8/23/25 – ChatGPT produced a detailed Flood Resilience Plan for Harris County for free in less than three minutes. Meanwhile, after almost a year, the engineering firm hired by Harris County for $3 million is still trying to define a vision for the plan. Flood Resilience Plan on Agenda for Tuesday’s Commissioners Court Meeting Item […]
8/21/25 – State Representative Steve Toth, who has announced his intention to run against U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw in the next election cycle, posted a video on Facebook today. In it, he says prohibiting the building of youth camps in floodplains is “ridiculous.” He also worries that it would “destroy camping in Texas.” His comment […]
8/20/25 – Everyone understands the need for financial audits; they prevent fraud. But what about performance audits? They can prevent waste. Yet how many government agencies routinely audit the implementation of plans they adopt? Vermont Failed to Implement Half of Priorities in Emergency Plan In Vermont last year, the state audited its performance in achieving […]
8/18/25 – The Montgomery County (MoCo) water war has produced a number of unintended casualties in the last decade. They include: Unfortunately, those who profited from excessive groundwater withdrawals aren’t the ones paying the price. Subsidence problems in southern Montgomery County – once thought to be solved by the San Jacinto River Authority’s (SJRA) Groundwater […]
8/17/2025 – Three scientists have summarized more than 100 years of studies about the relationship of groundwater and land subsidence in the Houston region. The study’s title: “A Century (1906-2024) of Groundwater and Land Subsidence Studies in Greater Houston Region: A Review.” The review revealed some stunning facts about past groundwater management practices in the […]
August 16, 2025 – At its August 18, 2025 meeting, the Board of Directors of the Southeast Texas Flood Control District will discuss dissolving the District and taking all action necessary, through legal counsel, to formally close out all banking accounts and to satisfy any outstanding debts. See the agenda here. District Formed After Imelda […]
8/15/25 – The San Jacinto River Authority and City of Conroe issued a joint press release about the settlement this morning of their nine-year legal battle over water rates. This press release just came in. I’ve added subheads to help highlight key points. Otherwise, the text between the lines is verbatim: SJRA Directors Unanimously Approve […]
8/14/25 – A State of Texas lawsuit against the Triple PG sand mine that began in 2019 will now be tried, at the earliest, in 2026. Meanwhile problems at the mine have gotten worse. Breaches in their dikes that triggered the lawsuit have recurred. And five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL) are now exposed […]
8/12/2025 – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold a special meeting of its board of directors on Friday, August 15, 2025, at 10 AM. It will be held at the SJRA’s Administration building at 1577 Dam Site Road, Conroe, TX. Directors will consider one item in executive session – settlement of its lawsuit […]
8/11/25 – The correlation between flood damage and flood-mitigation spending by Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) keeps dropping, indicating an increasing influence of other factors, such as race, on spending. What is Coefficient of Correlation? Coefficient of correlation measures the strength of association between two variables, for instance hours spent studying and exam scores. […]