On Sunday, 2/18/24 at 12:27 pm, Michelle Chavez photographed a Trammell Crow contractor pumping silty stormwater from a construction site into Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway. The silty water appeared to be routed through a filter bag.
Contractors commonly use such geo-textile bags to remove oil, grease, sediment, litter and debris from pumped water. But this bag had several gaping holes, undermining its effectiveness. No one appeared to supervise the operation.
Chavez said the water stunk badly. There was so much that it blocked one of the two southbound lanes on Kings Park Way.
Photos of Latest Discharge
See Chavez’ photos and video below.
Trammell Crow contractors pump silty stormwater into street. Looking N along Kings Park Way on 2/18/24 at 12:27 pm.Same location. Same time. Looking S.Note holes in filter. Also note time/day stamp on photo.
Here is a 27-second video that puts all the pieces together and shows the construction activity in the background.
A second resident told me that the pumping continued into Sunday night…well after dark. Discharging on Sunday and at night can help avoid those pesky County inspectors.
Previous Discharges
This was not the first time the contractors had been caught on camera. Silty stormwater from the site has run into the street on several occasions in the last few weeks:
Then on 2/2/24, they flooded the neighborhood again. Harris County Engineering and constables threatened to shut the site down.
After the last visit by Harris County officials, they finally started channelling the water away from Kings Park Way.
Photographed on 2/3/24. Diagonal channel is taking water toward a sediment basin.Some of the water from the SW corner of the site was channeled into a sediment basin. But by 2/13/24, they had filled in the part of the channel….By 2/20/24, two days after the pumping filmed by Chavez, they had filled in most of the channel and were starting to install storm sewers.
Most contractors plan for stormwater before it rains. What a mess!
Why Controlling Discharges from Construction Sites is Important
The EPA had this to say about the importance of controlling stormwater discharges from construction sites. “When it rains, stormwater washes over the loose soil on a construction site, along with various materials and products stored outside. As stormwater flows over the site, it can pick up pollutants like sediment, debris, and chemicals from that loose soil and transport them to nearby storm sewer systems or directly into rivers, lakes, or coastal waters.”
In this case, the water goes straight into Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
County Engineering Notified Again
Harris County Engineering has once again been notified of the latest discharge, though the results of their investigation have not yet been reported.
Remind me never to rent an apartment here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/22/24
2368 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240222-428419858_10227696351026755_1564807910312088476_n.jpg?fit=825%2C1100&ssl=11100825adminadmin2024-02-22 11:46:322024-02-23 10:01:16Trammell Crow Contractor Pumped Silty Stormwater into Street…Again
City of Houston (COH) Public Works Department held a kick-off meeting with contractors and the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) this morning for the Tree Lane Bridge Rehabilitation Project. Public Works and the contractors outlined plans for the project. They also discussed access through BBTA property and safety protocols.
Chris Bloch (left) and Lee Danner (center) of BBTA met with contractor and Houston Public Works representatives at bridge on 2/21/24.
Construction should begin by mid-March and take approximately 150 days.
Project Scope
The $909,000 project will involve:
Creating access areas for equipment
Removing all existing concrete under the bridge and along the sidewalls
Establishing a 2-foot deep by 32-foot-wide low-flow channel from 20 feet upstream to 20 feet downstream of the bridge
Contractors will meet with the Bear Branch Elementary School principal to understand normal drop-off and pick-up times. They will then work around those times to try to minimize traffic interference.
Regardless, the City urged parents to warn children to stay away from the construction zone, which will be on both sides of the bridge. Lots of heavy equipment will be maneuvering in tight spaces with limited visibility near Bear Branch Elementary. Observe all traffic warnings and flag men.
Reason for Project
Embankments under the bridge have degraded significantly in the last 10 years. This is largely because of jetting.
Jetting is caused when water backs up behind a bridge that is too small for the volume of water coming down a stream. Pressure upstream of the bridge forces turbulent water to shoot out the downstream side destroying anything in its way. See six images below taken 2/21/24.
Looking upstream at eastern side of bridge.Jetting has blown out concrete under the bridge.Damaged storm sewer outfall. Exposed abutment Downcutting as floodwater tries to make more room for itself.Jetting continues to erode a large basin south of the bridge.Note how narrow creek is upstream (Left). Right = effect of jettingdownstream.
It Wasn’t Always This Way
The erosion has started in the last ten years and accelerated with upstream development.
In general, developments increase the time of accumulation of runoff. Compared to a densely developed area, when rain falls on a forest, it trickles its way to the creek. But if it falls on concrete and rooftops, it rushes to the creeks through storm sewers.
For illustration purposes, the graph below shows the actual change along Brays Bayou.
Change in time of accumulation in Brays Bayou as watershed developed over 85 years.
If development were sufficiently mitigated, post-development runoff would be no higher than pre-development. But given the amount of recent erosion, some development upstream from Tree Lane is likely insufficiently mitigated.
I’ve lived near the Tree Lane Bridge for 40 years. For the first 30, erosion was no problem. Now look at it. Compare the two satellite images below.
In 2014, you could barely see creek.Same area in 2023.
Chris Bloch, an engineer, says that at the time of Imelda in 2019, the open space under the bridge was 500 square feet. The design approved by COH and Harris County Flood Control District will add approximately 64 square feet in the form of a low-flow channel. Contractors will add that where the stream has already downcut.
If the 500 SF estimate is accurate, another 64 SF would represent a 12.8% increase in the carrying capacity of the channel under the bridge.
The state of the bridge now is worse than it was after Imelda, BEFORE the last repair job. And no storms since Imelda have even came close to Imelda’s magnitude. That means insufficiently mitigated development may have played a role in building flood peaks faster and higher; and undermining the bridge.
So, will 12.8% be enough to eliminate more jetting? Only time will tell. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240221-DJI_0037.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-21 17:59:342024-02-22 14:46:06CoH Public Works Kicks Off Tree Lane Bridge Rehab Project
Entergy power poles sit on City of Houston (COH) rights-of-way. The company also runs underground wires in an easement near US59. Yet after years of discussion, the company still has not moved them to make room for the widening of Northpark Drive. Nor did the company comply with a request by the City to say how it would move them by a March 8th deadline.
The Northpark project is intended, in part, to create an all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people who live in the Kingwood area. Rising floodwaters during Hurricane Harvey cut off escape routes along Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive, and West Lake Houston Parkway.
Offending Entergy poles where Northpark will be widened for turn lanes next to the bridge over UP railroad tracks.
So, COH put Entergy on notice. It wrote a letter, discussed in last week’s LHRA board meeting, that was dated 2/6/24. The letter requested Entergy to submit a proposed scheduleand plan by last Friday detailing how it would relocate its facilities within 30 days.
That letter was dated 2/6/24, meaning the equipment should be moved and out of the way by 3/8/24.
Entergy Response Contained Only Hypothetical Schedule
ReduceFlooding.com has learned that Entergy replied to COH Public Works by last Friday as requested. But the reply did not indicate how they would move their equipment by 3/8/24. Nor did it address why Entergy could not meet the 30-day deadline or why the company has taken no action since 2020.
Instead the response suggested Entergy needed many more months, but committed to no firm deadline, according to a COH spokesperson.
Entergy and LHRA had already worked through potential conflicts with other utilities. So, resolving conflicts was not the issue.
I do not have a copy of the Entergy letter to reprint at this time; an Entergy spokesperson refused to provide it, citing potential legal concerns. As a result of the Entergy letter, LHRA has now asked to meet with the City Attorney.
Cost Escalation Possible
Continued delays are escalating the stakes. The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA), which is acting as an agent of the City, has costly contractual obligations to its contractors.
Given the rate of inflation, delays could also reduce the purchasing power of LHRA’s budget. In the last four years, inflation in the construction sector has totaled 15-20%. And this project costs more than $75 million. Yet the original budget included only $3 million for change orders.
A legal battle could take years to resolve. That could needlessly put lives at risk and inconvenience tens of thousands of people daily.
Entergy Motive, Next Steps Unclear
It’s not clear what Entergy – a $4 billion company in Texas alone – hopes to gain through continued delays.
In the past, Entergy asked for compensation to move its poles. But according to an LHRA spokesperson, compensation is not allowable under Texas law because the poles were in a City right of way and not covered by an easement. Thus, any payment would have constituted a “gift of public funds,” which the Texas Constitution prohibits.
Entergy was, however, legally entitled to compensation for moving buried wires in an easement near the Exxon station at US59. Entergy had agreed to move them for $711,000.
Then, within days after the disagreement about payment for relocating the poles, Entergy’s asking price to move the underground wires mysteriously increased by half a million dollars. Simultaneously, their cost estimate went from line item to lump sum – without itemization. Since then, the asking price has increased another $200,000 without explanation.
LHRA has asked to meet with the City Attorney to discuss options and next steps. More news to follow.
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240113-RJR_3079.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-20 09:51:222024-02-27 11:27:37Entergy Escalates Battle with COH over Northpark
Trammell Crow Contractor Pumped Silty Stormwater into Street…Again
On Sunday, 2/18/24 at 12:27 pm, Michelle Chavez photographed a Trammell Crow contractor pumping silty stormwater from a construction site into Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway. The silty water appeared to be routed through a filter bag.
Contractors commonly use such geo-textile bags to remove oil, grease, sediment, litter and debris from pumped water. But this bag had several gaping holes, undermining its effectiveness. No one appeared to supervise the operation.
Chavez said the water stunk badly. There was so much that it blocked one of the two southbound lanes on Kings Park Way.
Photos of Latest Discharge
See Chavez’ photos and video below.
Here is a 27-second video that puts all the pieces together and shows the construction activity in the background.
A second resident told me that the pumping continued into Sunday night…well after dark. Discharging on Sunday and at night can help avoid those pesky County inspectors.
Previous Discharges
This was not the first time the contractors had been caught on camera. Silty stormwater from the site has run into the street on several occasions in the last few weeks:
After the last visit by Harris County officials, they finally started channelling the water away from Kings Park Way.
Most contractors plan for stormwater before it rains. What a mess!
Why Controlling Discharges from Construction Sites is Important
The EPA had this to say about the importance of controlling stormwater discharges from construction sites. “When it rains, stormwater washes over the loose soil on a construction site, along with various materials and products stored outside. As stormwater flows over the site, it can pick up pollutants like sediment, debris, and chemicals from that loose soil and transport them to nearby storm sewer systems or directly into rivers, lakes, or coastal waters.”
In this case, the water goes straight into Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
County Engineering Notified Again
Harris County Engineering has once again been notified of the latest discharge, though the results of their investigation have not yet been reported.
Remind me never to rent an apartment here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/22/24
2368 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.
CoH Public Works Kicks Off Tree Lane Bridge Rehab Project
City of Houston (COH) Public Works Department held a kick-off meeting with contractors and the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) this morning for the Tree Lane Bridge Rehabilitation Project. Public Works and the contractors outlined plans for the project. They also discussed access through BBTA property and safety protocols.
Construction should begin by mid-March and take approximately 150 days.
Project Scope
The $909,000 project will involve:
See the construction plans here.
Safety Warning
Contractors will meet with the Bear Branch Elementary School principal to understand normal drop-off and pick-up times. They will then work around those times to try to minimize traffic interference.
Regardless, the City urged parents to warn children to stay away from the construction zone, which will be on both sides of the bridge. Lots of heavy equipment will be maneuvering in tight spaces with limited visibility near Bear Branch Elementary. Observe all traffic warnings and flag men.
Reason for Project
Embankments under the bridge have degraded significantly in the last 10 years. This is largely because of jetting.
Jetting is caused when water backs up behind a bridge that is too small for the volume of water coming down a stream. Pressure upstream of the bridge forces turbulent water to shoot out the downstream side destroying anything in its way. See six images below taken 2/21/24.
It Wasn’t Always This Way
The erosion has started in the last ten years and accelerated with upstream development.
In general, developments increase the time of accumulation of runoff. Compared to a densely developed area, when rain falls on a forest, it trickles its way to the creek. But if it falls on concrete and rooftops, it rushes to the creeks through storm sewers.
For illustration purposes, the graph below shows the actual change along Brays Bayou.
If development were sufficiently mitigated, post-development runoff would be no higher than pre-development. But given the amount of recent erosion, some development upstream from Tree Lane is likely insufficiently mitigated.
I’ve lived near the Tree Lane Bridge for 40 years. For the first 30, erosion was no problem. Now look at it. Compare the two satellite images below.
Chris Bloch, an engineer, says that at the time of Imelda in 2019, the open space under the bridge was 500 square feet. The design approved by COH and Harris County Flood Control District will add approximately 64 square feet in the form of a low-flow channel. Contractors will add that where the stream has already downcut.
If the 500 SF estimate is accurate, another 64 SF would represent a 12.8% increase in the carrying capacity of the channel under the bridge.
Will It Be Enough Conveyance?
This will be the second time in three years that the city has repaired the bridge and its embankments.
The state of the bridge now is worse than it was after Imelda, BEFORE the last repair job. And no storms since Imelda have even came close to Imelda’s magnitude. That means insufficiently mitigated development may have played a role in building flood peaks faster and higher; and undermining the bridge.
So, will 12.8% be enough to eliminate more jetting? Only time will tell. Keep your fingers and toes crossed.
Sign Up for Project Updates
You can sign up for project updates by visiting Houston Public Works’ “Engage Houston” page for this project.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/24
2367 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Entergy Escalates Battle with COH over Northpark
Entergy power poles sit on City of Houston (COH) rights-of-way. The company also runs underground wires in an easement near US59. Yet after years of discussion, the company still has not moved them to make room for the widening of Northpark Drive. Nor did the company comply with a request by the City to say how it would move them by a March 8th deadline.
The Northpark project is intended, in part, to create an all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people who live in the Kingwood area. Rising floodwaters during Hurricane Harvey cut off escape routes along Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive, and West Lake Houston Parkway.
First Notified in 2020 and Still No Action
On 2/10/24, I detailed how Entergy was first notified about the project in 2020. Yet the company has moved nothing along Northpark to make room for construction. Groundbreaking for the project was last April and construction began last July.
So, COH put Entergy on notice. It wrote a letter, discussed in last week’s LHRA board meeting, that was dated 2/6/24. The letter requested Entergy to submit a proposed schedule and plan by last Friday detailing how it would relocate its facilities within 30 days.
Entergy Response Contained Only Hypothetical Schedule
ReduceFlooding.com has learned that Entergy replied to COH Public Works by last Friday as requested. But the reply did not indicate how they would move their equipment by 3/8/24. Nor did it address why Entergy could not meet the 30-day deadline or why the company has taken no action since 2020.
Instead the response suggested Entergy needed many more months, but committed to no firm deadline, according to a COH spokesperson.
Entergy and LHRA had already worked through potential conflicts with other utilities. So, resolving conflicts was not the issue.
I do not have a copy of the Entergy letter to reprint at this time; an Entergy spokesperson refused to provide it, citing potential legal concerns. As a result of the Entergy letter, LHRA has now asked to meet with the City Attorney.
Cost Escalation Possible
Continued delays are escalating the stakes. The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA), which is acting as an agent of the City, has costly contractual obligations to its contractors.
Given the rate of inflation, delays could also reduce the purchasing power of LHRA’s budget. In the last four years, inflation in the construction sector has totaled 15-20%. And this project costs more than $75 million. Yet the original budget included only $3 million for change orders.
A legal battle could take years to resolve. That could needlessly put lives at risk and inconvenience tens of thousands of people daily.
Entergy Motive, Next Steps Unclear
It’s not clear what Entergy – a $4 billion company in Texas alone – hopes to gain through continued delays.
In the past, Entergy asked for compensation to move its poles. But according to an LHRA spokesperson, compensation is not allowable under Texas law because the poles were in a City right of way and not covered by an easement. Thus, any payment would have constituted a “gift of public funds,” which the Texas Constitution prohibits.
Entergy was, however, legally entitled to compensation for moving buried wires in an easement near the Exxon station at US59. Entergy had agreed to move them for $711,000.
Then, within days after the disagreement about payment for relocating the poles, Entergy’s asking price to move the underground wires mysteriously increased by half a million dollars. Simultaneously, their cost estimate went from line item to lump sum – without itemization. Since then, the asking price has increased another $200,000 without explanation.
LHRA has asked to meet with the City Attorney to discuss options and next steps. More news to follow.
For More Information
For more information about the project including construction plans, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/2024
2365 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.