Entries by admin
Good News and Bad News about Early Voting for Flood Bond
Early voting for the Harris County Flood Bond ended Tuesday. Final voting is this Saturday, August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey. First, the good news. Exit polling showed voters in the Lake Houston Area generally favored the bond. The other good news was that Kingwood had the highest number of voters anywhere in the county […]
A River Ran Through It: Dr. Katherine Persson’s Harvey Experience
“This is our war room,” said Dr. Katherine Persson, President of Lone Star College/Kingwood, without a hint of emotion in her voice. She speaks in clipped tones, not wasting a word or a second. That’s my first clue about the ordeal she and her management team have been through … and the miracle they managed […]
Dredging Update: First Dredge Being Assembled, Miles of Pipe Being Welded
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Command Site for its San Jacinto West Fork Emergency Dredging Project is a beehive of construction activity. I spent two hours at the site this morning at the invitation of the Corps. Now I can see why the prep is taking as long as it is. I had no […]
Sand Mining Best Management Practices: Louisiana vs. Texas
When it comes to communicating “best management practices” (BMPs) for sand mines, Louisiana sets the gold standard. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the Concrete & Aggregate Association of Louisiana, Inc. worked together to develop BMPs. Their goals: to reduce the amount of sediment and turbidity in streams and rivers that result from sand and gravel […]
Ironies That Harvey Revealed
During the 353 days since Hurricane Harvey, I’ve observed many ironies. Below are my favorites. Irony #1 We need multi-million dollar studies to figure out stuff a five-year old in a bathtub knows – for instance, to let the water out, you open the drain. One study suggested that adding more gates to the Lake […]