Court on the release of new flood insurance rate maps. The update showed the release date slipping yet again. This makes at least the seventh postponement in four years. The amount of time it’s taking FEMA to vet […]

TCEQ Investigates Exposed Pipelines at Porter Sand Mine, Finds More Alleged Violations

9/5/25 – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has completed investigating exposed pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids at a sand mine in Porter operated by Texas Frac Sand Materials Inc. TCEQ documented the pipeline issue and referred it to the Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates pipelines in the state. As of this writing, […]

HCFCD Issues Maintenance Update after Tax Increase

9/4/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) issued an update on its maintenance activity to Commissioners Court in a transmittal on 8/26/25. Without explaining exactly where (geographically) the money went, the 7-page overview details HCFCD’s increase in activity enabled by its November 2024 “Proposition A” maintenance tax. The tax provides another $100 million annually […]