4/29/25 – Meritage contractors were caught on camera this afternoon pumping muck from a pond they were excavating straight into a City storm sewer. Such a practice, while not uncommon, can clog storm sewers and raise flood risk for neighbors.
The sequence of six pictures below and a video tell the story. They show the location, men setting up the a pump and hose, then pumping the muck into the storm sewer, and bypassing normal filtration devices. The action took place on Pinehurst Trail Drive in Atascocita. The pond is on the east side of the road in Phase II of the new development.
Notice two excavators excavating dirt from the pond in the top center. Also notice the low level of water in the swale between the pond and the camera position.A few seconds later, several workers in the lower left started extending a hose OVER the silt fence toward the swale.The hose is still slack as one man kneels to work on the pump.Meanwhile, just feet away on the other side of the pond excavators stir up the muck.Minutes later, the hose is conveying the silt-laden water over the storm fence and around the corner toward the City storm sewer.The hose also bypasses the straw wattle rolls, another filtration device used to keep the storm sewers clear. Notice water shooting out of the hose.
All of these pictures were taken minutes apart.
A reader who passed the site about an hour later snagged this video that shows the swale filled to the brim as pumping continued.
This is not the first time this month that Meritage was caught pumping stilty stormwater into the City storm sewer. On 4/7/25, they drained a veritable lake that had formed on their Atascocita site after 2.5 inches of rain.
To File a Complaint
Practices like those above are usually discouraged by the Harris County Engineer and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
If you’re concerned about runoff that floods your property or potentially clogs your storm drains, please file a complaint.
Harris County Engineer
Phone: 713-274-3600 Monday Through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM
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/2025/04/20250429-DJI_20250429135140_0322_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-04-29 17:16:372025-04-29 17:40:32Meritage Pumps Muck from Pond Being Excavated Straight Into Storm Sewer
4/28/2025 – The pace of Northpark expansion has visibly accelerated since March despite several intense rains. Today, crews were working from one end of the project to the other. See the ten pictures below.
Looking West toward Russell-Palmer Road. Note rebar being placed for two more inbound lanes on the left.Still looking west. Just west of Russell-Palmer Road, note the addition of a right turn lane by the carwash.Farther west, contractors have finished paving about a quarter-mile stretch of two more inbound lanes on left.Even farther west, contractors have finished the sub-grade work most of the way to Loop 494 on the outbound/north side.At the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks, contractors are getting ready to bore under the tracks next week.They will use the steel pipe stockpiled in front of the trees on the right when boring under the tracks.East of Loop 494, paving on the outbound (north side of the road is almost complete, as is clearing for the inbound side of the road (left).Only one small stretch by Culver’s remains to be paved on the north side.The Exxon Station (lower right) at 59/Northpark will soon lose part of its driveway and canopy.Looking east from over US59. Contractors have virtually completed the sidewalk on the north/outbound side of Northpark.
Project Manager Ralph DeLeon had this to add. “The Kroger’s driveway opened last week. That location is now complete/permanent with regard to the project. We are close to completing the radius between south bound 494 to west bound Northpark Drive. So drivers will begin to use the new permanent lanes at that location.”
4/27/25 – A drainage ditch that runs under Kingwood Drive about a tenth of a mile west of Kingwood High School is blocked. Where the ditch runs through the median, it has become so overgrown, you cannot even see it.
Historical images in Google Earth suggest that the City has not cleared the ditch since 2002. Full height trees have grown up in it, contributing to the blockage.
During Harvey, Kingwood High School flooded to the second floor. Four-thousand students had to be bussed to other schools for a year during decontamination and reconstruction.
Kingwood High School during Harvey. Kingwood Drive (upper left), one of the area’s main evacuation routes, was also cut off.
Ditch is So Overgrown, You Can’t See It
Harris County Flood Control labels the ditch as G-103-36-01. It crosses under Kingwood Drive about one-tenth of a mile west of Valley Manor and the high school.
See the pictures below. Can you even see where the ditch is? Hint: it’s in the center of the frame.
Looking slightly south. Lake Kingwood is toward the topof the frame.Opposite direction. The ditch runs between the two storm drains on either side of Kingwood Drive.From a lower elevation, you can see under the forest canopy. Still no clear path for drainage.
The City has cleared all the other ditches in the map above, but not this one. It’s so overgrown, they likely can’t find it and confuse it with one of the other ditches they’ve already cleared.
Because this blockage has the potential to cut off a major evacuation route, we can’t afford to wait any longer.
I have reported it previously several times already. To be clear, Harris County Flood Control District is responsible for keeping the channel clear. But the City is responsible for cleaning out the channel under its roads, i.e., Kingwood Drive.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/27/25
2798 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/20250427-DJI_20250427170326_0252_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-04-27 19:09:112025-04-27 19:18:29Blocked Ditch Under Kingwood Drive Near High School
Meritage Pumps Muck from Pond Being Excavated Straight Into Storm Sewer
4/29/25 – Meritage contractors were caught on camera this afternoon pumping muck from a pond they were excavating straight into a City storm sewer. Such a practice, while not uncommon, can clog storm sewers and raise flood risk for neighbors.
The sequence of six pictures below and a video tell the story. They show the location, men setting up the a pump and hose, then pumping the muck into the storm sewer, and bypassing normal filtration devices. The action took place on Pinehurst Trail Drive in Atascocita. The pond is on the east side of the road in Phase II of the new development.
All of these pictures were taken minutes apart.
A reader who passed the site about an hour later snagged this video that shows the swale filled to the brim as pumping continued.
This is not the first time this month that Meritage was caught pumping stilty stormwater into the City storm sewer. On 4/7/25, they drained a veritable lake that had formed on their Atascocita site after 2.5 inches of rain.
To File a Complaint
Practices like those above are usually discouraged by the Harris County Engineer and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
If you’re concerned about runoff that floods your property or potentially clogs your storm drains, please file a complaint.
Harris County Engineer
Phone: 713-274-3600 Monday Through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM
File a complaint online at: https://epermits.harriscountytx.gov/External_Complaints.aspx
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)
For instructions to file a complaint, visit: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/complaints.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/29/25
2800 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.
Pace of Northpark Expansion Accelerating
4/28/2025 – The pace of Northpark expansion has visibly accelerated since March despite several intense rains. Today, crews were working from one end of the project to the other. See the ten pictures below.
Project Manager Ralph DeLeon had this to add. “The Kroger’s driveway opened last week. That location is now complete/permanent with regard to the project. We are close to completing the radius between south bound 494 to west bound Northpark Drive. So drivers will begin to use the new permanent lanes at that location.”
For More Information
See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages or these posts on ReduceFlooding:
UPRR:
Evacuation Route:
Plan Details:
Phase II:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/28/25
2799 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Blocked Ditch Under Kingwood Drive Near High School
4/27/25 – A drainage ditch that runs under Kingwood Drive about a tenth of a mile west of Kingwood High School is blocked. Where the ditch runs through the median, it has become so overgrown, you cannot even see it.
Historical images in Google Earth suggest that the City has not cleared the ditch since 2002. Full height trees have grown up in it, contributing to the blockage.
During Harvey, Kingwood High School flooded to the second floor. Four-thousand students had to be bussed to other schools for a year during decontamination and reconstruction.
Ditch is So Overgrown, You Can’t See It
Harris County Flood Control labels the ditch as G-103-36-01. It crosses under Kingwood Drive about one-tenth of a mile west of Valley Manor and the high school.
See the pictures below. Can you even see where the ditch is? Hint: it’s in the center of the frame.
The City has cleared all the other ditches in the map above, but not this one. It’s so overgrown, they likely can’t find it and confuse it with one of the other ditches they’ve already cleared.
Because this blockage has the potential to cut off a major evacuation route, we can’t afford to wait any longer.
I have reported it previously several times already. To be clear, Harris County Flood Control District is responsible for keeping the channel clear. But the City is responsible for cleaning out the channel under its roads, i.e., Kingwood Drive.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/27/25
2798 Days since Hurricane Harvey