8/10/2024 – Sometimes Randy Reagan must feel that he has struggled for most of his adult life against rising floodwaters, sand mines and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA). He has flooded six times in the last nine years. Still, he’s rebuilding on a lot he bought 30 years ago. But he’s doing it differently this time.
May 2024 Flood. Reagan property in background. Note roof of submerged vehicle in foreground.
Erosion of Country Lifestyle
Reagan grew up not far from the San Jacinto West Fork. He remembers a time as a child before Lake Conroe when the river ran clear and teemed with fish.
His wife grew up in the same neighborhood. Her parents were the first settlers in an area that came to be known as Bennett Estates between FM1314 and the San Jacinto West Fork.
They loved living near the river and all the abundant wildlife. So Reagan bought 5.5 acres for $10,000 back in the mid-’90s. He put a mobile home on it and started raising a family. He hunted all the meat his family ate from his own property and the surrounding forests. Life was good.
The 1994 flood was the highest ever in that area. The SJRA released 56,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Conroe during the storm. So Reagan elevated his home a foot above the high water mark from that storm and figured he was safe.
But gradually, his dream of peaceful, country living turned sour. In the mid-2000s, two companies started mining sand near his home – one a few blocks north, the other immediately south of his property.
The mines accelerated runoff and erosion. They also changed local drainage patterns in ways that flooded his property.
In the meantime, upstream areas grew, also increasing runoff. And by the time I first met Reagan in early 2020, his property had flooded five times in four years. The worst: Harvey in 2017. Ninety-three inches of water invaded his home. That’s almost 8 feet! See that story here.
Eventually, Reagan tore down the mobil home. Repeat flooding had caused the foundation to shift and destabilized it. He and his wife began living in his workshop or with relatives.
Reagan tried to get a low-interest SBA loan through FEMA to rebuild. But they denied him because he had “let his flood insurance lapse after Harvey.”
“Of course I let it lapse,” said Reagan. “There was nothing left to insure. The home was gone.”
Fast Forward Four Years
The May flood this year swamped his property again after the SJRA opened the gates on Lake Conroe and began releasing 72,000 CFS, the second highest release rate in SJRA history.
Reagan points to high water mark on his shop from May 2024 flood – 52 inches.
Only Harvey exceeded that rate. SJRA released 79,000 CFS in 2017 during Harvey.
Since then, Reagan began planning his comeback against Mother Nature, the sand mines and SJRA.
His dream now is to build a foundation for a new home up 10 feet above the original level of the land. That would make the land higher than the Harvey high-water mark.
Then he wants to build a new home up on stilts, another ten feet above the elevated foundation. It would be elevated 20 feet above his first home on the property and more than 10 feet above Harvey. Hopefully, that will keep him safe for a few years.
The retired oil-field worker and bull rider is looking at designs from UB Homes. He also hired a MoCo excavation company, Graham Land Services, to excavate a pond at the back of the property.
Dirt from pond excavation (background) is being used to build up home pad (foreground).
Dirt from the pond is building up the foundation where his new home will go.
Pros and Cons of Rebuilding in Location that Floods
On the plus side:
Mining behind his property has ceased. He now has a 42-acre pond behind him. No one will ever build behind him and spoil his view.
He can still hunt on his property.
Despite the flooding, property values have appreciated. Not far away, a home recently went up for sale at $1.4 million.
Development in surrounding areas has brought shopping, services and hospitals closer to home without changing his country-living atmosphere.
The May flood deposited fish in Reagan’s pond, which are now thriving.
Randy Reagan property lower right.
On the minus side:
All the tractor work has taken a toll on Reagan’s aging body. He complains of aching joints and bulging disks in his back and neck. He’s also fighting knee and shoulder pain from a lifetime of backbreaking work in the oil fields and on his property.
He wishes SJRA would pre-release water from Lake Conroe at much slower rates in advance of major storms, but has little hope that they will. “This May flood could have been totally avoided if they would have let water out sooner,” said Reagan. “SJRA needs to start operating the Lake Conroe Dam a lot better than what they’re doing.”
Reagan feels SJRA places Lake Conroe recreation above the protection of downstream property.
He feels he would have to move north of Huntsville to find the kind of flood-safe country living he once enjoyed. “It’s hard to get a piece of country living anymore in Montgomery County. It’s all going away,” said Reagan.
A Pioneer Spirit
Reagan typifies the struggle many Houstonians feel. He loves nature and living near water – until floods exact their terrible price. Still, he returns. To fight for a life he loves.
Reagan takes a break from moving in front of the property being raised for a new home.
I admire the fact that he’s not waiting for others to protect him from the ravages of West Fork flooding. By elevating his property and home, he’s protecting himself and his family.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/10/24
2538 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240810-440497047_452461260667459_6359157880369095417_n.jpg?fit=1100%2C825&ssl=18251100adminadmin2024-08-10 18:05:542024-08-10 18:36:31One Man’s Struggle Against Rising Floodwaters, Sand Mines and SJRA
8/9/24 – Here’s an unsolicited idea that could help improve efficiency of the Beryl recovery process: inventorying channel blockages in your area. Then supply Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) with a comprehensive, consolidatedlist. It could save them time when time is critical as we head into the peak of hurricane season.
HCFCD maintains more than 2,500 miles of bayous, creeks and manmade drainage channels, along with dozens of large stormwater detention basins across Harris County. And damage from Beryl has affected the entire county. Reportedly, the extent of the damage has HCFCD maintenance staff stretched to the max.
Implications for Maintenance
Maintenance has reportedly become HCFCD’s major focus of activity at the moment. No one has bandwidth to spare. So, this may be one of those times when citizens can help. Not by cleaning out ditches and streams themselves; that’s dangerous. But by reporting problems more efficiently and effectively.
Rather than having five different people report five different blockages on the same stream at five different times, so crews make five trips, perhaps one, consolidated report would help.
A consolidated report could:
Reduce the number of phone calls and emails to process, track and respond to
Help prioritize the hardest hit areas
Reduce the number of repeat trips to a single area
Make scheduling crews easier
Improve response time
Reduce flooding from blockages that may not have been reported.
How to Report Problems
Last week, I posted about ways to direct HCFCD to problems quickly, especially when street addresses might not apply. For instance, consider creeks that cut through greenbelt trails.
About that time, Chris Bloch, a board member of the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA), sent me a dozen photos of blocked streams within his association.
He had reported them all to HCFCD simultaneously in one consolidated request. That inspired the idea for this post.
I’m sure flood control would like your help identifying blockages any way they can get it, whether requests are individual or consolidated. As a former business owner, I always looked for ways to operate more efficiently. This could be one of those times. Collectively, we have a simple way to help.
Walk your greenbelts looking for problems. Then produce a thorough, consolidated report that identifies channel numbers and locations, and submit it to HCFCD:
The Lake Houston Area has dozens, if not hundreds of community and trail associations that could help with this task.
So thousands of different HCFCD trips could be greatly reduced.
Below are five photos submitted by Bloch from among many more taken on the six miles of channels within BBTA’s boundaries. They come from ONE stretch of ONE creek. And Bloch reported them all at ONCE.
Calling on All HOAs and Trail Associations
Each blockage shown above could catch other trees floating downstream in future storms and create log jams that back water up and flood neighborhoods. They are invisible from the air, hidden by the dense tree canopy.
To help ensure blockages get addressed ASAP, every trail or community association should consider submitting a consolidated list of issues within their respective areas.
Walking 2,500 miles of channels is like walking across America. It ain’t easy.
Think how much time consolidated inventorying of channel blockages could save HCFCD staff who are already stretched thin.
Please share this post with your HOA and Trail Association board members in your area. Perhaps they can help identify volunteers, which may include scouts eager to earn hiking, photography community service and mapping merit badges.
2537 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 30 since Beryl
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/9/24
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240803-Bens-Branch-Obstruction-3.jpg?fit=1100%2C717&ssl=17171100adminadmin2024-08-09 20:34:182024-08-11 21:43:30Inventorying Channel Blockages Could Help HCFCD
8/8/24 – In the last year, the Northpark Drive expansion project hit several snags. But one by one, project partners seem to be overcoming the hurdles.
Contractors discovered utility poles and gas lines in their way. Permits to bore under the railroad and bridge over it took longer than expected. Delays forced changes in plans to keep crews busy. And eventually, when project managers ran out of alternative options, contractors had to shift crews to other jobs.
After months of delays that hampered progress, hope is finally on the horizon.
Paving the Way for Faster Progress
The pace of construction could soon accelerate again.
CenterPoint has moved all of its facilities east of Loop 494 and only a few conflicts are left west of 494.
Entergy is almost done removing its east-to-west poles at Northpark/494. This will let contractors complete the storm water drainage system, construct new feeder roads, and build at-grade vehicle crossings over the rail tracks.
Comcast, Tachus, AT&T, PS Lightwave, MCI, Optimum, BrightSpeed, and Crown Castle have either finished relocating their facilities, submitted relocation plans under review at the City, or received Permits for relocation. In the last case, they have also provided schedules to the TIRZ
A new water main will allow service to be transferred from Porter SUD to City of Houston. This same water main also serves the newly installed fire hydrants along Northpark.
Contractors and UnionPacific have resolved right-of-way issues. Work should start on the rail crossings later this year.
Project managers have acquired additional rights of way from private property owners
Alternate plans are in place for rerouting traffic
Entergy has submitted Plans for permits that will let them bury their power lines west of 494 and underneath the railroad tracks on Northpark Drive.
Most of these changes, while barely visible, are highly critical.
Improved Working Relationship with Entergy
Project Manager Ralph De Leon predicts motorists could soon see visible progress. Brian Garcia, Entergy’s customer service manager, agrees.
Both men cite an improved working relationship. Weekly meetings between their teams have reportedly resolved most technical, permitting, and scheduling issues.
Next Steps
Harper brothers has finished burying culvert down the center of Northpark. Now the company will begin installing culvert on the north side of the street westward. It will eventually connect to the system at Self-U-Storage.
Looking west at extent of culvert installation. From here, culvert will move north/right to make room for surface turn lanes and a bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494.
The next leg will go under the railroad tracks and Loop 494. It will connect the eastern and western sections of the storm water drainage system.
In general, the next major steps for the Northpark Drive Expansion include:
Shifting westbound traffic toward the center
Burying drainage culverts on the north side of the street.
Building permanent access roads on the north.
Shifting traffic back to the permanent lanes.
Keep your fingers and tire jacks crossed. Working out many of these unforeseen issues delayed the project 188 days so far. The delays also forced Harper Brothers Construction to divert some of its crews to other jobs to keep them busy.
Photos of Work to Date and In Progress
Crews today worked on bringing power to new, temporary traffic signal locations.
Crews worked on three of the four corners of Northpark and Loop 494. Old power lines on the fourth corner (lower right) were previously de-energized and poles topped. Comcast will reportedly move its cable on those poles next week.Crews are also spreading and compacting dirt over installed culverts.(Looking W toward US59)Ditto in the opposite direction.Looking east toward Diversion Ditch.
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.
One Man’s Struggle Against Rising Floodwaters, Sand Mines and SJRA
8/10/2024 – Sometimes Randy Reagan must feel that he has struggled for most of his adult life against rising floodwaters, sand mines and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA). He has flooded six times in the last nine years. Still, he’s rebuilding on a lot he bought 30 years ago. But he’s doing it differently this time.
Erosion of Country Lifestyle
Reagan grew up not far from the San Jacinto West Fork. He remembers a time as a child before Lake Conroe when the river ran clear and teemed with fish.
His wife grew up in the same neighborhood. Her parents were the first settlers in an area that came to be known as Bennett Estates between FM1314 and the San Jacinto West Fork.
They loved living near the river and all the abundant wildlife. So Reagan bought 5.5 acres for $10,000 back in the mid-’90s. He put a mobile home on it and started raising a family. He hunted all the meat his family ate from his own property and the surrounding forests. Life was good.
The 1994 flood was the highest ever in that area. The SJRA released 56,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Conroe during the storm. So Reagan elevated his home a foot above the high water mark from that storm and figured he was safe.
But gradually, his dream of peaceful, country living turned sour. In the mid-2000s, two companies started mining sand near his home – one a few blocks north, the other immediately south of his property.
The mines accelerated runoff and erosion. They also changed local drainage patterns in ways that flooded his property.
In the meantime, upstream areas grew, also increasing runoff. And by the time I first met Reagan in early 2020, his property had flooded five times in four years. The worst: Harvey in 2017. Ninety-three inches of water invaded his home. That’s almost 8 feet! See that story here.
Eventually, Reagan tore down the mobil home. Repeat flooding had caused the foundation to shift and destabilized it. He and his wife began living in his workshop or with relatives.
Reagan tried to get a low-interest SBA loan through FEMA to rebuild. But they denied him because he had “let his flood insurance lapse after Harvey.”
“Of course I let it lapse,” said Reagan. “There was nothing left to insure. The home was gone.”
Fast Forward Four Years
The May flood this year swamped his property again after the SJRA opened the gates on Lake Conroe and began releasing 72,000 CFS, the second highest release rate in SJRA history.
Only Harvey exceeded that rate. SJRA released 79,000 CFS in 2017 during Harvey.
Since then, Reagan began planning his comeback against Mother Nature, the sand mines and SJRA.
His dream now is to build a foundation for a new home up 10 feet above the original level of the land. That would make the land higher than the Harvey high-water mark.
Then he wants to build a new home up on stilts, another ten feet above the elevated foundation. It would be elevated 20 feet above his first home on the property and more than 10 feet above Harvey. Hopefully, that will keep him safe for a few years.
The retired oil-field worker and bull rider is looking at designs from UB Homes. He also hired a MoCo excavation company, Graham Land Services, to excavate a pond at the back of the property.
Dirt from the pond is building up the foundation where his new home will go.
Pros and Cons of Rebuilding in Location that Floods
On the plus side:
On the minus side:
A Pioneer Spirit
Reagan typifies the struggle many Houstonians feel. He loves nature and living near water – until floods exact their terrible price. Still, he returns. To fight for a life he loves.
I admire the fact that he’s not waiting for others to protect him from the ravages of West Fork flooding. By elevating his property and home, he’s protecting himself and his family.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/10/24
2538 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Inventorying Channel Blockages Could Help HCFCD
8/9/24 – Here’s an unsolicited idea that could help improve efficiency of the Beryl recovery process: inventorying channel blockages in your area. Then supply Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) with a comprehensive, consolidated list. It could save them time when time is critical as we head into the peak of hurricane season.
HCFCD maintains more than 2,500 miles of bayous, creeks and manmade drainage channels, along with dozens of large stormwater detention basins across Harris County. And damage from Beryl has affected the entire county. Reportedly, the extent of the damage has HCFCD maintenance staff stretched to the max.
Implications for Maintenance
Maintenance has reportedly become HCFCD’s major focus of activity at the moment. No one has bandwidth to spare. So, this may be one of those times when citizens can help. Not by cleaning out ditches and streams themselves; that’s dangerous. But by reporting problems more efficiently and effectively.
Rather than having five different people report five different blockages on the same stream at five different times, so crews make five trips, perhaps one, consolidated report would help.
A consolidated report could:
How to Report Problems
Last week, I posted about ways to direct HCFCD to problems quickly, especially when street addresses might not apply. For instance, consider creeks that cut through greenbelt trails.
About that time, Chris Bloch, a board member of the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA), sent me a dozen photos of blocked streams within his association.
He had reported them all to HCFCD simultaneously in one consolidated request. That inspired the idea for this post.
I’m sure flood control would like your help identifying blockages any way they can get it, whether requests are individual or consolidated. As a former business owner, I always looked for ways to operate more efficiently. This could be one of those times. Collectively, we have a simple way to help.
Walk your greenbelts looking for problems. Then produce a thorough, consolidated report that identifies channel numbers and locations, and submit it to HCFCD:
Consolidated List Could Improve Efficiency
The Lake Houston Area has dozens, if not hundreds of community and trail associations that could help with this task.
So thousands of different HCFCD trips could be greatly reduced.
Below are five photos submitted by Bloch from among many more taken on the six miles of channels within BBTA’s boundaries. They come from ONE stretch of ONE creek. And Bloch reported them all at ONCE.
Calling on All HOAs and Trail Associations
Each blockage shown above could catch other trees floating downstream in future storms and create log jams that back water up and flood neighborhoods. They are invisible from the air, hidden by the dense tree canopy.
To help ensure blockages get addressed ASAP, every trail or community association should consider submitting a consolidated list of issues within their respective areas.
Walking 2,500 miles of channels is like walking across America. It ain’t easy.
Think how much time consolidated inventorying of channel blockages could save HCFCD staff who are already stretched thin.
Please share this post with your HOA and Trail Association board members in your area. Perhaps they can help identify volunteers, which may include scouts eager to earn hiking, photography community service and mapping merit badges.
2537 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 30 since Beryl
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/9/24
Northpark Drive Expansion Project Overcoming Hurdles
8/8/24 – In the last year, the Northpark Drive expansion project hit several snags. But one by one, project partners seem to be overcoming the hurdles.
Contractors discovered utility poles and gas lines in their way. Permits to bore under the railroad and bridge over it took longer than expected. Delays forced changes in plans to keep crews busy. And eventually, when project managers ran out of alternative options, contractors had to shift crews to other jobs.
After months of delays that hampered progress, hope is finally on the horizon.
Paving the Way for Faster Progress
The pace of construction could soon accelerate again.
Most of these changes, while barely visible, are highly critical.
Improved Working Relationship with Entergy
Project Manager Ralph De Leon predicts motorists could soon see visible progress. Brian Garcia, Entergy’s customer service manager, agrees.
Both men cite an improved working relationship. Weekly meetings between their teams have reportedly resolved most technical, permitting, and scheduling issues.
Next Steps
Harper brothers has finished burying culvert down the center of Northpark. Now the company will begin installing culvert on the north side of the street westward. It will eventually connect to the system at Self-U-Storage.
The next leg will go under the railroad tracks and Loop 494. It will connect the eastern and western sections of the storm water drainage system.
In general, the next major steps for the Northpark Drive Expansion include:
Keep your fingers and tire jacks crossed. Working out many of these unforeseen issues delayed the project 188 days so far. The delays also forced Harper Brothers Construction to divert some of its crews to other jobs to keep them busy.
Photos of Work to Date and In Progress
Crews today worked on bringing power to new, temporary traffic signal locations.
Upcoming Construction Schedule
To look ahead at planned Northpark Drive expansion activities for the next few weeks, see a schedule on the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project page.
For More Information
For more information about Northpark Drive expansion and a history of the project, see these posts on ReduceFlooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/8/24
2536 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.