Valley Ranch, the new downtown of East Montgomery County, seems to be exploding with growth. The northwest quadrant of I-69 and the Grand Parkway developed first. Now the focus is shifting to the southwest quadrant where more than 500 acres are being cleared near the banks of White Oak Creek. People downstream from I-69 to Caney Creek have experienced flooding recently. This raises the questions, “Will the flood mitigation measures being put in place at Valley Ranch be enough?” and “In general, are we winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding?”
The Relentless Forces of Development vs. Battle to Reduce Flooding
Last week, I posted about the new Amazon distribution center, shown above at A. Today, I’d like to focus on four areas west of Amazon, shown as 1-4. All sizes below are approximate. I used the measuring tool in Google Earth.
Most of Area 1 just south of the Grand Parkway will be future retail space dubbed “Marketplace.”
Area 1 looking SW from over the Grand Parkway will contain retail. However, apartments are now going up in the far top left corner.What’s that soupy area in the middle? See below.US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Wetlands Mapper shows a wetland area that corresponds to the soupy area in photo above this one.Here it is again. Looking north toward the future Marketplace and the Grand Parkway. Closer shot of apartmentconstruction.
Area 2: Commercial District
Looking East from over Grand Parkway toward I-69. Commercial area is the clearing in the distance. White Oak Creek is the wooded area that runs diagonally through the frame.Closer shot of commercial area.From over White Oak Creek looking N toward Grand Parkway. I-69 on right.
Areas 3 and 4: Medical District
Medical District looking SW from over I-69.
You can tell by the amount of standing water on this property that drainage could be an issue. Note below how the standing water coincides with the former wetlands mapped by USFWS below.
Sediment control during clearing becomes a real issue for sites like this. Note the series of trenches channeling standing water toward the storm drain on the I-69 feeder road below.
Looking W from over I-69 across southern portion of Medical District. Note attempts to drain the site through the storm sewer in the foreground.
That basket of rocks is supposed to filter out sediment before it reaches the drain. But when I enlarged the image, look what I found.
Someone trenched around it! Reverse angle of same arealooking E toward I-69 shows two large detention ponds under construction on left.
We Need Regional Flood-Mitigation Scorecard
The pace of development seems to be faster than the pace of flood mitigation.
Certainly, responsible developers exist who retain their rain. This may be one. That remains yet to be seen. But other developers exist who do not retain their rain. The question is, “Are there more irresponsible developers than the responsible kind?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2021
1533 days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0785.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-08 16:16:532021-11-08 16:27:27Are We Winning or Losing the Battle to Reduce Flooding?
Although much finish work remains, contractors have finished blocking out New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School. Walls, structural steel and roofs are up. Some windows are in. Now they are widening Sorters-McClellan Road. They are also building another access route through woods that will connect to Kingwood Place Drive, the street immediately west of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center.
Photos Taken 11/6/2021
I took all of the shots below on November 6, 2021, with the exception of the last one from November a year ago.
New Caney ISD West Fork High School Construction as of 11/6/2021. Looking NE from over Sorters-McClellan Road toward HCA Kingwood Medical Center and Insperity in top center.Looking south from over Sorters-McClellan Road, which is apparently being widened in front of the high school and then some.Note the wetlands and cypress trees in the upper right.Looking north from over detention pond at south end of campus. I-69 in upper right.Fieldhouse, track and football field.New access road through woods will connect with Kingwood Place DriveLooking south. Note windows being installed in center.Looking SE. Much sitework remains.From a higher altitude, you can see the proximity to the San Jacinto West Fork. From the upper left, it curves around the large pond then becomes visible again to the left of the sand mine in the upper right.
Wetlands Gone Forever
From US Fish and Wildlife Service Wetlands Mapper. Green areas are/were freshwater forested/shrub wetlands. Blue/gray areas are freshwater ponds. High school site is in center of frame. Image taken shortly after clearing.Note large area of former wetlands where athletic fields will be.
I’m sorry to see the wetlands go, but now that they’re gone, I want to see them complete the drainage for this campus ASAP to make sure everything gets channeled into the detention pond. That will minimize the chance of flooding neighbors.
New Caney ISD expects to finish construction by the summer of 2022.
General plan for New Caney High School #3
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 8, 2021
1532 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0723.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-07 17:24:212021-11-07 21:25:37New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School Blocked Out; Access Being Enhanced
In March, Community Impact reported the facility would open this year, but did not specify a date. Amazon said it was one of four such facilities opening in the Houston area this year. “The station will bring in about 300 full-time jobs paying $15 as a starting hourly wage,” said Community Impact.
Amazon Transportation Facility at Valley Ranch as of 11/6/2021. Looking NNW from the SE corner. I-69 intersects Grand Parkway in upper right.
According to Amazon’s plans, those brownish grassy areas between the parking lots are wetlands they are trying to preserve.
Looking SW from over White Oak Creek from NE corner of property.
The site has two large detention ponds on the left and in the foreground to help slow down all that runoff from the acres of concrete.
Looking S from over I-69 (right).
Proximity to Bush Intercontinental Airport, US59 and the Grand Parkway make this location an ideal transportation hub.
Looking NE. I-69 in lower left.
Development in this area is exploding. While photographing this site today, I noticed three other sites on the west side of I-69 clearing ground. Developers are excavating detention ponds and building has just begun. More on those soon.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/2021
1531 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/20211106-DJI_0755.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2021-11-06 19:53:352021-11-06 19:56:36Amazon Transportation Center at Valley Ranch Nears Completion
Are We Winning or Losing the Battle to Reduce Flooding?
Valley Ranch, the new downtown of East Montgomery County, seems to be exploding with growth. The northwest quadrant of I-69 and the Grand Parkway developed first. Now the focus is shifting to the southwest quadrant where more than 500 acres are being cleared near the banks of White Oak Creek. People downstream from I-69 to Caney Creek have experienced flooding recently. This raises the questions, “Will the flood mitigation measures being put in place at Valley Ranch be enough?” and “In general, are we winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding?”
The Relentless Forces of Development vs. Battle to Reduce Flooding
Last week, I posted about the new Amazon distribution center, shown above at A. Today, I’d like to focus on four areas west of Amazon, shown as 1-4. All sizes below are approximate. I used the measuring tool in Google Earth.
I took all the aerial photos below on 11/6/21.
This interactive map of Valley Ranch shows what’s planned where.
Area 1: Marketplace
Most of Area 1 just south of the Grand Parkway will be future retail space dubbed “Marketplace.”
Area 2: Commercial District
Areas 3 and 4: Medical District
You can tell by the amount of standing water on this property that drainage could be an issue. Note below how the standing water coincides with the former wetlands mapped by USFWS below.
Sediment control during clearing becomes a real issue for sites like this. Note the series of trenches channeling standing water toward the storm drain on the I-69 feeder road below.
That basket of rocks is supposed to filter out sediment before it reaches the drain. But when I enlarged the image, look what I found.
Reverse angle of same area looking E toward I-69 shows two large detention ponds under construction on left.
We Need Regional Flood-Mitigation Scorecard
The pace of development seems to be faster than the pace of flood mitigation.
Four and a quarter years after Harvey, we’re halfway done with dredging the sediment flushed downstream to the headwaters of Lake Houston. We have yet to build one regional detention basin upstream. And according to the Houston Chronicle, the proposed new gates for Lake Houston’s dam are being scaled back to fit the available budget.
And all of that is on the asset side of the ledger.
On the debit side, thousands of acres are being cleared with little to no detention capacity, faster than I can photograph and catalog them.
Somebody smarter than I needs to develop a formula that shows whether society is winning or losing the battle to reduce flooding. Are new developments springing up faster than we can mitigate the runoff from them?
Certainly, responsible developers exist who retain their rain. This may be one. That remains yet to be seen. But other developers exist who do not retain their rain. The question is, “Are there more irresponsible developers than the responsible kind?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2021
1533 days since Hurricane Harvey
New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School Blocked Out; Access Being Enhanced
Although much finish work remains, contractors have finished blocking out New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School. Walls, structural steel and roofs are up. Some windows are in. Now they are widening Sorters-McClellan Road. They are also building another access route through woods that will connect to Kingwood Place Drive, the street immediately west of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center.
Photos Taken 11/6/2021
I took all of the shots below on November 6, 2021, with the exception of the last one from November a year ago.
Wetlands Gone Forever
I’m sorry to see the wetlands go, but now that they’re gone, I want to see them complete the drainage for this campus ASAP to make sure everything gets channeled into the detention pond. That will minimize the chance of flooding neighbors.
Progress in One Year
New Caney ISD has posted an update on construction that indicates the percentage of completion for each of the project components as of October 29.
It was just a year ago, that this site was virtually nothing but dirt. Contractors had just started pouring concrete for the first parking pad.
New Caney ISD expects to finish construction by the summer of 2022.
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 8, 2021
1532 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Amazon Transportation Center at Valley Ranch Nears Completion
In the four months since I last posted about the new Amazon Transportation Center at Valley Ranch on I-69 and White Oak Creek, just south of the Grand Parkway, the facility has come a long way. I can’t see inside, of course, but exterior construction looks complete.
In March, Community Impact reported the facility would open this year, but did not specify a date. Amazon said it was one of four such facilities opening in the Houston area this year. “The station will bring in about 300 full-time jobs paying $15 as a starting hourly wage,” said Community Impact.
According to Amazon’s plans, those brownish grassy areas between the parking lots are wetlands they are trying to preserve.
The site has two large detention ponds on the left and in the foreground to help slow down all that runoff from the acres of concrete.
Proximity to Bush Intercontinental Airport, US59 and the Grand Parkway make this location an ideal transportation hub.
Development in this area is exploding. While photographing this site today, I noticed three other sites on the west side of I-69 clearing ground. Developers are excavating detention ponds and building has just begun. More on those soon.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/2021
1531 Days since Hurricane Harvey