3/31/25 – In the first two parts of this “Wastelands to Wetlands” series, I presented a vision for restoration of the San Jacinto West Fork and listed all the various parties who have an interest in the effort and could help. But how do you coordinate them? Who would take responsibility/authority for ensuring restoration? And […]
3/30/25 – Yesterday, I outlined a vision for transforming the San Jacinto sand pits from wastelands to wetlands. The idea: create a mile-wide, 20-mile long natural recreational area between I-45 and I-69 with lakes and ponds, all connected by hike-and-bike trails. It would be called the Montgomery County Lake District. And it would connect to […]
3/29/25 – Every time I fly over the San Jacinto West Fork, I wonder, “What would it take to transform all the wastelands to wetlands again?” That burning question has guided much of my research for the last eight years. I don’t have all the details worked out, but I would like to share a […]
The most cherished compliments come from the people you respect the most. Yesterday, I (and ReduceFlooding.com) received an award from the Lions Clubs International Foundation for Dedicated Humanitarian Services. About Lions Clubs You would be hard pressed to find a group of people more dedicated to community service than the 1.4 million members of 49,000 […]
3/26/25 – From a public policy perspective, is it more economical to permit floodplain developments or mitigate them after floods? I asked ChatGPT that question this morning. It was consistent with year’s of research on flooding. The issue pertains directly to posts in the last two days about a proposed development called the Crossing at […]
3/25/25 – Almost eight years after Hurricane Harvey and a massive region-wide effort to update flood maps, FEMA still features maps on its website based on decades-old data that don’t come close to showing true flood risk. The old maps cause confusion among homebuyers who may not understand their limitations. And that helps developers pursue […]
3/24/25 – On March 21, 2025, the Supreme Court of Texas ruled on a long-running lawsuit between a developer and the City of Houston over floodplain regulation. The Supreme Court reversed an Appeals Court judgement, which had dismissed the developer’s claims against the City, thus keeping the case alive. The developer argued that the City’s […]
3/22/25 – Enough of the pendulum politics already! We seem to swing from the left to the right and from overregulation to no regulation, oblivious to any middle ground. The latest agency in the Washington crosshairs: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). No doubt, most business people can cite an extreme example of EPA overregulation. And […]
3/21/25 – Montgomery County has received approval from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) for three “de-snagging” projects totaling $60,374,999.66. The grant, first reported in 2022, stems from money allocated to Texas by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) after Hurricane Harvey. I’ll discuss the complex, lengthy process involved in awarding these […]
3/20/25 – Montgomery County has asked U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw for federal help in sponsoring a study on repurposing old sand mines. Please send a letter expressing your support. For less than $1 – the cost of an envelope and a stamp – you could help reduce your flood risk. Why Repurposing is Necessary Southern […]