A letter dated September 30, 2023, and signed by all 25 members of the Texas Republican Congressional delegation urged Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate numerous allegations related to Colony Ridge in an upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature. The Colony Ridge developer has already launched a charm offensive designed to defeat what it calls “scurrilous rumors and lies.”
Congressional Letter Suggests Scope of Investigation
The controversial Liberty County development has drawn media attention dating back to at least 2015. The letter by Texas Congressional Republicans refers to many of those. Allegations in the letter include:
“Owner-financed loans with no credit check or proof of legal residency, making the location an optimal haven for illegal aliens amid a historic border crisis.”
Public safety concerns, including creating a “no-go zone” for law enforcement
Sewage spills
Fecal contamination in drainage ditches
Significant erosion in drainage ditches leading to increased risk of downstream flooding
Adverse effects on neighboring communities
Unsuccessful local attempts to remediate issues
Lack of fire hydrants
Improvised living conditions
Water, power and flooding issues
Violent crime including several high profile murders
The largest drug busts in the history of Liberty County
Drug cartel activity
Overwhelming the Cleveland ISD with “thousands of illegal aliens.”
The letter concludes with:
A list of things that the Congressional Republicans have fought for at the federal level to make America secure.
A request for Abbott and Paxton to share the results of their investigations with Congress.
An offer to assist the state.
Since media attention to Colony Ridge has mushroomed, claims like those above have become harder and harder to brush off – especially in an election year, when Republicans have framed illegal immigration as a core issue.
To see the full, six-page, footnoted letter, click here.
Will Investigation be Instant Replay of Paxton Impeachment Trial?
Ironically, Paxton’s office will theoretically do the investigating. His recent impeachment trial centered around his relationship with a developer (but not this one). It will be interesting to see how/whether that affects this investigation. Only one thing is certain: Paxton, Abbott and Colony Ridge will be under a national spotlight.
Colony Ridge Developer Launches Charm Campaign
The developer also released a letter, one day ahead of the Congressional letter. (See below.) It calls the allegations “salacious lies and rumors.” It offered to give members of the Texas legislature tours of Colony Ridge in advance of the upcoming special session. I’m sure the tours will be heavily curated. For instance, I doubt they will:
Go down streets with horrific living conditions
Highlight their lack of fire hydrants
Show off sewage spills
Point out the bridge they blew out on FM1010
Highlight the repossession rate of property (I talked to one owner of a new lot who was the fourth owner.)
Tour eroded channels (that would require maintenance roads at a minimum).
Here’s the Colony Ridge letter.
Notice that the developer’s letter does NOT deny drainage problems.
Complies with All Regulations? Really???
I was not invited to the developer’s party. But any member of the Texas legislature who wants to see whether they comply with Liberty County regulations can consult these posts.
When I first started exploring Colony Ridge, I learned that Liberty County did not have construction plans, nor required drainage studies for many Colony Ridge subdivisions. And those that the County could supply underestimated the runoff from Colony Ridge by misrepresenting the soil types found there. The extra runoff blew out FM1010 which remains unrepaired as of this writing.
Colony Ridge also failed to meet fire-hydrant spacing and pressure requirements in the Liberty County Fire Code. I have ten fire hydrants on my block. At last count, Colony Ridge had 59 in an area 50% larger than Manhattan.
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.
An analysis of Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and partner spending since 2000 reveals striking contrasts between watersheds in terms of where flood-mitigation dollars have gone.
Watersheds vary as much as 130 to 1 since 2000 and almost as much since Harvey. Most watersheds remained relatively constant in the rankings during the different time periods. However, a few have shifted up or down a few positions as land was acquired for projects or construction kicked off.
Data below includes spending by HCFCD and its partners from 1/1/2000 to 6/30/2023.
Main Takeaways from the Data
The big stories:
Since 2000, the top four watersheds received more flood-mitigation dollars than all 19 others put together. The top four include: Brays, Greens, and White Oak Bayous, and Cypress Creek.
Harris County’s Equity Prioritization gives weight to race and low-income areas, but not flood damage, the severity of flooding, or protection of infrastructure.
San Jacinto Gets Above Average Damage, Below Average Funding
The San Jacinto ranks below the averages (before 2000 and since Harvey) for flood-mitigation dollars – despite ranking 8th in damaged structures among all 23 watersheds. Damage totals include five major storms (Allison, Memorial Day, Tax Day, Harvey and Imelda).
Compiled from HCFCD Federal Reports
Watersheds Ranked by Funding Since 2000
Here’s how the funding looks in graphs and tables. All data was obtained from HCFCD via FOIA requests.
Data obtained from HCFCD via FOIA requests. Includes Harris County and partner spending.
Here’s the actual data if you want to see exactly how much your watershed received.
From 1/1/2000 through 6/30/23
Watersheds Ranked by Funding Since Harvey
Now let’s look at the how spending shifted after Harvey. Not much, at least relatively speaking.
Includes Harris County and partner spending. San Jacinto climbed two spots, but it is still barely above the median and far below the average.
Here are the actual totals for each watershed shown in the graph above.
Spending from 17Q3 to 23Q2 inclusive.
Feet above Flood Stage
Now let’s look at the severity of flooding. The chart below measures feet above flood stage at different Harris County gages.
Flood Stage is the level at which a river, stream or channel comes out of its banks.
Harvey flooded 6 of 9 buildings at Lone Star College/Kingwood. Repairs cost a total of $60 million.I-69 Bridge replacement after Harvey. Repairs took 11 months creating massive delays and detours.Union Pacific Railroad Bridge that parallels US59 was destroyed and required complete replacement.Alspaugh’s Hardware during HarveyNew HEB shopping center 1.5 miles from the San Jacinto West Fork was under more than 7 feet of water during Harvey.
Six years after Harvey, many of the commercial areas in Kingwood still haven’t fully recovered. Anchor stores remain empty in three of five shopping centers on Kingwood Drive between Town Center and US59.
Achieving True Equity
While I’m sympathetic to the plight of poorer neighborhoods, I cringe at the self-serving definition of equity used by a Democratic-dominated Commissioners Court to deny funding to the hardest hit area in the county.
We need a system that’s fair to all, not just some. Anything less will perpetuate racial distrust. This is a public safety issue and public safety should not be politicized.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/23
2223 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/2023/09/Screenshot-2023-09-30-at-7.23.44%E2%80%AFAM.png?fit=1474%2C880&ssl=18801474adminadmin2023-09-30 09:15:542023-09-30 09:32:42Where Flood-Mitigation Dollars Have Really Gone
Weather buffs could soon be treated to a rare event: the Fujiwhara Effect. That’s when one tropical storm collides with another. Topical Storm Philippe is being overtaken by the newly formed Tropical Storm Rina. See the satellite image below taken around 12:30 PM CDT.
12:20 pm Houston timeTwo hours and forty minutes later.
Will They Merge?
I asked Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner what happens in such a case. His response:
“Generally speaking the weaker system will rotate around the stronger system. This is known as the Fujiwhara Effect.”
Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner
Wikipedia offers a great description of this rare event and some of the parameters necessary for it to occur.
“The effect occurs,” says Wikipedia, when two nearby cyclonicvortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations of their corresponding low-pressure areas. The effect is named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, the Japanese meteorologist who initially described the effect. Binary interaction of smaller circulations can cause the development of a larger cyclone, or cause two cyclones to merge into one. … Tropical cyclones typically interact within 870 mi. of each other.”
These storms are already within that radius. At this hour (3:30 PM CDT on 9/28/23), the centers of Philippe and Rina are 631 miles apart, but their outer bands are already interacting as you can see in the photos above. And the effect will likely become stronger.
Philippe (left) is moving at 2 mph and Rina at 10 mph. So they will come even closer.
Cones of Uncertainty
The two maps below show projected tracks for the next few days. But remember, the center of the storm has an equal chance of passing through any point within the cone of uncertainty.
Here’s the cone for Philippe.
Here’s the cone for Rina.
Pick a spot on the grid and compare the projected locations over time.
Wikipedia says, “Rotation rates accelerate when tropical cyclones close within 400 mi of each other. Systems typically merge when they are within 190 mi of one another.”
So we have at least a few days to watch these two and a developing Fujiwhara effect if any.
At an 8 mph closing rate, two storms 631 miles apart would take about 2.5 days to get within 190 miles of each other.
How to See if They Merge
Mergers are fairly rare, according to Wikipedia. But these two could tango. So watch to see if they merge over the next few days. Exact predictions are difficult, because of the uncertainty associated with storm tracks.
However, you can check their progress and proximity visually by looking at the satellite images on NOAA’s National Hurricane Center website. Select from several different options within the “Atlantic-Wide View”: Geo-Color, Visible, Short Wave IR, Infrared, and Water Vapor.
Regardless of what happens, NOAA does not predict that these storms will come anywhere close to Texas. So sleep easy.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/23
2221 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/20230928-Twin-Spin.jpg?fit=1100%2C660&ssl=16601100adminadmin2023-09-28 15:52:012023-09-28 15:53:36Will We See Fujiwhara Effect? Twin Spin in Atlantic
Entire Texas Republican Congressional Delegation Urges Abbott, Paxton to Investigate Colony Ridge
A letter dated September 30, 2023, and signed by all 25 members of the Texas Republican Congressional delegation urged Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton to investigate numerous allegations related to Colony Ridge in an upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature. The Colony Ridge developer has already launched a charm offensive designed to defeat what it calls “scurrilous rumors and lies.”
Congressional Letter Suggests Scope of Investigation
The controversial Liberty County development has drawn media attention dating back to at least 2015. The letter by Texas Congressional Republicans refers to many of those. Allegations in the letter include:
The letter concludes with:
Since media attention to Colony Ridge has mushroomed, claims like those above have become harder and harder to brush off – especially in an election year, when Republicans have framed illegal immigration as a core issue.
To see the full, six-page, footnoted letter, click here.
Will Investigation be Instant Replay of Paxton Impeachment Trial?
Ironically, Paxton’s office will theoretically do the investigating. His recent impeachment trial centered around his relationship with a developer (but not this one). It will be interesting to see how/whether that affects this investigation. Only one thing is certain: Paxton, Abbott and Colony Ridge will be under a national spotlight.
Colony Ridge Developer Launches Charm Campaign
The developer also released a letter, one day ahead of the Congressional letter. (See below.) It calls the allegations “salacious lies and rumors.” It offered to give members of the Texas legislature tours of Colony Ridge in advance of the upcoming special session. I’m sure the tours will be heavily curated. For instance, I doubt they will:
Here’s the Colony Ridge letter.
Notice that the developer’s letter does NOT deny drainage problems.
Complies with All Regulations? Really???
I was not invited to the developer’s party. But any member of the Texas legislature who wants to see whether they comply with Liberty County regulations can consult these posts.
When I first started exploring Colony Ridge, I learned that Liberty County did not have construction plans, nor required drainage studies for many Colony Ridge subdivisions. And those that the County could supply underestimated the runoff from Colony Ridge by misrepresenting the soil types found there. The extra runoff blew out FM1010 which remains unrepaired as of this writing.
Colony Ridge also failed to meet fire-hydrant spacing and pressure requirements in the Liberty County Fire Code. I have ten fire hydrants on my block. At last count, Colony Ridge had 59 in an area 50% larger than Manhattan.
If you want to see an example of their “fully engineered” sewers, see this post. But hold your nose.
This post explores more Colony Ridge issues and impacts…
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 1, 2023
2224 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.
Where Flood-Mitigation Dollars Have Really Gone
An analysis of Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and partner spending since 2000 reveals striking contrasts between watersheds in terms of where flood-mitigation dollars have gone.
Watersheds vary as much as 130 to 1 since 2000 and almost as much since Harvey. Most watersheds remained relatively constant in the rankings during the different time periods. However, a few have shifted up or down a few positions as land was acquired for projects or construction kicked off.
Data below includes spending by HCFCD and its partners from 1/1/2000 to 6/30/2023.
Main Takeaways from the Data
The big stories:
San Jacinto Gets Above Average Damage, Below Average Funding
The San Jacinto ranks below the averages (before 2000 and since Harvey) for flood-mitigation dollars – despite ranking 8th in damaged structures among all 23 watersheds. Damage totals include five major storms (Allison, Memorial Day, Tax Day, Harvey and Imelda).
Watersheds Ranked by Funding Since 2000
Here’s how the funding looks in graphs and tables. All data was obtained from HCFCD via FOIA requests.
Here’s the actual data if you want to see exactly how much your watershed received.
Watersheds Ranked by Funding Since Harvey
Now let’s look at the how spending shifted after Harvey. Not much, at least relatively speaking.
Here are the actual totals for each watershed shown in the graph above.
Feet above Flood Stage
Now let’s look at the severity of flooding. The chart below measures feet above flood stage at different Harris County gages.
Flood Stage is the level at which a river, stream or channel comes out of its banks.
I compiled this chart from data in the Harris County Flood Warning System website.
That 20+ feet above flood stage at the San Jacinto West Fork and US59 was the highest I found in the county.
Damage to Infrastructure
That 20+ feet destroyed Kingwood College, Kingwood High School, all of the businesses in Kingwood Town Center and Kings Harbor, the southbound lanes of US59, the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, Memorial Hermann’s new Convenient Care Center, sewage treatment plants, and a senior housing complex.
Six years after Harvey, many of the commercial areas in Kingwood still haven’t fully recovered. Anchor stores remain empty in three of five shopping centers on Kingwood Drive between Town Center and US59.
Achieving True Equity
While I’m sympathetic to the plight of poorer neighborhoods, I cringe at the self-serving definition of equity used by a Democratic-dominated Commissioners Court to deny funding to the hardest hit area in the county.
We need a system that’s fair to all, not just some. Anything less will perpetuate racial distrust. This is a public safety issue and public safety should not be politicized.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/23
2223 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.
Will We See Fujiwhara Effect? Twin Spin in Atlantic
Weather buffs could soon be treated to a rare event: the Fujiwhara Effect. That’s when one tropical storm collides with another. Topical Storm Philippe is being overtaken by the newly formed Tropical Storm Rina. See the satellite image below taken around 12:30 PM CDT.
Will They Merge?
I asked Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner what happens in such a case. His response:
Wikipedia offers a great description of this rare event and some of the parameters necessary for it to occur.
“The effect occurs,” says Wikipedia, when two nearby cyclonic vortices move around each other and close the distance between the circulations of their corresponding low-pressure areas. The effect is named after Sakuhei Fujiwhara, the Japanese meteorologist who initially described the effect. Binary interaction of smaller circulations can cause the development of a larger cyclone, or cause two cyclones to merge into one. … Tropical cyclones typically interact within 870 mi. of each other.”
These storms are already within that radius. At this hour (3:30 PM CDT on 9/28/23), the centers of Philippe and Rina are 631 miles apart, but their outer bands are already interacting as you can see in the photos above. And the effect will likely become stronger.
Philippe (left) is moving at 2 mph and Rina at 10 mph. So they will come even closer.
Cones of Uncertainty
The two maps below show projected tracks for the next few days. But remember, the center of the storm has an equal chance of passing through any point within the cone of uncertainty.
Here’s the cone for Philippe.
Here’s the cone for Rina.
Pick a spot on the grid and compare the projected locations over time.
Wikipedia says, “Rotation rates accelerate when tropical cyclones close within 400 mi of each other. Systems typically merge when they are within 190 mi of one another.”
So we have at least a few days to watch these two and a developing Fujiwhara effect if any.
At an 8 mph closing rate, two storms 631 miles apart would take about 2.5 days to get within 190 miles of each other.
How to See if They Merge
Mergers are fairly rare, according to Wikipedia. But these two could tango. So watch to see if they merge over the next few days. Exact predictions are difficult, because of the uncertainty associated with storm tracks.
However, you can check their progress and proximity visually by looking at the satellite images on NOAA’s National Hurricane Center website. Select from several different options within the “Atlantic-Wide View”: Geo-Color, Visible, Short Wave IR, Infrared, and Water Vapor.
Regardless of what happens, NOAA does not predict that these storms will come anywhere close to Texas. So sleep easy.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/23
2221 Days since Hurricane Harvey