Only about 4.4% of the land in the U.S. has estimated impervious cover greater than 40%. Usually, high percentages of impervious cover are associated with shopping malls; large apartment complexes; manufacturing and warehouse districts; and densely populated urban neighborhoods. Now there’s a new entry in that category: the Preserve at Woodridge – single-family housing so close together that you can spread your arms and touch two homes.
If you like living close to neighbors, the Preserve at Woodridge will be for you. Guefen, the developer, claims 65% impervious cover. Assuming their calculations and claims are accurate, what does that look like?
We can now see. Builders have framed the first cluster of homes. I’ve posted before about how close together these homes would be. But until you see them, the proximity is hard to fathom. They certainly don’t pass the eyeball test for 65% impervious cover.
Pictures Dramatize Proximity of Homes
The good news is that these homes, some as large as 660 square feet, definitely have more space than a porta-potty or a cargo container. You’ll be able to vacuum the home in world-record time. And you’ll never have to wonder where you left your cell phone. It would be impossible to lose in a home this small.
The cluster of homes shown above is also shown in the schematic below.
Note 4.95-foot width between home in middle and one below it. See actual space below where ladder is.
You know things are tight when the developer measures the distance between homes down to the hundredth of a foot (1/12th of an inch).
Notice how the ladder leaning on one home is braced against the foundation of another.Those two homes have less than five feet of separation.
Regardless, the engineers claim the development has 65% impervious cover for the purposes of calculating detention pond volume. That means 35% would be pervious, i.e., grass. See below.
From developer’s drainage calculations, page 20.
But Where Do You Put the Lawnmower?
But with so much shade between the homes, can you really get grass to grow? And if you can, where do you put the lawnmower? The developer has only 34 garage spaces for 131 homes. Perhaps you can put the mower under your Murphy bed. Or in your gym bag.
More pads for the next batch of homes.Status of Preserve-at-Woodridge construction as of 1/29/2022.
Guefen plans to rent, not sell these homes. I guess you could consider these a step up from apartment living. But the developer has not preserved much at the Preserve. They certainly won’t live up to the reputation of the Livable Forest.
This is going to feel more like high-density, inner-city living … without the public transportation. We’ll soon see if there really is a market for this concept in the Kingwood Area.
How Impervious Cover Can Contribute to Flooding
The higher the percentage of impervious cover, the less stormwater soaks into the ground. It runs off faster. And without sufficient detention pond capacity, flood peaks build higher.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/2022
1615 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.
Stormwater Drainage Plan approved by City of Houston just three months ago. City stamped the red note in the middle of the detention pond below.
A reader emailed me this morning to alert me to the fact that the contractor was digging through the wall of the detention pond to drain it. Pumping the water over the edge evidently didn’t work fast enough.
Note trench being dug through wall of detention pond to empty stormwater runoff onto neighboring property – Harris County Precinct 4’s Edgewater Parkon left.On Saturday afternoon, 1/29/22, contractors were enlarging the breach to drain runoff faster.
The excavator seemed to be widening and deepening the ditch down to level of the pond bottom.
Was the timing of the excavation of this breach on a Saturday afternoon intentional to avoid City Inspectors? Will they fill this trench back in before Monday morning?
It’s not clear whether the contractor received permission from the City or County to dig the trench that emptied the pond. Phone calls and emails went unanswered Saturday.
There’s not much more to say about this. In fairness, construction is always difficult and risky. Wet conditions can create expensive delays that put tremendous pressure on all involved. And, of course, partially completed projects never fully function as intended.
Ironically, a close reading of drainage plans reveals that the contractor is supposed to be pumping the water into the COH storm sewer system. The plans also estimate that the draining the entire pond would take just 13 hours with two pumps. However, the connection to COH’s storm sewer has not yet been installed.
Note the construction activity in the top right corner of the last photo below. The contractor appears to be building up a wall around the planned pump cutoff station.
Where stormwater will be pumped into Lakewood Cove’s stormwater sewer system. See plans below.
From Laurel Springs RV Resort approved drainage plan. Plan shows contractor will pump contents of pond into Lakewood Cove storm drain system via a 24 inch pipe running under Lakewood Cove. From there, water will drain, downhill into Lakewood Cove’s detention pond near HamblenRoad.
Pray all that pumping doesn’t back stormwater runoff up into the streets of Lakewood Cove.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/2022
1614 Days after 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/2022/01/20220129-DJI_0612.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-01-29 19:28:002022-01-30 20:36:09“Stormwater Runoff Shall Not Cross Property Line”
Mechanical dredging is sloooooooooow. Two months after my last dredging update, contractors are still working on the same portion of the East Fork Mouth Bar complex just north of the entrance to Luce Bayou. The sand bar is question is one of many in the area that popped up after Harvey and Imelda.
Pictures Taken on 1/28/22
I took the first three images below this morning.
Looking East across the San Jacinto East Fork from Kingwood toward Luce Bayou in upper right. North is to the left.Photo taken on 1/28/22.Dredgers are now working on a small island just upstream from Luce. But there’s a lot of work yet to do.Photo taken on 1/28/22.
The San Jacinto East Fork Mouth Bar grew more than 4,000 feet in length during Harvey and Imelda. River depth was reduced to 3 feet, according to boaters. That reduced conveyance of the river and contributed to flooding of homes on both sides.
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. Removing sediment from the area in red above has taken four months. But it’s only a small portion of the work that needs to be done as you can see in the second image above that looks upstream.
Naturally, residents are asking, “How much more does the City intend to do?” The answer to that question is still unsettled.
Vendor for Long-Range Dredging Plan Still Not Decided
The project attracted a lot of attention. Thirteen companies expressed interest. And eleven signed up for a pre-bid conference. However, 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.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/28/2022
1613 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/20220128-DJI_0561.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-01-28 13:34:082022-01-28 14:28:52Dredgers Still Nibbling Away at East Fork Mouth Bar
65% Impervious Cover?
Only about 4.4% of the land in the U.S. has estimated impervious cover greater than 40%. Usually, high percentages of impervious cover are associated with shopping malls; large apartment complexes; manufacturing and warehouse districts; and densely populated urban neighborhoods. Now there’s a new entry in that category: the Preserve at Woodridge – single-family housing so close together that you can spread your arms and touch two homes.
If you like living close to neighbors, the Preserve at Woodridge will be for you. Guefen, the developer, claims 65% impervious cover. Assuming their calculations and claims are accurate, what does that look like?
We can now see. Builders have framed the first cluster of homes. I’ve posted before about how close together these homes would be. But until you see them, the proximity is hard to fathom. They certainly don’t pass the eyeball test for 65% impervious cover.
Pictures Dramatize Proximity of Homes
The good news is that these homes, some as large as 660 square feet, definitely have more space than a porta-potty or a cargo container. You’ll be able to vacuum the home in world-record time. And you’ll never have to wonder where you left your cell phone. It would be impossible to lose in a home this small.
You know things are tight when the developer measures the distance between homes down to the hundredth of a foot (1/12th of an inch).
Regardless, the engineers claim the development has 65% impervious cover for the purposes of calculating detention pond volume. That means 35% would be pervious, i.e., grass. See below.
But Where Do You Put the Lawnmower?
But with so much shade between the homes, can you really get grass to grow? And if you can, where do you put the lawnmower? The developer has only 34 garage spaces for 131 homes. Perhaps you can put the mower under your Murphy bed. Or in your gym bag.
Guefen plans to rent, not sell these homes. I guess you could consider these a step up from apartment living. But the developer has not preserved much at the Preserve. They certainly won’t live up to the reputation of the Livable Forest.
This is going to feel more like high-density, inner-city living … without the public transportation. We’ll soon see if there really is a market for this concept in the Kingwood Area.
How Impervious Cover Can Contribute to Flooding
The higher the percentage of impervious cover, the less stormwater soaks into the ground. It runs off faster. And without sufficient detention pond capacity, flood peaks build higher.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/2022
1615 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.
“Stormwater Runoff Shall Not Cross Property Line”
The construction plans approved by the City of Houston for the Laurel Springs RV Resort state that “Stormwater runoff shall not cross property line.” The memory of that warning did not last long.
Reminder about Stormwater Runoff
A reader emailed me this morning to alert me to the fact that the contractor was digging through the wall of the detention pond to drain it. Pumping the water over the edge evidently didn’t work fast enough.
The excavator seemed to be widening and deepening the ditch down to level of the pond bottom.
Was the timing of the excavation of this breach on a Saturday afternoon intentional to avoid City Inspectors? Will they fill this trench back in before Monday morning?
Ten-Year Rain in Hundred Year Pond
This pond was about half full of stormwater runoff after the ten-year rain Kingwood received on January 9.
It’s not clear whether the contractor received permission from the City or County to dig the trench that emptied the pond. Phone calls and emails went unanswered Saturday.
Regardless, it is upsetting to residents who have worried about plan deficiencies and possible flooding since last October when the plans were approved and clearing of the land began.
This pond was intended to be a dry bottom pond.
Construction Always Risky
There’s not much more to say about this. In fairness, construction is always difficult and risky. Wet conditions can create expensive delays that put tremendous pressure on all involved. And, of course, partially completed projects never fully function as intended.
Ironically, a close reading of drainage plans reveals that the contractor is supposed to be pumping the water into the COH storm sewer system. The plans also estimate that the draining the entire pond would take just 13 hours with two pumps. However, the connection to COH’s storm sewer has not yet been installed.
Note the construction activity in the top right corner of the last photo below. The contractor appears to be building up a wall around the planned pump cutoff station.
Pray all that pumping doesn’t back stormwater runoff up into the streets of Lakewood Cove.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/2022
1614 Days after 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.
Dredgers Still Nibbling Away at East Fork Mouth Bar
Mechanical dredging is sloooooooooow. Two months after my last dredging update, contractors are still working on the same portion of the East Fork Mouth Bar complex just north of the entrance to Luce Bayou. The sand bar is question is one of many in the area that popped up after Harvey and Imelda.
Pictures Taken on 1/28/22
I took the first three images below this morning.
The San Jacinto East Fork Mouth Bar grew more than 4,000 feet in length during Harvey and Imelda. River depth was reduced to 3 feet, according to boaters. That reduced conveyance of the river and contributed to flooding of homes on both sides.
This damage map shows that almost 1300 homes flooded in the East Fork watershed during Harvey. However, it’s not clear how far upstream any backwater effect extended from the East Fork mouth bar.
Earlier Images
Compare the photo above taken today to the one below taken two months ago.
Since November, dredgers have eliminated the remainder of the bar in the distance and reduced the size of the one in the foreground.
See a satellite image of the full bar below before dredging started.
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. Removing sediment from the area in red above has taken four months. But it’s only a small portion of the work that needs to be done as you can see in the second image above that looks upstream.
Naturally, residents are asking, “How much more does the City intend to do?” The answer to that question is still unsettled.
Vendor for Long-Range Dredging Plan Still Not Decided
In August of last year, the City of Houston started searching for a consultant to develop a long-range dredging plan for Lake Houston. The timetable in the Request for Qualifications (Page 4) stated that the City hoped to select a vendor by November, approve the contract in December, and start work in January.
The project attracted a lot of attention. Thirteen companies expressed interest. And eleven signed up for a pre-bid conference. However, 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.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/28/2022
1613 Days since Hurricane Harvey