How soon we forget. Hurricane Harvey was just 4.5 years ago. Since then I have documented dozens, if not hundreds of questionable practices that erode margins of flood safety.
It Didn’t Have to Be That Bad
Harvey was the largest rainfall event in the history of North America. However, with better regulations and construction practices, it didn’t have to be as destructive as it was.
Lax regulations;
Willful blindness;
Development and construction practices that pushed the safety envelope;
Relentless destruction of forests and wetlands near rivers and streams;
And homebuyers who didn’t realize their true flood risk…
…made Harvey’s destruction worse than it otherwise would have been.
No one factor by itself would explain Harvey’s destruction. But put them all together, and it’s like “death of a thousand cuts.”
The sheer volume of material – more than 1,000,000 words on this site – makes it difficult for people to see the big picture sometimes. To put 1,000,000 words into perspective, the average novel contains only about 100,000. So I’m condensing the website into a book that includes the themes below.
No One Wins Arguments with Mother Nature
During an interview with Milan Saunders and his daughter Lori, Milan said, “No one wins arguments with Mother Nature.” How profound! It doesn’t matter how many surveys, studies and engineer stamps you have on your home’s title. If you don’t:
Large islands built up during Harvey blocked both drainage ditches and rivers. Below, you can see a large sand island (top) built up at the confluence of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch where it reaches the San Jacinto West Fork at River Grove Park. This sand bar reached 10-12 feet in height above the waterline and helped back water up into Trailwood, the Barrington and Kingwood Lakes and Kings Forest. Before the Army Corps dredged this island, River Grove flooded five times in six months. It hasn’t flooded since.
The Kingwood Diversion Ditch and West Fork San Jacinto were almost totally blocked by sediment dams deposited during Harvey.
The second photo above was taken a few hundred yards downstream on the West Fork from the first. It shows “Sand Island” – so nicknamed by the Army Corps. It took the Corps months to dredge this island which they say had blocked the West Fork by 90%.
A certain amount of this sedimentation can be explained by natural erosion. But mankind also contributed to the sheer volume by other practices which I will discuss below.
Influence of sand mines of West Fork San Jacinto water quality.
End the War on Wetlands
Wetlands are nature’s detention ponds. During storms, they hold water back so it won’t flood people downstream. But we seem to want to eradicate wetlands. The images below show the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. Wetlands (right) are being cleared (left) to make way for the world’s largest trailer park. The acceleration of runoff wiped out FM1010 during Harvey. The road still has not been repaired.
Colony Ridge in Liberty County.
Conservation Costs Much Less than Mitigation
Halls Bayou at I-69 near Fiesta. Image on left shows whole subdivisions that that to be bought out before detention ponds on right could be built.
Respecting Individuals’ Property Rights While Protecting Others’
In Texas, it sometimes feels that an individual’s right to do what he/she wants with property trumps others’ rights NOT to flood. You may think you’re protected by all those public servants reviewing and approving plans. But what happens when developers and contractors decide to ignore the approved plans? Here’s a prime example: the Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove.
About 10% of all the water coming down the West Fork at the peak of Harvey came from Crystal Creek in Montgomery County. But the wetlands near the headwaters of Crystal Creek are currently under development. And the developer is avoiding building detention ponds with a “beat-the-peak” survey. This loophole allowed by Montgomery County says that if you get your stormwater to the river faster than the peak of a flood arrives, then you’re not adding to the peak of a flood and you don’t have to build detention ponds. So developers conduct timing surveys to reduce costs and maximize salable land.
What happens when upstream areas develop without consideration for the impact on downstream property owners.
Of course, speeding up the flow of water in a flood is the opposite of what you want to do. To reduce flooding, you should hold back as much water as possible.
The graph on the right shows what happened on Brays Bayou without suitable detention upstream. Floodwaters peak higher, sooner. Harris County has spent more than $700 million in the last 20 years to remediate flooding problems along Brays.
How much will we need to spend when more areas like Mavera get built upstream on the West Fork?
How Quickly We Forget!
FEMA’s Base-Flood-Elevation Viewer shows that in that same area, developers have already built homes that could go under 1-5 feet of water in a 100-year flood. These homes are actually in a ten-year flood zone. And yet more homes are being built nearby. On even more marginal land!
In recent years, the price of land as a percent of a new home’s cost has risen from a historical average of 25% to approximately 40% today. This puts pressure on developers to seek out cheaper land in floodplains, reduce costs by avoiding detention pond requirements, pave over wetlands, and reduce lot sizes resulting in more impervious cover. All contribute to flooding.
Of course, smart homebuyers would not make such risky investments. But few lack the expertise to gauge flood risk. Educating such homebuyers will be one of the major objectives of the book I hope to write.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2022
1639 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/2019/11/RJR_4245.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2022-02-23 18:55:302025-08-19 22:13:53How Soon We Forget!
Taxpayers like such contracts. But they have one potential drawback. If the market softens, it could take years to remove all the material. Progress to date has been slow, but steady.
Extent of removal on 2/14/22.Three days later, on 2/17/22.One day later on 2/18/22.
Harris County Flood Control executives emphasized that E&R contracts provide flexibility to both sides. They let Sprint move the material when it’s needed. And they let the Flood Control District get a head start on construction of detention ponds that they know they will need.
Perry left the Woodridge Village site 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements for detention-pond capacity. Five-hundred-thousand cubic yards will virtually double the detention-pond capacity, leaving a significant margin to help accommodate future upstream development.
HCFCD currently has no plans to tie this detention pond into the network of five others on the Woodridge site. It will just form a barrier against sheet flow from the north for the moment. Tie-ins with the existing drainage network could come after completion of the Taylor Gully engineering study.
After completion of the study, when HCFCD has a better handle on how much land it actually needs on the site, the District will hold public meetings to discuss secondary uses of the land, such as wetland restoration, reforestation, jogging trails, parkland and such.
HCFCD met with members of KSA and community associations that border Woodridge property last week to discuss the timetable. The ability to create secondary uses for the land will depend on finding local partners to maintain them. Flood control would only be responsible for maintaining its own flood control infrastructure (ponds, ditches, etc.).
Where Dirt Can, Can’t Go
Sprint has broad latitude with where it can sell the dirt from Woodridge Village. But HCFCD does impose limitations. It cannot be placed in the current 100- or 500-year flood plains.
According to Alan Black, Interim Executive Director of HCFCD, “We place some pretty stringent criteria in our E&R contract agreements requiring that fill from our project sites can only be placed in areas where a permit has been obtained. But we actually go a step further.
“It is possible for developers to obtain a permit that includes fill in the 100/500 year floodplain provided that it is property mitigated,” continued Black. “However, HCFCD contractors are prohibited from placing fill in the 100/500 year floodplain even if there is a development permit to do so. This has resulted in an increase in our construction costs, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Black is referring to the City of Houston rules for placing fill in floodplains. See sec 19-34 of the City code of ordinances. Remember that the “Houston special flood hazard area” means the 500-yr. Section 19-34(a) says nobody can diminish the storage volume within a Houston special flood hazard area. However, this is followed by an exception. Paragragh A4 says fill may be placed… “In the 0.2 percent chance floodplain, [if] the amount of fill proposed does not impact or impede the 100 year overland sheet flow in the watershed.”
Regardless of the City regulations, HCFCD refuses to let its dirt be used in this situation.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/22
1637 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20220219-DJI_0203.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-02-21 17:18:042022-02-21 17:36:49New Woodridge Village Detention Pond Taking Shape
Another island in the San Jacinto East Fork Mouth Bar complex is being dredged away. Photo taken on Sunday afternoon, 2/20/22. Looking downstream toward Lake Houston.
The sand bar already eliminated was toward the top and left side of the frame above. It stretched almost 2000 feet.
Now dredgers are focusing on the giant bar in the middle above.
Mouth Bar Complex in 2020 Before Start of Dredging
The shot below, taken from the opposite direction, helps put things in perspective.
Looking upstream at the East Fork Mouth Bar complex in March 2020 before dredging. The bar dredgers already eliminated is the bright white one in the foreground. Now they’re working on the one farther upriver and to the left.
More Current Shots Taken Today
Looking NE at dredging in the East Fork Mouth Bar Complex. It looks like they may have started here and moved elsewhere for some reason. Photo taken 2/20/22.This shot more than the others, gives one a feeling for the immensity of the task.
Long Range Dredging Plan
The City of Houston’s purchasing website does not indicate whether the City has yet awarded the project to develop a long range dredging plan. Last month, the purchasing agent for the City, Bridget Cormier, stated that “The City has not yet made a decision, nor a recommendation for award yet.” She explained, “We are still in the evaluation phase and have requested additional information from suppliers that moved forward in the process.”
It took three months just for contractors to dredge their way through the Royal Shores channel to get to East Fork (July, August, September 2021). East Fork dredging started in October last year. Spoils are currently being ferried back to land south of the West Fork, opposite River Grove Park. There it dries before TexDoT hauls it away for use in roadbuilding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/2022
1636 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/20220220-DJI_0266.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-02-20 16:08:072022-02-20 16:12:40February East Fork Mouth Bar Dredging Update
How Soon We Forget!
How soon we forget. Hurricane Harvey was just 4.5 years ago. Since then I have documented dozens, if not hundreds of questionable practices that erode margins of flood safety.
It Didn’t Have to Be That Bad
Harvey was the largest rainfall event in the history of North America. However, with better regulations and construction practices, it didn’t have to be as destructive as it was.
…made Harvey’s destruction worse than it otherwise would have been.
No one factor by itself would explain Harvey’s destruction. But put them all together, and it’s like “death of a thousand cuts.”
The sheer volume of material – more than 1,000,000 words on this site – makes it difficult for people to see the big picture sometimes. To put 1,000,000 words into perspective, the average novel contains only about 100,000. So I’m condensing the website into a book that includes the themes below.
No One Wins Arguments with Mother Nature
During an interview with Milan Saunders and his daughter Lori, Milan said, “No one wins arguments with Mother Nature.” How profound! It doesn’t matter how many surveys, studies and engineer stamps you have on your home’s title. If you don’t:
…you will flood.
Understanding the Causes of Flooding
Excess sedimentation is one of them. Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity.
Large islands built up during Harvey blocked both drainage ditches and rivers. Below, you can see a large sand island (top) built up at the confluence of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch where it reaches the San Jacinto West Fork at River Grove Park. This sand bar reached 10-12 feet in height above the waterline and helped back water up into Trailwood, the Barrington and Kingwood Lakes and Kings Forest. Before the Army Corps dredged this island, River Grove flooded five times in six months. It hasn’t flooded since.
The second photo above was taken a few hundred yards downstream on the West Fork from the first. It shows “Sand Island” – so nicknamed by the Army Corps. It took the Corps months to dredge this island which they say had blocked the West Fork by 90%.
A certain amount of this sedimentation can be explained by natural erosion. But mankind also contributed to the sheer volume by other practices which I will discuss below.
Respect the Rivers
The red polygons in the satellite image below surround 20-square miles of sand mines on the West Fork of the San Jacinto in a 20 mile reach of river between I-45 and I-69. That exposes a mile-wide swath of sediment to erosion during floods and increases the potential for erosion by 33x compared the river’s normal width.
Even without floods, mines sometimes flush their waste into the rivers. The shot below on the top right shows the day the West Fork turned white. The TCEQ found the source of the pollution upstream: a sand mine that had flushed 56 million gallons of sludge into the West Fork (bottom right).
End the War on Wetlands
Wetlands are nature’s detention ponds. During storms, they hold water back so it won’t flood people downstream. But we seem to want to eradicate wetlands. The images below show the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. Wetlands (right) are being cleared (left) to make way for the world’s largest trailer park. The acceleration of runoff wiped out FM1010 during Harvey. The road still has not been repaired.
Conservation Costs Much Less than Mitigation
All across Harris County, especially in older areas inside Beltway 8, apartment complexes, homes and businesses are built right next to bayous and channels. This makes it difficult to enlarge streams or build detention ponds when necessary. One study showed that preservation of floodplains is 5X more cost effective than mitigation after homes flood. Yet private developers keep crowding bayous and residents keep demanding public solutions.
Respecting Individuals’ Property Rights While Protecting Others’
In Texas, it sometimes feels that an individual’s right to do what he/she wants with property trumps others’ rights NOT to flood. You may think you’re protected by all those public servants reviewing and approving plans. But what happens when developers and contractors decide to ignore the approved plans? Here’s a prime example: the Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove.
The approved plans said that “Stormwater runoff shall not cross property lines.” So what did the contractors do? They pumped their stormwater over the development’s detention pond wall. When that took too long, they dug a trench through the wall. Then they laid pipes through the wall to permanently empty the sludge into the wetlands of Harris County’s new Edgewater Park.
This apparently violated the developer’s City of Houston permit, the Texas Water Code, TCEQ’s construction permit and the developer’s stormwater pollution prevention plan. Four investigations are currently swirling around this development. The contractor also cut down approximately 50 feet of trees in Edgewater Park along the entire boundary line and received a cease-and-desist letter from the Harris County Attorney. But the damage is done.
Balance Upstream and Downstream Interests
About 10% of all the water coming down the West Fork at the peak of Harvey came from Crystal Creek in Montgomery County. But the wetlands near the headwaters of Crystal Creek are currently under development. And the developer is avoiding building detention ponds with a “beat-the-peak” survey. This loophole allowed by Montgomery County says that if you get your stormwater to the river faster than the peak of a flood arrives, then you’re not adding to the peak of a flood and you don’t have to build detention ponds. So developers conduct timing surveys to reduce costs and maximize salable land.
Of course, speeding up the flow of water in a flood is the opposite of what you want to do. To reduce flooding, you should hold back as much water as possible.
The slide above shows part of a new development called Mavera at SH242 and FM1314 being built on wetlands near Crystal Creek.
The graph on the right shows what happened on Brays Bayou without suitable detention upstream. Floodwaters peak higher, sooner. Harris County has spent more than $700 million in the last 20 years to remediate flooding problems along Brays.
How much will we need to spend when more areas like Mavera get built upstream on the West Fork?
How Quickly We Forget!
FEMA’s Base-Flood-Elevation Viewer shows that in that same area, developers have already built homes that could go under 1-5 feet of water in a 100-year flood. These homes are actually in a ten-year flood zone. And yet more homes are being built nearby. On even more marginal land!
In recent years, the price of land as a percent of a new home’s cost has risen from a historical average of 25% to approximately 40% today. This puts pressure on developers to seek out cheaper land in floodplains, reduce costs by avoiding detention pond requirements, pave over wetlands, and reduce lot sizes resulting in more impervious cover. All contribute to flooding.
Of course, smart homebuyers would not make such risky investments. But few lack the expertise to gauge flood risk. Educating such homebuyers will be one of the major objectives of the book I hope to write.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2022
1639 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.
New Woodridge Village Detention Pond Taking Shape
Sprint Sand & Clay has begun excavating a new Woodridge Village detention pond on the former site of Perry Homes’ aborted development. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) signed an excavation and removal (E&R) contract with Sprint last November to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards for just $1000. In exchange for the dirt-cheap fee, Sprint gets to sell the material it removes at market rates to make its profit.
Photos of Progress
Taxpayers like such contracts. But they have one potential drawback. If the market softens, it could take years to remove all the material. Progress to date has been slow, but steady.
Harris County Flood Control executives emphasized that E&R contracts provide flexibility to both sides. They let Sprint move the material when it’s needed. And they let the Flood Control District get a head start on construction of detention ponds that they know they will need.
Perry left the Woodridge Village site 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements for detention-pond capacity. Five-hundred-thousand cubic yards will virtually double the detention-pond capacity, leaving a significant margin to help accommodate future upstream development.
An engineering study on Taylor Gully is currently underway. When completed, we will learn more about future needs. But that could still be months away.
HCFCD currently has no plans to tie this detention pond into the network of five others on the Woodridge site. It will just form a barrier against sheet flow from the north for the moment. Tie-ins with the existing drainage network could come after completion of the Taylor Gully engineering study.
After completion of the study, when HCFCD has a better handle on how much land it actually needs on the site, the District will hold public meetings to discuss secondary uses of the land, such as wetland restoration, reforestation, jogging trails, parkland and such.
HCFCD met with members of KSA and community associations that border Woodridge property last week to discuss the timetable. The ability to create secondary uses for the land will depend on finding local partners to maintain them. Flood control would only be responsible for maintaining its own flood control infrastructure (ponds, ditches, etc.).
Where Dirt Can, Can’t Go
Sprint has broad latitude with where it can sell the dirt from Woodridge Village. But HCFCD does impose limitations. It cannot be placed in the current 100- or 500-year flood plains.
According to Alan Black, Interim Executive Director of HCFCD, “We place some pretty stringent criteria in our E&R contract agreements requiring that fill from our project sites can only be placed in areas where a permit has been obtained. But we actually go a step further.
“It is possible for developers to obtain a permit that includes fill in the 100/500 year floodplain provided that it is property mitigated,” continued Black. “However, HCFCD contractors are prohibited from placing fill in the 100/500 year floodplain even if there is a development permit to do so. This has resulted in an increase in our construction costs, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Black is referring to the City of Houston rules for placing fill in floodplains. See sec 19-34 of the City code of ordinances. Remember that the “Houston special flood hazard area” means the 500-yr. Section 19-34(a) says nobody can diminish the storage volume within a Houston special flood hazard area. However, this is followed by an exception. Paragragh A4 says fill may be placed… “In the 0.2 percent chance floodplain, [if] the amount of fill proposed does not impact or impede the 100 year overland sheet flow in the watershed.”
Regardless of the City regulations, HCFCD refuses to let its dirt be used in this situation.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/22
1637 Days since Hurricane Harvey
February East Fork Mouth Bar Dredging Update
Since last month, dredgers have removed one island and have started on another in the massive complex of sand bars laid down during Harvey and Imelda on the San Jacinto East Fork where it meets Lake Houston.
Current Location
The sand bar already eliminated was toward the top and left side of the frame above. It stretched almost 2000 feet.
Now dredgers are focusing on the giant bar in the middle above.
Mouth Bar Complex in 2020 Before Start of Dredging
The shot below, taken from the opposite direction, helps put things in perspective.
More Current Shots Taken Today
Long Range Dredging Plan
The City of Houston’s purchasing website does not indicate whether the City has yet awarded the project to develop a long range dredging plan. Last month, the purchasing agent for the City, Bridget Cormier, stated that “The City has not yet made a decision, nor a recommendation for award yet.” She explained, “We are still in the evaluation phase and have requested additional information from suppliers that moved forward in the process.”
It took three months just for contractors to dredge their way through the Royal Shores channel to get to East Fork (July, August, September 2021). East Fork dredging started in October last year. Spoils are currently being ferried back to land south of the West Fork, opposite River Grove Park. There it dries before TexDoT hauls it away for use in roadbuilding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/2022
1636 Days since Hurricane Harvey