9/8/2026 – Since starting this blog, I’ve published the equivalent of more than two full length novels about Northpark. That’s daunting for even the most avid readers. So, in a nutshell, here is a brief summary of what the Northpark project is all about and its benefits.
Northpark in a Nutshell
Major Problems:
During major floods, Kingwood exits can all go underwater. In Hurricane Harvey, Hamblen, Kingwood Drive, Mills Branch, Northpark, US59, West Lake Houston Parkway and Woodland Hills were all cut off by flood water that rose in the middle of the night…without warning.
US59 during Harvey. Photo by Melinda Ray.Kings Harbor resident being rescued during HarveyHamblen Road during Harvey. Photo by Jim Balcom.
The UnionPacific Railroad Bridge was also knocked out.
Repair work underway after Harvey on the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge that parallels US59.
Power and cellular communication were knocked out. Many people became stranded by rising water. It turned neighborhoods into islands with no way to learn whether there were any ways out.
Kingwood High School flooded to second floor.
Every business in Kingwood Town Center and Kings Harbor also flooded. Altogether, 15 people died in Kingwood – almost half the total in all of Harris County.
Northpark Drive is the highest artery and the one farthest from San Jacinto East and West Forks. However, it frequently floods between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. I know this because it affected my business on Glade Valley opposite Kingwood Park High School almost every year.
Plus, Northpark has three other problems:
Long UPRR trains can block Northpark if there is a problem at Kingwood Drive or the West Fork. So even if people could get past the part of Northpark that now floods, they might not be able to get out of Kingwood.
In an emergency, the old two outbound lanes on Northpark couldn’t handle all the traffic that would normally flows through all the other exits.
In the event of a train derailment during a flood, 78,000 people could be trapped with no way out.
The Solution: Improve Northpark
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 is:
Widening Northpark from 4 lanes to 6 from Woodland Hills to US 59 in two phases
Building a bridge over UPRR railroad tracks and Loop 494
Installing new streetlights all the way to 59 (previously parts were unlit)
Improving drainage, stormwater detention
Building entry ponds at 59 that provide both aesthetic and flood reduction benefits
Constructing a large, new detention basin where Northpark currently floods between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.
Elevation of the roadway and bridges where Northpark frequently floods.
Expanding the ditch that runs north of Northpark
Ditch One runs east to west north of Northpark and empties into the Diversion Ditch (center) and Bens Branch (r).
Who’s Paying
Anyone who spends money within the boundaries of the TIRZ through a sales-tax increment.
Timing
Phase I (US59 to Russell Palmer) should be complete by early 2027
Phase II (Russell Palmer to Woodland Hills) by 2032.
Benefits
Faster commutes for half of Kingwood
First all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people
Reduced flood risk
Improved public safety
One Part of a Larger Jigsaw Puzzle
Northpark will solve an evacuation problem during extreme flood events. It will also handle larger traffic loads faster as Kingwood continues to grow. However, it will not solve all flooding issues in Kingwood by itself. We must also consider other flood-mitigation initiatives such as:
Upstream detention – Only 15% of the 2500 square miles upstream from Lake Houston are currently controlled by an SJRA dam (Lake Conroe). We need more upstream detention to help reduce peak loads when the SJRA opens Conroe’s gates.
Ongoing dredging – Lake Houston now has a dredging and maintenance district, but it’s just getting organizing. Meanwhile, it’s been years since the Army Corps’ emergency dredging program and sediment is filling back in.
Additional flood gates on Lake Houston – The release rate on Lake Conroe is 15 times greater than Lake Houston, effectively negating pre-release as a strategy to lower the lake and create more floodwater storage.
Development and Sand Mining Regulations Upstream – These need to be harmonized so that improvements downstream aren’t immediately offset by issues upstream.
Subsidence – Because subsidence is happening faster at the Harris/Montgomery County line than at the Lake Houston Dam, reducing the safety margin (feet above floodplain) for property owners in the Humble/Kingwood/Huffman/Atascocita areas.
I could go on, but I’ll cover these in future summaries, such as this one.
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/DJI_20260511124341_0030_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-09-08 19:28:312026-09-09 06:57:31Northpark in a Nutshell: Overview of the Expansion Project and Its Benefits
9/7/2026 – A fisherman out on the San Jacinto West Fork during the Labor Day weekend reports that the river depth is a mere 2.4 feet adjacent to the giant Hallett Mine in Porter. Normally, he says, the river is 8-10 feet deep at that location. However, that’s not the only problem.
Area where river depth has been reduced. See pics below.
Hundreds of nearby trees are dying where Hallett’s settling pond leaked pollution for more than a year before the TCEQ investigated the problem. Ultimately, TCEQ issued no fines but required Hallett to fix leakage around the perimeter of its settling pond.
River One-Quarter Its Normal Depth
The pictures below show the loose sediment that Hallett used to build up the dike around the western portion of its settling pond in March of this year.
Dirt dumped into river from Hallett Mine in March 2026More dirt spilling into river slightly upstream at same dike in same mine.
The result?
The river that was 8-10 feet deep before the repairs is now 2.4 feet deep.
Local fisherman
The dirt has eroded into the river. See depth-finder screen below.
Fisherman’s depth finder adjacent to dirt shown aboveTheHallett sediment extended approximately 50 feet into the river back in March of 2026.
Rains since March have eroded some of the dirt shown above down into the river, decreasing the river’s depth. However, additional sediment may have also come from other sources. For instance, just upstream, the West Fork has migrated through a Hallett pit and flowed through it since at least April of 2024.
Trees Dying by Year-Long Hallett Leak
At the eastern edge of the same settling pond, sediment was escaping across a perimeter road for more than full year.
Route of leaking sludge carried it through trees between homeowners and Hallett’s settling pond.
For a better view, see this YouTube video linked below.
According to a nearby resident, hundreds of the trees shown above are now dying. “Waste water from the settling pond is killing all the pine trees,” he said. “Over half are dead already and the other half are dying. It’s killing them all.
Contributing to Problem but Not Solution
As the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District begins its planning, the board may want to work with Montgomery County Authorities and the State to closely monitor mines such as Hallett. As photos above show, they certainly contribute to the problem, but they pay nothing to help clean it up.
Why is this important? When rivers become clogged with sediment, they lose their conveyance capacity. Then, when floods come along, stormwater winds up in living rooms instead of staying where it should.
At the very least, the State should require larger setbacks from rivers for sand mines. Other states require setbacks ranging from 100 feet to more than a 1000. But not Texas. We let miners operate right up to the edge of rivers and streams…so they can profit and you can pay for the cleanup.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/7/26
3296 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_8814.jpg?fit=1100%2C882&ssl=18821100adminadmin2026-09-07 16:33:172026-09-08 08:37:28West Fork Only 2.4 Feet Deep at Hallett Mine, Nearby Trees Dying From Pollution
9/5/2026 – Yesterday, the administration proposed a new interpretation for “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that could strip almost all wetlands of federal protection. Wetlands help control flooding, filter runoff, break down harmful pollutants, and provide habitat for a large share of threatened and endangered species.
Proud new parents. Two great egrets watch as the first chick from a new clutch of eggs hatches out.Photographed in wetlands near High Island, Texas.
According to PBS, the EPA and Army Corps will accept public comments for 30 days once the new plan is published in the Federal Register, expected in the next week.
Recent Attempts to Develop Clear Definition
The new rule supposedly will provide clarity to a landscape characterized by many shades of green. It hopes to strike a balance between property rights and pollution while cutting red tape and regulatory uncertainty.
The New York Times wrote that the new rule could strip federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands. It “would significantly narrow the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, that are protected from harmful pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972.” The new version is more sweeping than an initial proposal released in November 2025.
The effort to redefine the rule began with a Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA back in 2023. The majority of the Court wrote that the Clean Water Act of 1977 allowed the agency to regulate only “relatively permanent” bodies of water and wetlands connected to them.
However, the Court’s opinion did not define “relatively permanent.” The NY Times article says, “In the proposal released in November, the Trump administration defined a ‘relatively permanent’ body of water as one that flowed either every day or during the ‘wet season.’ The new proposal would define it instead as one that flowed every day except for temporary interruptions like droughts lasting less than 30 days.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) believes the change could strip federal protection from 94 percent of the nation’s wetlands, up from 81 percent under the November 2025 proposal.
The National Wildlife Federation believes “the new plan could end protections for at least one-third of the more than 3.5 million miles of streams in the United States,” said the Times, quoting Jim Murphy, associate VP of Legal Advocacy.
But the American Farm Bureau believes it would end regulatory headaches for farmers and ranchers for unknowingly violating the law.
Provisions in Current Regulation
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service writes that under current law, “It is illegal to drain or fill a wetland without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The entire Texas coast is under the jurisdiction of the Corps’ Galveston District Office.”
“Before a permit can be granted, the requestor must show that the project has considered all viable alternatives and minimized impacts as much as possible. Any wetland loss must be compensated for by constructing new wetlands or by restoring or enhancing existing wetlands,” says A&M.
How Would Change in Definition Affect Lake Houston Area
It’s too early to tell exactly how a change in definition for WOTUS would affect the Lake Houston Area. We certainly have many wetlands near bodies of water that flow year round. But what does “connected” mean? Does it apply only to a swamp at a river’s edge? Or does it also include ponds in floodplains a hundred yards from a river?
This is not an academic abstraction; it lowers the bar for developers. And that could make it easier to build in floodplains, which could endanger lives and property…and increase the federal deficit.
Flooding likely costs the federal government roughly $15 billion to $25 billion a year on average in disaster relief, recovery and related expenditures, with costs soaring much higher after catastrophic storms. Because those expenditures generally aren’t offset by additional revenues or spending reductions, they effectively increase federal deficits. And that number could go even higher if you include pre-disaster flood-mitigation spending (as opposed to pure disaster relief).
The Scarborough Example
Scarborough, for instance, wants to build thousands of homes on 5300 acres in one of the most flood-prone areas in the Houston region…at the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring, Cypress and Turkey Creeks.
Scarborough Area in center from FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer
Hydrologists say that it would be like “aiming a fire hose at the Humble/Kingwood area.” The City of Houston and Harris County have unanimously condemned the proposed development. And almost 10,000 concerned citizens in Montgomery and Harris Counties have signed a petition against it.
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Slide3.jpeg?fit=1100%2C825&ssl=18251100adminadmin2026-09-05 16:26:292026-09-05 16:31:27Proposed New Rule Could Mean More Wetlands Lose Protection
Northpark in a Nutshell: Overview of the Expansion Project and Its Benefits
9/8/2026 – Since starting this blog, I’ve published the equivalent of more than two full length novels about Northpark. That’s daunting for even the most avid readers. So, in a nutshell, here is a brief summary of what the Northpark project is all about and its benefits.
Northpark in a Nutshell
Major Problems:
During major floods, Kingwood exits can all go underwater. In Hurricane Harvey, Hamblen, Kingwood Drive, Mills Branch, Northpark, US59, West Lake Houston Parkway and Woodland Hills were all cut off by flood water that rose in the middle of the night…without warning.
The UnionPacific Railroad Bridge was also knocked out.
Power and cellular communication were knocked out. Many people became stranded by rising water. It turned neighborhoods into islands with no way to learn whether there were any ways out.
Kingwood High School flooded to second floor.
Every business in Kingwood Town Center and Kings Harbor also flooded. Altogether, 15 people died in Kingwood – almost half the total in all of Harris County.
Northpark Drive is the highest artery and the one farthest from San Jacinto East and West Forks. However, it frequently floods between Bens Branch and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. I know this because it affected my business on Glade Valley opposite Kingwood Park High School almost every year.
Plus, Northpark has three other problems:
The Solution: Improve Northpark
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 is:
Who’s Paying
Anyone who spends money within the boundaries of the TIRZ through a sales-tax increment.
Timing
Benefits
One Part of a Larger Jigsaw Puzzle
Northpark will solve an evacuation problem during extreme flood events. It will also handle larger traffic loads faster as Kingwood continues to grow. However, it will not solve all flooding issues in Kingwood by itself. We must also consider other flood-mitigation initiatives such as:
I could go on, but I’ll cover these in future summaries, such as this one.
In the meantime, for more information about the Northpark Project visit the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 website project pages.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/8/2026
3297 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
West Fork Only 2.4 Feet Deep at Hallett Mine, Nearby Trees Dying From Pollution
9/7/2026 – A fisherman out on the San Jacinto West Fork during the Labor Day weekend reports that the river depth is a mere 2.4 feet adjacent to the giant Hallett Mine in Porter. Normally, he says, the river is 8-10 feet deep at that location. However, that’s not the only problem.
Hundreds of nearby trees are dying where Hallett’s settling pond leaked pollution for more than a year before the TCEQ investigated the problem. Ultimately, TCEQ issued no fines but required Hallett to fix leakage around the perimeter of its settling pond.
River One-Quarter Its Normal Depth
The pictures below show the loose sediment that Hallett used to build up the dike around the western portion of its settling pond in March of this year.
The result?
The dirt has eroded into the river. See depth-finder screen below.
Rains since March have eroded some of the dirt shown above down into the river, decreasing the river’s depth. However, additional sediment may have also come from other sources. For instance, just upstream, the West Fork has migrated through a Hallett pit and flowed through it since at least April of 2024.
Trees Dying by Year-Long Hallett Leak
At the eastern edge of the same settling pond, sediment was escaping across a perimeter road for more than full year.
For a better view, see this YouTube video linked below.
To play the YouTube video, click here.
According to a nearby resident, hundreds of the trees shown above are now dying. “Waste water from the settling pond is killing all the pine trees,” he said. “Over half are dead already and the other half are dying. It’s killing them all.
Contributing to Problem but Not Solution
As the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District begins its planning, the board may want to work with Montgomery County Authorities and the State to closely monitor mines such as Hallett. As photos above show, they certainly contribute to the problem, but they pay nothing to help clean it up.
Why is this important? When rivers become clogged with sediment, they lose their conveyance capacity. Then, when floods come along, stormwater winds up in living rooms instead of staying where it should.
At the very least, the State should require larger setbacks from rivers for sand mines. Other states require setbacks ranging from 100 feet to more than a 1000. But not Texas. We let miners operate right up to the edge of rivers and streams…so they can profit and you can pay for the cleanup.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/7/26
3296 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Proposed New Rule Could Mean More Wetlands Lose Protection
9/5/2026 – Yesterday, the administration proposed a new interpretation for “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that could strip almost all wetlands of federal protection. Wetlands help control flooding, filter runoff, break down harmful pollutants, and provide habitat for a large share of threatened and endangered species.
According to PBS, the EPA and Army Corps will accept public comments for 30 days once the new plan is published in the Federal Register, expected in the next week.
Recent Attempts to Develop Clear Definition
The new rule supposedly will provide clarity to a landscape characterized by many shades of green. It hopes to strike a balance between property rights and pollution while cutting red tape and regulatory uncertainty.
The New York Times wrote that the new rule could strip federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands. It “would significantly narrow the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, that are protected from harmful pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972.” The new version is more sweeping than an initial proposal released in November 2025.
The effort to redefine the rule began with a Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA back in 2023. The majority of the Court wrote that the Clean Water Act of 1977 allowed the agency to regulate only “relatively permanent” bodies of water and wetlands connected to them.
However, the Court’s opinion did not define “relatively permanent.” The NY Times article says, “In the proposal released in November, the Trump administration defined a ‘relatively permanent’ body of water as one that flowed either every day or during the ‘wet season.’ The new proposal would define it instead as one that flowed every day except for temporary interruptions like droughts lasting less than 30 days.”
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) believes the change could strip federal protection from 94 percent of the nation’s wetlands, up from 81 percent under the November 2025 proposal.
The National Wildlife Federation believes “the new plan could end protections for at least one-third of the more than 3.5 million miles of streams in the United States,” said the Times, quoting Jim Murphy, associate VP of Legal Advocacy.
But the American Farm Bureau believes it would end regulatory headaches for farmers and ranchers for unknowingly violating the law.
Provisions in Current Regulation
The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service writes that under current law, “It is illegal to drain or fill a wetland without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The entire Texas coast is under the jurisdiction of the Corps’ Galveston District Office.”
“Before a permit can be granted, the requestor must show that the project has considered all viable alternatives and minimized impacts as much as possible. Any wetland loss must be compensated for by constructing new wetlands or by restoring or enhancing existing wetlands,” says A&M.
How Would Change in Definition Affect Lake Houston Area
It’s too early to tell exactly how a change in definition for WOTUS would affect the Lake Houston Area. We certainly have many wetlands near bodies of water that flow year round. But what does “connected” mean? Does it apply only to a swamp at a river’s edge? Or does it also include ponds in floodplains a hundred yards from a river?
This is not an academic abstraction; it lowers the bar for developers. And that could make it easier to build in floodplains, which could endanger lives and property…and increase the federal deficit.
Flooding likely costs the federal government roughly $15 billion to $25 billion a year on average in disaster relief, recovery and related expenditures, with costs soaring much higher after catastrophic storms. Because those expenditures generally aren’t offset by additional revenues or spending reductions, they effectively increase federal deficits. And that number could go even higher if you include pre-disaster flood-mitigation spending (as opposed to pure disaster relief).
The Scarborough Example
Scarborough, for instance, wants to build thousands of homes on 5300 acres in one of the most flood-prone areas in the Houston region…at the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring, Cypress and Turkey Creeks.
Hydrologists say that it would be like “aiming a fire hose at the Humble/Kingwood area.” The City of Houston and Harris County have unanimously condemned the proposed development. And almost 10,000 concerned citizens in Montgomery and Harris Counties have signed a petition against it.
Add your voice to those who wish to protect the land and our future. Sign the petition on Change.org today.
For more about this proposed development, check out the video in this post.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/5/2026
3294 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.