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
The new residential development going in along Townsen Boulevard West that I posted about last Saturday is just one of three new developments in northwest Humble. Of the other two, one will evidently be for light industrial use; the other for residential. A Townsen Boulevard extension toward Spring Creek is also under construction.
Townsen Extension
This conceptual plan by Skymark Development for Townsen Landing shows the Townsen extension in the upper left just below 94-acres designated for light industrial use. Skymark or its related companies own or owned all of the land in the colored areas below.
You may have noticed an entrance cut into the woods at the northwest corner of the Townsen loop. Several readers have asked about all the recent activity there.
Entrance to Townsen Boulevard extension at NW corner of Townsen loop. Reader photo used with permission.
On Monday 9/26/22, I took several aerial photos of work beyond the entrance. They show a four-lane divided roadway that stops at Spring Creek. The images also show a floodwater detention basin and a large clearing already surrounded by silt fence. See below.
Slightly NW of entrance on Townsen.Note drainage inlets surrounded by silt fences on roadway.Looking N. The detention basin already has grass-lined slopes and backslope interceptor swales to reduce erosion. Closer shot, still facing N, shows where road ends at Spring Creek.
I discussed that vast undeveloped area north of the creek more than a year ago. Suffice it to say, for now, that the same company owns that land and a small parcel shown in the foreground of the photo above. A bridge has been rumored for more than 10 years according to several sources I consulted. And a developer reportedly wants to build 7,000 homes on the far side of the creek. But the Montgomery County Engineer’s office claims to know nothing about it and Harris County has not yet responded to enquiries about a bridge. More on that area in a future post when I learn more.
Light Industrial?
Calls to Skymark were not returned. So it’s not clear who or what will go into that clearing by the detention pond. Harris County Appraisal District shows that the land is owned by Headway Estates, LTD, which is run by Clinton Wong.
Wong’s name is associated with hundreds of companies and partnerships in the Texas Secretary of State’s database, including Skymark, Headway Estates, Hannover Estates, and Townsen Landing. Wong and his companies own or control most of the land in the photo four photos below which comprise Townsen Landing.
Reverse angle looking back ESE. CostCo in upper leftand Deerbrook Mall in upper right.Looking SE toward two clearings for new residential developments at top of frame. Aldine ISD Jones Middle School in the upper right.
If the plans above remain unchanged, the big wooded area on the right above will also become light industrial. Light industrial land uses typically include final-stage or “clean” manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing and distribution, and the sale and servicing of vehicles and equipment. Light industry includes a broad spectrum of land uses, some of which can be compatible with urban, mixed-use development.
Looking East toward 59 at the entrance at Townsen Boulevard and areas cleared starting in 2015, two years before Harvey!Those cleared areas were originally intended to hold homes.Hannover Estates has owned the cleared land since 2013, according to HCAD.
I have not yet obtained construction plans or drainage analyses for the light industrial area.
Saratoga Homes Residential Development West of Kohl’s
West and slightly north of the Kohl’s store on Townsen is another new development underway in Humble. Signs on Townsen Boulevard suggest most of it belongs to Saratoga Homes. But Saratoga has not returned phone calls or emails either. Most of this area is in the current 500-year floodplain. However, that could soon change with new Post-Harvey flood maps.
Looking W.Extent of site work as of 9/27/22.Note large detention basin in foreground and Kohl’s on right.Close-up of one corner of detention basin. Looking W. Water and stormwater lines are now going in.Looking N. Entrance to development appears to be off of Townsen. Note corner of Costco in upper right.Looking back east toward Kohl’s and stormwater detention basin.Note the large drainage ditch that runs the length of this development on the right.
That detention pond is more than a mile from Spring Creek and yet this area flooded during Harvey.
The flooding was deep enough that reportedly the developer is not even going to try to raise the area. Instead, he said he will raise the homes 6-7 feet.
The Harris County Appraisal District shows that the area with the detention pond and a strip adjacent to the drainage ditch is owned by Hannover Estates LTD, a company controlled by Wong.
The rest of the cleared area appears to be owned by JNC Development, a company related to Saratoga Homes.
Floodplains
Much of the land under development in Humble is in a floodplain. See below.
Note: FEMA approved the floodplain map above in 2014. FEMA should release preliminary versions of Post-Harvey maps early next year. The floodplains shown above could expand 50% or more, according to preliminary guidance from HCFCD.
During Harvey, the gage at the West Fork and 59 registered the highest floodwater in northern Harris County – 20.5 feet above flood stage.
Chart showing feet above flood stage of 33 gages on misc. bayous in Harris County during Harvey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/22
1856 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220926-DJI_0678.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-09-28 14:40:352022-10-11 10:15:32Land Cleared for Two More Humble Developments, Townsen Boulevard Extension
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
Land Cleared for Two More Humble Developments, Townsen Boulevard Extension
The new residential development going in along Townsen Boulevard West that I posted about last Saturday is just one of three new developments in northwest Humble. Of the other two, one will evidently be for light industrial use; the other for residential. A Townsen Boulevard extension toward Spring Creek is also under construction.
Townsen Extension
This conceptual plan by Skymark Development for Townsen Landing shows the Townsen extension in the upper left just below 94-acres designated for light industrial use. Skymark or its related companies own or owned all of the land in the colored areas below.
You may have noticed an entrance cut into the woods at the northwest corner of the Townsen loop. Several readers have asked about all the recent activity there.
On Monday 9/26/22, I took several aerial photos of work beyond the entrance. They show a four-lane divided roadway that stops at Spring Creek. The images also show a floodwater detention basin and a large clearing already surrounded by silt fence. See below.
The four lanes end abruptly at the Spring Creek Parkway Trail.
I discussed that vast undeveloped area north of the creek more than a year ago. Suffice it to say, for now, that the same company owns that land and a small parcel shown in the foreground of the photo above. A bridge has been rumored for more than 10 years according to several sources I consulted. And a developer reportedly wants to build 7,000 homes on the far side of the creek. But the Montgomery County Engineer’s office claims to know nothing about it and Harris County has not yet responded to enquiries about a bridge. More on that area in a future post when I learn more.
Light Industrial?
Calls to Skymark were not returned. So it’s not clear who or what will go into that clearing by the detention pond. Harris County Appraisal District shows that the land is owned by Headway Estates, LTD, which is run by Clinton Wong.
Wong’s name is associated with hundreds of companies and partnerships in the Texas Secretary of State’s database, including Skymark, Headway Estates, Hannover Estates, and Townsen Landing. Wong and his companies own or control most of the land in the photo four photos below which comprise Townsen Landing.
If the plans above remain unchanged, the big wooded area on the right above will also become light industrial. Light industrial land uses typically include final-stage or “clean” manufacturing, wholesaling, warehousing and distribution, and the sale and servicing of vehicles and equipment. Light industry includes a broad spectrum of land uses, some of which can be compatible with urban, mixed-use development.
I have not yet obtained construction plans or drainage analyses for the light industrial area.
Saratoga Homes Residential Development West of Kohl’s
West and slightly north of the Kohl’s store on Townsen is another new development underway in Humble. Signs on Townsen Boulevard suggest most of it belongs to Saratoga Homes. But Saratoga has not returned phone calls or emails either. Most of this area is in the current 500-year floodplain. However, that could soon change with new Post-Harvey flood maps.
That detention pond is more than a mile from Spring Creek and yet this area flooded during Harvey.
In 2019, Jack Bombach, division president/CCO of Saratoga Homes, described his vision for the property at the Lake Houston Chamber’s Humble BizCom. “We bought the land in 2014 and are so thankful that we hadn’t started building,” said Bombach, “because, if we would have, Hurricane Harvey would have flooded everything we built.”
The Harris County Appraisal District shows that the area with the detention pond and a strip adjacent to the drainage ditch is owned by Hannover Estates LTD, a company controlled by Wong.
The rest of the cleared area appears to be owned by JNC Development, a company related to Saratoga Homes.
Floodplains
Much of the land under development in Humble is in a floodplain. See below.
Note: FEMA approved the floodplain map above in 2014. FEMA should release preliminary versions of Post-Harvey maps early next year. The floodplains shown above could expand 50% or more, according to preliminary guidance from HCFCD.
During Harvey, the gage at the West Fork and 59 registered the highest floodwater in northern Harris County – 20.5 feet above flood stage.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/22
1856 Days since Hurricane Harvey