October 12, 2023 – This morning, contractors transplanted the first tree in the Northpark Drive expansion project. The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority has budgeted $700,000 for the transplantation project in response to public concerns about saving as many trees as possible.
Plan for Tree Transplantation
Trees from the Northpark entry areas at US59 will be transplanted to the perimeters to make room for stormwater retention basins totaling 22 acre feet. Additional trees in the way of utility work farther east on Northpark will also be transplanted to the entries.
Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin attended the press event this morning and emphasized that the transplantation effort was the fulfillment of a commitment made to the public. Here is a summary of the final transplantation plans.
Why Northpark Must Be Widened
The widening of Northpark, including a bridge over the UnionPacific Railroad tracks, will create an all-weather evacuation route for more than 70,000 people in case of a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Harvey. Engineers need the retention-basin capacity to control runoff from the additional lanes of traffic near the entry at US59.
The ponds will do double duty as decorative lakes that welcome residents and visitors in normal times. And the transplanted trees will form a ring of green behind the entry ponds.
How They Will Transplant Giant Trees Weighing Tons
It’s not everyday that you get to see such massive machinery at work. The tree moved this morning was estimated at 15-20 feet tall. With its root ball, the tree weighed thousands of pounds.
The truck used for moving the trees has massive blades that circle a tree and scoop it out of the ground. It then moves the tree and its intact root ball to a new location where a matching hole has been pre-scooped. The pictures below show the tree being lowered into the hole, and then the blades being lifted out and retracted.
Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin (left) supervises transplantation of first tree as it moves toward its new home.Truck moves into position near the pre-dug hole adjacent to Northpark Drive (upper left).Truck lowers stabilizing legs and begins to lower tree into hole.Almost there!Tree nestles into place. Driver begins to retract blades.Driver lifts blades and retracts them so they no longer encircle tree.Driver begins closing the blade assembly so he can move away and begin work on the next tree.Looking SW across Northpark. All of the trees you see in the old entry will be transplanted in a similar fashion.Looking NE toward utility work now under way along the north side of Northpark. Trees from both sides of road will eventually be moved to make way for upgraded utilities, a bridge, and improved drainage.
Your kids or grandkids may find this process fascinating. So please share this post with them.
Change is always difficult. But it’s important to remember that human lives will someday depend on this project and that efforts are being made to protect the lives of as many trees as possible.
For More Information
For previous posts about Northpark construction, see the following:
Also visit the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 Project pages at https://lakehoustonra.com.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/12/23
2235 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20231012-DJI_0595.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-10-12 11:17:472023-10-12 14:04:19First Tree Transplanted in Northpark Expansion Project
As the state legislature takes up what to do about Colony Ridge, Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, brought the issue up in the 10/10/23 session of Commissioners Court.
Screen capture of Ramsey starting discussion.
Ramsey Leads Off Discussion with Photos of Dramatic Erosion, Impacts
Costs of building a new purification plant to remove sediment and pollution from the water.
Ramsey also reminded everyone that Lake Houston supplies drinking water to roughly 2.2 million people, about half the population of Harris County.
Next, Ramsey introduced a motion to determine how much a study would cost to learn how Colony Ridge drainage has impacted Harris County. Ramsey, an engineer by trade, limited his remarks to drainage and infrastructure issues, even though the state legislature is examining a much broader range of issues.
Ramsey asked Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to come back to the next Commissioners Court meeting with an outline and cost for a study that would determine the downstream impacts from Colony Ridge.
Dr. Tina Petersen, HCFCD executive director, said they hadn’t studied Colony Ridge but would do everything she could to come back to the next Commissioners Court meeting with a proposal for a study.
Then the scope of the task started expanding. Other commissioners, including Rodney Ellis, pointed out that Liberty County wasn’t the only upstream county impacting Harris County.
Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked whether Director Petersen could expand the scope to consider impacts from other counties. But Petersen said that would be impossible by the next meeting.
Because other upstream areas have similar issues, commissioners felt a regional approach might make more sense and funding might be available from the Texas Water Development Board to study the problem.
So, Commissioner Ellis suggested having Intergovernmental Affairs look into what other counties, including Liberty, are doing.
Judge Hidalgo called the other Colony Ridge issues being investigated by the legislature and Attorney General Ken Paxton “conspiracy theories.”
No Action Taken in Meeting, but Unanimous Agreement to Revisit Issue
In the end, the Commissioners voted to take “no action” on Ramsey’s motion in yesterday’s meeting. However, they also agreed to reconsider it at a future date when Commissioners have more information about the scope and costs of a study.
In the meantime, I’m not sure how much cooperation Harris County will get from upstream counties. In my opinion, other counties sometimes see lax enforcement of regulations as tools to attract development.
See the entire discussion. It lasted about 18.5 minutes from 5:04:25 to 5:23, and ended with unanimous agreement to revisit the issue at an unspecified future date.
If nothing else, this raises the profile of Colony Ridge issues in the state legislature. The bi-partisan nature of the meeting’s outcome and the focus on infrastructure issues may make Colony Ridge’s charges of racism much more difficult for the legislature to ignore.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/11/2023
2234 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/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-11-at-6.17.27%E2%80%AFPM.png?fit=1556%2C856&ssl=18561556adminadmin2023-10-11 18:49:142023-10-11 19:02:18Commissioners Discuss Colony Ridge, But Take No Position Yet
Today, the Texas legislature began another special session. On the agenda: Colony Ridge, the controversial Liberty County development in so many headlines lately.
Colony Ridge, the world’s largest trailer park, now covers approximately 20,000 acres, an area 50% larger than Manhattan.
During the last four years, I have published more than 60 articles about Colony Ridge. I have based them on countless drive throughs, flyovers, and interviews with residents, engineers and public officials.
I have seen with my own eyes, over and over again, many drainage and related infrastructure issues that the state legislature could address. In my opinion, the legislature should address the following.
Please forward this link to all your friends. Ask them to contact their state legislators in support of these recommendations.
List of Infrastructure Recommendations for Special Session
Protect downstream areas from Colony Ridge erosion by forcing the developer to comply with Liberty County regulations, including those that call for:
Planting grass on the side slopes of drainage channels and stormwater detention basins
Installing backslope interceptor swales and pipes to protect side slopes from sheet flow that causes erosion
Installing pilot channels along the bottom of detention basins
Tell TxDoT to fix FM1010, a vital evacuation route for tens of thousands of people.
Update state building codes to reduce squalor and make Texas eligible for more than a billion in FEMA BRIC funding which could help address Colony Ridge infrastructure issues.
Put teeth into the State Water Code Section 11.086 to ensure Colony Ridge and others provide adequate stormwater detention that helps protect downstream residents from flooding.
Require local governments to preserve records and comply with TPIA/FOIA requests.
Prohibit “insider” business deals between elected/appointed officials and developers.
In regard to insider business deals, one of the Colony Ridge developers who controls the local MMD proposed giving a contract for almost $10 millionto a paving company controlled by his family. I’m told the final figure actually approved was closer to $15 million. Shouldn’t the developer be responsible for that?
Why We Need Action
Everybody is downstream from somebody else. Or they will be someday. The purpose of the legislature is to develop rules that enable us all to live safely together. Colony Ridge issues affect people both upstream and downstream.
Downstream Impact
Downstream residents have had to pay tens of millions of dollars for dredging sediment in the San Jacinto River. Much of that sediment was contributed by Colony Ridge.
That sediment also contributed to flooding thousands of homes when it blocked the river.
Finally, the City of Houston is spending $1.77 billion dollars to build a water treatment plant that removes sediment and other pollutants coming into Lake Houston from Colony Ridge and places like it. And we spent another $381 million on the Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project to bring in water from the Trinity River.
So, we are spending more than $2.1 billion to bring in and clean up water that Colony Ridge is polluting. Stop the treadmill! Please!
Upstream Issues
Colony Ridge and Plum Grove residents have suffered, too. In addition to the drainage issues described in previous posts, here is a list of other infrastructure issues that a Colony Ridge property owner sent me:
Emergency evacuation routes limited and congested. Few ways in or out.
No street lights in most of the development.
No sidewalks
Kids are waiting for school buses on unlit street corners
Aggressive dogs attack people when walking in the streets
Minimal fire hydrants for our area
Cement plants in our neighborhood spew silica dust for miles without TCEQ or EPA permits
No school zone lights for school in Santa Fe
Kids have no safe place to play outside due to unlawful discharge of firearms
Major traffic congestion; situation deteriorating
Ambulances have trouble getting into area and back out to a hospital
Many missing street signs for traffic control (stop, yield, school zone, etc.)
Both Developer and Legislature Under a Microscope
It will be interesting to see whether the legislature actually does anything substantive about the infrastructure issues in Colony Ridge or whether they just deport a few people, declare a symbolic victory and continue accepting donations from the developer. Let’s be positive for now. Who thought things would ever get this far?!!!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2023
2232 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/2023/10/20231006-RJR_2512.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-10-09 15:35:542023-10-09 16:36:21Recommendations for Special Session of Texas Legislature on Colony Ridge
First Tree Transplanted in Northpark Expansion Project
October 12, 2023 – This morning, contractors transplanted the first tree in the Northpark Drive expansion project. The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority has budgeted $700,000 for the transplantation project in response to public concerns about saving as many trees as possible.
Plan for Tree Transplantation
Trees from the Northpark entry areas at US59 will be transplanted to the perimeters to make room for stormwater retention basins totaling 22 acre feet. Additional trees in the way of utility work farther east on Northpark will also be transplanted to the entries.
Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin attended the press event this morning and emphasized that the transplantation effort was the fulfillment of a commitment made to the public. Here is a summary of the final transplantation plans.
Why Northpark Must Be Widened
The widening of Northpark, including a bridge over the UnionPacific Railroad tracks, will create an all-weather evacuation route for more than 70,000 people in case of a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Harvey. Engineers need the retention-basin capacity to control runoff from the additional lanes of traffic near the entry at US59.
The ponds will do double duty as decorative lakes that welcome residents and visitors in normal times. And the transplanted trees will form a ring of green behind the entry ponds.
How They Will Transplant Giant Trees Weighing Tons
It’s not everyday that you get to see such massive machinery at work. The tree moved this morning was estimated at 15-20 feet tall. With its root ball, the tree weighed thousands of pounds.
The truck used for moving the trees has massive blades that circle a tree and scoop it out of the ground. It then moves the tree and its intact root ball to a new location where a matching hole has been pre-scooped. The pictures below show the tree being lowered into the hole, and then the blades being lifted out and retracted.
Your kids or grandkids may find this process fascinating. So please share this post with them.
Change is always difficult. But it’s important to remember that human lives will someday depend on this project and that efforts are being made to protect the lives of as many trees as possible.
For More Information
For previous posts about Northpark construction, see the following:
Also visit the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 Project pages at https://lakehoustonra.com.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/12/23
2235 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Commissioners Discuss Colony Ridge, But Take No Position Yet
As the state legislature takes up what to do about Colony Ridge, Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE, brought the issue up in the 10/10/23 session of Commissioners Court.
Ramsey Leads Off Discussion with Photos of Dramatic Erosion, Impacts
Ramsey presented dramatic photos of erosion coming from Colony Ridge. He also discussed how rampant erosion impacts areas downstream. He referred to:
Ramsey also reminded everyone that Lake Houston supplies drinking water to roughly 2.2 million people, about half the population of Harris County.
Next, Ramsey introduced a motion to determine how much a study would cost to learn how Colony Ridge drainage has impacted Harris County. Ramsey, an engineer by trade, limited his remarks to drainage and infrastructure issues, even though the state legislature is examining a much broader range of issues.
You can see slides from Ramsey’s presentation here.
Commissioners and HCFCD Director React to Ramsey
Ramsey asked Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to come back to the next Commissioners Court meeting with an outline and cost for a study that would determine the downstream impacts from Colony Ridge.
Dr. Tina Petersen, HCFCD executive director, said they hadn’t studied Colony Ridge but would do everything she could to come back to the next Commissioners Court meeting with a proposal for a study.
Then the scope of the task started expanding. Other commissioners, including Rodney Ellis, pointed out that Liberty County wasn’t the only upstream county impacting Harris County.
Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked whether Director Petersen could expand the scope to consider impacts from other counties. But Petersen said that would be impossible by the next meeting.
Because other upstream areas have similar issues, commissioners felt a regional approach might make more sense and funding might be available from the Texas Water Development Board to study the problem.
So, Commissioner Ellis suggested having Intergovernmental Affairs look into what other counties, including Liberty, are doing.
Judge Hidalgo called the other Colony Ridge issues being investigated by the legislature and Attorney General Ken Paxton “conspiracy theories.”
No Action Taken in Meeting, but Unanimous Agreement to Revisit Issue
In the end, the Commissioners voted to take “no action” on Ramsey’s motion in yesterday’s meeting. However, they also agreed to reconsider it at a future date when Commissioners have more information about the scope and costs of a study.
In the meantime, I’m not sure how much cooperation Harris County will get from upstream counties. In my opinion, other counties sometimes see lax enforcement of regulations as tools to attract development.
See the entire discussion. It lasted about 18.5 minutes from 5:04:25 to 5:23, and ended with unanimous agreement to revisit the issue at an unspecified future date.
If nothing else, this raises the profile of Colony Ridge issues in the state legislature. The bi-partisan nature of the meeting’s outcome and the focus on infrastructure issues may make Colony Ridge’s charges of racism much more difficult for the legislature to ignore.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/11/2023
2234 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.
Recommendations for Special Session of Texas Legislature on Colony Ridge
Today, the Texas legislature began another special session. On the agenda: Colony Ridge, the controversial Liberty County development in so many headlines lately.
During the last four years, I have published more than 60 articles about Colony Ridge. I have based them on countless drive throughs, flyovers, and interviews with residents, engineers and public officials.
I have seen with my own eyes, over and over again, many drainage and related infrastructure issues that the state legislature could address. In my opinion, the legislature should address the following.
Please forward this link to all your friends. Ask them to contact their state legislators in support of these recommendations.
List of Infrastructure Recommendations for Special Session
In addition, the state should:
In regard to insider business deals, one of the Colony Ridge developers who controls the local MMD proposed giving a contract for almost $10 million to a paving company controlled by his family. I’m told the final figure actually approved was closer to $15 million. Shouldn’t the developer be responsible for that?
Why We Need Action
Everybody is downstream from somebody else. Or they will be someday. The purpose of the legislature is to develop rules that enable us all to live safely together. Colony Ridge issues affect people both upstream and downstream.
Downstream Impact
Downstream residents have had to pay tens of millions of dollars for dredging sediment in the San Jacinto River. Much of that sediment was contributed by Colony Ridge.
That sediment also contributed to flooding thousands of homes when it blocked the river.
Finally, the City of Houston is spending $1.77 billion dollars to build a water treatment plant that removes sediment and other pollutants coming into Lake Houston from Colony Ridge and places like it. And we spent another $381 million on the Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project to bring in water from the Trinity River.
So, we are spending more than $2.1 billion to bring in and clean up water that Colony Ridge is polluting. Stop the treadmill! Please!
Upstream Issues
Colony Ridge and Plum Grove residents have suffered, too. In addition to the drainage issues described in previous posts, here is a list of other infrastructure issues that a Colony Ridge property owner sent me:
Both Developer and Legislature Under a Microscope
It will be interesting to see whether the legislature actually does anything substantive about the infrastructure issues in Colony Ridge or whether they just deport a few people, declare a symbolic victory and continue accepting donations from the developer. Let’s be positive for now. Who thought things would ever get this far?!!!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/9/2023
2232 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.