They must have had their ears close to the ground. By noon, I got a call from McKay. Within another hour, he had inspected the ditch and agreed it was a mess. Then by 2PM, he had trucks and backhoes onsite. And by 4PM, they were packing up and hauling away the last piles of dirt left in the ditch from last weekend’s repair effort.
It all happened so fast, I barely had time to get there to take photos. And it all happened before rush hour!
Photo submitted by reader of work on Thursday afternoon, 2/17/22.Backhoe scoops up dirt left behind that was in danger of slumping back into ditch during a heavy rain.Traffic was slightly backed up, but it kept moving. It took about five minutes to get from 494 to the car wash at Russell-Palmer Road.By the time I got my drone up, the last of the dirt was excavated……and drivers were hauling it away.
McKay apologized for not returning my call earlier this week. He said he had a dental emergency that kept him out of the office until today.
Having worked near this area for more than 20 years, I watched Northpark go underwater with regularity – on average at least once or twice a year. Scary for an evacuation route!
I hope MoCo can improve the maintenance intervals on this ditch. Northpark and the areas around it have seen tremendous growth in recent years.
My thanks to Commissioner Metts and Mr. McKay for the heavy lifting on this one. And especially for their fast response! They got ‘er done this time!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/22
1533 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20220217-RJR_9233.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2022-02-17 17:34:182022-02-17 17:48:24Northpark Drainage Ditch: Got ‘Er Done This Time!
At daybreak, it became clear, the county cleaned out the ditch between Russell-Palmer and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, not 494. County crews DID clear blocked drains leading into the ditch west of Russell-Palmer. But they left the dirt piled on the sides of the ditch where it can slump back down and re-block drains.
Looking west along Northpark toward Dunkin’ Donuts and Public Storage.Facing same direction from the other side of the crossover shows the “improvement” to drainage.Looking east along Northpark.Still looking east toward Russell-Palmer from the Kings Mill Entrance.
“Git ‘Er Done”
I called Metts’ office earlier this week and asked whether they intended to finish the job. The receptionist told me she would have someone call me back to discuss the project. No one ever did. Then Metts posted the “Conquering Earth” video.
I’m grateful for what Metts’ team did do. But I’m also fearful of what they didn’t do.
Metts’ followup post makes no mention of a timetable for finishing the job.
Please! In the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Git ‘er done!” This is one way people and businesses flood.
According to Lopez, Texas comprises 171 million acres. 95% of that is private and 83% rural.
Texas loses one square mile of working lands (farms/ranches) every day due to population increases.
Roel Lopez, Director, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute
Biggest Intergenerational Transfer of Land Ever
A&M’s Lopez predicts the largest intergenerational transfer of rural land ever will take place in the next ten years. A minuscule 1% of Texans steward 141 million private acres. And a whopping 40% of rural landowners exceed 65 years of age. Fifty-six million acres (one third of the total) could change hands during in the next ten years, according to Lopez.
The people who buy those lands may not have the same priorities as the previous generation. Rapid growth and a strong economy create increased demand for rural land. And high land values create incentives to subdivide and sell.
So conversion of the land could result in a loss of food, fiber and water supplies, says Lopez. He calculates that every day, that one square mile of land lost results in 20,000 fewer steak dinners produced, 10,000 blue jeans not made, and 91 water towers not filled.
Lopez doesn’t specifically address flooding issues, but it doesn’t take a genius to connect those dots.
Pressure to Convert Land Puts Pressure on Forests, Wetlands
With the future of agriculture and human health dependent on private lands and their stewardship, and with so much pressure for elderly landowners and their heirs to cash in, we can expect rapid change.
As urban areas grow rapidly outward, the forests and wetlands that create natural buffers between people and floods could disappear rapidly.
Part of approximately 2500 acres cleared by Colony Ridge in Liberty County last year.These were once forests and wetlands.
Northpark Drainage Ditch: Got ‘Er Done This Time!
This morning, I posted about what appeared to be a premature victory lap on the repair of the Northpark Drive drainage ditch with a plea to Git ‘Er Done. Well, this afternoon, Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts and his drainage supervisor Mike McKay Got ‘Er Done.
Barely Enough Time to Take Photos
They must have had their ears close to the ground. By noon, I got a call from McKay. Within another hour, he had inspected the ditch and agreed it was a mess. Then by 2PM, he had trucks and backhoes onsite. And by 4PM, they were packing up and hauling away the last piles of dirt left in the ditch from last weekend’s repair effort.
It all happened so fast, I barely had time to get there to take photos. And it all happened before rush hour!
He said they hauled more than 30 truckloads of dirt out of Northpark on Saturday night and Sunday morning before knocking off at around 2AM. The temp had dropped below freezing at that point.
Regular Maintenance Key to Reducing Flooding
McKay apologized for not returning my call earlier this week. He said he had a dental emergency that kept him out of the office until today.
Having worked near this area for more than 20 years, I watched Northpark go underwater with regularity – on average at least once or twice a year. Scary for an evacuation route!
I hope MoCo can improve the maintenance intervals on this ditch. Northpark and the areas around it have seen tremendous growth in recent years.
My thanks to Commissioner Metts and Mr. McKay for the heavy lifting on this one. And especially for their fast response! They got ‘er done this time!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/22
1533 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Northpark Ditch Repair Half Done
Update: 6PM Thursday 2/17/22. After I posted the article below on Thursday morning, MoCo returned and finished the job on Thursday afternoon. Use the post below only for context.
Last Saturday night, Montgomery County closed Northpark Drive to excavate the ditch in the median between Northpark Drive and Russell-Palmer Road. Here’s a nighttime video Precinct 4 Commissioner Metts’ posted on his Facebook page to promote the results. It contains eleven minutes of close-up shots of a backhoe scooping dirt into a truck, complete with a triumphant, pounding music track. You’d think this was MoCo’s moon shot!
What Video Doesn’t Show
At daybreak, it became clear, the county cleaned out the ditch between Russell-Palmer and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, not 494. County crews DID clear blocked drains leading into the ditch west of Russell-Palmer. But they left the dirt piled on the sides of the ditch where it can slump back down and re-block drains.
“Git ‘Er Done”
I called Metts’ office earlier this week and asked whether they intended to finish the job. The receptionist told me she would have someone call me back to discuss the project. No one ever did. Then Metts posted the “Conquering Earth” video.
I’m grateful for what Metts’ team did do. But I’m also fearful of what they didn’t do.
Metts’ followup post makes no mention of a timetable for finishing the job.
Please! In the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Git ‘er done!” This is one way people and businesses flood.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/22
1633 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Texas Land-Use Trends: Major Changes Coming
A reader recently sent me a link to a fascinating conservation webinar by a group called Texan by Nature. It begins with an eye-opening presentation on Texas Land-Use Trends by Roel Lopez, Director of the Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute.
According to Lopez, Texas comprises 171 million acres. 95% of that is private and 83% rural.
Biggest Intergenerational Transfer of Land Ever
A&M’s Lopez predicts the largest intergenerational transfer of rural land ever will take place in the next ten years. A minuscule 1% of Texans steward 141 million private acres. And a whopping 40% of rural landowners exceed 65 years of age. Fifty-six million acres (one third of the total) could change hands during in the next ten years, according to Lopez.
The people who buy those lands may not have the same priorities as the previous generation. Rapid growth and a strong economy create increased demand for rural land. And high land values create incentives to subdivide and sell.
So conversion of the land could result in a loss of food, fiber and water supplies, says Lopez. He calculates that every day, that one square mile of land lost results in 20,000 fewer steak dinners produced, 10,000 blue jeans not made, and 91 water towers not filled.
Lopez doesn’t specifically address flooding issues, but it doesn’t take a genius to connect those dots.
Pressure to Convert Land Puts Pressure on Forests, Wetlands
With the future of agriculture and human health dependent on private lands and their stewardship, and with so much pressure for elderly landowners and their heirs to cash in, we can expect rapid change.
As urban areas grow rapidly outward, the forests and wetlands that create natural buffers between people and floods could disappear rapidly.
To learn more about Texas land-use trends, visit the A&M Natural Resources Institute website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/16/22 with thanks to Beth Leggieri
1632 Days since Hurricane Harvey