6/15/2024 – Fireworks erupted in the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ-10 Board Meeting on 6/13/24 over more Entergy delays related to the Northpark Expansion plan.
Four years after being notified to move its power poles and a transformer, Entergy still has equipment blocking the expansion. Ralph De Leon, the TIRZ project manager, explained that as a consequence, the TIRZ has been forced to modify its plans yet again.
Power Poles Conflict with Westbound Detour
Original plans called for routing westbound traffic in the vicinity of the bridge over the railroad and Loop 494 onto permanent turn lanes next to businesses. However, because Entergy power poles still stand where those turn lanes would go, LHRA decided to move traffic south, parallel to the existing eastbound lanes. See blacktop in photos and schematic diagram below.
Looking ESE from over Loop 494. Instead of funneling outbound traffic into new permanent lanes in front of the businesses on the left, commuters will use temporary lanes built on the blacktop. Photo 6/13/24.Looking west toward US59 at asphalt that will become temporary westbound lanes. Photo 6/13/24.
The permanent concrete lanes originally were to have gone in the grassy area to the right where the first line of poles is.
Replacing permanent lanes with alternate temporary lanes means that LHRA now will build these lanes twice instead of once. That will increase the project cost. However, no-one in the meeting mentioned an exact dollar amount.
De Leon said that in order to stick with the original traffic diversion plan, the deadline for removing the poles was last year.
Yet Entergy has not yet moved its poles where the new lanes will go. Nor have they provided a timetable for removing the poles. However, Brian Garcia, Entergy’s project manager, expressed confidence that the last poles would be removed “soon.”
It would be safe to say that most other people in the board meeting did not share his optimism. Discussion got heated at times as LHRA tried to pin Entergy down regarding a deadline. Hence, my reference to fireworks above.
Representatives of the City and TIRZ also made it clear that they intended to deduct the cost of the temporary lanes from any money that Entergy might have been entitled to for moving its transformer near the Exxon Station.
Two Groups of Poles
Two separate pole issues exist:
The original poles between Benjamin Moore Paints and Loop 494
Three key poles near the intersection of Northpark and Loop 494
The first group of poles has been “de-energized.” That means transformers and electric wires have already been moved. However, the old poles still have a fiberoptic communication line hanging from them. (Two lines in places). See below.
Looking west toward US59. Old poles on left still have fiberoptic line on them which must be moved to new poles on right.Photo 6/13/24.
The owner(s) of those remaining line(s) on the left must move them before Entergy can take down the old poles. But the fiberoptic provider has had weeks and not moved its line(s).
At the end of the line of poles above on the left sit three key poles shown in the aerial view below.
These three poles provide a redundant source of energy for businesses along Northpark. The businesses are also fed by power from Kings Mill.Photo 6/13/24
In the power business, it’s a standard/best practice to feed areas from at least two different directions. That way, if power is knocked out on one leg, the other leg can still supply homes and businesses.
Entergy has two choices with these three poles. It could move them north and continue to feed redundant power to Northpark businesses with overhead lines. Or, it could tunnel under Loop 494 and the railroad tracks. Entergy prefers to bore under for reliability reasons.
Again, Entergy’s Garcia is confident that the easements TXDot and Union Pacific require will be easy to obtain and come quickly. But the City and TIRZ do not share his confidence. They struggled for years to obtain their own easements and permits.
So, rather than just move the overhead lines north, Entergy is negotiating with TXDoT and Union Pacific to bore under their properties.
Who Will Bear Increased Costs?
After repeatedly being asked to provide a timetable for compliance, Entergy supplied none and instead shifted the conversation to its costs.
The overhead lines have sufficed for years. But Garcia says that Entergy prefers the underground option.
However, if all parties do not complete construction before October, the entire project could be delayed for months and possibly even cancelled. According to De Leon, Turner Brothers’, the prime contractor with the TIRZ, has other projects stacked up and waiting.
Turner Brothers would have to redeploy crews if they can’t keep them working on Northpark. And there’s no guarantee when those crews would be available again to work on Northpark.
But when the boardroom discussion turned to the need for Entergy to act quickly, Entergy turned the discussion to cost.
Garcia says there’s a significant cost for Entergy to move its overhead lines. If the company can bore underground instead, it would prefer to do that rather move its lines twice.
As a consequence, the TIRZ will be forced to shift traffic twice to keep the project moving.
Moreover, both the TIRZ and Entergy face a firm deadline from the railroad, whose busy season starts in October. They must have boring complete well before then with time for the railroad to lay new track and install new signal equipment.
Meanwhile, Entergy still has not moved its transformer near the Exxon Station at US59.
Argument Over Reimbursement
The transformer is outside the City’s easement but the power poles are inside.
Under Texas law, Entergy is entitled to reimbursement for costs outside City easements, but not those inside.
Ralph De Leon, Northpark Expansion Project Manager
Paying to move poles inside City easements would constitute a “gift of public funds,” which is illegal.
The two sides reached a tentative agreement on reimbursement last December. But then in January, Entergy demanded double the agreed total – without explanation or itemization.
In the June TIRZ board meeting, Garcia said he still needed to get the itemized costs approved by his management.
TIRZ directors (who are unpaid volunteers) could become liable for illegal payments to Entergy, hence the demand for itemized costs.
Other Northpark News
The pace of construction has also slowed due to heavy rains in May, which still have soils wet. When they dry out, contractors will resume:
Preparing to pour new concrete
Demolishing old concrete near Loop 494
Excavating the south pond at the US59 entry
Installing culverts
Looking E at progress of culverts. Ponding water in ditch (foreground) has slowed installation.Photo 6/13/24
For More Information
For more information about Northpark expansion, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding. Many contain information about previous delays that caused plan changes:
6/14/24, 10:00 AM – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) is lowering Lake Conroe and the Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is lowering Lake Houston in advance of expected heavy rainfall associated with a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico.
At this hour, forecasters predict storms could drop 3-6 inches of rain on the Houston area with the highest totals near the coast. But rain should drop off fairly sharply inland. However, uncertainty remains about how sharp the drop off will be.
Timing of Rain
Most of the rain should fall Monday through Wednesday, but could start as early as Sunday night. However, some models are beginning to forecast the heaviest rains from Tuesday into early Thursday.
Either way, dam operators should have time to lower their respective lakes and create extra storage capacity for stormwater.
Location of Disturbance
At 7:44 AM EDT, the center of the area of concern had not moved since yesterday. Moisture continues to build in the Bay of Campeche. But forecasters have increased the chances of any disturbance turning into a named storm from 40% yesterday to 50% today.
The National Hurricane Center has this to say: “A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late this weekend or early next week. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the early or middle part of next week while it moves slowly westward or west-northwestward.”
Houston Will Not Likely Take Direct Hit, But…
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist says, “The Houston area will not likely take a direct hit from the system. While any tropical depression/storm is likely to remain south of the upper Texas coast, the deep ESE/SE fetch of moisture on the northeastern side of the feature will begin to arrive along the Texas coast as early as late Sunday and more likely into Monday and Tuesday.”
He continued, “It should be noted that the broad nature of this system and potentially ill-defined surface circulation will likely result in impacts spread well away from the actual low itself. Also, until any actual surface low forms, uncertainty will remain with the forecasts and impacts.”
Some models are predicting “outer banding features” in the Houston area. Despite a fair amount of uncertainty, the incoming tropical air mass could drop high amounts of rainfall in a short period of time.
That said, the National Weather Service has released this map showing predicted rainfall amounts for the next seven days.
Lakes Conroe and Houston Both Pre-Releasing
In preparation, Lake Conroe began releasing 660 cubic feet per second (CFS) after a City of Houston request early Friday morning. That is the maximum amount the SJRA can release before a storm under its permit. As the lake starts filling, that amount increases.
Mark Micheletti, an SJRA board member, said that SJRA hopes to lower the lake by six inches before the rains arrive.
Simultaneously, the CWA has opened the gates on the Lake Houston Dam. CWA is currently releasing 1335 CFS.
So, Lake Houston is releasing water twice as fast. And Lake Houston is half the size of Lake Conroe. Therefore, areas downstream should see lower lake levels faster. As it should be. Remember that Lake Houston is 30 miles closer to the coast, where forecasters expect the highest rainfall.
All gates on Lake Houston have been fixed and are fully operational.
Wind and Tide Impacts
For many people, rain isn’t the only concern. According to Lindner, “Winds will also start to increase early next week as the pressure gradient tightens between the deepening area of low pressure to the southwest and building high pressure over the SE US. Winds of 20-30mph can be expected across the Gulf/nearshore/and inland bays with 20-25mph across the coastal counties,” according to Lindner.
For boaters and all those who work offshore, nearshore seas will build into the 4-6 ft range by Monday morning and 5-8 ft by Tuesday morning with offshore heights approaching 8-10 ft.
The current tide forecast indicates values of 1-2 ft above normal. But when coupled with the building seas at times of high tide water levels may get close to coastal flooding thresholds. That should happen Tuesday and Wednesday.
Some beach front locations will begin to experience minor coastal flooding around 3-4 ft above normal tide levels.
Given the potential prolonged nature of the ESE winds across the Gulf, we have the potential for tidal trapping. That’s when incoming seas won’t let the previous high tide drain away. This can, over time, build water levels in the bays.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/14/24
2481 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/image001.png?fit=802%2C568&ssl=1568802adminadmin2024-06-14 10:15:352024-06-22 10:55:19Lakes Being Lowered in Advance of Expected Heavy Rains
6/13/24 – NOAA’s National Hurricane Center’s 7-day outlook shows the first tropical threats of the season for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic.
From National Hurricane Center as of 1:16AM EDT on 6/14/24
That orange area in the Bay of Campeche carries a 40% risk of formation within 7 days.
According to NHC forecasters, “A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the early or middle part of next week while it moves slowly westward or west-northwestward.”
The Weather Channel says, “That would bring locally heavy rain to parts of the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to as far west as Texas and eastern Mexico, beginning Sunday and lasting well into the week. Exactly where the heaviest rain could fall remains uncertain this far out in time.”
As the system moves farther north, it will encounter record-warm sea-surface temperatures and wind shear should decrease.
The torrential rains in Florida this week serve as a warning that widespread damage doesn’t require a full-blown hurricane. Parts of Florida received 18-24 inches of life-threatening rain. News media are filled with images of flooded streets and stalled cars. The system could still turn into a tropical storm as it moves up the east coast.
If either of these storms turns into a tropical storm, its name will be Alberto. The next will be Beryl.
As Houston faces new tropical threats, the area is still recovering from non-tropical May storms.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, predicts we could see another 2-4 inches of rain from this next threat. He expects the heaviest rains to fall near the coast with decreasing amounts inland. Lindner also warns of strong wind and wave action near the coast.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/24
2480 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/two_atl_7d0.png?fit=900%2C665&ssl=1665900adminadmin2024-06-13 07:06:562024-06-13 07:21:39Hurricane Center Posts First Tropical Threats of Season for Gulf
Entergy Delay Forces Change to Northpark Expansion Plan…Again
6/15/2024 – Fireworks erupted in the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ-10 Board Meeting on 6/13/24 over more Entergy delays related to the Northpark Expansion plan.
Four years after being notified to move its power poles and a transformer, Entergy still has equipment blocking the expansion. Ralph De Leon, the TIRZ project manager, explained that as a consequence, the TIRZ has been forced to modify its plans yet again.
Power Poles Conflict with Westbound Detour
Original plans called for routing westbound traffic in the vicinity of the bridge over the railroad and Loop 494 onto permanent turn lanes next to businesses. However, because Entergy power poles still stand where those turn lanes would go, LHRA decided to move traffic south, parallel to the existing eastbound lanes. See blacktop in photos and schematic diagram below.
The permanent concrete lanes originally were to have gone in the grassy area to the right where the first line of poles is.
Here’s a schematic diagram of the change.
Cost Impact Not Yet Clear
Replacing permanent lanes with alternate temporary lanes means that LHRA now will build these lanes twice instead of once. That will increase the project cost. However, no-one in the meeting mentioned an exact dollar amount.
De Leon said that in order to stick with the original traffic diversion plan, the deadline for removing the poles was last year.
Yet Entergy has not yet moved its poles where the new lanes will go. Nor have they provided a timetable for removing the poles. However, Brian Garcia, Entergy’s project manager, expressed confidence that the last poles would be removed “soon.”
It would be safe to say that most other people in the board meeting did not share his optimism. Discussion got heated at times as LHRA tried to pin Entergy down regarding a deadline. Hence, my reference to fireworks above.
Representatives of the City and TIRZ also made it clear that they intended to deduct the cost of the temporary lanes from any money that Entergy might have been entitled to for moving its transformer near the Exxon Station.
Two Groups of Poles
Two separate pole issues exist:
The first group of poles has been “de-energized.” That means transformers and electric wires have already been moved. However, the old poles still have a fiberoptic communication line hanging from them. (Two lines in places). See below.
The owner(s) of those remaining line(s) on the left must move them before Entergy can take down the old poles. But the fiberoptic provider has had weeks and not moved its line(s).
At the end of the line of poles above on the left sit three key poles shown in the aerial view below.
In the power business, it’s a standard/best practice to feed areas from at least two different directions. That way, if power is knocked out on one leg, the other leg can still supply homes and businesses.
Entergy has two choices with these three poles. It could move them north and continue to feed redundant power to Northpark businesses with overhead lines. Or, it could tunnel under Loop 494 and the railroad tracks. Entergy prefers to bore under for reliability reasons.
Again, Entergy’s Garcia is confident that the easements TXDot and Union Pacific require will be easy to obtain and come quickly. But the City and TIRZ do not share his confidence. They struggled for years to obtain their own easements and permits.
So, rather than just move the overhead lines north, Entergy is negotiating with TXDoT and Union Pacific to bore under their properties.
Who Will Bear Increased Costs?
After repeatedly being asked to provide a timetable for compliance, Entergy supplied none and instead shifted the conversation to its costs.
The overhead lines have sufficed for years. But Garcia says that Entergy prefers the underground option.
However, if all parties do not complete construction before October, the entire project could be delayed for months and possibly even cancelled. According to De Leon, Turner Brothers’, the prime contractor with the TIRZ, has other projects stacked up and waiting.
Turner Brothers would have to redeploy crews if they can’t keep them working on Northpark. And there’s no guarantee when those crews would be available again to work on Northpark.
But when the boardroom discussion turned to the need for Entergy to act quickly, Entergy turned the discussion to cost.
Garcia says there’s a significant cost for Entergy to move its overhead lines. If the company can bore underground instead, it would prefer to do that rather move its lines twice.
As a consequence, the TIRZ will be forced to shift traffic twice to keep the project moving.
Moreover, both the TIRZ and Entergy face a firm deadline from the railroad, whose busy season starts in October. They must have boring complete well before then with time for the railroad to lay new track and install new signal equipment.
Meanwhile, Entergy still has not moved its transformer near the Exxon Station at US59.
Argument Over Reimbursement
The transformer is outside the City’s easement but the power poles are inside.
Paying to move poles inside City easements would constitute a “gift of public funds,” which is illegal.
The two sides reached a tentative agreement on reimbursement last December. But then in January, Entergy demanded double the agreed total – without explanation or itemization.
In the June TIRZ board meeting, Garcia said he still needed to get the itemized costs approved by his management.
TIRZ directors (who are unpaid volunteers) could become liable for illegal payments to Entergy, hence the demand for itemized costs.
Other Northpark News
The pace of construction has also slowed due to heavy rains in May, which still have soils wet. When they dry out, contractors will resume:
Preparing to pour new concrete
For More Information
For more information about Northpark expansion, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding. Many contain information about previous delays that caused plan changes:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/15/24
2482 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Lakes Being Lowered in Advance of Expected Heavy Rains
6/14/24, 10:00 AM – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) is lowering Lake Conroe and the Coastal Water Authority (CWA) is lowering Lake Houston in advance of expected heavy rainfall associated with a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico.
At this hour, forecasters predict storms could drop 3-6 inches of rain on the Houston area with the highest totals near the coast. But rain should drop off fairly sharply inland. However, uncertainty remains about how sharp the drop off will be.
Timing of Rain
Most of the rain should fall Monday through Wednesday, but could start as early as Sunday night. However, some models are beginning to forecast the heaviest rains from Tuesday into early Thursday.
Either way, dam operators should have time to lower their respective lakes and create extra storage capacity for stormwater.
Location of Disturbance
At 7:44 AM EDT, the center of the area of concern had not moved since yesterday. Moisture continues to build in the Bay of Campeche. But forecasters have increased the chances of any disturbance turning into a named storm from 40% yesterday to 50% today.
The National Hurricane Center has this to say: “A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico late this weekend or early next week. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the early or middle part of next week while it moves slowly westward or west-northwestward.”
Houston Will Not Likely Take Direct Hit, But…
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist says, “The Houston area will not likely take a direct hit from the system. While any tropical depression/storm is likely to remain south of the upper Texas coast, the deep ESE/SE fetch of moisture on the northeastern side of the feature will begin to arrive along the Texas coast as early as late Sunday and more likely into Monday and Tuesday.”
He continued, “It should be noted that the broad nature of this system and potentially ill-defined surface circulation will likely result in impacts spread well away from the actual low itself. Also, until any actual surface low forms, uncertainty will remain with the forecasts and impacts.”
Some models are predicting “outer banding features” in the Houston area. Despite a fair amount of uncertainty, the incoming tropical air mass could drop high amounts of rainfall in a short period of time.
That said, the National Weather Service has released this map showing predicted rainfall amounts for the next seven days.
Lakes Conroe and Houston Both Pre-Releasing
In preparation, Lake Conroe began releasing 660 cubic feet per second (CFS) after a City of Houston request early Friday morning. That is the maximum amount the SJRA can release before a storm under its permit. As the lake starts filling, that amount increases.
Mark Micheletti, an SJRA board member, said that SJRA hopes to lower the lake by six inches before the rains arrive.
Simultaneously, the CWA has opened the gates on the Lake Houston Dam. CWA is currently releasing 1335 CFS.
So, Lake Houston is releasing water twice as fast. And Lake Houston is half the size of Lake Conroe. Therefore, areas downstream should see lower lake levels faster. As it should be. Remember that Lake Houston is 30 miles closer to the coast, where forecasters expect the highest rainfall.
All gates on Lake Houston have been fixed and are fully operational.
Wind and Tide Impacts
For many people, rain isn’t the only concern. According to Lindner, “Winds will also start to increase early next week as the pressure gradient tightens between the deepening area of low pressure to the southwest and building high pressure over the SE US. Winds of 20-30mph can be expected across the Gulf/nearshore/and inland bays with 20-25mph across the coastal counties,” according to Lindner.
For boaters and all those who work offshore, nearshore seas will build into the 4-6 ft range by Monday morning and 5-8 ft by Tuesday morning with offshore heights approaching 8-10 ft.
The current tide forecast indicates values of 1-2 ft above normal. But when coupled with the building seas at times of high tide water levels may get close to coastal flooding thresholds. That should happen Tuesday and Wednesday.
Some beach front locations will begin to experience minor coastal flooding around 3-4 ft above normal tide levels.
Given the potential prolonged nature of the ESE winds across the Gulf, we have the potential for tidal trapping. That’s when incoming seas won’t let the previous high tide drain away. This can, over time, build water levels in the bays.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/14/24
2481 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Center Posts First Tropical Threats of Season for Gulf
6/13/24 – NOAA’s National Hurricane Center’s 7-day outlook shows the first tropical threats of the season for the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic.
That orange area in the Bay of Campeche carries a 40% risk of formation within 7 days.
According to NHC forecasters, “A broad area of low pressure is forecast to form over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico this weekend. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development of this system, and a tropical depression could form during the early or middle part of next week while it moves slowly westward or west-northwestward.”
The Weather Channel says, “That would bring locally heavy rain to parts of the Gulf Coast from Louisiana to as far west as Texas and eastern Mexico, beginning Sunday and lasting well into the week. Exactly where the heaviest rain could fall remains uncertain this far out in time.”
As the system moves farther north, it will encounter record-warm sea-surface temperatures and wind shear should decrease.
The torrential rains in Florida this week serve as a warning that widespread damage doesn’t require a full-blown hurricane. Parts of Florida received 18-24 inches of life-threatening rain. News media are filled with images of flooded streets and stalled cars. The system could still turn into a tropical storm as it moves up the east coast.
If either of these storms turns into a tropical storm, its name will be Alberto. The next will be Beryl.
As Houston faces new tropical threats, the area is still recovering from non-tropical May storms.
Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, predicts we could see another 2-4 inches of rain from this next threat. He expects the heaviest rains to fall near the coast with decreasing amounts inland. Lindner also warns of strong wind and wave action near the coast.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/24
2480 Days since Hurricane Harvey