News - Reduce Flooding

Where Kingwood Diversion Ditch splits off from Bens Branch

Transparency Issues Undermining Trust in Harris County Government

1/10/25 – Sometimes it seems transparency issues with Harris County government just never cease. For instance…

You go to the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) website to look for “active construction projects” in your area. But the “Active Construction Projects” page is not working. And it hasn’t worked for months.

You wanted to know what HCFCD had done for you before voting on a 63% tax increase they requested. But the latest document posted in the download section of their website is from 2020 – more than four years ago.

*Screen capture from HCFCD.org on 1/10/25 at 6:30PM showed last update to Document section was in 2020.*

You lead a flood coalition representing hundreds of thousands of people and seeking to participate in public online meetings about flood control. You repeatedly ask for notice of the meetings, but get none.

You file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request for a preliminary engineering report that HCFCD wants public comments on. But they refuse to give it to you and protest the request to the State Attorney General.

All of these scenarios are real. And current.

The Deeper You Dig, the More You Suspect

What are they trying to hide? Do they really want public input? Are they trying to cover up embarrassing incompetence? Government waste? Is this a case of bureaucratic laziness? Or do they just not want to deal with a public that might dare to disagree.

Two things are certain. The harder you push, the more they talk about how transparent they are. And the penchant for secrecy undermines trust in Harris County Government.

Let’s dissect just one of the examples above – the FOIA request.

Details on Kingwood Diversion Ditch FOIA Request

After Hurricane Harvey, Harris County Flood Control District commissioned a Kingwood Area Drainage Study. Commissioners approved it on August 13, 2019.

HCFCD held a Community Engagement Meeting to discuss the study on October 20, 2020. It found 85% of the storm water runoff from Montgomery County went into the natural channel of Bens Branch rather than being diverted into the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

The Drainage Study also found the Bens Branch drainage channel has less than a 2-year level of service. This translates to a greater than 50% chance of structural flooding in any given year.

The Drainage Study recommended increasing the conveyance capacity of the Diversion Ditch and completely blocking flow from Montgomery County into the natural channel of Bens Branch through Kingwood. The Study listed improvement of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Taylor Gully as the two top priorities to avoid future flooding in Kingwood.

Excessive flow entering the natural channel of Bens Branch is the root cause of the erosion of the Bens Branch channel. The Diversion Ditch is supposed to siphon water out of Bens Branch, but it’s obviously not working as planned,

After release of the Kingwood Drainage Study, Harris County Commissioners authorized a preliminary engineering study for improvement of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. Neel-Schaffer, Inc. received the contract on June 29, 2021. The value was $437,685 and specifications called for the report to be issued in 300 days.

Excessive Delays

However, HCFCD held a Virtual Community Engagement Meeting on March 7^th, 2024, to discuss the results of this study. This was 982 days after the contract – more than three times the duration specified.

The stated purpose of the meeting was to obtain questions and solicit public comment.

To formulate reasonable questions and comments, Chris Bloch, a retired Kingwood engineer and flood fighter, filed a FOIA request on March 6^th to obtain the full report. But HCFCD denied his request.

HCFCD said the report was still in draft form and had the County Attorney send a letter to The Texas Attorney General objecting to disclosure of some of the information included in the Preliminary Engineering Report.

The Attorney General allowed HCFCD to keep the draft secret. But public comments on the secret report were due on March 20, 2024, two weeks after the meeting that presented only high-level findings.

Bloch’s beef? “As an engineer familiar with Kingwood drainage conditions, it is impossible to make reasonable questions or comments on a Study which cannot be seen.” He concluded, “It is clear, the priority of improving Kingwood Drainage does not seem to have any urgency.”

Block wrote me on December 14, 2024 about his ordeal. That was:

283 days after the close of public comments
1,264 days after the contract for the Preliminary Engineering Report was authorized
1,516 days after the Kingwood Drainage Study Community Engagement Meeting.

Block says he requested a meeting with Flood Control personnel responsible for the report, but they did not respond. He still hasn’t received the report.

Ray of Light

There is a ray of light, however. 1318 days after the study was commissioned, HCFCD says they have plans to finally review it with Harris County Commissioners Court on February 6, 2025. HCFCD indicates they may give the report to Bloch after that … if commissioners approve it.

Do you have a similar story about government transparency? Please send it to me using the contact form of this website.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/10/25 using information from Chris Bloch

2691 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Bens Branch Erosion Forces Installation of New Bridge

1/9/25 – The widening of Bens Branch caused by ever-increasing amounts of water coming downstream from new upstream developments has forced the Bear Branch Trail Association to replace an aging wooden bridge with a new $300,000 steel truss bridge.

*Old Bridge Between Cedar Knolls and Park Royal in Bear Branch Trail Association*. *Photo by Chris Bloch.*

*New steel-truss bridge in same area being hoisted into place today.* *Photo by Chris Bloch.*

The creek has widened from 32 to 50 feet since Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019. The new steel-truss bridge became necessary to accommodate the wider span.

Upstream Growth and Importance of Bridge

Contractors installed the new bridge about a hundred yards south of the Pines Montessori School on Cedar Knolls. It connects Park Royal in Bear Branch Village to Cedar Knolls in Kings Forest Village.

It is also a major connector for foot and bicycle traffic between the western and eastern halves of the 100+ mile Kingwood trail system.

Thousands of residents use it, including students going to/from Bear Branch Elementary, Kingwood High School and Pines Montessori.

The Bens Branch watershed extends northwest all the way up into fast-growing Valley Ranch area in Montgomery County. Over the years, ever-increasing amounts of runoff have widened the watercourse, undermining the supports of pedestrian and street bridges alike.

The Tree Lane Bridge about a 1000 feet upstream from today’s bridge replacement had to have its entire substructure refurbished last year because of excessive erosion. That was at least the third set of repairs since Imelda.

The pedestrian bridge also was pummeled by the power of moving water.

*Eroded support for old bridge. Photo by Chris Bloch.*

Erosion Also Undercut Trees

During floods in January, May and July last year, erosion also claimed hundreds of trees that fell into the creek, backing water up and contributing to flooding.

*Example of erosion just a few feet downstream from new bridge.*

*Trees hauled out of Bens Branch after Beryl remain stacked on Tree Lane waiting to be hauled away.*

Pictures of New Bridge Installation on 1/9/25

The next group of pictures shows the new bridge and its placement today.

*Before installation. The new 5,000 pound steel bridge will have concrete* *poured in the tray surrounding the deck.*

*The concrete abutments are sunk deep into the ground.*

*Overhead shot shows riprap stacked on both sides. It will protect the edges of the embankment next to the bridge from erosion.*

*Wooden “matts” had to be placed under the crane to stabilize it for the heavy lift in rain-soaked soil.*

*Then a forklift and a backhoe maneuvered the new bridge down the trail to the stream.*

*As the crane slowly lifted the bridge into position, workers guided it with ropes from a safe distance.*

*They guided the bridge by hand* *for the last foot or so to make sure it was squarely seated on steel posts embedded in the concrete.*

*One whack from a sledgehammer and everything locked into place.*

More to Come

Workers still have to:

Pour the concrete deck
Place the riprap
Finish the approaches to the bridge
Replant trees destroyed by heavy equipment.

The new bridge should help reduce erosion. The cross section under the bridge increased from 120 square feet before Imelda to 420 square feet with the new design – a 3.5X or 250% increase. That will make it easier for water to flow under the bridge without backing up, causing jetting, or flooding the nearby Montessori school.

The project should be complete by the end of January 2025.

Thanks go to more than 2,800 members of the Bear Branch Trail Association who paid for the new bridge and its engineering. And a special “thank you” goes out to three volunteer members of the BBTA board – Lee Danner, Chris Bloch and Chris Arceneaux. They supervised the installation today in driving rain and near-freezing temperatures. They exemplify a dedication to excellence and community service that makes Kingwood such a wonderful place to live.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/9/25 with help from Chris Bloch

2690 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Northpark Construction: From Mistletoe to Milestones

1/7/2025 – In the week after a holiday lull, Northpark construction is ramping back up and should reach some milestones later this week. According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website:

A paving crew will begin pouring concrete for new lanes beginning Friday January 10th in front of PNC Bank between US and Loop 494 on the north side of Northpark.
Another crew will demolish the existing eastbound lanes of Northpark from Kings Mill to Russell Palmer Road.

In other news, crews will continue:

Installing reinforced concrete box culverts between Caliber Collision and the Extra Space Storage facility to accommodate new westbound access roads.
Switching water services from the Porter Special Utility District to the City of Houston.
Grading the area for a sidewalk between Loop 494 and US59 on the north side of Northpark.

See the pictures below, all taken on Tuesday morning, 1/7/25.

New Lanes and Sidewalk Between Loop 494 and 59

*New westbound lanes and a sidewalk will go in the area being prepped to the right of existing traffic.*

*Looking E toward 494 from same location.*

Culvert Installation under Westbound Turn Lanes

The first three shots below show the culvert installation east of 494 from different angles.

This will be the area where two westbound surface turn lanes split off from traffic continuing over a bridge that spans Loop 494 and the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks.

*Closer shot of current work area. The smaller pipe will drain lateral areas.*

*Close up of box culvert installation. Note size of culverts relative to men on both sides.*

Loop 494 North and South of Northpark

Elsewhere, new southbound lanes both north and south of Northpark have been completed.

*Looking N along 494 from over Northpark. Old lanes on right closed off and awaiting demolition.*

*Looking south across same intersection. Area on left is awaiting demo and reconstruction.*

For More Information

See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages. For a history of the project, see these select posts on ReduceFlooding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/25

2688 Days since Hurricane Harvey