Correction: since posting this, I have learned that Community Services has not even started compiling a list of projects that will comprise the Method of Distribution. The department has only defined a “process” for compiling the list and is waiting for “direction from leadership.”
On September 8th, the Harris County Community Services Department (CSD) distributed a schedule showing that it would complete the first draft of its Method of Distribution (MOD) for spending $750 million in mitigation funding by the end of the month.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the money to Harris County earlier last year. The draft MOD will now hopefully go to the GLO for review and approval by the end of October.
What MOD Entails
Early last year, the GLO allocated the money to Harris County along with another $450 million to the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
A MOD lists projects and amounts. It shows how Harris County wants to distribute the money, i.e., who will get how much for what from the $750 million.
US 59 at Townsen Boulevard during Hurricane Harvey
The GLO must verify that all planned expenditures meet requirements of the funding allocated by HUD and Congress.
After a public planning meeting on September 8th, CSD spent the rest of September developing a draft Method of Distribution (MOD) for the $750 million. The department will now submit it to the GLO for review and preliminary approval. Steps after that include:
Publish Draft MOD by October 30
Nov 15-Dec 2 – 15-day public comment Period and hearing
Contract entities included in the MOD with funding level and gain confirmation of participation via Funding Acknowledgement Letter from entity
Dec 5-7 – Document Responses to Public Comment, add to Draft MOD document
December or January- Draft MOD document approved at Commissioners Court
January 2023 – Final MOD document submitted to GLO
GLO approval of final MOD and MOD allocated entities complete project information package process
March/April 2023 – MOD Entity project information packets submitted to GLO for review and approval
Kick-off contract development for projects.
So, the GLO has until the end of the month to review and approve the draft MOD. Once approved, CSD can publish it. Then CSD will hold more public meetings and submit any revisions to Commissioners Court and the GLO for final approval.
Pressure On to Develop Projects Quickly
Expect projects to begin sometime in the second quarter of 2023. But keep in mind that all dates are subject to change.
Starting to develop projects almost six years after Harvey will put some pressure on Harris County Flood Control and any other entities designated as recipients.
50% of the grant must be expended by Jan. 12, 2027.
100% must be expended by January 12, 2032 – 15 years after Harvey
Half of the $750 million must be spent within four years. To put that in perspective, Flood Control estimates it’s only 23.5% done with a 10-year flood-bond package four years after it was approved by voters.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/1/2022
1859 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TS-Harvey-8-30-17-209.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=17681024adminadmin2022-10-01 13:48:452022-11-17 11:31:08$750 Million MOD Going to GLO
A new Woodridge Village Stormwater Detention Basin that could almost double detention capacity on the site continues to move forward slowly as housing starts slow. The trend at Woodridge seems consistent with other excavation and removal (E&R) contracts countywide.
Meanwhile, the first draft of a preliminary engineering study for the Woodridge site and Taylor Gully is complete and going through management review at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
Status of E&R Contract on Woodridge Village Site
As of mid-September 2022, Sprint Sand and Clay had removed 57,785 cubic yards of dirt from a planned detention basin on the Woodridge Village property in Montgomery County. Sprint is working under an E&R contract with HCFCD. The contract calls for them to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards at a minimum of 60,000 cubic yards per year or 5,000 per month.
Looking NE across new basin. Last month, it extended as far as the middle of the far pile of concrete pipes on the right.
So the company, which began work in February, has virtually met its first year minimum after eight months. However, the rate has slowed somewhat in recent weeks as housing starts have slowed due to a rise in interest rates. In the last four weeks for which totals are available (8/22/22 – 9/18/22), Sprint has removed only 3,045 cubic yards. To date, that brings the total excavated to 12% of the contract max.
Housing starts in the South have been especially hard hit. According to the Census Bureau, starts in August fell 13.5% compared to July and 15.4% compared to a year ago. That depresses demand for fill dirt and makes it harder for Sprint to find buyers for it.
Under the terms of its HCFCD E&R contract, Sprint gets only $1,000 for removing up to 500,000 cubic yards, but has the right to resell all the dirt at market rates. That’s how it makes its profit.
Woodridge Vs. Countywide Data
To see whether Woodridge was an anomaly or part of a trend countywide, I asked HCFCD to show readers the bigger picture. Alan Black, Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction supplied the data below. The chart shows the trend in all HCFCD E&R contracts countywide going back 10 years.
Source: HCFCD via FOIA Request
All data is open to interpretation. But I see three main “regions” in the chart above.
The first is pre-flood bond – before August 2018. With the exception of a few blips, excavation remained below 5,000 cubic yards per month. That’s roughly equal to the average being removed from Woodridge Village each month.
The second is a huge spike that occurred after flood-bond approval. it peaked at almost 35,000 cubic yards per month as HCFCD readied engineering studies on more than 180 projects countywide.
Third, HCFCD had a sharp falloff at the start of the pandemic in January 2020. After things stabilized, we see a gradual rebuilding. It coincides with a housing boom and is followed by another gradual drop-off. The latter coincides with rising interest rates and falling housing starts.
Regardless, the trend in the last few months does not bode well for those concerned about finishing the new Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin quickly.
Looking W.The new Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin at the top of the frame could eventually fill most of the area between the road on the left and the ditch on the right.
Status of Preliminary Engineering Study on Taylor Gully
IDCUS submitted the first draft of its results several months ago.
Amy Stone, HCFCD spokesperson
Since then, HCFCD staff has reviewed it and asked IDCUS to take a closer look at some areas, said Stone. At this point, the revised draft is working its way up to HCFCD top management for final review and comment. HCFCD has started preparing a presentation for all those affected in the area and exploring the best dates for a community input session.
Assuming HCFCD management doesn’t ask IDCUS for more revisions, we should know recommendations and next steps this fall. Following a public comment period, more changes may need to be made to engineering plans before design and construction start.
Folks who flooded in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest as well as others farther downstream in Mills Branch and Woodstream Village eagerly await the findings. More news when it becomes available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/2022
1859 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220930-DJI_0714.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-09-30 18:09:322022-10-01 07:59:53New Woodridge Village Detention Basin About 12% Excavated, Engineering Study Almost Done
The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group (SJRFPG) has greatly expanded its website and published a new interactive dashboard for the 11 counties drained by the river. Both represent valuable resources for anyone in the region concerned about flood mitigation.
If you missed the virtual meeting this evening on the Group’s Draft Flood Plan, here’s another chance to review it and give public input.
Expanded Website
The Flood Planning Group’s expanded website branched out from a modest home page originally designed to solicit input and allow people to sign up for a distribution list.
Clicking on the About page now takes you to a treasure trove of information about the region; the counties and cities in it; major lakes and reservoirs; the flood plan; members; and committees.
The Meetings page takes you to a calendar and an archive of meeting minutes, agenda, and videos.
Resources takes you to information from the Texas Water Development Board about the flood planning process.
You’ll find the DRAFT San Jacinto Regional Flood Plan under Technical documents. You’ll also find a web form to submit public comment like Nephew Izzy did. They will accept public comments until October 29, 2022. (Here’s a summary of the recommendations in Chapter 5 that I published shortly after the release in August.)
But the magic of the evening was a useful new dashboard for helping to understand flooding impacts in the world around us.
New Interactive Dashboard
The dashboard contains volumes of data in a graphic format synthesized from multiple geospatial resources. Want to know what’s happening where? Click on a county then an object. Pop up boxes describe each point. You can also see a graphic count of the total matching resources on the right hand side.
Turn different layers on and off to highlight certain types of information:
Regional boundaries
Flood infrastructure points, lines and polygons
Counties
Watersheds.
Select from 28 different basemaps that range from street maps to topographical maps and satellite images. And zoom from the 11-county region down to your house!
Clicking the tabs along the bottom pulls up different features of the dashboard.
Existing flood risk
Future flood risk
Existing mitigation
Flood risk reduction actions.
For instance, click on the future flood risk tab. Zoom into an area of interest, such as Forest Cove. See below.
Different types of information pop up this time. For instance, you can see the extent of floodplains in solid colors. You can also see:
Residential and commercial buildings at risk
Roadways at risk
Industrial buildings
Power generation
Public buildings
Bridges and more
If you want to know what’s at risk where you live, the San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group has given you a great way to compile an inventory.
More to Follow
There’s much more here than I can fit in a post. Explore. Open eyes. Amaze your friends and family.
Just one caution. The flood plains are not based on Atlas-14. They still use pre-Harvey data. The dashboard is a work in progress and will be updated when FEMA releases the new flood maps this winter.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/29/2022
1857 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Screen-Shot-2022-09-29-at-9.44.20-PM.png?fit=3088%2C1564&ssl=115643088adminadmin2022-09-29 22:12:082022-09-30 10:21:20New Resources from the San Jacinto Flood Planning Group
$750 Million MOD Going to GLO
Correction: since posting this, I have learned that Community Services has not even started compiling a list of projects that will comprise the Method of Distribution. The department has only defined a “process” for compiling the list and is waiting for “direction from leadership.”
On September 8th, the Harris County Community Services Department (CSD) distributed a schedule showing that it would complete the first draft of its Method of Distribution (MOD) for spending $750 million in mitigation funding by the end of the month.
The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated the money to Harris County earlier last year. The draft MOD will now hopefully go to the GLO for review and approval by the end of October.
What MOD Entails
Early last year, the GLO allocated the money to Harris County along with another $450 million to the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
The GLO must verify that all planned expenditures meet requirements of the funding allocated by HUD and Congress.
MOD Developed With Public Input
Harris County CSD held online and in-person meetings to share information with the public. English-language meetings were held on August 17th, 25th, and 31st. CSD also held a Spanish meeting on September 1st. They then gathered written and oral comments from the public. (The deadline to submit comments has passed.)
Next Steps
After a public planning meeting on September 8th, CSD spent the rest of September developing a draft Method of Distribution (MOD) for the $750 million. The department will now submit it to the GLO for review and preliminary approval. Steps after that include:
So, the GLO has until the end of the month to review and approve the draft MOD. Once approved, CSD can publish it. Then CSD will hold more public meetings and submit any revisions to Commissioners Court and the GLO for final approval.
Pressure On to Develop Projects Quickly
Expect projects to begin sometime in the second quarter of 2023. But keep in mind that all dates are subject to change.
Starting to develop projects almost six years after Harvey will put some pressure on Harris County Flood Control and any other entities designated as recipients.
Half of the $750 million must be spent within four years. To put that in perspective, Flood Control estimates it’s only 23.5% done with a 10-year flood-bond package four years after it was approved by voters.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/1/2022
1859 Days since Hurricane Harvey
New Woodridge Village Detention Basin About 12% Excavated, Engineering Study Almost Done
A new Woodridge Village Stormwater Detention Basin that could almost double detention capacity on the site continues to move forward slowly as housing starts slow. The trend at Woodridge seems consistent with other excavation and removal (E&R) contracts countywide.
Meanwhile, the first draft of a preliminary engineering study for the Woodridge site and Taylor Gully is complete and going through management review at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).
Status of E&R Contract on Woodridge Village Site
As of mid-September 2022, Sprint Sand and Clay had removed 57,785 cubic yards of dirt from a planned detention basin on the Woodridge Village property in Montgomery County. Sprint is working under an E&R contract with HCFCD. The contract calls for them to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards at a minimum of 60,000 cubic yards per year or 5,000 per month.
So the company, which began work in February, has virtually met its first year minimum after eight months. However, the rate has slowed somewhat in recent weeks as housing starts have slowed due to a rise in interest rates. In the last four weeks for which totals are available (8/22/22 – 9/18/22), Sprint has removed only 3,045 cubic yards. To date, that brings the total excavated to 12% of the contract max.
Housing starts in the South have been especially hard hit. According to the Census Bureau, starts in August fell 13.5% compared to July and 15.4% compared to a year ago. That depresses demand for fill dirt and makes it harder for Sprint to find buyers for it.
Under the terms of its HCFCD E&R contract, Sprint gets only $1,000 for removing up to 500,000 cubic yards, but has the right to resell all the dirt at market rates. That’s how it makes its profit.
Woodridge Vs. Countywide Data
To see whether Woodridge was an anomaly or part of a trend countywide, I asked HCFCD to show readers the bigger picture. Alan Black, Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction supplied the data below. The chart shows the trend in all HCFCD E&R contracts countywide going back 10 years.
All data is open to interpretation. But I see three main “regions” in the chart above.
Regardless, the trend in the last few months does not bode well for those concerned about finishing the new Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin quickly.
Status of Preliminary Engineering Study on Taylor Gully
We should remember, however, that HCFCD always intended the Woodridge E&R contract as a head start on excavation while IDCUS finished its preliminary engineering study on Taylor Gully and Woodridge Village. The study began in mid-2021. IDCUS had 300 days to complete it.
Since then, HCFCD staff has reviewed it and asked IDCUS to take a closer look at some areas, said Stone. At this point, the revised draft is working its way up to HCFCD top management for final review and comment. HCFCD has started preparing a presentation for all those affected in the area and exploring the best dates for a community input session.
Assuming HCFCD management doesn’t ask IDCUS for more revisions, we should know recommendations and next steps this fall. Following a public comment period, more changes may need to be made to engineering plans before design and construction start.
Folks who flooded in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest as well as others farther downstream in Mills Branch and Woodstream Village eagerly await the findings. More news when it becomes available.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/2022
1859 Days since Hurricane Harvey
New Resources from the San Jacinto Flood Planning Group
The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group (SJRFPG) has greatly expanded its website and published a new interactive dashboard for the 11 counties drained by the river. Both represent valuable resources for anyone in the region concerned about flood mitigation.
If you missed the virtual meeting this evening on the Group’s Draft Flood Plan, here’s another chance to review it and give public input.
Expanded Website
The Flood Planning Group’s expanded website branched out from a modest home page originally designed to solicit input and allow people to sign up for a distribution list.
Clicking on the About page now takes you to a treasure trove of information about the region; the counties and cities in it; major lakes and reservoirs; the flood plan; members; and committees.
The Meetings page takes you to a calendar and an archive of meeting minutes, agenda, and videos.
Resources takes you to information from the Texas Water Development Board about the flood planning process.
You’ll find the DRAFT San Jacinto Regional Flood Plan under Technical documents. You’ll also find a web form to submit public comment like Nephew Izzy did. They will accept public comments until October 29, 2022. (Here’s a summary of the recommendations in Chapter 5 that I published shortly after the release in August.)
But the magic of the evening was a useful new dashboard for helping to understand flooding impacts in the world around us.
New Interactive Dashboard
The dashboard contains volumes of data in a graphic format synthesized from multiple geospatial resources. Want to know what’s happening where? Click on a county then an object. Pop up boxes describe each point. You can also see a graphic count of the total matching resources on the right hand side.
Turn different layers on and off to highlight certain types of information:
Select from 28 different basemaps that range from street maps to topographical maps and satellite images. And zoom from the 11-county region down to your house!
Clicking the tabs along the bottom pulls up different features of the dashboard.
For instance, click on the future flood risk tab. Zoom into an area of interest, such as Forest Cove. See below.
Different types of information pop up this time. For instance, you can see the extent of floodplains in solid colors. You can also see:
If you want to know what’s at risk where you live, the San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group has given you a great way to compile an inventory.
More to Follow
There’s much more here than I can fit in a post. Explore. Open eyes. Amaze your friends and family.
Just one caution. The flood plains are not based on Atlas-14. They still use pre-Harvey data. The dashboard is a work in progress and will be updated when FEMA releases the new flood maps this winter.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/29/2022
1857 Days since Hurricane Harvey