In the last three weeks, the Northpark expansion project has made slow, but steady progress, despite the fact that Entergy still has not moved any power poles or its transformer. For the moment, contractors seem to be working around the absentee utility issues, which have lingered for four years. The bulk of activity has focused […]
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, wetlands provide free floodwater storage that helps retain runoff and reduce flooding. Wetlands also reduce erosion and improve water quality. Last, but not least, they also provide habitat for hundreds of species. One of my hobbies has long been bird photography. Few other cities in America offer the […]
In the continuing quest for understanding, today I googled “What are the most effective forms of flood mitigation?” The query returned 284 million results, including the one following. A&M Study of Buffalo Bayou Found Stormwater Storage Most Effective One interesting study co-authored by a Texas A&M professor, Samuel Brody, was titled, “How effective are drainage […]
The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service, working with local government organizations, has developed a free, customized program that might help you reduce water usage, costs, subsidence and flood risk. It’s called the WaterMyYard program. A large percentage of the water used in urban areas goes to watering lawns. On average, the EPA estimates 30-60% of […]
Houston’s Resilience and Climate Action report card for 2023 shows how much progress has been made in the last three years. In 2020, three years after Hurricane Harvey, the City of Houston completed a comprehensive, and wide-ranging resilience plan. The latest report card also updates on the City’s Resilience efforts as well as its Climate […]
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is currently conducting a final review on more than $498 million in grant applications from Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and Harris County Community Services Department (CSD). That’s out of a total allocation of $1,072,033,863 allocated to Harris County. And that means projects for almost half the Harvey […]
After a wet winter that saw sediment carried offsite by stormwater on multiple occasions, contractors are finally installing stormwater drainage on Phase II of the troubled Trammell Crow apartment complex on West Lake Houston Parkway and Kings Park Way. Aerial photos taken on 03/18/24 show order gradually emerging out of apparent chaos on a construction […]
Earlier this week, contractors poured the first concrete for Northpark Drive expansion. It was for the first of several new outbound lanes at US59. Crews are doing both surface and subgrade work, moving back east towards Chick-Fil-A. Stormwater Retention Basin Progress Elsewhere along Northpark, excavation work continued on the south pond. The twin ponds will […]
On 3/14/24, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a 48-page lawsuit against Colony Ridge, its owners and affiliates. The lawsuit, filed in United States District Court, alleges the defendants engaged in a variety of deceptive practices that violated the: The lawsuit claims that the sprawling community a few minutes northeast of Houston in Liberty County […]
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has released a story about a new flood warning system in Bryan that will save lives and protect property. TWDB helped fund the system, which reportedly cost a fraction of most hardscape projects. The system consists of sensors on bridges that are linked to flashing lights. They warn motorists […]