News - Reduce Flooding

TCEQ Finds Nothing Wrong With Preserve At Woodridge Construction

A TCEQ investigation found nothing wrong with construction practices at the Preserve at Woodridge despite photographic evidence.

On April 23, 2022, I received multiple complaints about silty stormwater in Bens Branch. I confirmed discoloration in the water and followed it upstream. The source appeared to be the Preserve at Woodridge on Woodridge Parkway opposite the new St. Martha church. Photos confirmed that contractors were:

Pumping the contents of their silty detention pond into a tributary of Bens Branch.
Piling dirt on neighboring property.
Not using silt fence along their southern boundary.
Not posting permits.

I then filed a complaint with the TCEQ. They investigated on June 21, 2022, almost two months later. And found nothing wrong.

Today, August 3, 2022, I received this letter confirming they found nothing wrong.

*Letter from TCEQ.* *For a high-res PDF, click here.*

Caught on Camera

My complaint was based on these photos (among others).

preserve at Woodridge — *Note pile of sediment in front of hose* (bottom center).

silt from Preserve at Woodridge — *Silty stormwater had migrated more than two miles down Bens Branch past Tree Lane.*

I guess there was nothing wrong. Message received, TCEQ.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/3/2022

1800 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Last Forest Cove Townhome Now Down

Today, the last townhome in Forest Cove was demolished – 1799 days after Hurricane Harvey, the storm that left them uninhabitable.

As of 3PM today, only one small portion of one wall remained and the demolition crew was busy loading up the last debris into waiting trucks. I may take another day or two to remove foundations and concrete driveways. But this show is over.

*Excavator loads debris into waiting truck.*

Before Demolition

The last complex was situated across from the Forest Cove pool on Marina Drive. 240,000 cubic feet per second coming down the West Fork during Harvey blew out doors, windows, stairs and portions of balconies. The homes became uninhabitable for structural reasons.

*Photo taken on July 22, 2022 shows location of last complex relative to Forest Cove pool.*

You would think that in such cases, buyouts would take little time. But some people reportedly fled mortgage obligations to avoid payments on homes they could no longer live in. Without forwarding addresses, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) had no choice but to go through lengthy condemnation proceedings in several cases. And until every unit in a complex like the one above had been bought, HCFCD could not tear down the complex.

The buyout and demolition process lasted four years. It began in 2018 and the first complex came down in 2019. Two complexes burned down.

While the legal system sputtered through Covid, drug dealers, illegal dumpers, arsonists, and graffiti artists took over these buildings. But now the area can return to nature. HCFCD will use this area to help preserve the floodplain.

Thank You, HCFCD!

Thanks to the women and men of the Harris County Flood Control District and their contractors for their diligence. Today’s demolition will make a huge difference in the quality of life for everyone in Forest Cove. Residents’ pool, athletic fields and community room were in the middle of this area. Perhaps now it can be restored to a productive, recreational purpose.

There is still no word on plans for the area. The only thing we know is that the FEMA money used to buy out the Forest Cove townhomes came with strings attached. Specifically, no other “insurable structures” can every be built on the purchased property.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/2/2022

1799 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Mavera Clearing More Land West of FM1314

The Pulte Homes Mavera development at FM 1314 and SH 242 comprises approximately 2000 acres. Contractors first focused on clearing the 865 acres east of FM 1314. Photos taken on 7/22/2022 show they’re now also focusing on the 1150 acres west of FM 1314. Significant clearing in this western portion has already occurred. But more remains.

Map of Mavera At Ultimate Buildout

*Map* *excerpted from* *developer’*s *5/29/2020 memo to Montgomery County engineers.*

Photos From West to East

*Looking west from middle of western portion of Mavera. SH 242 in background. Channel drains into Crystal Creek which drains into West Fork San Jacinto by sand mine ponds in upper left.*

*Looking south from same position. SH 242 cuts left to right through upper middle of frame. Ponds in background are sand mines bordering the San Jacinto West Fork.*

*Looking east from same position at drainage coming from eastern portion of same development in distant background.*

*Moving farther east toward FM 1314. Still looking east. SH 242 cuts diagonally from middle right toward upper left.*

*Intersection of FM 1314 (bottom) and SH 242 (right). Looking east toward first section cleared and drained.*

*Eastern-most section of Mavera.* *Looking NE.*

Hydrologic Timing Used to Reduce Detention Requirements

While Mavera will provide some linear detention in the main channel along with some small ponds, it relies heavily on a hydrologic timing study to avoid building all the floodwater detention capacity normally associated with a development of this size.

Hydrologic timing studies attempt to show that a development can get stormwater to a river, such as the West Fork, before the peak of a flood arrives. The theory: if you aren’t adding to the peak, you don’t need as much detention.

However, Harris County discourages the use of hydrologic timing. It encourages developers to get their water to the river as fast as possible. If enough developments do that, it can shift the peak. Regardless, Montgomery County still allows it.

In a hundred-year (1% annual chance) flood, this development claims it will not add to the peak. And therefore, it will have no adverse impact downstream. Yet it alone sends more than 16,300 cubic feet per second downstream toward West Fork sand mines and the Humble/Kingwood Area. That represents about 10% of the water that came down the West Fork during Harvey at this location.