The excavation rate of a sixth detention pond on Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Woodridge Village property increased during the last month of 2022. That brought the total for the year to 73,745 cubic yards of soil removed under Sprint Sand and Gravel’s Excavation and Removal (E&R) Contract.
The reported total at the end of November was 67,529 cubic yards. That means the total for December was 6,216 cubic yards, the most for any month since last July. Compare the previous totals below.
Weekly totals through November
Excavation under E&R contracts varies depending on demand for fill dirt. Sprint’s contract with Harris County Flood Control District lets it take dirt basically for free and then sell the dirt on the open market to make its money.
The work could more than double the stormwater detention capacity on the site that flooded Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019.
According to HCFCD, E&R agreements provide an opportunity for making progress in advance of future basin construction. These agreements essentially provide a head start in the excavation process before the detention basin is designed and constructed. In these agreements, an excavation company agrees to remove soil from a basin site during an agreed upon time period for minimal compensation. This is a cost-effective way for the material to be removed and it also provides significant savings by minimizing trucking and disposal fees.
Pictures Taken 1/03/23
Looking west toward the site entrance on Woodland Hills Drive.Contractors appear to be leaving some existing concrete culverts in place that will allow the new pond to drain into the old one at the top of frame.Looking NE. The pond could eventually extend as far as the grove of trees in the distance.
HCFCD expects that Sprint will excavate the full 500,000 cubic yards stipulated in their contract. That will expand the current stormwater detention capacity by 166%. The property only needed 40% more to meet Atlas-14 requirements. So this will provide a considerable margin of safety.
Other improvements include:
A concrete-lined, low-flow channel within the existing channel to expand conveyance from 350 feet downstream of Creek Manor Drive to 1500 feet downstream of Mills Branch Drive. The concrete portion would be four feet deep and 20 feet wide.
A new clear-span bridge at Rustling Elms to replace the current bridge over two culverts.
1955 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1204 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230103-DJI_0594.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-01-05 11:53:522023-01-05 11:58:00Woodridge Village Excavation Rate Ticks Up
According to its new website, the controversial Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove plans opening in January 2023. Recent aerial photos show workers putting the finishing touches on the “resort.” Even though the City of Houston permitted 182 spaces, the website advertises 226.
The photos below show the status of construction on 1/3/2023. The portion closest to camera in the first shot, looks ready to go. But workers are still scurrying about the northern portion of the site.
Looking N from southern end of property.Plans for the park claimed only 66% impervious cover.Last remaining dirt work in NW corner of detention pond.That triangular space comprises the resort’s dog park. Dachshunds and chihuahuas fit in the narrow end.Trees planted just before Christmas will soon brush up against utility wires.Water still ponds in the area below where the resort buried pipes through the dike.
The permit plans stipulate that the site’s detention basin must have a dry bottom within 48 hours of a storm. It hasn’t had a dry bottom in quite a while.
The resort’s website calls the basin a “retention pond.” Retention ponds are designed to hold water permanently.
The Resort’s new typo-plagued website has about as much attention to detail as its permit applications did. RV owners can only hope they do better with invoices. See below.
A scrolling banner on the website trumpets the Resort’s marketing theme – “Join the Adventure.” It promises to be exactly that – an adventure…right next to the railroad tracks, which the owners forgot to mention.
Posted by Bob on 1/4/23
1954 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/2023/01/20230103-DJI_0520.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-01-04 11:55:042023-01-04 12:10:26Laurel Springs RV Resort Plans Opening This Month
After more than eight months of clearing, grading and drainage prep, The Residences at Kingwood, a 19.7 acre apartment complex on West Lake Houston Parkway between Upper Lake Drive and Kings Park Way, is finally under construction. The developer’s website says the complex will feature 240 Garden Apartments and 49 Townhomes.
The photos below show that carpenters have started framing buildings on the south end of the property and are working their way north.
Looking S. West Lake Houston Parkway on right. Upper Lake Drive in lower right.Closer shot of construction at south end of property.Detention basin seems to be functioning. Harris County specifies a minimum detention rate of .65 acre feet per acre for sites this large.
Although neighbors have complained of mud on West Lake Houston Parkway and surrounding streets, I have received no complaints of flooding yet.
Location
The map below shows the location of two parcels on West Lake Houston Parkway that comprise the new development. They are approximately halfway between the West Fork at the top of the frame and FM1960 at the bottom.
From HCAD.The cul-de-sac at the south end of the property (right)will be called Kings River Commercial Drive.
About the Developer and Project
The developer, High Street Residential, is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company.” In the last 15 years, High Street Residential has completed more than $2.7 billion with a current pipeline of more than 4,500 units.
The Residences at Kingwood will offer homes ranging in size from one to three bedrooms and will feature stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers, custom cabinetry, and nine-foot ceiling heights. Select units will also offer walk-in closets, private outdoor space, and one- or two-car garages. The development will feature:
A resort-style pool
Grilling areas
Fitness center with a yoga & Pilates studio, and an outdoor workout area
Resident lounge with an art gallery and an entertaining kitchen, along with a conferencing and remote-work suite
Pet grooming center
On-site storage
Putting green, bocce courts, pickle ball court
Multiple outdoor dining areas
Connection to the Kingwood Greenbelt trail system.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/20230103-DJI_0641.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-01-03 14:25:382023-01-03 14:29:27240 Apartments, 49 Garden Homes Going Up on West Lake Houston Parkway
Woodridge Village Excavation Rate Ticks Up
The excavation rate of a sixth detention pond on Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Woodridge Village property increased during the last month of 2022. That brought the total for the year to 73,745 cubic yards of soil removed under Sprint Sand and Gravel’s Excavation and Removal (E&R) Contract.
The reported total at the end of November was 67,529 cubic yards. That means the total for December was 6,216 cubic yards, the most for any month since last July. Compare the previous totals below.
Excavation under E&R contracts varies depending on demand for fill dirt. Sprint’s contract with Harris County Flood Control District lets it take dirt basically for free and then sell the dirt on the open market to make its money.
According to HCFCD, E&R agreements provide an opportunity for making progress in advance of future basin construction. These agreements essentially provide a head start in the excavation process before the detention basin is designed and constructed. In these agreements, an excavation company agrees to remove soil from a basin site during an agreed upon time period for minimal compensation. This is a cost-effective way for the material to be removed and it also provides significant savings by minimizing trucking and disposal fees.
Pictures Taken 1/03/23
Part of a Bigger Package of Improvements
Last month, HCFCD held a virtual public meeting to describe how this would eventually contribute to flood-risk reduction on Taylor Gully.
HCFCD expects that Sprint will excavate the full 500,000 cubic yards stipulated in their contract. That will expand the current stormwater detention capacity by 166%. The property only needed 40% more to meet Atlas-14 requirements. So this will provide a considerable margin of safety.
Other improvements include:
For more details and diagrams, see this post on the preliminary engineering recommendations.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/5/23
1955 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1204 since Imelda
Laurel Springs RV Resort Plans Opening This Month
According to its new website, the controversial Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove plans opening in January 2023. Recent aerial photos show workers putting the finishing touches on the “resort.” Even though the City of Houston permitted 182 spaces, the website advertises 226.
The website also advertises “long-term” stays, something Humble ISD taxpayers expressed concerns about. The concern had to do with RV owners enrolling their children in Humble ISD schools without paying their fair share of taxes. Long-term RV rates start as low as $665 per month. However, Apartments.com lists apartments throughout the Kingwood area with monthly rents starting hundreds of dollars higher.
Photos Taken January 3, 2023
The photos below show the status of construction on 1/3/2023. The portion closest to camera in the first shot, looks ready to go. But workers are still scurrying about the northern portion of the site.
Last year, I caught the Resort on camera discharging silty stormwater into the wetlands of Harris County’s Precinct 3 Edgewater Park. The County Attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the owners. And the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said the discharge was not allowed by its permit.
The permit plans stipulate that the site’s detention basin must have a dry bottom within 48 hours of a storm. It hasn’t had a dry bottom in quite a while.
The resort’s website calls the basin a “retention pond.” Retention ponds are designed to hold water permanently.
But the dry bottom was a concession to FAA rules designed to discourage waterfowl from congregating near airports. This site hasn’t been dry in a long time. Maybe air safety is no longer a concern. The FAA reported only 166 bird strikes at Bush Intercontinental last year.
Meanwhile, the Resort’s detention basin/retention pond is half the size required by current regulations.
“Join the Adventure”
The Resort’s new typo-plagued website has about as much attention to detail as its permit applications did. RV owners can only hope they do better with invoices. See below.
A scrolling banner on the website trumpets the Resort’s marketing theme – “Join the Adventure.” It promises to be exactly that – an adventure…right next to the railroad tracks, which the owners forgot to mention.
Posted by Bob on 1/4/23
1954 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.
240 Apartments, 49 Garden Homes Going Up on West Lake Houston Parkway
After more than eight months of clearing, grading and drainage prep, The Residences at Kingwood, a 19.7 acre apartment complex on West Lake Houston Parkway between Upper Lake Drive and Kings Park Way, is finally under construction. The developer’s website says the complex will feature 240 Garden Apartments and 49 Townhomes.
The photos below show that carpenters have started framing buildings on the south end of the property and are working their way north.
First Photos of New Year
All photos below were taken on 1/3/2023, one day after a quarter-inch rain.
Although neighbors have complained of mud on West Lake Houston Parkway and surrounding streets, I have received no complaints of flooding yet.
Location
The map below shows the location of two parcels on West Lake Houston Parkway that comprise the new development. They are approximately halfway between the West Fork at the top of the frame and FM1960 at the bottom.
About the Developer and Project
The developer, High Street Residential, is a wholly-owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company.” In the last 15 years, High Street Residential has completed more than $2.7 billion with a current pipeline of more than 4,500 units.
Trammell Crow Company has been the nation’s #1-ranked commercial developer for nine traight years. On the residential side, High Street has climbed to #3.
The Residences at Kingwood will offer homes ranging in size from one to three bedrooms and will feature stainless steel appliances, in-unit washers and dryers, custom cabinetry, and nine-foot ceiling heights. Select units will also offer walk-in closets, private outdoor space, and one- or two-car garages. The development will feature:
For more information and project updates, visit www.ResidencesatKingwood.com.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/3/2023
1953 Days since Hurricane Harvey