1/17/25 – According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was a year for climate records and near records. 2024 was the: Graphic Recap of 2024’s Most Significant Climate and Weather Events The maps below come from the NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). The first shows significant climate events during 2024. […]
1/16/2025 – Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, and Distict E Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger discussed the status of numerous flood projects at a meeting of the Kingwood Area Republican Women today at the Oakhurst Golf Club. Among the projects they covered were: Below are the highlights. They also discussed other […]
1/15/25 – The City of Houston’s latest West Fork Dredging Program appears to be off to a fast start. Dredging began about a month ago and has already filled up approximately 10 percent of the placement area. The program was originally estimated to last two years. Before it’s all over, Callan Marine, the contractor, will […]
1/14/25 – Texans for Responsible Aggregate Mining (TRAM) has issued a position paper that pans a new set of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for mining that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has proposed. TRAM calls TCEQ’s BMPs “sparse,” “vague,” and “self-evident.” TRAM asks everyone concerned about flooding and other issues related to aggregate […]
1/13/25 – The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has proposed new Best Management Practices (BMPs) for mining in response to a mandate from the 2023 session of the Texas Legislature. However, in my opinion, the recommended BMPs will do little to nothing to help control sediment pollution from mines in the Lake Houston Area. The […]
1/11/25 – On July 15, 2020, Neel-Schaffer Engineering delivered the Kingwood Area Drainage Study to sponsors Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), City of Houston and Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10. HCFCD held a community meeting to discuss the results. The District delivered a 24-page high-level summary to the community at the time. However, I […]
1/10/25 – Sometimes it seems transparency issues with Harris County government just never cease. For instance… You go to the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) website to look for “active construction projects” in your area. But the “Active Construction Projects” page is not working. And it hasn’t worked for months. You wanted to know […]
1/9/25 – The widening of Bens Branch caused by ever-increasing amounts of water coming downstream from new upstream developments has forced the Bear Branch Trail Association to replace an aging wooden bridge with a new $300,000 steel truss bridge. The creek has widened from 32 to 50 feet since Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The […]
1/7/2025 – In the week after a holiday lull, Northpark construction is ramping back up and should reach some milestones later this week. According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website: In other news, crews will continue: See the pictures below, all taken on Tuesday morning, 1/7/25. New Lanes and Sidewalk Between Loop 494 and […]
1/6/2025 – Before New Year’s Day, I posted about the lack of best management practices (BMPs) at the Foster Elementary reconstruction site in Kingwood. A contractor let sediment-laden runoff escape the site, fill the street and flow into unprotected storm drains. Photos taken yesterday after a storm front passed show that it’s still happening. Partial […]