After January’s five-day hydro-fest, Houston area rivers, streams and ditches look like they woke up with a bad hangover. Some areas are hiding under broad blankets of sand. The root balls of uprooted trees jutted up from the San Jacinto riverbed like tank traps on a battlefield, a testament to how shallow the river has become once again. And sand, in at least one case, has totally blocked off a drainage ditch.
Photos at US59 Bridge over San Jacinto West Fork
Kingwood-area resident Robin Seydewitz took the three images and video at the US59 Bridge this morning (2/5/24).
Newly deposited sand.
y20-second YouTube video by Robin Seydewitz, panning west to east under bridge. Shows debris build-up.
Sediment Build Up Alarming
The January flood was not as bad as Harvey. This was a much smaller flood – the type that happens far more frequently – like every 2 to 5 years depending on where you live.
The danger is not so much what this flood deposited, but what similar floods can deposit over time and how they can reduce the conveyance of rivers, streams and ditches. All the accretions add up like hairballs in your shower drain.
Here’s how one minor storm totally blocked a ditch after one storm.
Northpark ditch blocked by sand/sediment after January flood. Pictures taken before the storm last November show it flowing freely.Taken 2/5/24.
Upstream of this blockage along the ditch, the Northpark South development, built on wetlands, is dumping its drainage into the abandoned sand mine on the right.
The 5-square mile Hallett sand mine is upstream on the left. Two residents/neighbors of the mine have witnessed the company pumping sludge from its settling pond on several occasions since the flood. The latest was tonight as I posted this article. They may have contributed to the build up also.
The Hallett operation is so large that the company actually mines sand on both sides of the river. You can see a small part of their operation below at the top of the frame.
Reverse angle. Taken 2/5/24.
Of course, some of the sediment shown in these photos comes from river bank erosion.
But some also comes from sand mines and new developments that have clearcut thousands of acres without taking precautions to control runoff. See examples below.
Northpark South developer clearcut wetlands and is draining through sand mine into West Fork where blockage appeared. Picture taken Jan. 24, 2024 during lull in rain.Evergreen Development at SH242and FM1314Colony Ridge drainage ditch in East Fork Watershed. Few if any of the ditches and detention ponds in the development have erosion protection measures installed per Liberty County regulations. Colony Ridge is now 50% larger than Manhattan.
Of course, we have many responsible developers and sand miners. But we also have some who are not.
Turning Natural Events into Unnatural Disasters
Robin Seydewitz is the river enthusiast, canoeist, kayaker, and flood activist who took many of the photos above. She said, “Sand mines that don’t operate safely are a big part of the problem. So are developers who clearcut land without barriers or natural vegetation to stop sediment from running off. The lack of enforcement for drainage regulations is another part of the problem. We need more protection for the public. This is my opinion. We are not protected; the mine owners, operators and developers are.”
The moral of this story?
We need better enforcement of drainage regulations. And we need another river survey, like the one we had after Harvey, to see how much conveyance has been reduced.
“It is foolish to keep dredging parts of the river downstream without addressing root causes upstream.”
Robin Seydewitz
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/24
2351 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/2024/02/20240205-DJI_0738.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-05 18:15:122024-02-05 20:32:03River Wakes Up From Flood With Bad Hangover
Friendswood Development Company has started clearing 553 acres west of Huffman-Cleveland Road. It will eventually extend from Northwood County Estates on the north to Cypress Point on the south. Plat records show that Friendswood has named the development “Sila.”
Long, Narrow, Dense Homesites
The new residential community will contain an unspecified number of homesites, most long and narrow. This will certainly increase the percentage of impervious cover relative to the surrounding area.
Detail from Sila Section 3 plat approved by Houston Planning Commission in 2023.
Existing homes sit on larger, heavily wooded lots. So, this and other new, nearby developments will change the character of the area considerably. Along with that will come more traffic and congestion.
To put that in perspective, I talked to one homeowner in nearby Northwood Country Estates who owns a five-acre lot.
Forty-five of the lots indicated above could fit on his property.
Drainage Plans
Friendswood appears to be almost halfway done with clearing land for Sila. Consistent with best practices and construction plans, contractors appear to be clearing one section at a time, installing perimeter catchment ditches, erecting silt fence, and stabilizing land before moving on to the next area.
Detail from Sila drainage impact analysis.
The drainage analysis also claims that the development will provide more than the minimum amount of required detention-basin capacity. The minimum required is .65 acre feet per acre. But the engineering firm BGE says it will provide .67.
The minimum requirement was established by Harris County Flood Control District in 2019 after Hurricane Harvey. So, it should accommodate 100-year rainfalls projected under Atlas 14, NOAA’s current standard for rainfall estimates.
Approximately the northern half of this area has been cleared to date.
Approximately Half of Land Cleared So Far
The pictures below, all taken on 2/3/24, show the areas cleared so far.
Looking west over Huffman-Cleveland Road at extent of clearing. Curvature in road is caused by wide-angle-lens distortion.
The yellowish runoff in the foreground of the photo above is from Saint Tropez another new, but different development seen in the background of two pictures below.
Note the ditches that channel runoff away from homes in Northwood County Estates in upper right.
A 1.5 inch rain the night before I took these photos caused the ponding water you see.
Reverse angle. A series of three connected stormwater retention basins will flank the main entry road. Area to right (south) has not yet been cleared.Looking east toward Saint Tropez across Huffman-Cleveland Road.Friendswood appears to have planted grass in foreground to reduce erosion.Silt fence protects neighbors in other areas cleared earlier.
Proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank
The Sila property will drain into hundreds of acres that are part of the proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank.
Looking W at wetlands and floodplain between Sila and the East Fork San Jacinto.
East Fork San Jacinto River and Lake Houston Park beyond.
The preservation of so much land will help protect homebuyers from flooding. It will also provide wildlife habitat and an exceptional recreational amenity. Here’s the prospectus for the mitigation bank presented to the Army Corps. Corps approval still appears to be pending as of this writing.
Areas of Concern
Two areas of concern, however, exist near the land most recently cleared. Contractors have not yet erected silt fence or dug protective ditches behind some of the neighboring homes on Davidson Lane in Northwood County Estates.
Looking S. Neighboring homes in upper right were still unprotected from runoff when I took this picture on 2/3/24. Water flows from left to right toward East Fork San Jacinto out of frame on the right.Looking W. Note how runoff is draining across neighbor’s property. A larger rain could have caused damage.
Neighbors in Northwood County Estates are also concerned with how existing drainage will tie into Sila’s drainage. Elevations on county drawings and Sila’s drawings differ in places. So residents are asking for confirmation that existing ditches will continue to drain properly.
Ditch at end of Davidson Lane in Northwood Country Estates.
For the most part, with the exceptions noted above, Friendswood seems to be responsibly navigating the perilous early phase of development between clearing and the installation of drainage.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/24
2250 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/2024/02/20240203-DJI_0671-Pano.jpg?fit=1100%2C462&ssl=14621100adminadmin2024-02-04 15:18:312024-02-04 18:57:12Friendswood Clearing 553 Acres in Huffman
Overnight, the gauge at West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) and the West Fork received 1.44 inches of rain. And once again, runoff from Trammell Crow’s High Street Residential apartment complex on WLHP flooded surrounding streets and neighbors.
Visit from Engineering, Pollution Control and Constables
Harris County Engineering made a series of visits to the work site earlier this week in an effort to bring the developer into compliance with stormwater regulations. Harris County Constables and Harris County Pollution Control even accompanied the engineering staff to the site on 2/1/24.
After that visit, a member of the engineering staff told a neighbor that work at the site had been shut down until contractors came into compliance. Reportedly, mitigation work was the only work allowed on the site. But evidently, the developer had other priorities.
Sediment-laden runoff from construction sites is one of the main sources of sediment pollution in rivers and lakes. It has been linked to blockages that contribute to flooding.
Changes Between 2/1/24 and 2/2/24
On Friday, 2/2/24, I paid the site the Trammell Crow construction site a visit and saw some stormwater-mitigation work in progress. Specifically, contractors appeared to have:
Dug a small pond to let sediment settle out of water.
Dug a channel toward it.
Cleared muck off the sidewalk on Kings Park Way.
Placed a short length of wattle roll between the street and worksite along Kings Park Way. (Wattle is a temporary erosion control and sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers, lakes. During rain storms, the rolls intercept surface stormwaterrunoff and reduce the velocity of flow.)
Placed wattle in front of one of the two storm drains on Kings Park Way along the southeast side of the development.
Erected a six-foot-high privacy fence around three sides of the site.
Stationed a guard at the worksite entrance. They clearly didn’t want anyone documenting what they were or weren’t doing.
Had they spent as much time erecting a runoff barrier as they did the visual barrier, they might have prevented another stormwater debacle.
Other work unrelated to stormwater mitigation also appeared to be underway at the site Friday afternoon.
Still No Results
By 8 am Saturday morning (2/3/24), my phone was blowing up. Irate neighbors were sending me videos. Once again, Kings Park Way and West Lake Houston Parkway were being flooded.
By 10:30 am, the same intersection looked like this.
Someone had removed the wattle and a sand bag to let the street drain. Note the new privacy fence in background.
That’s one way to solve a street-flooding problem. Flush the silty muck down the storm drain.
At noon, here’s what you could see elsewhere with a drone.
Looking toward the same troubled corner from the other side of the fence. Note water seeping underneath.Elsewhere, they had begun digging a trench to channel water toward the sediment pond.But the trench from the troubling corner did not reach the sediment pond.
Unprotected Perimeter Remained
Beyond the main entry, no silt fence and water leaking under privacy fence, which was leaning over.At the back of the property, no fence at all and water flowing into neighboring property.Water was escaping all along the back of the property.
Perhaps the developer should have spent more time controlling stormwater and less time concealing the site with a half mile of privacy fence.
It makes me wonder whether their values are misplaced.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/24
2349 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/2024/02/20240203-Screenshot-2024-02-03-at-4.51.55%E2%80%AFPM.jpg?fit=1100%2C893&ssl=18931100adminadmin2024-02-03 17:53:152024-12-22 17:53:41WLHP Developer Still Flooding Neighborhood
River Wakes Up From Flood With Bad Hangover
After January’s five-day hydro-fest, Houston area rivers, streams and ditches look like they woke up with a bad hangover. Some areas are hiding under broad blankets of sand. The root balls of uprooted trees jutted up from the San Jacinto riverbed like tank traps on a battlefield, a testament to how shallow the river has become once again. And sand, in at least one case, has totally blocked off a drainage ditch.
Photos at US59 Bridge over San Jacinto West Fork
Kingwood-area resident Robin Seydewitz took the three images and video at the US59 Bridge this morning (2/5/24).
Sediment Build Up Alarming
The January flood was not as bad as Harvey. This was a much smaller flood – the type that happens far more frequently – like every 2 to 5 years depending on where you live.
The danger is not so much what this flood deposited, but what similar floods can deposit over time and how they can reduce the conveyance of rivers, streams and ditches. All the accretions add up like hairballs in your shower drain.
Here’s how one minor storm totally blocked a ditch after one storm.
Upstream of this blockage along the ditch, the Northpark South development, built on wetlands, is dumping its drainage into the abandoned sand mine on the right.
The 5-square mile Hallett sand mine is upstream on the left. Two residents/neighbors of the mine have witnessed the company pumping sludge from its settling pond on several occasions since the flood. The latest was tonight as I posted this article. They may have contributed to the build up also.
The Hallett operation is so large that the company actually mines sand on both sides of the river. You can see a small part of their operation below at the top of the frame.
Of course, some of the sediment shown in these photos comes from river bank erosion.
But some also comes from sand mines and new developments that have clearcut thousands of acres without taking precautions to control runoff. See examples below.
Of course, we have many responsible developers and sand miners. But we also have some who are not.
Turning Natural Events into Unnatural Disasters
Robin Seydewitz is the river enthusiast, canoeist, kayaker, and flood activist who took many of the photos above. She said, “Sand mines that don’t operate safely are a big part of the problem. So are developers who clearcut land without barriers or natural vegetation to stop sediment from running off. The lack of enforcement for drainage regulations is another part of the problem. We need more protection for the public. This is my opinion. We are not protected; the mine owners, operators and developers are.”
The moral of this story?
We need better enforcement of drainage regulations. And we need another river survey, like the one we had after Harvey, to see how much conveyance has been reduced.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/24
2351 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.
Friendswood Clearing 553 Acres in Huffman
Friendswood Development Company has started clearing 553 acres west of Huffman-Cleveland Road. It will eventually extend from Northwood County Estates on the north to Cypress Point on the south. Plat records show that Friendswood has named the development “Sila.”
Long, Narrow, Dense Homesites
The new residential community will contain an unspecified number of homesites, most long and narrow. This will certainly increase the percentage of impervious cover relative to the surrounding area.
Existing homes sit on larger, heavily wooded lots. So, this and other new, nearby developments will change the character of the area considerably. Along with that will come more traffic and congestion.
To put that in perspective, I talked to one homeowner in nearby Northwood Country Estates who owns a five-acre lot.
Drainage Plans
Friendswood appears to be almost halfway done with clearing land for Sila. Consistent with best practices and construction plans, contractors appear to be clearing one section at a time, installing perimeter catchment ditches, erecting silt fence, and stabilizing land before moving on to the next area.
The drainage analysis also claims that the development will provide more than the minimum amount of required detention-basin capacity. The minimum required is .65 acre feet per acre. But the engineering firm BGE says it will provide .67.
The minimum requirement was established by Harris County Flood Control District in 2019 after Hurricane Harvey. So, it should accommodate 100-year rainfalls projected under Atlas 14, NOAA’s current standard for rainfall estimates.
Approximately Half of Land Cleared So Far
The pictures below, all taken on 2/3/24, show the areas cleared so far.
The yellowish runoff in the foreground of the photo above is from Saint Tropez another new, but different development seen in the background of two pictures below.
A 1.5 inch rain the night before I took these photos caused the ponding water you see.
Proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank
The Sila property will drain into hundreds of acres that are part of the proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank.
LH Ranch has proposed creation of the wetlands mitigation bank here.
The preservation of so much land will help protect homebuyers from flooding. It will also provide wildlife habitat and an exceptional recreational amenity. Here’s the prospectus for the mitigation bank presented to the Army Corps. Corps approval still appears to be pending as of this writing.
Areas of Concern
Two areas of concern, however, exist near the land most recently cleared. Contractors have not yet erected silt fence or dug protective ditches behind some of the neighboring homes on Davidson Lane in Northwood County Estates.
Neighbors in Northwood County Estates are also concerned with how existing drainage will tie into Sila’s drainage. Elevations on county drawings and Sila’s drawings differ in places. So residents are asking for confirmation that existing ditches will continue to drain properly.
For the most part, with the exceptions noted above, Friendswood seems to be responsibly navigating the perilous early phase of development between clearing and the installation of drainage.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/24
2250 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.
WLHP Developer Still Flooding Neighborhood
Overnight, the gauge at West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) and the West Fork received 1.44 inches of rain. And once again, runoff from Trammell Crow’s High Street Residential apartment complex on WLHP flooded surrounding streets and neighbors.
Visit from Engineering, Pollution Control and Constables
Harris County Engineering made a series of visits to the work site earlier this week in an effort to bring the developer into compliance with stormwater regulations. Harris County Constables and Harris County Pollution Control even accompanied the engineering staff to the site on 2/1/24.
After that visit, a member of the engineering staff told a neighbor that work at the site had been shut down until contractors came into compliance. Reportedly, mitigation work was the only work allowed on the site. But evidently, the developer had other priorities.
Sediment-laden runoff from construction sites is one of the main sources of sediment pollution in rivers and lakes. It has been linked to blockages that contribute to flooding.
Changes Between 2/1/24 and 2/2/24
On Friday, 2/2/24, I paid the site the Trammell Crow construction site a visit and saw some stormwater-mitigation work in progress. Specifically, contractors appeared to have:
Other work unrelated to stormwater mitigation also appeared to be underway at the site Friday afternoon.
Still No Results
By 8 am Saturday morning (2/3/24), my phone was blowing up. Irate neighbors were sending me videos. Once again, Kings Park Way and West Lake Houston Parkway were being flooded.
By 10:30 am, the same intersection looked like this.
That’s one way to solve a street-flooding problem. Flush the silty muck down the storm drain.
At noon, here’s what you could see elsewhere with a drone.
Unprotected Perimeter Remained
Perhaps the developer should have spent more time controlling stormwater and less time concealing the site with a half mile of privacy fence.
It makes me wonder whether their values are misplaced.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/24
2349 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.