The recent drought has reduced the rate of erosion under the Tree Lane/Bens Branch Bridge for now. But with wetter weather expected, we need to accelerate the repair effort. Recent pictures show the desperate need for repairs to the bridge. It’s next to Bear Branch Elementary School where more than 600 students attend grades K-5.
Power of Moving Water
The current state of this bridge and the area around it is a testament to the power of moving water … more than engineers designed the bridge to handle.
Water jetting under the bridge during storms has ripped away great slabs of concrete, eroded side walls, and partially blocked a storm drain outfall.
Condition of Tree Lane Bridge over Bens Branchon 11/24/23
It has also eroded the channel. Rip rap has done little to halt the erosion.
11/24/23. Condition of Tree Lane Bridge over Bens Branch.
Downcutting has exposed utility lines. And stormwater has carried chunks of concrete downstream like toothpicks.
11/24/23. Bens Branch downstream of Tree Lane Bridge.
Before Hurricane Harvey, the tree canopy in this area was so dense, one could barely see Bens Branch from the air. Now, there’s a gaping hole in the landscape caused by the “jetting.”
11/24/23. Downstream erosion of greenbelt caused by jetting water from under bridge.
As more and more water builds up behind the bridge during storms, it causes water to shoot under the bridge with greater pressure and accelerate erosion.
One can’t help but wonder whether the random and cumulative impact of several large storms caused this damage. Whether insufficiently mitigated upstream development helped nature along. Or whether the bridge simply reached the end of its normal life.
But a prolonged, intense drought last summer put an end to the acceleration. A close comparison of recent photos with those taken six months ago shows that the bridge now looks much like it did last June.
When Will Bridge Be Fixed?
I have learned that both the City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) are studying the bridge. In August, the City even allocated money to fix it. However, HCFCD worried about the impact to its Bens Branch channel. The two entities are now trying to reach a mutually agreeable solution.
Having lived near here for 40 years, one thing is clear to me. We can’t count on drought to prevent more erosion forever.
During El Niño years (like now), much of Texas is cooler and wetter than average. Northern storms generally track farther south, producing more clouds, rain and severe weather, according to the NWS.
Perhaps we’ll get some good news on Tree Lane bridge repairs or replacement by Christmas. I’ll let you know when we get the engineering report.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/28/23
2282 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/20231124-DJI_0174.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-11-28 07:16:142024-08-11 18:22:43Tree Lane Bridge over Bens Branch Still Standing
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
Tree Lane Bridge over Bens Branch Still Standing
The recent drought has reduced the rate of erosion under the Tree Lane/Bens Branch Bridge for now. But with wetter weather expected, we need to accelerate the repair effort. Recent pictures show the desperate need for repairs to the bridge. It’s next to Bear Branch Elementary School where more than 600 students attend grades K-5.
Power of Moving Water
The current state of this bridge and the area around it is a testament to the power of moving water … more than engineers designed the bridge to handle.
Water jetting under the bridge during storms has ripped away great slabs of concrete, eroded side walls, and partially blocked a storm drain outfall.
It has also eroded the channel. Rip rap has done little to halt the erosion.
Downcutting has exposed utility lines. And stormwater has carried chunks of concrete downstream like toothpicks.
Before Hurricane Harvey, the tree canopy in this area was so dense, one could barely see Bens Branch from the air. Now, there’s a gaping hole in the landscape caused by the “jetting.”
As more and more water builds up behind the bridge during storms, it causes water to shoot under the bridge with greater pressure and accelerate erosion.
One can’t help but wonder whether the random and cumulative impact of several large storms caused this damage. Whether insufficiently mitigated upstream development helped nature along. Or whether the bridge simply reached the end of its normal life.
The City of Houston attempted to repair this bridge in March 2020. By January of 2023, it was worse than ever. And in June of 2023, I wrote about damage accelerating.
But a prolonged, intense drought last summer put an end to the acceleration. A close comparison of recent photos with those taken six months ago shows that the bridge now looks much like it did last June.
When Will Bridge Be Fixed?
I have learned that both the City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) are studying the bridge. In August, the City even allocated money to fix it. However, HCFCD worried about the impact to its Bens Branch channel. The two entities are now trying to reach a mutually agreeable solution.
Having lived near here for 40 years, one thing is clear to me. We can’t count on drought to prevent more erosion forever.
During El Niño years (like now), much of Texas is cooler and wetter than average. Northern storms generally track farther south, producing more clouds, rain and severe weather, according to the NWS.
Perhaps we’ll get some good news on Tree Lane bridge repairs or replacement by Christmas. I’ll let you know when we get the engineering report.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/28/23
2282 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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