4/28/26 – To everyone in southern Montgomery County and the Lake Houston Area: please consider signing the petition discussed below concerning the proposed Scarborough Development. It may help preserve vital floodplains in your area, thereby reducing your flood risk. Background on Proposed Development A Dallas-based developer named Scarborough has purchased 5,300+ acres of land at […]
4/27/2026 – I recently read Bill King’s fascinating new book, Depopulation: Our New Demographics Reality. The demographic trends he discusses have huge implications for flooding and flood control. It may seem insane to talk about depopulation in most places. The world has grown from 1 to 8 billion people in the last two centuries. And […]
4/25/26 – Since I last posted about the Northpark Drive Expansion Project in Kingwood eleven days ago, contractors have continued to push forward. They have also virtually completed everything east of the bridge abutment all the way to the eastern terminus of the project near the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. Here’s an update on what is […]
4/24/25 – Sales tax on emergency supplies will be suspended from April 25-27, 2026. This is a great opportunity to stock up on things you might need for hurricane season and save some money. Prepare yourself during the 2026 Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items you can […]
4/23/25 – Yesterday, the law firm McGehee, Chang, Feiler – the law firm representing downstream plaintiffs in the Addicks-Barker Reservoirs litigation – announced that Judge Loren A. Smith ruled in favor of plaintiffs in their “takings” case against the Army Corps of Engineers. Takings Clause of Fifth Amendment “Takings” refers to the Fifth Amendment of […]
4/22/26 – Today was the last straw. I have concluded that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is broken. I’ve been writing for several days about Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) projects supposedly “under construction” that aren’t. Some people might call that: But I suspect we all can agree that it’s certainly misleading and […]
4/21/26 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has taken more than 4 years to spend about 4% of the $322 million that HUD allocated to HCFCD for Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR). That figure is carved out of a larger total ($868 million) that also includes CDBG Mitigation funds. Former Texas […]
4/20/2026 – On April 10, 2026, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced that it finally completed its Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin – two years after the originally scheduled completion date. The one-year construction project turned into three years before it was over. Mercer’s delays underscore the risk associated with eleven similar projects with […]
4/18/2026 – I have written thousands of articles about drainage, flooding, governance, and infrastructure projects since Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Reporting on these topics triggered a flood of emotions: anxiety, frustration, exasperation, enlightenment, disappointment, empathy, sadness and hope. After writing yesterday’s post about the most recent Harris County commissioners court meeting, I added “anger” to that list. Potential […]
4/17/2026 – Harris County Commissioners Court erupted into open hostilities yesterday when County Judge Lina Hidalgo publicly blasted Dr. Tina Petersen, head of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). This issue had to do with the potential loss of close to a third of a billion dollars in federal Community Development Block Grants for […]