Aerial photos taken last week show a beautiful new Kingwood Middle School with an open, airy design taking shape.
Pictures Taken on 1/29/22
Glass enclosed atrium will look out over athletic fields where existing school now is.Existing school, bottom left, will be torn down to make room for athletic fields.Overhangs (not yet with roofs) will help provide protection from direct sun.View of entire school from over Woodland Hills Drive, looking NE.Looking E from over Woodland Hills Drive.Looking W from over Cedar Knolls Drive reveals drop off/pickup driveway behind school.
A permanent detention pond near the semi-circular drive in front of old Kingwood Middle School will eventually replace the temporary pond in the lower left of the image above. It’s exciting to see the Humble ISD making flood reduction a part of its plans for the future. That sends an important message to students and provides an opportunity for learning.
As they said in Poltergeist II, “They’re baa-aaack!” Contractors were hard at work again today at the Laurel Springs RV construction site near Lakewood Cove. The site had been virtually shut down for two days as city, county and state authorities launched investigations into alleged unauthorized stormwater discharges and other violations of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP).
Poltergeist Flashback
However, at noon today, I counted 11 contractor vehicles parked on the street and, and saw heavy equipment digging trenches and laying pipe throughout the site.
Workers’ vehicles lined up at entrance. Several more vehicles were parked out of frame on lower right.
It did not escape my notice that all this construction activity happened on a weekend when few inspectors pay surprise visits. The massive discharge of stormwater into Edgewater Park also happened on a Saturday.
Stormwater Discharge into Edgewater Park
The most serious allegations by far involve the discharge of the silty contents of the resort’s detention pond into the wetlands of Edgewater Park during the last two weeks. At first contractors tried to pump water over the pond wall.
Laurel Springs RV Resort pumping stormwater into Edgewater Park on Jan. 18, 2022.
Sediment-laden water in wetlands of Edgewater Park today, 2/5/22, still had a “coffee with cream” color to it.
Track-Out Issue
One of the SWPPP violations was lack of bullrock at the entrance. Bullrock knocks mud from truck tires before they leave the site. That keeps the mud from getting into streets where it can clog storm sewers.
Yesterday, I photographed one bulldozer at the entrance making room for bullrock.
Entrance to Laurel Springs RV Resort Construction Site on 2/4/22.Note: barely any bullrock at entrance.
At noon today, 2/5/22, I found fresh bullrock at the entrance.
Fresh bullrock at entrance of Laurel Springs RV Resort construction site.
One other curious thing: the bullrock did not extend very far past the curb…approximately 10 feet. Assuming 4-foot tall tires on dump trucks, it would take more than 12 feet for tires to make one full rotation on bullrock (π x diameter).
These folks spare no expense to protect the public.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/22
1621 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.
As of this morning (2/4/22), construction activity at the Laurel Springs RV Resort site was virtually shut down for a second day. Only one man was working on a bulldozer at the entrance. It appeared that he was making room for a new load of bullrock at the site’s main entrance. Harris County investigators asked the contractor to clean up the site and make it compliant with Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) requirements. That involves spreading bullrock at the entrances.
Purpose of Bullrock
Bullrock comes in many shapes and sizes and can be made from natural rock or crushed concrete. Think of very large gravel ranging from 2-5 inches. You often see it used in landscaping and French drains.
However, over time, even the large spaces between bullrocks can become clogged with sediment. So periodically, contractors must replace the rock. It appears that the man on the bulldozer below was excavating and compacting dirt at the construction site entrance to make room for more or new bullrock.
Laurel Springs RV Resort contractor on bulldozer working at entrance. Photo taken 2/4/22.
What SWPPP Requires
The SWPPP template is a real eye opener. For neighbors monitoring construction, it alerts you to potential violations. Requirements cover many items besides sediment track-out. They include:
Natural buffers
Perimeter controls
Stockpiled sediment
Dust
Soil compaction
Storm drain inlets
Site stabilization and more.
For instance, Section 4.9 (Storm Drain Inlets) on pages 26/27 states that storm sewer inlets must be protected. But those on Laurel Springs Lane adjacent to the RV site are not. In fact, residents have caught contractors pumping sediment-laden water directly into storm sewers.
Video of Laurel Springs RV Resort construction practices by Szymon Balicki, Lakewood Cove HOA president.
If you’re concerned about deficiencies in construction practices at the Laurel Springs RV Resort site, read the SWPPP template so you know what to look for.
I have requested the Resort’s own SWPPP plan, but have not yet received it.
How many other practices did the investigators from the City, County and State identify? Time will tell.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/22
1620 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20220204-RJR_9179.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2022-02-04 15:36:062022-02-04 15:44:27Laurel Springs RV Resort Construction Site Quiet Again for Second Day
Kingwood Middle School: February Update
Aerial photos taken last week show a beautiful new Kingwood Middle School with an open, airy design taking shape.
Pictures Taken on 1/29/22
Humble ISD still says the new Kingwood Middle School will open in 2022. This video on the ISD website explains more about the design and amenities of the new school…including the drop-off/pickup driveway shown above that should help reduce traffic congestion on neighboring streets. Classrooms in the new school will be about 200 square feet larger.
Sending an Important Message to Students
A permanent detention pond near the semi-circular drive in front of old Kingwood Middle School will eventually replace the temporary pond in the lower left of the image above. It’s exciting to see the Humble ISD making flood reduction a part of its plans for the future. That sends an important message to students and provides an opportunity for learning.
It was only a little more than a year ago that this site was nothing more than dirt and a dream.
To see the progress of construction, compare the pictures above to those in previous posts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/6/22
1622 Days since Hurricane Harvey
They’re Baa-aaack!
As they said in Poltergeist II, “They’re baa-aaack!” Contractors were hard at work again today at the Laurel Springs RV construction site near Lakewood Cove. The site had been virtually shut down for two days as city, county and state authorities launched investigations into alleged unauthorized stormwater discharges and other violations of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP).
Poltergeist Flashback
However, at noon today, I counted 11 contractor vehicles parked on the street and, and saw heavy equipment digging trenches and laying pipe throughout the site.
It did not escape my notice that all this construction activity happened on a weekend when few inspectors pay surprise visits. The massive discharge of stormwater into Edgewater Park also happened on a Saturday.
Stormwater Discharge into Edgewater Park
The most serious allegations by far involve the discharge of the silty contents of the resort’s detention pond into the wetlands of Edgewater Park during the last two weeks. At first contractors tried to pump water over the pond wall.
Then they finally just opened up a trench and drained the pond into the county park.
Finally, they installed pipes to create a permanent stormwater conduit from the pond into the park.
After the biggest release last Saturday, the wetlands in the park are still heavily discolored with sediment, even though the pipe now appears to have been covered with dirt.
Track-Out Issue
One of the SWPPP violations was lack of bullrock at the entrance. Bullrock knocks mud from truck tires before they leave the site. That keeps the mud from getting into streets where it can clog storm sewers.
Yesterday, I photographed one bulldozer at the entrance making room for bullrock.
At noon today, 2/5/22, I found fresh bullrock at the entrance.
One other curious thing: the bullrock did not extend very far past the curb…approximately 10 feet. Assuming 4-foot tall tires on dump trucks, it would take more than 12 feet for tires to make one full rotation on bullrock (π x diameter).
These folks spare no expense to protect the public.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/22
1621 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.
Laurel Springs RV Resort Construction Site Quiet Again for Second Day
As of this morning (2/4/22), construction activity at the Laurel Springs RV Resort site was virtually shut down for a second day. Only one man was working on a bulldozer at the entrance. It appeared that he was making room for a new load of bullrock at the site’s main entrance. Harris County investigators asked the contractor to clean up the site and make it compliant with Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) requirements. That involves spreading bullrock at the entrances.
Purpose of Bullrock
Bullrock comes in many shapes and sizes and can be made from natural rock or crushed concrete. Think of very large gravel ranging from 2-5 inches. You often see it used in landscaping and French drains.
Contractors use it on construction sites to knock dirt off of tires before trucks leave the site. This keeps vehicles from tracking it out into streets where rain could wash mud into storm sewers, clogging them. See section 4.3 – “Sediment Track-Out” – of this EPA template for preparing a SWPPP.
However, over time, even the large spaces between bullrocks can become clogged with sediment. So periodically, contractors must replace the rock. It appears that the man on the bulldozer below was excavating and compacting dirt at the construction site entrance to make room for more or new bullrock.
What SWPPP Requires
The SWPPP template is a real eye opener. For neighbors monitoring construction, it alerts you to potential violations. Requirements cover many items besides sediment track-out. They include:
For instance, Section 4.9 (Storm Drain Inlets) on pages 26/27 states that storm sewer inlets must be protected. But those on Laurel Springs Lane adjacent to the RV site are not. In fact, residents have caught contractors pumping sediment-laden water directly into storm sewers.
If you’re concerned about deficiencies in construction practices at the Laurel Springs RV Resort site, read the SWPPP template so you know what to look for.
I have requested the Resort’s own SWPPP plan, but have not yet received it.
How many other practices did the investigators from the City, County and State identify? Time will tell.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/22
1620 Days since Hurricane Harvey