Colony Ridge Land, LLC, developer of the world’s largest trailer park in Liberty County, is buying up Harris County property in the floodplain of the East Fork San Jacinto. Since the property in the Cypress Point subdivision was originally platted, flood maps changed in 2001 and are in the process of changing again. Most of the properties face serious flood risk that the current flood maps may not communicate.
Land Remains Uncleared
Development has not yet started. The land is still heavily wooded…so much so, in fact, that dirt roads developed in the 1980s have become overtaken by trees and undergrowth. They are barely passable according to one person I talked to.
Colony Ridge has acquired at least 19 (but not all) properties within red area.What the partially developed area looked like in 1988. Note unpaved roads nearest river.
Back in the late 1980s, the original developer cleared space for roads and platted the land going down to the East Fork. But today, paved roads stop about a quarter mile short of the river. From the air, those old dirt roads look like a slight indentation in the forest canopy.
Looking NE from over the utility corridor that forms the southern limit of the area. East Fork on right flows toward camera.Looking NE from farther north. Old roadway appears as a crease in the jungle.Still looking NE.Note how pavement on Birchwood Drive stops short of entering area.Reverse angle looking S toward Lake Houston visible as blue streak below horizon in upper left. Lake Houston Park on right.
The Big Question
Why did the original developers stop short of paving roads all the way to the river? The answer likely has something to do with floodplains. Note in the image below how several of the lots border or lay within the floodway. Many more lay within the 100- and 500-year floodplains.
How Bad Could Flooding Be?
But those floodplain maps are outdated and can mislead. High-water marks established by HCFCD and contour maps by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest this property has flooded seriously at least 8 times in the last 20 years.
Elevation profile from USGS National Map
From the East Fork to the end of Oaknoll Drive, the elevation rises from approximately 42.5 feet to 67 feet. The 24.5-foot difference might sound like a lot. But consider this.
In 1994, the flood of record for the East Fork in this area (before Harvey), crested at 76.2 feet. That would have put the highest property near Oaknoll under 9 feet of water. The lowest property near the river would have been under 33.7 feet of water.
Then came Harvey. At the nearest gage, the East Fork crested at 81.2 feet.
That would have put the highest and lowest properties under 14.2 feet and 38.7 feet of water respectively.
Even though most of the acquired properties are shown in the 500-year flood plain, most of them have been under water eight times in the 20 years since 1994.
Floodplains change with better understanding of the climate, upstream development, and better measurement technologies, such as LIDAR. Our current flood maps were developed after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. But we’ve gotten a lot smarter about flood mapping since then.
That’s why Harris County Flood Control District and FEMA are updating flood maps for this area. The floodplains you see above will likely expand by 50% to 100% according to preliminary guidance from Harris County Flood Control. FEMA is in the process of certifying revised maps and should release them later this year or early next for public comment.
Are Readings from FM1485 Analogous to Cypress Point?
Give or take few feet, the flood depths cited above are probably in the ballpark. Even if the high-water marks at Cypress Point are a few feet lower, they still represent serious flooding.
HarrisCountyFEMT.org shows that the width of the floodplain at FM1485 and Cypress Point, lower left, does not vary significantly.
One of the region’s leading hydrologists who has studied this area extensively felt the flood heights at FM1485 would translate well to Cypress Point where Colony Ridge is acquiring property. Colony Ridge has purchased at least 19 properties in the affected area. The map below shows where they are.
Note how virtually all purchases happened after Imelda, which would have put even higher properties under almost six feet of water.
Another property valuation report shows how the land value decreased 73% after Imelda in 2019. Colony Ridge purchased most of the properties in 2020. Bargain hunting?
Homes on Stilts Likely Unaffordable for Colony Ridge Target Market
Many may not have a firm grasp of English. Few likely understand flood risk, especially the nuances of flood maps in flux. And Colony Ridge typically “owner finances,” meaning buyers don’t go through banks which would require flood studies and flood insurance before making a mortgage loan.
Under today’s guidelines for developing land in floodplains, especially this deep in floodplains, homebuilders would likely have to elevate homes on stilts. And elevating homes 35 feet high would likely make them cost prohibitive for most of Colony Ridge’s primary target market.
Watch this one closely to make sure that no rules get broken.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/4/23
2166 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/2023/08/Cypress-Point-Sat-View-Outlined.jpg?fit=1100%2C864&ssl=18641100adminadmin2023-08-04 16:37:572023-08-05 10:22:59Colony Ridge Buying Up Floodplain Land in Huffman
After spending years to study Northpark Drive expansion, partners are wasting no time getting it started. Northpark drainage construction now stretches halfway to US59.
On Friday, 7/25/23, I wrote about contractors starting to stack drain pipe near the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. On Monday, I posted about box culverts being stacked hundreds of yards farther up the ditch. By last night, 8/1/23:
The first pipe in front of Flowers of Kingwood was being buried.
Additional pipe was stacked up approximately another 800 feet toward US59, waiting for installation.
Ditch clearing/prep stretched to the Kings Mill entrance, halfway from the start point to US59.
Of course, work was at different stages along the way. See the pictures below.
Pictures Taken 8/1/2023
Looking NE.Near the Diversion Ditch at the starting point, contractors were starting to bury the 66″ round, concrete pipe.Looking W from over previous shot, 6’x8′ box culverts were lined up on the ditch shoulder as contractors prepped the bottom of the ditch.Looking back east. The culverts stretched to JiffyLube.Looking east from over the Russell-Palmer Road intersection.Looking east from the Kings Mill intersection at the current extent of work.Looking west from the Kings Mill Entry toward Loop 494 and US59.The next step.
The drainpipes now being installed in the center ditch will eventually make a platform for additional lanes of traffic. So Northpark drainage must precede Northpark reconstruction.
Land Acquisition Completed Monday
Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, yesterday dropped off the last two checks for parcels of land that need to be acquired for the expansion of the roadway near US59. That completed a land acquisition process that began in 2019.
Next Steps in Coming Weeks
Resolving CenterPoint Conflicts
A natural gas line runs down the center of the ditch where drainage is being installed. It comes into conflict with the project at 11 points between the railroad on the west and the diversion ditch on the east. Centerpoint has agreed to prioritize that work.
Sign/Fence Conflicts
Near Russell-Palmer Road, a fence in front of one business and a sign in front of another will need relocation.
Sawcutting Crossovers
Contractors will sawcut crossover sections to prep for concrete removal during installation of drainage pipe/culvert.
Expansion of LHRA/TIRZ Project Website
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA) and TIRZ 10 are expanding their website to inform the public of progress. New features will include:
A 3-week, look-ahead schedule of coming events
Regular updates, at least twice monthly
Videos of work in progress
Check back frequently for more updates. At the moment, this is one of the most important flood mitigation projects in the Kingwood Area.
Northpark drainage is just the first step in the Northpark Drive expansion project. Construction will likely take several years to complete. But it will provide an evacuation route for tens of thousands of Kingwood and Porter residents during floods.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/2/2023
2064 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230801-DJI_0184.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-08-02 09:53:442023-08-17 15:39:52Northpark Drainage Construction Stretches Halfway to US59 in Less than Week
During July 2023, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractor Sprint Sand and Clay, LLC, excavated 5,754 cubic yards from a new Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin. That brought Sprints’ grand total up to 135, 751 cubic yards.
5,764 cubic yards equals another 3.6 acre feet. The previous month, Sprint excavated 5 acre feet. So, excavation during July declined 28%. At the current rate, Sprint would take another 8 months to bring detention volume up to Atlas-14 requirements (see table below).
At the end of July, excavation had reached 92.6% of Atlas-14 requirements, up slightly from June, when it had reached 92%.
Why Atlas 14 is Important
Atlas-14 defines the current standard for safely containing a 100-year rainfall. The lack of detention basin capacity contributed to the flooding of hundreds of homes along Taylor Gully twice in 2019, after Perry contractors clearcut the property.
However, the good news is that Sprint’s contract could eventually take the site well beyond Atlas-14.
Before/After Photos Show July Progress
I took the first photo below on July 1, 2023.
Woodridge Village July 1, 2023, looking NE.
I took the other photos below at the end of July.
July 29, 2023. The big difference appears to be the area filled with water.
The outline has changed little. But additional water in the absence of rain and the presence of blistering heat suggests excavation may have reached the water table.
During the month of July, when temperatures pushed a 100 degrees every day, the nearest gage received only 2 inches of rain. And most of that was three weeks before the photo above.
HCFCD often prefers wet bottom retention basins because they reduce mowing costs, but the design of this basin is not yet complete.
Those circular patterns may indicate the use of scrapers to lower the bottom of the new basin gradually.However, north (right) of the exposed water, contractors still seem to be using excavators to expand the edges of the area.
Under HCFCD Excavation and Removal contracts, contractors are free to excavate where they want within the provided footprint.
Green area indicates rough outline of new basin.
Where Does Woodridge Village Excavation Go From Here?
HCFCD’s Excavation and Removal contract with Sprint Sand & Clay calls for excavating up to 500,000 cubic yards. Sprint excavated approximately 8,000 cubic yards (5 acre feet) in June.
Any excavation beyond Atlas-14 needs would create a safety hedge against future needs should they increase.
Calculations based on original construction plans, HCFCD monthly reports, Atlas-14 Requirements and Sprint contract. Sprint could excavate down to or even slightly past the small grove of trees in the top center.
Sprint will make only $1,000 from its Woodridge Village excavation contract with HCFCD, but will make its profit by selling the dirt at market rates. It’s a good deal for taxpayers, but carries some uncertainty with it.
If the demand for dirt dries up, excavation could slow or stop.
But simply excavating the dirt isn’t the end of the job. Harris County still needs to slope the sides, plant grass, and tie the new basin into the site’s existing stormwater-detention-basin network. Engineers are reportedly working on plans for all that, according to HCFCD.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/1/2023
2163 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230729-DJI_0158.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-08-01 15:29:352023-08-01 17:05:56Woodridge Village Excavation Slows in July
Colony Ridge Buying Up Floodplain Land in Huffman
Colony Ridge Land, LLC, developer of the world’s largest trailer park in Liberty County, is buying up Harris County property in the floodplain of the East Fork San Jacinto. Since the property in the Cypress Point subdivision was originally platted, flood maps changed in 2001 and are in the process of changing again. Most of the properties face serious flood risk that the current flood maps may not communicate.
Land Remains Uncleared
Development has not yet started. The land is still heavily wooded…so much so, in fact, that dirt roads developed in the 1980s have become overtaken by trees and undergrowth. They are barely passable according to one person I talked to.
Back in the late 1980s, the original developer cleared space for roads and platted the land going down to the East Fork. But today, paved roads stop about a quarter mile short of the river. From the air, those old dirt roads look like a slight indentation in the forest canopy.
The Big Question
Why did the original developers stop short of paving roads all the way to the river? The answer likely has something to do with floodplains. Note in the image below how several of the lots border or lay within the floodway. Many more lay within the 100- and 500-year floodplains.
How Bad Could Flooding Be?
But those floodplain maps are outdated and can mislead. High-water marks established by HCFCD and contour maps by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest this property has flooded seriously at least 8 times in the last 20 years.
From the East Fork to the end of Oaknoll Drive, the elevation rises from approximately 42.5 feet to 67 feet. The 24.5-foot difference might sound like a lot. But consider this.
In 1994, the flood of record for the East Fork in this area (before Harvey), crested at 76.2 feet. That would have put the highest property near Oaknoll under 9 feet of water. The lowest property near the river would have been under 33.7 feet of water.
Then came Harvey. At the nearest gage, the East Fork crested at 81.2 feet.
All figures were computed using the elevation profile function in the USGS National Map, and cross referencing the results with the Harris County Flood Warning System gage at FM1485.
Even though most of the acquired properties are shown in the 500-year flood plain, most of them have been under water eight times in the 20 years since 1994.
In fact, most of the undeveloped lots likely flooded in an unnamed and already forgotten flood in April of this year.
Official Floodplains Expanding
Floodplains change with better understanding of the climate, upstream development, and better measurement technologies, such as LIDAR. Our current flood maps were developed after Tropical Storm Allison in 2001. But we’ve gotten a lot smarter about flood mapping since then.
That’s why Harris County Flood Control District and FEMA are updating flood maps for this area. The floodplains you see above will likely expand by 50% to 100% according to preliminary guidance from Harris County Flood Control. FEMA is in the process of certifying revised maps and should release them later this year or early next for public comment.
Are Readings from FM1485 Analogous to Cypress Point?
Give or take few feet, the flood depths cited above are probably in the ballpark. Even if the high-water marks at Cypress Point are a few feet lower, they still represent serious flooding.
One of the region’s leading hydrologists who has studied this area extensively felt the flood heights at FM1485 would translate well to Cypress Point where Colony Ridge is acquiring property. Colony Ridge has purchased at least 19 properties in the affected area. The map below shows where they are.
Another property valuation report shows how the land value decreased 73% after Imelda in 2019. Colony Ridge purchased most of the properties in 2020. Bargain hunting?
Homes on Stilts Likely Unaffordable for Colony Ridge Target Market
It’s not clear what Colony Ridge plans to build on this property. However, the company has a history of selling land to Hispanic immigrants, then letting them clear their own lots and bring in trailer homes.
Many may not have a firm grasp of English. Few likely understand flood risk, especially the nuances of flood maps in flux. And Colony Ridge typically “owner finances,” meaning buyers don’t go through banks which would require flood studies and flood insurance before making a mortgage loan.
Alleged abuses are so common that whole websites have been set up to chronicle them.
Under today’s guidelines for developing land in floodplains, especially this deep in floodplains, homebuilders would likely have to elevate homes on stilts. And elevating homes 35 feet high would likely make them cost prohibitive for most of Colony Ridge’s primary target market.
Watch this one closely to make sure that no rules get broken.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/4/23
2166 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.
Northpark Drainage Construction Stretches Halfway to US59 in Less than Week
After spending years to study Northpark Drive expansion, partners are wasting no time getting it started. Northpark drainage construction now stretches halfway to US59.
On Friday, 7/25/23, I wrote about contractors starting to stack drain pipe near the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. On Monday, I posted about box culverts being stacked hundreds of yards farther up the ditch. By last night, 8/1/23:
Of course, work was at different stages along the way. See the pictures below.
Pictures Taken 8/1/2023
The drainpipes now being installed in the center ditch will eventually make a platform for additional lanes of traffic. So Northpark drainage must precede Northpark reconstruction.
Land Acquisition Completed Monday
Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, yesterday dropped off the last two checks for parcels of land that need to be acquired for the expansion of the roadway near US59. That completed a land acquisition process that began in 2019.
Next Steps in Coming Weeks
Resolving CenterPoint Conflicts
A natural gas line runs down the center of the ditch where drainage is being installed. It comes into conflict with the project at 11 points between the railroad on the west and the diversion ditch on the east. Centerpoint has agreed to prioritize that work.
Sign/Fence Conflicts
Near Russell-Palmer Road, a fence in front of one business and a sign in front of another will need relocation.
Sawcutting Crossovers
Contractors will sawcut crossover sections to prep for concrete removal during installation of drainage pipe/culvert.
Expansion of LHRA/TIRZ Project Website
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA) and TIRZ 10 are expanding their website to inform the public of progress. New features will include:
Check back frequently for more updates. At the moment, this is one of the most important flood mitigation projects in the Kingwood Area.
Northpark drainage is just the first step in the Northpark Drive expansion project. Construction will likely take several years to complete. But it will provide an evacuation route for tens of thousands of Kingwood and Porter residents during floods.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/2/2023
2064 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Woodridge Village Excavation Slows in July
During July 2023, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractor Sprint Sand and Clay, LLC, excavated 5,754 cubic yards from a new Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin. That brought Sprints’ grand total up to 135, 751 cubic yards.
5,764 cubic yards equals another 3.6 acre feet. The previous month, Sprint excavated 5 acre feet. So, excavation during July declined 28%. At the current rate, Sprint would take another 8 months to bring detention volume up to Atlas-14 requirements (see table below).
At the end of July, excavation had reached 92.6% of Atlas-14 requirements, up slightly from June, when it had reached 92%.
Why Atlas 14 is Important
Atlas-14 defines the current standard for safely containing a 100-year rainfall. The lack of detention basin capacity contributed to the flooding of hundreds of homes along Taylor Gully twice in 2019, after Perry contractors clearcut the property.
HCFCD and City of Houston purchased the property from Perry in March 2021. Excavation of additional stormwater detention capacity started in January 2022. At the time, it had only 70% of the required detention capacity under Atlas 14.
NOAA is already working on revising Atlas 14. Atlas 15 will incorporate predicted climate-change impacts and feature recurrence intervals up to 1000 years.
However, the good news is that Sprint’s contract could eventually take the site well beyond Atlas-14.
Before/After Photos Show July Progress
I took the first photo below on July 1, 2023.
I took the other photos below at the end of July.
The outline has changed little. But additional water in the absence of rain and the presence of blistering heat suggests excavation may have reached the water table.
During the month of July, when temperatures pushed a 100 degrees every day, the nearest gage received only 2 inches of rain. And most of that was three weeks before the photo above.
HCFCD often prefers wet bottom retention basins because they reduce mowing costs, but the design of this basin is not yet complete.
Under HCFCD Excavation and Removal contracts, contractors are free to excavate where they want within the provided footprint.
Where Does Woodridge Village Excavation Go From Here?
HCFCD’s Excavation and Removal contract with Sprint Sand & Clay calls for excavating up to 500,000 cubic yards. Sprint excavated approximately 8,000 cubic yards (5 acre feet) in June.
Any excavation beyond Atlas-14 needs would create a safety hedge against future needs should they increase.
NOAA is already working on updating the Atlas 14 requirements and should release Atlas 15 before the end of this decade.
Here’s how the various stages look in a table.
Sprint will make only $1,000 from its Woodridge Village excavation contract with HCFCD, but will make its profit by selling the dirt at market rates. It’s a good deal for taxpayers, but carries some uncertainty with it.
If the demand for dirt dries up, excavation could slow or stop.
But simply excavating the dirt isn’t the end of the job. Harris County still needs to slope the sides, plant grass, and tie the new basin into the site’s existing stormwater-detention-basin network. Engineers are reportedly working on plans for all that, according to HCFCD.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/1/2023
2163 Days since Hurricane Harvey