2/3/25 – Minutes from the November and December board meetings of the Coastal Water Authority (CWA) suggest that the group is beginning to explore a new dam for Lake Houston, even as it plans repairs and additional gates for the old dam. This post explores the projects and how they fit together.
Discussion in November Board Meeting
During a Board discussion on 11/13/24 about repairs to the old dam, David Miller, PE, the CWA’s Operations Manager, “noted that the Lake Houston Dam is near the end of its design life and CWA is planning for a dam replacement project,” say the minutes.
Don Ripley, PE, the CWA’s General Manager, subsequently noted that repairs to the old dam “would keep the Lake Houston Dam in compliance with State of Texas dam safety requirements.”
Mr. Miller noted that repairs to the Lake Livingston Dam after May floods last year could cost the Trinity River Authority as much as $40 million.
December Minutes Offer More Detail
Then, during the 12/13/24 board meeting, the subjects of repairs to the old dam, a new dam, and additional gates arose again.
Repairs to Old Dam
The December minutes state: “The Lake Houston Dam Repair Project is the $10 million Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Project that is being implemented for immediate repairs, including grouting voids below and around the dam structure and repairing the spalled concrete on spillway buttress walls.”
“CWA and CWA’s project engineer, Freese and Nichols, Inc., are currently working on the scope and fee for additional field investigations and design/ engineering work and expect to bring this item to the Board for consideration in January 2025.” (However, the January minutes have not yet been posted.)
“The engineering work will specify the repair locations and approach to be implemented during construction. It is estimated that investigation and engineering work will take approximately six to eight months and construction will take approximately six to nine months in duration.”
Potential Dam Replacement
December minutes also state that, “Planning is also underway for a larger project to replace the existing 75-year old Lake Houston Dam. CWA will have Black & Veatch begin a high-level Lake Houston Dam Replacement Study in 2025.”
Additional Gates
A third Lake Houston Dam project that Directors discussed was additional gates. CWA is planning to add eleven new tainter gates to the dam for an additional 79,000 cubic feet per second of controlled discharge capacity.
New gates would go toward the far end of this earthen embankment, near the existing spillway.
“The design work is underway,” say the December minutes, “and will run through 2026. Current field activities underway include ground and bathymetric surveys. The geotechnical soil borings, environmental investigations including wetlands, endangered species and archeological sites will begin next week.”
“The design team is also scheduling meetings with all of the permitting agencies, including Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE-Galveston) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), regarding project details and schedules.”
“CWA met with the TCEQ last week and will meet with USACE-Galveston and TPWD in the coming weeks to inform them of the project details and to obtain an understanding of their respective review schedules and the possibilities of expediting those review schedules.”
“In response to questions from Director Sjolander and Director Huberty, Mr. Ripley stated that this project will increase discharge capacity during flood events which will provide upstream benefits.”
Putting Multiple Projects in Perspective
I reached out to the Coastal Water Authority for more information about the repairs, gate expansion and replacement. I wondered why they just didn’t move full steam ahead on the replacement?
Ripley responded, “CWA does not [currently] have a project to replace the existing dam. CWA is only preparing very preliminary information concerning the possible costs to replace the dam at some time in the future. Replacement of the dam will involve years of planning and permitting before an actual project could be proposed.”
When you supply drinking water to two million people, you want to make sure you get the engineering right.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/25
2715 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20220722-RJR_0770-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2025-02-03 17:11:002025-02-03 17:18:09CWA Beginning to Explore New Dam for Lake Houston
2/2/25 – National Weather Service statistics show that despite drought in the second half, 2024 ranked as the 8th wettest year in the last 25 at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
2017 was the highest year in 25. And 2011 was the lowest at 24.57 inches.
Abnormal Rainfall Distribution
In 2024, more than half of the normal rain for the year (52.1 inches) fell in just three months. They totaled 30.71 inches.
January had 8.77″ (more than double the mean of 3.94″ for the month)
May had 11.05″ (almost double the mean of 5.83″ for the month)
July had 10.89″ (more than double the mean of 4.45″ for the month)
Hurricane Beryl struck Houston on July 8 and dropped a normal month’s worth of rain in one day (4.72″). Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record.
Graphics Tell the Story
The table below shows the official National Weather Service totals for each month since January 2000, plus the means, maximums and minimums.
In graphical form, here’s how 2024 compared to the high, low and normal years.
The distribution of heavy rainfalls throughout the year was unusual. January doesn’t normally have heavy rainfall. Neither does July. And while May ranks as one of our wetter months, last year we got almost twice the normal amount of rain in May.
At the other end of the spectrum, October usually ranks as our second wettest month.
But last October, it was our driest of the year by far…with less than a half inch of rain.
NWS provides a wealth of climate information for those willing to take the time to explore it. It doesn’t always fit popular narratives. If you want to teach critical thinking skills to your students, have them try to prove or disprove claims they see online by consulting data from trusted sources, such as NWS.
And make sure when they report their findings that they don’t just say “8th wettest year,” even though it may seem like that to them. Make sure they specify a date range, i.e., “2024 was 8th wettest year in last 25,” so no one assumes “ever.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/2/25
2714 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-years-by-month-copy.jpg?fit=1200%2C1220&ssl=112201200adminadmin2025-02-02 18:30:562025-02-02 19:40:56Despite Drought in Second Half, 2024 Was 8th Wettest Year in the Last 25 at IAH
2/1/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul from the SE Houston area has introduced HB 2068, a bill that could eventually unite the counties within the San Jacinto River Basin into a regional flood control district. HB 2068, if approved, would modify the 1937 legislation that created the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
Here’s how the main modifications would work.
Two Big Changes: Leadership and Geographic Scope
The original legislation put control of HCFCD into the hands of the county judge and commissioners. Paul’s bill would let the governor appoint a board that controls District operations instead.
It could also expand the flood control district by letting surrounding counties join forces, but only after their leaders and residents approve. To join the district, a county’s judge and commissioners would first have to put the proposal on a ballot and voters would have to approve it.
Why Changes are Necessary
People both inside and outside of Harris County could all benefit. We need HB 2068 for several reasons.
Take Politics Out of District Operations
Since the election of Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2018, operations of HCFCD have become increasingly politicized. We now have politicians reportedly telling engineers how to do their jobs. That has driven off some highly talented professionals and slowed down operations.
Fairness for All
The politics have also skewed the focus of HCFCD efforts. HCFCD now directs flood-mitigation efforts primarily to areas with low incomes as opposed to areas with the worst flooding. During Harvey, Kingwood for instance:
More than 13,000 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. Many never recovered.
The UnionPacific Railroad lost its bridge over the West Fork.
Union Pacific railroad traffic was disrupted for months while a new bridge was built.
And yet since Harvey, HCFCD has spent $2.1 billion on flood control projects without constructing one in the Republican-dominated Lake Houston Area.
In fairness, HCFCD has done some maintenance here. It has also conducted several studies; it just hasn’t acted on any of them.
Need to Serve Entire River Basin
Ten of the 23 watersheds in Harris County originate outside the county. But Hidalgo, Ellis and Garcia have been reluctant to spend money outside of the county – even to help reduce flooding inside the county.
San Jacinto River tributaries affecting the Humble/Kingwood/Huffman area stretch into six surrounding counties.
An area 50% larger than Harris County drains through Lake Houston. Realistically, we can’t fix flooding here without the cooperation of the people upstream in Montgomery, Liberty, Waller, Grimes and other Counties.
Area draining into Lake Houston is far larger than Harris County.
Floodwaters don’t respect county or municipal boundaries. As development expands within surrounding counties, their residents will also experience flooding problems if they haven’t already.
Only One Chance to Do It Right
Ask the people of Plum Grove in Liberty County how the massive unincorporated Colony Ridge development affected flooding in their community. The first approximately 12,000 acres in Colony Ridge were developed with almost no stormwater detention basins. Fixing that now would require expensive buyouts. And that’s not likely to happen.
Drainage ditches have already eroded into people’s back yards. And FM1010, the major north/south artery through the area has been washed out for almost eight years.
FM1010 washed out at Rocky Branch during Harvey and has not been fixed since.
As development accelerates outside of Harris County, flood control in surrounding counties will become increasingly important.
Regardless of their impact downstream, residents of surrounding counties must do something to secure their futures for themselves before they too develop intractable flooding. Prevention is always less expensive than correction.
HB 2068 lets people in surrounding counties experience growth without the growing pains.
It could give them instant access to a highly knowledgeable, already developed, fully functional staff of flood control experts…without building their own.
For surrounding counties, that could mean faster solutions. Also, a lower percentage of their flood-control dollars would go to building staff and a higher percentage could go to building mitigation projects that actually reduce flooding.
Potential Benefits for All Texans
People of a region have more to gain by working together than by working in disconnected cells.
Because floodwaters don’t stop at jurisdictional boundaries, a regional approach to flood control is the only one that has a chance of success.
HB 2068 lets people make their own choices…when it’s right for them.
It’s fair to all.
We’ll have the best minds in the state working to solve our flooding problems without bumping into political boundaries.
Surrounding counties don’t have to spend years building organizations with the expertise to make a difference. They can start now.
The more people a project benefits, the easier it is to attract matching funds from Federal sources.
I see one other benefit for Texas, which finished its first statewide flood plan last year. If successful, this could become a model for other river basins throughout the state.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/1/25
2713 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/20201025-DJI_0919.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2025-02-01 18:56:122025-02-01 19:32:15Proposal to Expand the Flood Control District Has Many Benefits
CWA Beginning to Explore New Dam for Lake Houston
2/3/25 – Minutes from the November and December board meetings of the Coastal Water Authority (CWA) suggest that the group is beginning to explore a new dam for Lake Houston, even as it plans repairs and additional gates for the old dam. This post explores the projects and how they fit together.
Discussion in November Board Meeting
During a Board discussion on 11/13/24 about repairs to the old dam, David Miller, PE, the CWA’s Operations Manager, “noted that the Lake Houston Dam is near the end of its design life and CWA is planning for a dam replacement project,” say the minutes.
Don Ripley, PE, the CWA’s General Manager, subsequently noted that repairs to the old dam “would keep the Lake Houston Dam in compliance with State of Texas dam safety requirements.”
Mr. Miller noted that repairs to the Lake Livingston Dam after May floods last year could cost the Trinity River Authority as much as $40 million.
December Minutes Offer More Detail
Then, during the 12/13/24 board meeting, the subjects of repairs to the old dam, a new dam, and additional gates arose again.
Repairs to Old Dam
The December minutes state: “The Lake Houston Dam Repair Project is the $10 million Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Project that is being implemented for immediate repairs, including grouting voids below and around the dam structure and repairing the spalled concrete on spillway buttress walls.”
“CWA and CWA’s project engineer, Freese and Nichols, Inc., are currently working on the scope and fee for additional field investigations and design/ engineering work and expect to bring this item to the Board for consideration in January 2025.” (However, the January minutes have not yet been posted.)
“The engineering work will specify the repair locations and approach to be implemented during construction. It is estimated that investigation and engineering work will take approximately six to eight months and construction will take approximately six to nine months in duration.”
Potential Dam Replacement
December minutes also state that, “Planning is also underway for a larger project to replace the existing 75-year old Lake Houston Dam. CWA will have Black & Veatch begin a high-level Lake Houston Dam Replacement Study in 2025.”
Additional Gates
A third Lake Houston Dam project that Directors discussed was additional gates. CWA is planning to add eleven new tainter gates to the dam for an additional 79,000 cubic feet per second of controlled discharge capacity.
“The design work is underway,” say the December minutes, “and will run through 2026. Current field activities underway include ground and bathymetric surveys. The geotechnical soil borings, environmental investigations including wetlands, endangered species and archeological sites will begin next week.”
“The design team is also scheduling meetings with all of the permitting agencies, including Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE-Galveston) and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), regarding project details and schedules.”
“CWA met with the TCEQ last week and will meet with USACE-Galveston and TPWD in the coming weeks to inform them of the project details and to obtain an understanding of their respective review schedules and the possibilities of expediting those review schedules.”
“In response to questions from Director Sjolander and Director Huberty, Mr. Ripley stated that this project will increase discharge capacity during flood events which will provide upstream benefits.”
Putting Multiple Projects in Perspective
I reached out to the Coastal Water Authority for more information about the repairs, gate expansion and replacement. I wondered why they just didn’t move full steam ahead on the replacement?
Ripley responded, “CWA does not [currently] have a project to replace the existing dam. CWA is only preparing very preliminary information concerning the possible costs to replace the dam at some time in the future. Replacement of the dam will involve years of planning and permitting before an actual project could be proposed.”
When you supply drinking water to two million people, you want to make sure you get the engineering right.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/25
2715 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Despite Drought in Second Half, 2024 Was 8th Wettest Year in the Last 25 at IAH
2/2/25 – National Weather Service statistics show that despite drought in the second half, 2024 ranked as the 8th wettest year in the last 25 at Bush Intercontinental Airport.
8th Wettest Year in Last 25
Bush received 59.17 inches in 2024 compared to:
2017 was the highest year in 25. And 2011 was the lowest at 24.57 inches.
Abnormal Rainfall Distribution
In 2024, more than half of the normal rain for the year (52.1 inches) fell in just three months. They totaled 30.71 inches.
Hurricane Beryl struck Houston on July 8 and dropped a normal month’s worth of rain in one day (4.72″). Beryl was the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record.
Graphics Tell the Story
The table below shows the official National Weather Service totals for each month since January 2000, plus the means, maximums and minimums.
In graphical form, here’s how 2024 compared to the high, low and normal years.
The distribution of heavy rainfalls throughout the year was unusual. January doesn’t normally have heavy rainfall. Neither does July. And while May ranks as one of our wetter months, last year we got almost twice the normal amount of rain in May.
At the other end of the spectrum, October usually ranks as our second wettest month.
But last October, it was our driest of the year by far…with less than a half inch of rain.
NWS provides a wealth of climate information for those willing to take the time to explore it. It doesn’t always fit popular narratives. If you want to teach critical thinking skills to your students, have them try to prove or disprove claims they see online by consulting data from trusted sources, such as NWS.
And make sure when they report their findings that they don’t just say “8th wettest year,” even though it may seem like that to them. Make sure they specify a date range, i.e., “2024 was 8th wettest year in last 25,” so no one assumes “ever.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/2/25
2714 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Proposal to Expand the Flood Control District Has Many Benefits
2/1/25 – State Representative Dennis Paul from the SE Houston area has introduced HB 2068, a bill that could eventually unite the counties within the San Jacinto River Basin into a regional flood control district. HB 2068, if approved, would modify the 1937 legislation that created the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
Here’s how the main modifications would work.
Two Big Changes: Leadership and Geographic Scope
The original legislation put control of HCFCD into the hands of the county judge and commissioners. Paul’s bill would let the governor appoint a board that controls District operations instead.
It could also expand the flood control district by letting surrounding counties join forces, but only after their leaders and residents approve. To join the district, a county’s judge and commissioners would first have to put the proposal on a ballot and voters would have to approve it.
Why Changes are Necessary
People both inside and outside of Harris County could all benefit. We need HB 2068 for several reasons.
Take Politics Out of District Operations
Since the election of Judge Lina Hidalgo in 2018, operations of HCFCD have become increasingly politicized. We now have politicians reportedly telling engineers how to do their jobs. That has driven off some highly talented professionals and slowed down operations.
Fairness for All
The politics have also skewed the focus of HCFCD efforts. HCFCD now directs flood-mitigation efforts primarily to areas with low incomes as opposed to areas with the worst flooding. During Harvey, Kingwood for instance:
The community was virtually cut off from Houston for 11 months when half of the I-69 bridge over the West Fork was destroyed.
In the wider Lake Houston Area:
In fairness, HCFCD has done some maintenance here. It has also conducted several studies; it just hasn’t acted on any of them.
Need to Serve Entire River Basin
Ten of the 23 watersheds in Harris County originate outside the county. But Hidalgo, Ellis and Garcia have been reluctant to spend money outside of the county – even to help reduce flooding inside the county.
An area 50% larger than Harris County drains through Lake Houston. Realistically, we can’t fix flooding here without the cooperation of the people upstream in Montgomery, Liberty, Waller, Grimes and other Counties.
Floodwaters don’t respect county or municipal boundaries. As development expands within surrounding counties, their residents will also experience flooding problems if they haven’t already.
Only One Chance to Do It Right
Ask the people of Plum Grove in Liberty County how the massive unincorporated Colony Ridge development affected flooding in their community. The first approximately 12,000 acres in Colony Ridge were developed with almost no stormwater detention basins. Fixing that now would require expensive buyouts. And that’s not likely to happen.
Drainage ditches have already eroded into people’s back yards. And FM1010, the major north/south artery through the area has been washed out for almost eight years.
As development accelerates outside of Harris County, flood control in surrounding counties will become increasingly important.
Regardless of their impact downstream, residents of surrounding counties must do something to secure their futures for themselves before they too develop intractable flooding. Prevention is always less expensive than correction.
It could give them instant access to a highly knowledgeable, already developed, fully functional staff of flood control experts…without building their own.
For surrounding counties, that could mean faster solutions. Also, a lower percentage of their flood-control dollars would go to building staff and a higher percentage could go to building mitigation projects that actually reduce flooding.
Potential Benefits for All Texans
People of a region have more to gain by working together than by working in disconnected cells.
I see one other benefit for Texas, which finished its first statewide flood plan last year. If successful, this could become a model for other river basins throughout the state.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/1/25
2713 Days since Hurricane Harvey