Entries by admin
San Jacinto River Watershed: Underfunded, Overdamaged
When I go to various flood mitigation meetings around town, I often hear – with some jealously and resentment – that the San Jacinto River Watershed seems to be getting the lion’s share of flood mitigation funding. This is not true, but it’s a popular misperception. Those who believe they are underfunded tell me constantly […]
New Reports and Data on ReduceFlooding.com
As this site has grown, the Reports section started to get unwieldy. To make information easier to find, I separated it under tabs. Some of the tabs even have subsections. Here’s a list of current tabs and some significant new additions to the report data base. City Proposition A (NEW) Contains Supreme and Trial Court rulings […]
Boating Safety around Dredges
This public service announcement paid for by the School of Hard Knocks. Please send this link to every boater you know. It could save a friend’s life. Near Miss with Dredge Today, I received yet another request to remind boaters about safety issues on the West Fork. A near miss prompted the request. Dredging has attracted […]
Background on Houston Proposition A: Drainage Fee Re-vote
Warning: I’m not making a recommendation in this post. I am just trying to provide background information that may help you understand this issue and why its on the ballot again. History of the “Drainage Fee” Historically, Houston issued bonds to finance capital projects related to drainage and street improvements. About a decade ago, a group […]
New Edgewater Park: First Good Thing to Come Out of Harvey
Until now, any good news coming out of Harvey has had to do with mitigation or restoration – preventing future flooding or getting things back to the way they were. Here’s the first story about creating something new out of Harvey’s wreckage that will go far beyond what we had, improve the entire Lake Houston […]
Second Dredge Reaches Start Point at River Grove Park
Dredge #2 has moved down the West Fork of the San Jacinto River to River Grove Park, the western limit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Dredging Project. At River Grove, the second dredge, which is owned by Great Lakes Dredge & Dock, the primary contractor, will cut a 150-foot-wide opening in the […]
New Difference Map Confirms Buildup of West Fork Sediment Around Mouth Bar, Underscores Need for Removal
A new “difference map” published by the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) shows the rapid build up of sediment in the West Fork of the San Jacinto River where it meets Lake Houston. Difference maps show changes in sediment levels over time. When Stephen Costello, Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Houston, presented this […]