7/24/24 – Note: This guest editorial by Kingwood resident Tony Lanson is timely. The Lake Houston Area is currently under yet another flood watch.
Why are the promised Lake Houston flood gates not completed? Why has the schedule slipped repeatedly? Will they really be constructed by 2028 – the latest target date? That’s 11 years after Harvey and five years later than originally promised. We need them to reduce flood risk.
The threat to our community’s sense of peace and wellbeing has eroded the value proposition for current and prospective Lake Houston residents and businesses.
Repeated Delays
Our elected officials did their job. They responded to an urgent mandate to act. They:
Persevered through years of consultant reports and 11 engineering alternatives.
However, the project now seems stuck in a low gear. Project-level leadership seems to lack urgency to deliver.
Has the Lake Houston Flood Gates project team been challenged to simplify the process and accelerate the schedule? Urgency seems to be missing – even after the May 2024 flood and Hurricane Beryl rekindled old fears and anxieties.
Early Missteps
From 2018 to 2023 the City of Houston and the CWA presided over contract firms, project scoping, design, costing, permitting, bidding and reviews.
However, the City of Houston could find no contractors to bid on the project because of “constructability risk.” Was there no constructability review during five years of engineering?
Thus, engineering and design for the project turned into a “start over.”
The Latest Plan
The new Lake Houston Flood Gates project has 11 tainter gates in the eastern, earthen portion of the dam instead of crest gates on the western portion. But the project’s cost tripled.
Looking N at Lake Houston Dam. New plan would place 11 Tainter gates near red circle.
On May 25, 2024, we learned the project could hopefully begin construction in 2025. Officials hinted at possible completion in 2028.
Each dam project alone was larger than the addition of 11 gates to the Lake Houston Dam. And both dams were completed in two years.
Now, focus on changes to the Wirtz Dam flood gates. In 2023, the LCRA announced it would replace the nine original gates plus one that was added in 1974. That makes 10 gates in total. And each gate is larger than those proposed for Lake Houston. LCRA estimates completion in 2025.
Again, they are doing it in two years compared to Lake Houston’s current 11-year schedule. That should give everyone reason for pause – especially considering that the Wirtz gates are twice as big as the Lake Houston gates.
Each gate will be fabricated on site. The old gates will be replaced individually, requiring coffer dams for each. Yet the Wirtz project will cost half as much as the Lake Houston project.
Need to Improve Project Management
Can’t we do 10 smaller gates in less than three years? Especially when it’s the same gate replicated 10 times. Replication and standardization usually increase efficiency, reduce time, and cut costs.
Is an optimization review or constructability review with prospective contractors planned this time to avoid another “no bid” situation?
Is it time to ask if the Lake Houston Flood Gates project is being managed prudently with best project management practices?
Good project management assures all stakeholders that the best effort is occurring. It sets reasonable expectations. And project transparency with the public goes a long way in generating trust.
More gates on the Lake Houston dam will not make everyone safe in the event of another Harvey. But the gates will prevent people from flooding in smaller storms, which are much more frequent.
Consider, for instance, the early May storm this year. It was a small fraction of Harvey. Yet thousands of homes had floodwater lapping at their foundations.
Expeditious completion of the project would support peace of mind, well-being and prosperity in our community. We need that right now as the community still reels from Hurricane Beryl and contemplates the start of what experts predict will be an abnormally active hurricane season.
Shouldn’t we have gotten ahead of this by now? Who will enforce the urgency to act?
By Tony Lanson, Kingwood Resident
2521 Days since Hurricane Harvey
ReduceFlooding.com will be happy to publish the City’s or Coastal Water Authority’s point of view on this important topic.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/20230812-RJR_2237.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-07-24 08:50:562024-07-24 09:54:06Guest Editorial: Where are the New Lake Houston Flood Gates?
7/23/24 at 7PM – The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood watch for much of southeast Texas until at least Wednesday evening. They warn to keep storm drains clear of debris from Hurricane Beryl.
From National Weather Service/Houston as of 7PM 7/3/24
NWS already predicts the East Fork San Jacinto to reach the moderate flood stage. Other bayous and channels could follow, according to Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist.
Perfect Setup for Heavy Rains, Flooding
Heavy storms have pummeled the area north of Lake Houston and Lake Conroe for most of the day and are continuing.
A combination of increasing Gulf moisture, lift from an upper level trough over the region, and slow/training storm motions will produce a threat for heavy to excessive rainfall tonight into Wednesday.
RadarScope Pro Image from 6:38PM on 7/23/24.
Lakes Rapidly Rising
As a result, as of 7 PM, the level of:
Lake Houston has increased almost a foot
Lake Conroe has risen a half foot.
The Coastal Water Authority is discharging 18,613 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Houston. And the SJRA is releasing 4801 CFS from Lake Conroe.
SJRA warns that heavy rainfall potential remains in place for the next two to three days. The Lake Conroe outflow amount could possibly increase overnight if additional rain occurs in the watershed, they say.
Lake Conroe will continue to pass through storm water and runoff received in the Upper San Jacinto River Basin until Lake Conroe returns to normal conservation lake level of 201 feet.
Where to Find the Most Current Information
Monitor:
Real-time information on Lake Conroe at www.sjra.net.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist had this to say about the flood watch: “Heavy rainfall is currently ongoing over portions of Montgomery County with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developing over much of the area west of I-45 and north of I-10.”
Ongoing activity should begin to weaken later this evening. However, rainfall amounts over the next 3-5 hours of 2-4 inches in an hour or less will be possible with the heavier storms.
He also expects that we will see thunderstorms that slowly progress inland from the Gulf. These storms will have the potential to produce rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour which is raising the flash flood risk for early Wednesday along and south of the I-10 corridor.
“It is possible that much of this activity could remain near the coast or just offshore, but it is close enough to warrant a close watch,” cautions Lindner. “Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches can be expected over much of the area with amounts of 4-6 inches south of I-10.”
Lindner says he would not be surprised to see an isolated 10-inch amount somewhere given the air mass in place.
Monitor the Harris County Flood Warning System for the most current river/bayou flood conditions near you.
Flash flooding will be possible under the heavy rain cores as well as quick rises on area creeks and bayous.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist
East Fork of the San Jacinto River
Heavy rainfall yesterday and again today will produce a significant rise along the river from above Cleveland to Lake Houston starting on Wednesday and lasting into late this week.
The river will rise above flood stage late Wednesday at FM 1485 and above moderate flood levels on Thursday.
Low lying roads near the river will be impacted and FM 1485 will potentially be overtopped. However, the current forecast for the river is well below levels experienced in May of this year, according to Lindner.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/23/24
2520 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Approaching-storms.jpg?fit=1100%2C679&ssl=16791100adminadmin2024-07-23 19:56:002024-07-23 20:23:16Flood Watch Issued for Much of SE Texas Until Wednesday Evening
July 22 2024 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) still aims to complete the giant Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin between FM1960 and Cypress Creek just East of the Hardy Toll Road before the end of this year.
Pictures taken 7/22/24 Show Progress
Looking S toward FM1960 from over Mercer Basin. Hardy Toll Road cuts through upper right of frame.Reverse angle looking N toward Cypress Creek in trees just north of the northern basin.Looking West toward Hardy Toll Road at Southern Basin. FM1960 in upper left.
Compare these pictures of the Mercer Basin in February this year when clearing and construction was just getting started.
Fighting the Elements
All things considered – January floods, a derecho, May floods and Hurricane Beryl – contractors seem to be making good progress. Especially if you consider that I’ve already recorded 57 inches of rain in my gage in the first six and a half months of this year – more than we usually get in a full year.
How Big is It?
The Mercer Site covers 58 acres. It will contain twin, connected, dry-bottom basins totaling 512 acre feet.
One acre roughly equals the size of a football field without end zones. So, 512 acre feet would cover an area that large to a depth of 512 feet. That’s approximately the height of Two Allen Center downtown.
Of course, the basin won’t be 512 feet deep. It will likely be around 8 to 10 feet deep because it covers 58 acres minus room for maintenance roads.
History of Project
Harris County finalized acquisition of the property in August 2023. A $15.4 million grant obtained from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2018 stipulates completion before the end of this year.
Additional funding comes from the 2018 Bond Program, which was approved by Harris County voters on August 25, 2018.
Layout and Location
The two maps below show the layout and location of the project.
HCFCD map of Mercer projectMercer is about 8 miles upstream from the US59 bridge over the West Fork.
Cypress Creek joins Spring Creek before reaching US59.
Construction Details
Features include:
Concrete box culverts will equalize water levels between the two compartments. And a spillway will connect the northern basin to Cypress Creek.
A 54” outfall pipe will move water from the basin into Cypress Creek.
A 30’ wide berm will accommodate maintenance and future recreational amenities.
Part of a Bigger Solution
Mercer is one of several stormwater detention basin projects HCFCD is developing in the Cypress Creek watershed.
A regional drainage study for the watershed found that rising floodwaters in Cypress Creek back water up into tributaries and cause flooding there. The tributaries have sufficient stormwater conveyance or drainage capacity. Therefore, stormwater detention basins can help reduce the backwater issue.
The regional drainage study described here recommends nearly 25,000 acre-feet of additional stormwater detention in the watershed.
Mercer by itself won’t help the Lake Houston Area much in a major flood. It’s designed to help primarily homes and businesses in the area which you can see in the photos above.
But every little bit helps.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/2024
2519 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240722-DJI_20240722143845_0400_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-07-22 21:42:592024-07-23 20:14:42Giant Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek Aiming for Completion This Fall
Guest Editorial: Where are the New Lake Houston Flood Gates?
7/24/24 – Note: This guest editorial by Kingwood resident Tony Lanson is timely. The Lake Houston Area is currently under yet another flood watch.
Why are the promised Lake Houston flood gates not completed? Why has the schedule slipped repeatedly? Will they really be constructed by 2028 – the latest target date? That’s 11 years after Harvey and five years later than originally promised. We need them to reduce flood risk.
The Need
Harvey devastated Lake Houston communities in 2017. It damaged more than 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses. It also took more than a dozen lives in Kingwood alone.
The threat to our community’s sense of peace and wellbeing has eroded the value proposition for current and prospective Lake Houston residents and businesses.
Repeated Delays
Our elected officials did their job. They responded to an urgent mandate to act. They:
However, the project now seems stuck in a low gear. Project-level leadership seems to lack urgency to deliver.
Has the Lake Houston Flood Gates project team been challenged to simplify the process and accelerate the schedule? Urgency seems to be missing – even after the May 2024 flood and Hurricane Beryl rekindled old fears and anxieties.
Early Missteps
From 2018 to 2023 the City of Houston and the CWA presided over contract firms, project scoping, design, costing, permitting, bidding and reviews.
During that time the Lake Houston Flood Gates project was reduced to half the orginal scope when it was “found that the cost of the proposed gates exceeded the project’s budget” after factoring in reinforcement of the existing dam. In 2022, City officials said they planned to start the project “later this year and complete construction within 18 months.”
However, the City of Houston could find no contractors to bid on the project because of “constructability risk.” Was there no constructability review during five years of engineering?
Thus, engineering and design for the project turned into a “start over.”
The Latest Plan
The new Lake Houston Flood Gates project has 11 tainter gates in the eastern, earthen portion of the dam instead of crest gates on the western portion. But the project’s cost tripled.
On May 25, 2024, we learned the project could hopefully begin construction in 2025. Officials hinted at possible completion in 2028.
Dave Martin, Dan Crenshaw, Charles Cunningham, Dan Huberty, Brandon Creighton and a host of others went back to the well and secured the money. But at best, construction will finish 11 years after Harvey. Palpable frustration exists in the Lake Houston community.
The frustration is reasonable. We should challenge the explanations. Why is this project taking so long compared to similar projects?
Larger Projects Completed in Less Time at Lower Costs
Consider the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) project to construct the Wirtz and Starcke Dams simultaneously in 1949.
Each dam project alone was larger than the addition of 11 gates to the Lake Houston Dam. And both dams were completed in two years.
Now, focus on changes to the Wirtz Dam flood gates. In 2023, the LCRA announced it would replace the nine original gates plus one that was added in 1974. That makes 10 gates in total. And each gate is larger than those proposed for Lake Houston. LCRA estimates completion in 2025.
Again, they are doing it in two years compared to Lake Houston’s current 11-year schedule. That should give everyone reason for pause – especially considering that the Wirtz gates are twice as big as the Lake Houston gates.
Each gate will be fabricated on site. The old gates will be replaced individually, requiring coffer dams for each. Yet the Wirtz project will cost half as much as the Lake Houston project.
Need to Improve Project Management
Can’t we do 10 smaller gates in less than three years? Especially when it’s the same gate replicated 10 times. Replication and standardization usually increase efficiency, reduce time, and cut costs.
Is an optimization review or constructability review with prospective contractors planned this time to avoid another “no bid” situation?
Is it time to ask if the Lake Houston Flood Gates project is being managed prudently with best project management practices?
Good project management assures all stakeholders that the best effort is occurring. It sets reasonable expectations. And project transparency with the public goes a long way in generating trust.
More gates on the Lake Houston dam will not make everyone safe in the event of another Harvey. But the gates will prevent people from flooding in smaller storms, which are much more frequent.
Consider, for instance, the early May storm this year. It was a small fraction of Harvey. Yet thousands of homes had floodwater lapping at their foundations.
Expeditious completion of the project would support peace of mind, well-being and prosperity in our community. We need that right now as the community still reels from Hurricane Beryl and contemplates the start of what experts predict will be an abnormally active hurricane season.
Shouldn’t we have gotten ahead of this by now? Who will enforce the urgency to act?
By Tony Lanson, Kingwood Resident
2521 Days since Hurricane Harvey
ReduceFlooding.com will be happy to publish the City’s or Coastal Water Authority’s point of view on this important topic.
Flood Watch Issued for Much of SE Texas Until Wednesday Evening
7/23/24 at 7PM – The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood watch for much of southeast Texas until at least Wednesday evening. They warn to keep storm drains clear of debris from Hurricane Beryl.
NWS already predicts the East Fork San Jacinto to reach the moderate flood stage. Other bayous and channels could follow, according to Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist.
Perfect Setup for Heavy Rains, Flooding
Heavy storms have pummeled the area north of Lake Houston and Lake Conroe for most of the day and are continuing.
A combination of increasing Gulf moisture, lift from an upper level trough over the region, and slow/training storm motions will produce a threat for heavy to excessive rainfall tonight into Wednesday.
Lakes Rapidly Rising
As a result, as of 7 PM, the level of:
The Coastal Water Authority is discharging 18,613 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Houston. And the SJRA is releasing 4801 CFS from Lake Conroe.
SJRA warns that heavy rainfall potential remains in place for the next two to three days. The Lake Conroe outflow amount could possibly increase overnight if additional rain occurs in the watershed, they say.
Lake Conroe will continue to pass through storm water and runoff received in the Upper San Jacinto River Basin until Lake Conroe returns to normal conservation lake level of 201 feet.
Where to Find the Most Current Information
Monitor:
Rainfall Prediction: 3-5 Inches Per Hour Possible
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist had this to say about the flood watch: “Heavy rainfall is currently ongoing over portions of Montgomery County with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms developing over much of the area west of I-45 and north of I-10.”
Ongoing activity should begin to weaken later this evening. However, rainfall amounts over the next 3-5 hours of 2-4 inches in an hour or less will be possible with the heavier storms.
He also expects that we will see thunderstorms that slowly progress inland from the Gulf. These storms will have the potential to produce rainfall rates of 3-5 inches per hour which is raising the flash flood risk for early Wednesday along and south of the I-10 corridor.
“It is possible that much of this activity could remain near the coast or just offshore, but it is close enough to warrant a close watch,” cautions Lindner. “Additional rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches can be expected over much of the area with amounts of 4-6 inches south of I-10.”
Lindner says he would not be surprised to see an isolated 10-inch amount somewhere given the air mass in place.
Monitor the Harris County Flood Warning System for the most current river/bayou flood conditions near you.
East Fork of the San Jacinto River
Heavy rainfall yesterday and again today will produce a significant rise along the river from above Cleveland to Lake Houston starting on Wednesday and lasting into late this week.
The river will rise above flood stage late Wednesday at FM 1485 and above moderate flood levels on Thursday.
Low lying roads near the river will be impacted and FM 1485 will potentially be overtopped. However, the current forecast for the river is well below levels experienced in May of this year, according to Lindner.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/23/24
2520 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Giant Mercer Basin on Cypress Creek Aiming for Completion This Fall
July 22 2024 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) still aims to complete the giant Mercer Stormwater Detention Basin between FM1960 and Cypress Creek just East of the Hardy Toll Road before the end of this year.
Pictures taken 7/22/24 Show Progress
Compare these pictures of the Mercer Basin in February this year when clearing and construction was just getting started.
Fighting the Elements
All things considered – January floods, a derecho, May floods and Hurricane Beryl – contractors seem to be making good progress. Especially if you consider that I’ve already recorded 57 inches of rain in my gage in the first six and a half months of this year – more than we usually get in a full year.
How Big is It?
The Mercer Site covers 58 acres. It will contain twin, connected, dry-bottom basins totaling 512 acre feet.
One acre roughly equals the size of a football field without end zones. So, 512 acre feet would cover an area that large to a depth of 512 feet. That’s approximately the height of Two Allen Center downtown.
Of course, the basin won’t be 512 feet deep. It will likely be around 8 to 10 feet deep because it covers 58 acres minus room for maintenance roads.
History of Project
Harris County finalized acquisition of the property in August 2023. A $15.4 million grant obtained from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2018 stipulates completion before the end of this year.
Additional funding comes from the 2018 Bond Program, which was approved by Harris County voters on August 25, 2018.
Layout and Location
The two maps below show the layout and location of the project.
Cypress Creek joins Spring Creek before reaching US59.
Construction Details
Features include:
Part of a Bigger Solution
Mercer is one of several stormwater detention basin projects HCFCD is developing in the Cypress Creek watershed.
A regional drainage study for the watershed found that rising floodwaters in Cypress Creek back water up into tributaries and cause flooding there. The tributaries have sufficient stormwater conveyance or drainage capacity. Therefore, stormwater detention basins can help reduce the backwater issue.
The regional drainage study described here recommends nearly 25,000 acre-feet of additional stormwater detention in the watershed.
Mercer by itself won’t help the Lake Houston Area much in a major flood. It’s designed to help primarily homes and businesses in the area which you can see in the photos above.
But every little bit helps.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/2024
2519 Days since Hurricane Harvey