Note: Updated 3/26/22 to correct drainage path from Peppervine to West Fork instead of Bens Branch.
Centex Homes, an affiliate of Pulte Homes, has cleared land for a new 47-acre development in Porter just north of Oakhurst. The developer will call the new development Peppervine and is targeting first-time homebuyers and young, budget-conscious homebuyers.
Few Details Available Yet About Homes
Centex doesn’t give many details about the homes yet. The company’s website contains only one page of high-level information. However, it does say that the builder will offer both one- and two-story homes. Their website shows a fairly traditional style that would fit in well with most homes in the Kingwood Area.
Entrance to Peppervine. Looking east toward US59. As with Oakhurst to the south/right, a large stand of trees will shield residents from freeway noise.
However, the only other trees are in the northwest corner of the new subdivision to help shield residents from an RV park.
Looking SE toward 59. A small stand of trees will shield residents from an RV park (lower left). Oakhurst drainage ditch in lower right. Detention pond empties into ditch that cuts through upper right of frame.
Impact on Drainage
Of course, ReduceFlooding readers are concerned about the impact on drainage. While regrettable, the loss of more trees will be at least partially offset by a fairly large detention pond that occupies approximately 20% of the site. See above.
The Montgomery County Appraisal District shows the development, which comprises approximately 1.7 million square feet will have a detention pond that covers approximately 324,000 square feet.
The site will use Oakhurst’s drainage ditch which connects to the headwaters of Bens Branch. See Google Earth Pro image below.
Path of Drainage to West Fork
Peppervine in rectangle will drain through the Oakhurst drainage ditch to West Fork San Jacinto.Note even bigger area slated for development across freeway. It will drain into Bens Branch.Looking SE. Pepperdine’s detention pond will connect to the small drainage ditch in the upper right.Looking NE. The small drainage ditch will connect to Oakhurst’s larger ditch (lower left).Looking north.The site’s detention pond drains into the ditch in the foreground which connects to the Oakhurst Ditch on the left.
Homes Built Above Roads
Homebuyers will be pleased that the homes will be built up from the roadways.
Homes will be elevated above the roads, always a good practice.
Sizable Detention Pond Should Help Allay Concerns
During Harvey and Imelda, multiple homes flooded in Oakhurst. I’m sure Oakhurst residents must have concerns about yet another subdivision adding even more runoff to the ditches and stream. The good news here, though, is that Montgomery County required a rather sizable detention pond in this instance. The developer did not get to avoid detention with a beat-the-peak survey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/24/2022
1668 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/2022/03/20220310-DJI_0709.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-03-24 17:50:052022-03-26 20:33:16Oakhurst Getting New Neighbor: Land Cleared for Peppervine
After a 2 inch rain on 3/22/22, the construction site at the Laurel Springs RV Resort turned into a giant mud bath, now being pumped into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system. The whole point of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan approved by the TCEQ is to prevent that.
Is This Part of A Bigger Marketing Plan?
Large ponds of muddy water covered the site from north to south and east to west, a tribute to the drainage still not installed after five months of site work. It makes one wonder whether the contractor’s tardiness is part of a marketing ploy.
Do they plan to market this RV resort as a mud bath/spa? Will they offer a special pit for ladies’ mud wrestling on WWF nights? Do they plan to turn part of the site into an all-weather ATV track? Will they rent this place out to kindergarten class reunions? Or will this be a practice range for politicians who want to learn how to sling mud? There’s just no telling. The secretive owners still have not divulged their marketing plans with the local residents.
Pictures Taken After 2″ Rain
Regardless, they have conspired with Mother Nature to create a world-class mud bath, as the pictures below show. I took the pictures below the morning after the gage at the West Fork and 59 recorded a two-inch rain.
Looking north toward entrance on right.The ponds above the detention pond.Let’s bring in some more mud. Note dirt piles at top of frame.ATV terrain, northern part of site.There’s nothing like mud to slow down work on a construction site. That’s why this must be intentional. Ooops. What happened to those silt fences on the west?The creative approach to construction.Even though they’ve installed a drain, they still haven’t installed pumps.
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.
After at least three days of warnings, dozens of tornados swept through Texas last night, injuring approximately 30 people and leaving tens of thousands without power. Luckily for the Lake Houston Area, however, we dodged the worst of the storms.
Spectacular Light and Sound Show in Lake Houston Area
Line after line of thunderstorms swept north through Texas last night and this morning as the front pushed toward the east. Below is a radar image of the one that raked over Kingwood shortly before 7 AM this morning. The light show was spectacular. Thunder seemed to merge into one long, half-hour crescendo. Before the boom from one lightning strike could fade, another would hit. The sky sounded like the William Tell Overture. The lightning, thunder and incessant wailing of the alerts from my weather radio left me breathless and sleepless.
RadarScope Pro Image at 6:48 AM on 3/22/22.Note the 11 “Watch” and “Warning” alerts in the upper right corner!
When the sky cleared, I ventured out to survey the damage, but saw little. The storm blew through so quickly that far less rain fell than predicted. Forecasters had talked about stalled supercells dropping up to 7″ as we saw in January. Those never materialized, at least not in the Lake Houston Area.
Official Rainfall Totals Fall Short of Predictions
The highest rainfall total at an official gage was 2.44 inches at the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. Two gages north of Lake Conroe reported more than 3 inches. Most other gages recorded between 1 and 2 inches, far less than the widespread 2″-4″ predicted with isolated totals exceeding 7″.
24 hour rainfall totals from the storm on 3/21 – 3/22/22.Most of the rain fell within an hour.
By 8:30 AM, Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner reported that the squall line was moving off to the east.
“Rainfall amounts of 1.0-2.0 inches in 15-30 minutes with this line quickly led to street flooding,” said Lindner. Most storm sewers can handle only 1.0-2.0 inches per hour.
All Channels and Streams within Banks
At 3 PM, the Harris County Flood Warning System shows that all creeks and bayous are within their banks. Lindner expects no flooding, but cautions that we need to watch the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto as runoff works its way south from harder hit areas to the north.
Harris County Flood Warning System Channel Status as of 3PM Tuesday afternoon.
Photos of Kingwood-Area Streams
Photos of local channels confirmed the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, Ben’s Branch and Taylor Gully were up, but not out of their banks.
Taylor Gully at top of frame where it leaves Woodridge Village detention ponds (foreground) north of Elm Grove.Looking south at the Kingwood Diversion Ditch where it takes water out of Ben’s Branch just south of St. Martha Church.North Park Drive cuts through the frame from left to right.Looking south at bens Branch where it crosses under Kingwood Drive.
2-Year Rain
Comparing the rainfall amounts to an Atlas-14 chart of annual exceedance probabilities shows that a 2.5 inch rain, in about an hour, qualifies as a 2-year storm.
atlas 14 rainfall probabilities
It made a pretty rude wake up call on Mother Nature’s part.
Experts Still Assessing Tornado Damage
Several National Weather Service assessment teams will fan out across the region today, surveying the damage from multiple tornados.
According to NBC, “Nocturnal tornadoes are two and a half times more deadly than their daytime counterparts largely in part to people being asleep and not having a way to get woken up by warnings.”
Lakes Near Normal
Even though Lake Houston had been lowered by a foot, it was back to within 3 inches of normal within 7 hours. The SJRA did not lower Lake Conroe before the storm. It is one half foot above its normal level as of 3:30 PM.
All things considered, we dodged the bullet with this one, especially given the buildup. Had the storm moved a little slower, had supercells parked on top of us as they did in January, had a tornado dropped out of the sky as it did elsewhere, this could have been a much different story.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/22/22
1665 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/20220322-DJI_0007.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-03-22 16:16:082022-03-22 16:16:11Whew! Dodged the Worst.
Oakhurst Getting New Neighbor: Land Cleared for Peppervine
Note: Updated 3/26/22 to correct drainage path from Peppervine to West Fork instead of Bens Branch.
Centex Homes, an affiliate of Pulte Homes, has cleared land for a new 47-acre development in Porter just north of Oakhurst. The developer will call the new development Peppervine and is targeting first-time homebuyers and young, budget-conscious homebuyers.
Few Details Available Yet About Homes
Centex doesn’t give many details about the homes yet. The company’s website contains only one page of high-level information. However, it does say that the builder will offer both one- and two-story homes. Their website shows a fairly traditional style that would fit in well with most homes in the Kingwood Area.
However, the only other trees are in the northwest corner of the new subdivision to help shield residents from an RV park.
Impact on Drainage
Of course, ReduceFlooding readers are concerned about the impact on drainage. While regrettable, the loss of more trees will be at least partially offset by a fairly large detention pond that occupies approximately 20% of the site. See above.
The Montgomery County Appraisal District shows the development, which comprises approximately 1.7 million square feet will have a detention pond that covers approximately 324,000 square feet.
The site will use Oakhurst’s drainage ditch which connects to the headwaters of Bens Branch. See Google Earth Pro image below.
Path of Drainage to West Fork
Homes Built Above Roads
Homebuyers will be pleased that the homes will be built up from the roadways.
Sizable Detention Pond Should Help Allay Concerns
During Harvey and Imelda, multiple homes flooded in Oakhurst. I’m sure Oakhurst residents must have concerns about yet another subdivision adding even more runoff to the ditches and stream. The good news here, though, is that Montgomery County required a rather sizable detention pond in this instance. The developer did not get to avoid detention with a beat-the-peak survey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/24/2022
1668 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 Turns Into Giant Mud Bath
After a 2 inch rain on 3/22/22, the construction site at the Laurel Springs RV Resort turned into a giant mud bath, now being pumped into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system. The whole point of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan approved by the TCEQ is to prevent that.
Is This Part of A Bigger Marketing Plan?
Large ponds of muddy water covered the site from north to south and east to west, a tribute to the drainage still not installed after five months of site work. It makes one wonder whether the contractor’s tardiness is part of a marketing ploy.
Do they plan to market this RV resort as a mud bath/spa? Will they offer a special pit for ladies’ mud wrestling on WWF nights? Do they plan to turn part of the site into an all-weather ATV track? Will they rent this place out to kindergarten class reunions? Or will this be a practice range for politicians who want to learn how to sling mud? There’s just no telling. The secretive owners still have not divulged their marketing plans with the local residents.
Pictures Taken After 2″ Rain
Regardless, they have conspired with Mother Nature to create a world-class mud bath, as the pictures below show. I took the pictures below the morning after the gage at the West Fork and 59 recorded a two-inch rain.
They started pumping this pond into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system today. So much for keeping mud out of the sewers. That’s a major part of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan approved by the TCEQ.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/23/2022
1667 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.
Whew! Dodged the Worst.
After at least three days of warnings, dozens of tornados swept through Texas last night, injuring approximately 30 people and leaving tens of thousands without power. Luckily for the Lake Houston Area, however, we dodged the worst of the storms.
Spectacular Light and Sound Show in Lake Houston Area
Line after line of thunderstorms swept north through Texas last night and this morning as the front pushed toward the east. Below is a radar image of the one that raked over Kingwood shortly before 7 AM this morning. The light show was spectacular. Thunder seemed to merge into one long, half-hour crescendo. Before the boom from one lightning strike could fade, another would hit. The sky sounded like the William Tell Overture. The lightning, thunder and incessant wailing of the alerts from my weather radio left me breathless and sleepless.
When the sky cleared, I ventured out to survey the damage, but saw little. The storm blew through so quickly that far less rain fell than predicted. Forecasters had talked about stalled supercells dropping up to 7″ as we saw in January. Those never materialized, at least not in the Lake Houston Area.
Official Rainfall Totals Fall Short of Predictions
The highest rainfall total at an official gage was 2.44 inches at the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. Two gages north of Lake Conroe reported more than 3 inches. Most other gages recorded between 1 and 2 inches, far less than the widespread 2″-4″ predicted with isolated totals exceeding 7″.
By 8:30 AM, Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner reported that the squall line was moving off to the east.
“Rainfall amounts of 1.0-2.0 inches in 15-30 minutes with this line quickly led to street flooding,” said Lindner. Most storm sewers can handle only 1.0-2.0 inches per hour.
All Channels and Streams within Banks
At 3 PM, the Harris County Flood Warning System shows that all creeks and bayous are within their banks. Lindner expects no flooding, but cautions that we need to watch the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto as runoff works its way south from harder hit areas to the north.
Photos of Kingwood-Area Streams
Photos of local channels confirmed the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, Ben’s Branch and Taylor Gully were up, but not out of their banks.
2-Year Rain
Comparing the rainfall amounts to an Atlas-14 chart of annual exceedance probabilities shows that a 2.5 inch rain, in about an hour, qualifies as a 2-year storm.
It made a pretty rude wake up call on Mother Nature’s part.
Experts Still Assessing Tornado Damage
Several National Weather Service assessment teams will fan out across the region today, surveying the damage from multiple tornados.
According to NBC, “Nocturnal tornadoes are two and a half times more deadly than their daytime counterparts largely in part to people being asleep and not having a way to get woken up by warnings.”
Lakes Near Normal
Even though Lake Houston had been lowered by a foot, it was back to within 3 inches of normal within 7 hours. The SJRA did not lower Lake Conroe before the storm. It is one half foot above its normal level as of 3:30 PM.
All things considered, we dodged the bullet with this one, especially given the buildup. Had the storm moved a little slower, had supercells parked on top of us as they did in January, had a tornado dropped out of the sky as it did elsewhere, this could have been a much different story.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/22/22
1665 Days since Hurricane Harvey