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.
All that remained as of 3PM 8/2/22Excavator loads debris into waiting truck.
Before Demolition
How last complex looked on 2/24/22, 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.
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
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/20220802-DJI_0318.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-08-02 16:55:532022-08-02 17:26:47Last Forest Cove Townhome Now Down
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
Mapexcerpted 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
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.
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.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/2/2022
1799 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/2022/08/20220722-RJR_0234.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2022-08-02 13:00:232022-08-02 15:07:38Mavera Clearing More Land West of FM1314
December 2019. Pipelines exposed by erosion at LMI River Road Mine.
Readers filed complaints with the Mine Safety Administration. And soon, contractors started working on “a fix” for the problem, which had lingered for years. Repairs began in January. Then, in March 2020, I wrote about about completion of the repairs.
March 2020. Repairs included the installation of two culverts under pipelines and a concrete swale on top of the culverts.
The Warning Two Years Ago
But after looking at all the sediment spewing from the culverts, I warned that “one has to worry about them becoming clogged with sand and silt.” Below, see what the area below outfall looked like at the time.
At the time I captioned this image with “A big issue in the future may be sediment clogging the culverts.“
Today, Culverts Almost Totally Blocked
Today, the culverts look like this (see below). I took the images below on 7/22/22.
Culverts’ intakes almost totally blocked by sediment. Mine has not maintained them. Water flows from part of the mine on the left to another part on right.
Below, see how the culvert outfalls have also become clogged.
Outfall on West Fork side of culverts.Wider shot. Note how more erosion is beginning on either side of the concrete repairs.
Repeat of Headward Erosion
The shot above illustrates the same type of headward erosion that started causing the safety problem in 2014.
Satellite image of same area from April 2014
Is There A Long-Term Fix?
Short of maintaining one’s property to protect public safety, I’m not sure what the long-term solution is. In my opinion, the first obligation of these mines should be public safety. But that often seems like an afterthought.
Neighbors tell me that this mine no longer operates every day. Perhaps the owner, Liberty Materials Inc., is experiencing reduced demand for its product due to economic conditions.
Regardless of the reason, this problem illustrates the need for the TCEQ to stiffen abandonment procedures for sand mines. The thought of those pipelines rupturing highly volatile liquids during a future flood scares me. It should scare anyone who lives along the San Jacinto. What will happen when LMI is no longer here to maintain those culverts?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/1/2022
1798 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/2022/08/20220722-RJR_0226.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2022-08-01 17:36:232022-08-01 17:57:24Pipeline Repairs at LMI River Road Mine Need More Repair
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.
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.
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
Photos From West to East
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.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/2/2022
1799 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.
Pipeline Repairs at LMI River Road Mine Need More Repair
In December 2019, I wrote about five HVL pipelines in a utility corridor crossing the LMI River Bend Mine on the San Jacinto West Fork. Erosion had undermined them badly, causing them to sag like clotheslines, as water moved toward the West Fork from one part of the mine to another.
Readers filed complaints with the Mine Safety Administration. And soon, contractors started working on “a fix” for the problem, which had lingered for years. Repairs began in January. Then, in March 2020, I wrote about about completion of the repairs.
The Warning Two Years Ago
But after looking at all the sediment spewing from the culverts, I warned that “one has to worry about them becoming clogged with sand and silt.” Below, see what the area below outfall looked like at the time.
Today, Culverts Almost Totally Blocked
Today, the culverts look like this (see below). I took the images below on 7/22/22.
Below, see how the culvert outfalls have also become clogged.
Repeat of Headward Erosion
The shot above illustrates the same type of headward erosion that started causing the safety problem in 2014.
Is There A Long-Term Fix?
Short of maintaining one’s property to protect public safety, I’m not sure what the long-term solution is. In my opinion, the first obligation of these mines should be public safety. But that often seems like an afterthought.
Neighbors tell me that this mine no longer operates every day. Perhaps the owner, Liberty Materials Inc., is experiencing reduced demand for its product due to economic conditions.
Regardless of the reason, this problem illustrates the need for the TCEQ to stiffen abandonment procedures for sand mines. The thought of those pipelines rupturing highly volatile liquids during a future flood scares me. It should scare anyone who lives along the San Jacinto. What will happen when LMI is no longer here to maintain those culverts?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/1/2022
1798 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.