In April of 2022, State Senator John Whitmire contacted me. He wanted to set up a meeting to learn more about flooding in the Kingwood area.
Whitmire carved out the better part of a day for me. I gave him a tour of flooded areas to show him the extent and severity of flooding. I also set up two meetings for him. The first was with business leaders. The second was with civic leaders and residents who had flooded.
Reaching Across the Aisle
Almost two years before the mayoral runoff election that started today, Whitmire was carefully planning his campaign and building bridges to communities throughout the entire City. That should tell you something about the gentleman and why he has been so successful for so long. Whitmire has served in the Texas Senate for 40 years and in the Texas House for 10 years before that. He is the longest serving member of the Texas Senate.
Whitmire also made flooding and infrastructure a part of his advertising campaign for mayor even though he doesn’t represent Kingwood in the Senate.
John Whitmire keyframe from campaign video.
A Study in Contrasts
I found Whitmire to be a good listener, soft spoken, considerate and thoughtful. I felt he was making a concerted effort to understand the needs of the community. It didn’t feel like political pandering.
In contrast, Sheila Jackson Lee did not reach out to me. Her campaign website makes no mention of flooding. And her website also shows an almost exclusive focus on issues relevant only to her core constituents.
If you want a mayor who listens to all of the people, not just some of the people, I recommend voting for Whitmire.
And then there’s this to consider. If elected Mayor, Jackson Lee would be responsible for managing more than 23,000 employees. But as this leaked audio shows, her management skills could use some polishing.
But I would not take anything for granted. There are three times more undecided voters than Whitmire’s current lead.
As Bill King, a former candidate for Mayor, points out, “During the City of Houston election runoff in 2019, turnout was 18%.” That gives a few committed voters enormous, outsized influence. They could determine the future of this city.
Said King, “The reality is that the City probably has far more effect on your daily life than the federal or state governments and this is possibly the most consequential City of Houston election in our lifetime. Don’t let this decision be made without your input.”
To see City Council races on your ballot, see this page.
Election Day is December 9. But 41 early voting centers will be open Monday, November 27 through Tuesday, December 5. (7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 12 noon – 7 p.m. on Sunday).
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/27/23
2281 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-27-at-4.53.15%E2%80%AFPM.png?fit=1828%2C918&ssl=19181828adminadmin2023-11-27 17:36:342023-11-27 20:34:40In Mayor’s Race, Only Whitmire Has Made Flooding a Priority
(Note: Within an hour of posting this, I received additional information from a source familiar with Federal grants and have updated the section on Funding below.) Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and Sprint Sand & Clay have ended their Woodridge Village excavation and removal (E&R) contract. As of Friday afternoon, 11/24/23, Sprint had removed all of its equipment from the worksite, including the construction trailer at the entrance. See photos below.
Empty entrance on Woodland Hills where construction trailer once stood.Looking NE at extent of excavation for new detention basin.Same basin, but looking in opposite direction toward SW.
This will pause construction of additional stormwater detention capacity on Woodridge Village property.
Why did the contract end?
Funding Played Role in E&R Contract Termination
The new stormwater detention basin on HCFCD’s Woodridge Village property was part of a much larger project involving improvements to Taylor Gully. The combined Taylor Gully/Woodridge Village project involved funding from multiple sources:
U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw secured federal funding for Taylor Gully improvements in March 2022.
The Texas Water Development Board approved additional state funding in May.
Last summer, HCFCD also recommended the Taylor Gully/Woodridge project(s) for GLO/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG-MIT funding.
The last comes with a firm, tight deadline for spending the money – Jan. 12, 2027 – three years away. It also comes with other “process” restrictions dictated by the CDBG-MIT funding.
Harris County requested a deadline extension. But because of the holiday, it is not clear whether HUD granted it.
Also, since originally posting this, an expert in Federal grants wrote to say, “The excavation and removal at Woodridge had to stop because Federal funds require a process to be followed. The excavation project that will be funded by CDBG mitigation funds has to follow NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act). It does not allow any activity until NEPA has been cleared. Once the site was officially approved for CDBG mitigation funds, everything had to stop. The agreement with GLO was executed a week or two ago.”
“A similar thing happened to the Sprint excavation and removal at the Dinner Creek Basin,” he added. “It’s one of those sad facts about federal grants. You have to follow their process and everything is done in a linear fashion.”
Flexible E&R Contracts Allow Early Termination
HCFCD’s excavation and removal contracts are very flexible. They let HCFCD get a head start on construction as it worked out financing, design and other project details.
The terms of Sprint’s E&R contract let Sprint excavate up to 500,000 cubic yards of material and sell the dirt on the private market to make a profit. Sprint was meeting its 5,000 cubic-yard/month minimum. They averaged 6,000 to 7,000 cubic yards per month during the last two years.
By the end of October, the company excavated 156,478 cubic yards – about a third of the maximum. However, the additional two-thirds at the current rate would have missed the HUD deadline by at least two years.
If there’s good news here, it’s that:
The amount excavated to date already puts the site very close to meeting Atlas-14 requirements. The “head start” worked.
Once construction resumes, it could sharply accelerate.
Final HCFCD Recommendations Not Yet Revealed
In December 2022, engineers presented their preliminary plans to the Kingwood community and sought public input on four alternatives. Their recommended alternative included:
Expanding a portion of Taylor Gully and lining it with concrete.
Building yet another 412 acre-foot stormwater detention basin on Woodridge Village.
Replacing the culverts at Rustling Elms with a clear-span bridge.
HCFCD has not yet revealed final construction plans to the community. But it appears that the pot is starting to boil. Stay tuned. More news will follow soon.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/26/23
2280 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231124-DJI_0161.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-11-26 14:04:332023-11-26 16:19:04Woodridge Village Excavation and Removal Contract Ends
In two weeks, approximately 40 acres timber has turned into toothpicks at the new Northpark South development. Clearing is now about two-thirds to three-quarters complete.
The development lies between Sorters-McClellan Road and the West Fork San Jacinto at the end of Northpark Drive. The developer, Century Land Holdings of Texas, LLC, hopes to build 236 homes, driveways, roads, and an 11.2 acre stormwater detention basin on a total of 54.4 acres.
If that sounds like a lot, Century has already applied for a variance from the City of Houston Planning Commission to create lots less than 5,000 square feet. Regardless, RG Miller Engineering still claims impervious cover will not exceed 66%. But that’s not the only curious takeaway from the RG Miller report.
No Mention of Wetlands
To achieve such density, Century will pave over wetlands. But the RG Miller report makes no mention of wetlands.
National Wetlands Inventory shows wetlands in middle on far right.
USGS has documented wetlands on this property since at least 1961, as you can see in this topographic map viewer.
However the developer apparently has not received a wetland development permit from the Army Corps.
In addition, the imagery showing the wetlands (the empty crescent-wrench-shaped area in middle right of blue outline) is misdated.
The caption in the drainage analysis says the image is from 2018. But the homes in the top left of the frame were not built until late 2020. And the image itself is from late 2021. So why would the image below be dated two years earlier.
Compare a Google Earth image taken on 2/23/2019 – before the onset of drought. When you zoom in a bit, you get a clearly different impression.
Scrolling back through 30 years of historical images in Google Earth shows evidence of periodic pondingin this location and distinctly different vegetationfrom the surrounding area.
Was the RG Miller image accidentally mislabeled or an attempt to show drier conditions that didn’t scream “wetlands”? We’ll probably never know.
According to one environmental expert I consulted, developers very often have consultants who assert that there are no wetlands on property. Therefore, they feel, there’s no need to involve USACE “because a permit isn’t necessary.”
The expert said, “In my mind, they are betting on not getting caught. They can save a lot of money by avoiding permits and those savings are apparently worth the risk.”
It’s also possible that the latest Supreme Court ruling on “Waters of the U.S.,” removed federal government protection for these wetlands. In that case, these wetlands would not require permitting.
Problems Building over Wetlands
The expert continued, “Comparing this information to the plans, it looks like there will be residential streets and houses on top of the historic wetlands. I would NOT feel safe living on top of a former wetland this close to the river. NO WAY! The land has a memory, deep in its soils, and I would expect future issues.”
Current Status of Clearing
I took the photos below on the afternoon of Friday, 11/24/23.
Looking west at extent of clearing in last two weeks. West Fork is beyond sand pits near top of frame.NorthPark Drive runs off bottom of frame.Looking E toward Kingwood. Detention basin will stretch between the woods on left and the road on right in the area close to camera.Basin will drain into pond in lower right foreground.Looking N toward a sister development (Northpark Woods) by same developer. Sand pit middle left belongs to another company.
High-Water Mark Shows Potential Danger
The image below shows where the new development sits in relation to the river and the high-water mark during Harvey.
Extent of flooding during Harvey relative to new development, according to nearby resident.Looking west down Northpark toward San Jacinto West Fork.
While Harvey was an extreme storm, keep in mind that pre-Harvey flood maps show inundation potential across most of Northpark South. And the new post-Harvey flood maps, which have not yet been released, will take in even more of the new development.
Buyer beware. There’s plenty here to chew on. Toothpick anyone?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/23
2279 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/2023/11/20231124-DJI_0134.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-11-25 13:51:352023-11-25 14:22:0840 Acres of Timber Turned into Toothpicks
In Mayor’s Race, Only Whitmire Has Made Flooding a Priority
In April of 2022, State Senator John Whitmire contacted me. He wanted to set up a meeting to learn more about flooding in the Kingwood area.
Whitmire carved out the better part of a day for me. I gave him a tour of flooded areas to show him the extent and severity of flooding. I also set up two meetings for him. The first was with business leaders. The second was with civic leaders and residents who had flooded.
Reaching Across the Aisle
Almost two years before the mayoral runoff election that started today, Whitmire was carefully planning his campaign and building bridges to communities throughout the entire City. That should tell you something about the gentleman and why he has been so successful for so long. Whitmire has served in the Texas Senate for 40 years and in the Texas House for 10 years before that. He is the longest serving member of the Texas Senate.
Last year, when the Lake Houston Gates project was short of funding, Whitmire (a member of the Senate Finance committee) helped salvage it.
Whitmire also made flooding and infrastructure a part of his advertising campaign for mayor even though he doesn’t represent Kingwood in the Senate.
A Study in Contrasts
I found Whitmire to be a good listener, soft spoken, considerate and thoughtful. I felt he was making a concerted effort to understand the needs of the community. It didn’t feel like political pandering.
In contrast, Sheila Jackson Lee did not reach out to me. Her campaign website makes no mention of flooding. And her website also shows an almost exclusive focus on issues relevant only to her core constituents.
And then there’s this to consider. If elected Mayor, Jackson Lee would be responsible for managing more than 23,000 employees. But as this leaked audio shows, her management skills could use some polishing.
Latest Polls Show Large Undecided Block
A Houston Public Media/Houston Chronicle/UH Political Science and Population Health Poll released today shows Whitmire with the support of 42% of likely voters. Compare that to 35% for Jackson Lee and 22% undecided.
But I would not take anything for granted. There are three times more undecided voters than Whitmire’s current lead.
As Bill King, a former candidate for Mayor, points out, “During the City of Houston election runoff in 2019, turnout was 18%.” That gives a few committed voters enormous, outsized influence. They could determine the future of this city.
Said King, “The reality is that the City probably has far more effect on your daily life than the federal or state governments and this is possibly the most consequential City of Houston election in our lifetime. Don’t let this decision be made without your input.”
Voting Information
To learn where to vote, see this page on HarrisVotes.
To see City Council races on your ballot, see this page.
Election Day is December 9. But 41 early voting centers will be open Monday, November 27 through Tuesday, December 5. (7 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 12 noon – 7 p.m. on Sunday).
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/27/23
2281 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Woodridge Village Excavation and Removal Contract Ends
(Note: Within an hour of posting this, I received additional information from a source familiar with Federal grants and have updated the section on Funding below.) Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and Sprint Sand & Clay have ended their Woodridge Village excavation and removal (E&R) contract. As of Friday afternoon, 11/24/23, Sprint had removed all of its equipment from the worksite, including the construction trailer at the entrance. See photos below.
This will pause construction of additional stormwater detention capacity on Woodridge Village property.
Why did the contract end?
Funding Played Role in E&R Contract Termination
The new stormwater detention basin on HCFCD’s Woodridge Village property was part of a much larger project involving improvements to Taylor Gully. The combined Taylor Gully/Woodridge Village project involved funding from multiple sources:
The last comes with a firm, tight deadline for spending the money – Jan. 12, 2027 – three years away. It also comes with other “process” restrictions dictated by the CDBG-MIT funding.
Harris County requested a deadline extension. But because of the holiday, it is not clear whether HUD granted it.
Also, since originally posting this, an expert in Federal grants wrote to say, “The excavation and removal at Woodridge had to stop because Federal funds require a process to be followed. The excavation project that will be funded by CDBG mitigation funds has to follow NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act). It does not allow any activity until NEPA has been cleared. Once the site was officially approved for CDBG mitigation funds, everything had to stop. The agreement with GLO was executed a week or two ago.”
“A similar thing happened to the Sprint excavation and removal at the Dinner Creek Basin,” he added. “It’s one of those sad facts about federal grants. You have to follow their process and everything is done in a linear fashion.”
Flexible E&R Contracts Allow Early Termination
HCFCD’s excavation and removal contracts are very flexible. They let HCFCD get a head start on construction as it worked out financing, design and other project details.
The terms of Sprint’s E&R contract let Sprint excavate up to 500,000 cubic yards of material and sell the dirt on the private market to make a profit. Sprint was meeting its 5,000 cubic-yard/month minimum. They averaged 6,000 to 7,000 cubic yards per month during the last two years.
By the end of October, the company excavated 156,478 cubic yards – about a third of the maximum. However, the additional two-thirds at the current rate would have missed the HUD deadline by at least two years.
If there’s good news here, it’s that:
Final HCFCD Recommendations Not Yet Revealed
In December 2022, engineers presented their preliminary plans to the Kingwood community and sought public input on four alternatives. Their recommended alternative included:
HCFCD has not yet revealed final construction plans to the community. But it appears that the pot is starting to boil. Stay tuned. More news will follow soon.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/26/23
2280 Days since Hurricane Harvey
40 Acres of Timber Turned into Toothpicks
In two weeks, approximately 40 acres timber has turned into toothpicks at the new Northpark South development. Clearing is now about two-thirds to three-quarters complete.
The development lies between Sorters-McClellan Road and the West Fork San Jacinto at the end of Northpark Drive. The developer, Century Land Holdings of Texas, LLC, hopes to build 236 homes, driveways, roads, and an 11.2 acre stormwater detention basin on a total of 54.4 acres.
If that sounds like a lot, Century has already applied for a variance from the City of Houston Planning Commission to create lots less than 5,000 square feet. Regardless, RG Miller Engineering still claims impervious cover will not exceed 66%. But that’s not the only curious takeaway from the RG Miller report.
No Mention of Wetlands
To achieve such density, Century will pave over wetlands. But the RG Miller report makes no mention of wetlands.
USGS has documented wetlands on this property since at least 1961, as you can see in this topographic map viewer.
However the developer apparently has not received a wetland development permit from the Army Corps.
In addition, the imagery showing the wetlands (the empty crescent-wrench-shaped area in middle right of blue outline) is misdated.
The caption in the drainage analysis says the image is from 2018. But the homes in the top left of the frame were not built until late 2020. And the image itself is from late 2021. So why would the image below be dated two years earlier.
Compare a Google Earth image taken on 2/23/2019 – before the onset of drought. When you zoom in a bit, you get a clearly different impression.
Was the RG Miller image accidentally mislabeled or an attempt to show drier conditions that didn’t scream “wetlands”? We’ll probably never know.
According to one environmental expert I consulted, developers very often have consultants who assert that there are no wetlands on property. Therefore, they feel, there’s no need to involve USACE “because a permit isn’t necessary.”
The expert said, “In my mind, they are betting on not getting caught. They can save a lot of money by avoiding permits and those savings are apparently worth the risk.”
It’s also possible that the latest Supreme Court ruling on “Waters of the U.S.,” removed federal government protection for these wetlands. In that case, these wetlands would not require permitting.
Problems Building over Wetlands
The expert continued, “Comparing this information to the plans, it looks like there will be residential streets and houses on top of the historic wetlands. I would NOT feel safe living on top of a former wetland this close to the river. NO WAY! The land has a memory, deep in its soils, and I would expect future issues.”
Current Status of Clearing
I took the photos below on the afternoon of Friday, 11/24/23.
High-Water Mark Shows Potential Danger
The image below shows where the new development sits in relation to the river and the high-water mark during Harvey.
While Harvey was an extreme storm, keep in mind that pre-Harvey flood maps show inundation potential across most of Northpark South. And the new post-Harvey flood maps, which have not yet been released, will take in even more of the new development.
Buyer beware. There’s plenty here to chew on. Toothpick anyone?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/25/23
2279 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.