The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is soliciting feedback on its proposed scoring matrix to rank efforts for the state’s first flood plan. Each region has submitted proposed projects. The scoring matrix will help rank order them statewide. And the deadline is April Fools’ Day.
TWDB has provided several spreadsheets that show how the criteria and weights would affect ranking of sample projects. But understand that TWDB is only soliciting comments on scoring criteria and their weights at this time, not the rankings of the limited sample. All this is DRAFT data, not final recommendations.
39 Factors in Three Different Categories and Three Groups
TWDB has proposed weighing the relative merits of 39 factors that span three categories with benefits in three more groups:
Flood Management Evaluations (Studies)
Flood Mitigation Projects
Flood Management Strategies
TWDB uses three types of factors:
Flood risk
Risk reduction
Other related factors
“Other” includes such factors as cost and environmental benefits.
The 39 factors include:
Emergency Need (Y/N)
Estimated number of structures at 100yr flood risk
Residential structures at 100-year flood risk
Estimated Population at 100-year flood risk
Critical facilities at 100-year flood risk (#)
Number of low water crossings at flood risk (#)
Estimated number of road closures (#)
Estimated length of roads at 100-year flood risk (Miles)
Estimated farm & ranch land at 100-year flood risk (acres)
Number of structures with reduced 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain
Number of structures removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain
Percent of structures removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain (Calculated by TWDB from reported data)
Residential structures removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain
Estimated Population removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain
Critical facilities removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain (#)
Number of low water crossings removed from 100yr (1% annual chance) Floodplain (#)
Estimated reduction in road closure occurrences
Estimated length of roads removed from 100yr floodplain (Miles)
Estimated farm & ranch land removed from 100yr floodplain (acres)
Cost per structure removed from 100-year floodplain
Percent Nature-based Solution (by cost)
Benefit-Cost Ratio
Water Supply Benefit (Y/N)
Severity – Pre-Project Average Depth of Flooding (100-year)
Severity – Community Need (% Population)
Flood Risk Reduction
Flood Damage Reduction
Critical Facilities Damage Reduction
Life and Safety
Water Supply
Social Vulnerability
Nature-Based Solution
Multiple Benefits
Operations and Maintenance Costs
Admin, Regulatory Obstacles
Environmental Benefit
Environmental Impact
Mobility
Regional
Factors (in Risk, Risk Reduction and Other groups) may receive weight in one, two or all three main categories (Evaluations, Projects, Strategies).
Intent: Consistency Across All Regions Statewide
The intent of the TWDB ranking method for the state flood plan is to provide a consistent approach to be used across all Texas regions. The goal: to systematically address the flood hazards with most population, properties and critical facilities at risk in the state during a 1% annual chance flood.
TWDB bases all risk on 1% annual chance/100-year flood estimates.
Areas with widely varying measurements such as population will have answers normalized. Basically, this means adjusting widely varying scales to a common scale (such as 0 to 1) to facilitate comparison.
More Background, Sample Data, Providing Feedback
All relevant ranking workbooks, documents, and the link to the online survey tool are available on the State Flood Planning webpage.
The deadline to submit feedback is Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Importance of Feedback
We have seen how seriously the weights given to such rankings can skew priorities. Consider, for instance, the Equity Prioritization Framework adopted after the fact by a Harris County Judge and two commissioners for proposed 2018 Flood Bond Projects (unrelated to these projects).
So, if you have reservations with the TWDB scoring system, register your complaints NOW. My biggest concerns are that it’s hard to understand. It also contains broken links and typos that get in the way of understanding.
But understanding is critical. Many of the flood-reduction projects needed on the periphery of Harris County will need be addressed by state money. That’s because 10 of our 23 watersheds originate outside the County. I guess that would fall under #39 Regional. But…
The proposed scoring matrix gives ZERO weight to Regional benefits.
That’s kind of strange for a regional plan designed to encourage solutions that cross jurisdictions. Scoring matrix penalizes people on the periphery of large urban areas like Harris County.
I’ve already sent my feedback on that one.
Inconsistencies? TWDB refers to FMS as Flood Management Strategy on its spreadsheet and Flood Management Solution in introductory text.
Another example: In its spreadsheets, footnotes describing the listing of criteria do not correspond in all cases to the criteria listed. Nor does a link work to a supposed explanation of the criteria.
And there’s no description that I could find of how all these categories, measurements and groups fit together.
Finally, it’s not clear how they will treat areas that have a 50% annual chance of flooding (2-year flood). We’ve seen in highly urbanized areas that – after spending hundreds of millions of dollars in some watersheds – the best we can do achieve in some areas is a 25-year level of service. Achieving better would require buying out thousands of homes. What will happen in such cases?
Please make the effort to provide public feedback.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/20/2023
2029 Days since Harris County
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.
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/2018/05/Watersheds-802x900.jpg?fit=802%2C900&ssl=1900802adminadmin2023-03-20 14:43:042023-03-21 15:10:08TWDB Needs Feedback on Ranking Method for State Flood Plan
This is a bit off topic, but it affects tens of thousands of readers. City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin has announced street repairs in Kingwood and Huffman beginning on March 20.
Kingwood Repairs
In Kingwood, the Public Works Department will replace concrete panels in the westbound lanes of Kingwood Drive between Green Oak and Chestnut Ridge. Repairs should last, weather permitting through May 8 and cost $175,000 from Martin’s District Service Funds. Crews will work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Kingwood Drive repairs will extend from Green Oak to Chestnut Ridge Drives.
Huffman Repairs
In Huffman, Public Works will rehab the asphalt streets in Lakewood Heights as part of Mayor Turner’s Street Rehab Initiative. Crews will work from Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Lakewood Heights in Huffman
More About the Work
Kingwood repairs should take through May 8. Huffman repairs should take through May 22, weather permitting.
Flagmen and orange traffic cones will help with traffic flow through both construction zones as the projects will require a one-lane closure. Two-way traffic will be maintained at all times. Businesses and residents will have access to driveways and sidewalks at all times and may experience an increase in noise levels due to trucks and equipment in the area.
For more information, please contact Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/19/22 based on notices from CoH District E
2028 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Kingwood-Drive-Repairs.jpg?fit=1796%2C994&ssl=19941796adminadmin2023-03-19 13:22:152023-03-19 13:22:17Street Repairs in Kingwood, Huffman Begin March 20
State Representative Charles Cunningham has introduced HB1093. The bill would ensure cleanup of abandoned sand mines in the San Jacinto watershed. It requires miners to post a bond that covers cleanup costs. So, if an irresponsible miner walks away from a mine before reclamation, the public doesn’t have to pay the deadbeat’s costs.
A bond is like an insurance policy that guarantees the performance of obligations.
Without a bond, miners who profited for years from a mine can simply walk away when they are done mining, foisting cleanup costs onto the public or leaving blight behind.
How Bad Is the Problem?
Right now, there are at least six mines on the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto that were left a mess. Such abandoned sand mines are increasingly becoming a blight that imperils water quality in Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
Rusting equipment leaks poisons and poses safety problems.
Un-stabilized soil increases rates of erosion and contributes to flooding.
Steep banks in pits slump away in slabs threatening neighboring properties and businesses.
Blight reduces surrounding property values and business activity
Miners are supposed to remove equipment and structures before they abandon a mine. But not all do. See the pictures below.
Leaking equipment near Riverview Drive in Porter on West Fork. Google Earth images show thisin same location since 2008.Dredge abandoned in Humble mine in 2017.Abandoned excavator in Porter mine on West ForkAbandoned dredge in Plum Grove mine.Abandoned processing equipment in Humble mine.Abandoned processing equipment and vehicle in Humble mine since 2017.
Miners are also obligated to grade and stabilize soil before they leave a mine, then replant vegetation similar to the surrounding area to reduce sediment pollution. But not all do.
Ungraded, un-stabilized soil in East Fork Plum Grove Mine.Ungraded soil and abandoned equipment in East Fork MineA flood later swept through the mine above, sending sediment down the East Fork.Defunct sand pit in Humble. Steep slopes – ungraded and unvegetated – erode and threaten neighboring business.
Community Consequences
Most sand moves during storms. This island appeared after Hurricane Harvey between Humble and Kingwood. It blocked the West Fork by 90%, according to the Army Corps and contributed to the flooding of thousands of homes and businesses.Confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring Creek. Images taken on different days from different angles, but in each case the dirty water comes from the West Fork, where we have 20 square miles of mines on a 20 mile stretch of the river between I-45 and I-69.
Most responsible miners will clean up on their own. But experience shows, a few bad apples will not. And when they walk away, the cost to the public can be enormous. Dredging costs alone have exceeded $226 million in the Lake Houston area since Harvey.
How You Can Help
Please help reduce this and related cleanup costs in the future. Ensure that sand miners don’t pass their remediation costs on to taxpayers.
Make sure HB1093 at least gets to the House floor for a vote this year.
The committee will likely recommend King’s HB10. It will fund the creation of 7-million acre-feet of new water supplies for rural areas.
Let’s do something that won’t cost taxpayers a penny to protect a water supply we already have. Support HB1093. And please forward this link to all your friends, family and neighbors.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/18/23
2027 Days after 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/2023/03/20200306-RJR_9442.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2023-03-18 09:23:232023-03-18 09:53:52Urgent Request: Support HB1093 to Improve Water Quality, Reduce Flooding, Save Tax Dollars
TWDB Needs Feedback on Ranking Method for State Flood Plan
The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) is soliciting feedback on its proposed scoring matrix to rank efforts for the state’s first flood plan. Each region has submitted proposed projects. The scoring matrix will help rank order them statewide. And the deadline is April Fools’ Day.
TWDB has provided several spreadsheets that show how the criteria and weights would affect ranking of sample projects. But understand that TWDB is only soliciting comments on scoring criteria and their weights at this time, not the rankings of the limited sample. All this is DRAFT data, not final recommendations.
39 Factors in Three Different Categories and Three Groups
TWDB has proposed weighing the relative merits of 39 factors that span three categories with benefits in three more groups:
TWDB uses three types of factors:
“Other” includes such factors as cost and environmental benefits.
The 39 factors include:
Factors (in Risk, Risk Reduction and Other groups) may receive weight in one, two or all three main categories (Evaluations, Projects, Strategies).
Intent: Consistency Across All Regions Statewide
The intent of the TWDB ranking method for the state flood plan is to provide a consistent approach to be used across all Texas regions. The goal: to systematically address the flood hazards with most population, properties and critical facilities at risk in the state during a 1% annual chance flood.
TWDB bases all risk on 1% annual chance/100-year flood estimates.
Areas with widely varying measurements such as population will have answers normalized. Basically, this means adjusting widely varying scales to a common scale (such as 0 to 1) to facilitate comparison.
More Background, Sample Data, Providing Feedback
All relevant ranking workbooks, documents, and the link to the online survey tool are available on the State Flood Planning webpage.
Provide your feedback on this page. It’s a four-question survey about the:
The deadline to submit feedback is Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Importance of Feedback
We have seen how seriously the weights given to such rankings can skew priorities. Consider, for instance, the Equity Prioritization Framework adopted after the fact by a Harris County Judge and two commissioners for proposed 2018 Flood Bond Projects (unrelated to these projects).
So, if you have reservations with the TWDB scoring system, register your complaints NOW. My biggest concerns are that it’s hard to understand. It also contains broken links and typos that get in the way of understanding.
But understanding is critical. Many of the flood-reduction projects needed on the periphery of Harris County will need be addressed by state money. That’s because 10 of our 23 watersheds originate outside the County. I guess that would fall under #39 Regional. But…
That’s kind of strange for a regional plan designed to encourage solutions that cross jurisdictions. Scoring matrix penalizes people on the periphery of large urban areas like Harris County.
I’ve already sent my feedback on that one.
Inconsistencies? TWDB refers to FMS as Flood Management Strategy on its spreadsheet and Flood Management Solution in introductory text.
Another example: In its spreadsheets, footnotes describing the listing of criteria do not correspond in all cases to the criteria listed. Nor does a link work to a supposed explanation of the criteria.
And there’s no description that I could find of how all these categories, measurements and groups fit together.
Finally, it’s not clear how they will treat areas that have a 50% annual chance of flooding (2-year flood). We’ve seen in highly urbanized areas that – after spending hundreds of millions of dollars in some watersheds – the best we can do achieve in some areas is a 25-year level of service. Achieving better would require buying out thousands of homes. What will happen in such cases?
Please make the effort to provide public feedback.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/20/2023
2029 Days since Harris County
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.
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.
Street Repairs in Kingwood, Huffman Begin March 20
This is a bit off topic, but it affects tens of thousands of readers. City of Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin has announced street repairs in Kingwood and Huffman beginning on March 20.
Kingwood Repairs
In Kingwood, the Public Works Department will replace concrete panels in the westbound lanes of Kingwood Drive between Green Oak and Chestnut Ridge. Repairs should last, weather permitting through May 8 and cost $175,000 from Martin’s District Service Funds. Crews will work Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Huffman Repairs
In Huffman, Public Works will rehab the asphalt streets in Lakewood Heights as part of Mayor Turner’s Street Rehab Initiative. Crews will work from Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
More About the Work
Kingwood repairs should take through May 8. Huffman repairs should take through May 22, weather permitting.
Flagmen and orange traffic cones will help with traffic flow through both construction zones as the projects will require a one-lane closure. Two-way traffic will be maintained at all times. Businesses and residents will have access to driveways and sidewalks at all times and may experience an increase in noise levels due to trucks and equipment in the area.
For more information, please contact Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/19/22 based on notices from CoH District E
2028 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Urgent Request: Support HB1093 to Improve Water Quality, Reduce Flooding, Save Tax Dollars
State Representative Charles Cunningham has introduced HB1093. The bill would ensure cleanup of abandoned sand mines in the San Jacinto watershed. It requires miners to post a bond that covers cleanup costs. So, if an irresponsible miner walks away from a mine before reclamation, the public doesn’t have to pay the deadbeat’s costs.
A bond is like an insurance policy that guarantees the performance of obligations.
Without a bond, miners who profited for years from a mine can simply walk away when they are done mining, foisting cleanup costs onto the public or leaving blight behind.
How Bad Is the Problem?
Right now, there are at least six mines on the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto that were left a mess. Such abandoned sand mines are increasingly becoming a blight that imperils water quality in Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
Miners are supposed to remove equipment and structures before they abandon a mine. But not all do. See the pictures below.
Miners are also obligated to grade and stabilize soil before they leave a mine, then replant vegetation similar to the surrounding area to reduce sediment pollution. But not all do.
Community Consequences
Most responsible miners will clean up on their own. But experience shows, a few bad apples will not. And when they walk away, the cost to the public can be enormous. Dredging costs alone have exceeded $226 million in the Lake Houston area since Harvey.
How You Can Help
Please help reduce this and related cleanup costs in the future. Ensure that sand miners don’t pass their remediation costs on to taxpayers.
Make sure HB1093 at least gets to the House floor for a vote this year.
In the last session, a similar bill by former Representative Dan Huberty, HB4478, never made it out of the Natural Resources committee.
HB1093 deserves a hearing. Please write the chair and vice chair of Natural Resources asking them to consider it.
The committee will likely recommend King’s HB10. It will fund the creation of 7-million acre-feet of new water supplies for rural areas.
Let’s do something that won’t cost taxpayers a penny to protect a water supply we already have. Support HB1093. And please forward this link to all your friends, family and neighbors.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/18/23
2027 Days after 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.