5/29/25 – On 5/16/25, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced a series of maintenance repairs in Kingwood. One was on a tributary of Bens Branch that runs down the west side of West Lake Houston Parkway toward Kingwood Town Center. Yesterday, I received a report from Chris Bloch, a flood activist in Kingwood, that they had started.
HCFCD is making repairs to a ditch romantically named G103-33-01-X007. See #10 in the center of the map below.
Photos Taken on 5/29/25
Below are several pictures taken today at the start of the project. I’m sure it will look better when they finish.
Bens Branch Tributary Repairs near Rustic Woods in Kingwood Town CenterCloser shot shows extent of slide slope and back slope repairs.
Swales behind the side slopes intercept water draining toward the ditch. In the lower right above, you can see a cement structure that helps convey water through a pipe from that swale to the bottom of the ditch. That helps prevent erosion to the side slopes.
Closer shot of same general area.Looking S toward Kingwood Drive at top of frame behind the old HEB shopping center Looking N from Rustic Woods at current extent of repairs. Note the difference in the width of the ditch above and below where the pipe enters near the center of the frame.
More News to Follow
I’ll post more pictures as the project progresses. It’s important to maintain the conveyance of ditches as the flooded merchants in the shopping center above can attest. It still hasn’t completely recovered from Harvey flooding almost eight years ago. This should be very welcome news for them.
Maintenance is a never-ending challenge for HCFCD. They have more than 2500 miles of ditches to maintain. If you see them working near you, please give me a heads up through the contact page of this website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/29/25
2830 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250529-DJI_20250529184404_0546_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-05-29 20:48:352025-05-29 20:50:39HCFCD Begins Repairs to Bens Branch Tributary
“My first thought after I saw this passed was that it was a victory for Kingwood,” said Representative Charles Cunningham who pushed the idea of a dredging district relentlessly for years.
Today is the last day of the legislative session that the Senate considers bills. So it was do-or-die time. And Senator Brandon Creighton teed the bill up perfectly with the help of Senator Paul Bettencourt who shepherded the bill through his Local Government Committee.
Now, it’s on to the Governor’s desk. The good news: shortly after Harvey, Governor Abbott visited Kingwood. He flew up and down the West Fork. He personally saw the mouth bar and other sediment buildups in our rivers and streams.
Thank you to all those who wrote letters, testified in Austin, and never gave up hope for a dredging district. It was a true team effort between residents who never forgot the pain of flooding and leaders who never forgot those they represented. Together, we will make a difference for future generations and the future of the area.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank former State Rep. Dan Huberty; former Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin; City Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter; and the Army Corps of Engineers. They started this ball rolling years ago. \
And thank you, too, Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello. The architects of the 2018 Flood Bond. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey. And Bill McCabe and Dianne Lansden, who kept the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiation going for years.
My apologies to anyone I overlooked. So many contributed! They all had one thing in common. They put the safety of each other above partisan politics. And it showed in tonight’s unanimous vote.
Beating the Odds
Between “dream” and “done” in the Texas legislature, there’s a lot of hard work.
I came across this table today on the Texas Legislature Online website. It shows the success rate of various types of legislation to date.
Of all the bills introduced in both the House and Senate to date, only about 1 in 12 made it this far.
These numbers will change tomorrow because of additional bills passed today in both the House and Senate.
Here’s what each of those acronyms above stands for:
HB – House Bill
A proposed law originating in the House of Representatives.
If passed by both chambers and signed by the Governor (or allowed to become law), it becomes part of Texas statute.
Used for substantive changes to law (e.g., criminal statutes, environmental rules, etc.).
SB – Senate Bill
A proposed law originating in the Senate.
Same process and purpose as an HB, just introduced in the Senate instead of the House.
HJR – House Joint Resolution
Proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution or requests Congress to call a constitutional convention.
Does not require the Governor’s signature.
If it’s a proposed constitutional amendment, it must be approved by voters in a statewide election.
Originates in the House.
SJR – Senate Joint Resolution
Same as HJR, but introduced in the Senate.
HCR – House Concurrent Resolution
Expresses the will of the House and Senate together but does not have the force of law.
Often used to make requests of federal government, authorize ceremonial recognitions, or approve internal legislative matters (e.g., adjournment).
Requires approval by both chambers, but not the Governor’s signature.
SCR – Senate Concurrent Resolution
Same as HCR, but introduced in the Senate.
HR – House Resolution
Used for internal House matters or to express one chamber’s opinion or recognition.
Examples: honoring a constituent, changing House rules.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Mouth-Bar-Cropped.jpg?fit=2000%2C859&ssl=18592000adminadmin2025-05-28 22:34:562025-05-30 08:46:01Dredging District Bill Passes Unanimously in Senate
5/28/2025 – The City of Houston Public Works Department just finished clearing 100 tons of accumulated sediment from under the Deer Springs Bridge over the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. According to District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger, the space under the bridge was so tight that crews had to do the work by hand. There wasn’t enough room to bring in bulldozers.
How Deer Springs Bridge Looked in Late 2024
Here’s a before shot taken late last year. As you can plainly see, much of the ditches conveyance was lost to sedimentation and vegetation.
Kingwood Diversion Ditch Bridge at Deer Springsin September 2024
Such blockages can increase flood risk.
Pictures of Clean Out
As you can see below, crews dug out the area directly underneath the bridge by hand because they had no equipment with a profile low enough to fit under the bridge.
They also re-established rip rap.
However, the job is not quite yet done. They still must hydro-mulch to stabilize the sides of the channel.
Both upstream and downstream banks were graded to meet the elevation of the bank section underneath the bridge. Crews still have yet to remove the island in the center of the ditch. That will require equipment with a longer reach.
According to Dustin Hodges, Council Member Flickinger’s Chief of Staff, Public Works is currently developing a scope of work for this project.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/2025 at 7:30 PM
2829 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250522_110145.jpg?fit=2000%2C1500&ssl=115002000adminadmin2025-05-28 19:53:112025-05-28 19:57:12City Removes 100 Tons of Sediment From Under Deer Springs Bridge
HCFCD Begins Repairs to Bens Branch Tributary
5/29/25 – On 5/16/25, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced a series of maintenance repairs in Kingwood. One was on a tributary of Bens Branch that runs down the west side of West Lake Houston Parkway toward Kingwood Town Center. Yesterday, I received a report from Chris Bloch, a flood activist in Kingwood, that they had started.
HCFCD is making repairs to a ditch romantically named G103-33-01-X007. See #10 in the center of the map below.
Photos Taken on 5/29/25
Below are several pictures taken today at the start of the project. I’m sure it will look better when they finish.
Swales behind the side slopes intercept water draining toward the ditch. In the lower right above, you can see a cement structure that helps convey water through a pipe from that swale to the bottom of the ditch. That helps prevent erosion to the side slopes.
More News to Follow
I’ll post more pictures as the project progresses. It’s important to maintain the conveyance of ditches as the flooded merchants in the shopping center above can attest. It still hasn’t completely recovered from Harvey flooding almost eight years ago. This should be very welcome news for them.
Maintenance is a never-ending challenge for HCFCD. They have more than 2500 miles of ditches to maintain. If you see them working near you, please give me a heads up through the contact page of this website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/29/25
2830 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Dredging District Bill Passes Unanimously in Senate
5/28/25 – HB1532, the Lake Houston Area Dredging District Bill, passed unanimously in the Texas Senate tonight, 31-0.
“My first thought after I saw this passed was that it was a victory for Kingwood,” said Representative Charles Cunningham who pushed the idea of a dredging district relentlessly for years.
Today is the last day of the legislative session that the Senate considers bills. So it was do-or-die time. And Senator Brandon Creighton teed the bill up perfectly with the help of Senator Paul Bettencourt who shepherded the bill through his Local Government Committee.
Now, it’s on to the Governor’s desk. The good news: shortly after Harvey, Governor Abbott visited Kingwood. He flew up and down the West Fork. He personally saw the mouth bar and other sediment buildups in our rivers and streams.
After his helicopter landed, he issued seven directives designed to reduce flood risk in the Lake Houston Area. And this is a huge step in that direction. So, he should be onboard.
Congratulations
Thank you to all those who wrote letters, testified in Austin, and never gave up hope for a dredging district. It was a true team effort between residents who never forgot the pain of flooding and leaders who never forgot those they represented. Together, we will make a difference for future generations and the future of the area.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank former State Rep. Dan Huberty; former Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin; City Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter; and the Army Corps of Engineers. They started this ball rolling years ago. \
And thank you, too, Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello. The architects of the 2018 Flood Bond. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey. And Bill McCabe and Dianne Lansden, who kept the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiation going for years.
My apologies to anyone I overlooked. So many contributed! They all had one thing in common. They put the safety of each other above partisan politics. And it showed in tonight’s unanimous vote.
Beating the Odds
Between “dream” and “done” in the Texas legislature, there’s a lot of hard work.
I came across this table today on the Texas Legislature Online website. It shows the success rate of various types of legislation to date.
Here’s what each of those acronyms above stands for:
HB – House Bill
SB – Senate Bill
HJR – House Joint Resolution
SJR – Senate Joint Resolution
HCR – House Concurrent Resolution
SCR – Senate Concurrent Resolution
HR – House Resolution
SR – Senate Resolution
The table below summarizes key differences.
Summary Table
To compare this year’s statistics with previous years’, see Texas Legislature Online.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 28, 2025
2829 Days since Hurricane Harvey
City Removes 100 Tons of Sediment From Under Deer Springs Bridge
5/28/2025 – The City of Houston Public Works Department just finished clearing 100 tons of accumulated sediment from under the Deer Springs Bridge over the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. According to District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger, the space under the bridge was so tight that crews had to do the work by hand. There wasn’t enough room to bring in bulldozers.
How Deer Springs Bridge Looked in Late 2024
Here’s a before shot taken late last year. As you can plainly see, much of the ditches conveyance was lost to sedimentation and vegetation.
Such blockages can increase flood risk.
Pictures of Clean Out
As you can see below, crews dug out the area directly underneath the bridge by hand because they had no equipment with a profile low enough to fit under the bridge.
They also re-established rip rap.
However, the job is not quite yet done. They still must hydro-mulch to stabilize the sides of the channel.
Both upstream and downstream banks were graded to meet the elevation of the bank section underneath the bridge. Crews still have yet to remove the island in the center of the ditch. That will require equipment with a longer reach.
Next Up
Houston Public Works is also evaluating the sediment build up in the middle of Kingwood Drive in the ditch immediately west of Kingwood High School.
The build up is even worse than you saw above.
According to Dustin Hodges, Council Member Flickinger’s Chief of Staff, Public Works is currently developing a scope of work for this project.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/2025 at 7:30 PM
2829 Days since Hurricane Harvey