News - Reduce Flooding

KSA Replacing River Grove Boat-Launch Pier

The Kingwood Service Association pier at the River Grove Park Boat Launch has reached the end of its service life and is being replaced.

The pier, which had grown old, sustained damage during recent floods. The planks had so much give in them, that I often wondered if they would hold me.

It’s Finally Time

After Harvey, though, KSA had so much work to do in the park – removing sand, replacing pavement, fixing fields, restoring restrooms, and dredging in front of the boardwalk – that replacement of the pier just had to wait, according to Dee Price, KSA president.

Earlier this year, KSA had a professional engineer draw up specs and then it solicited bids. “The winning bid was affordable and the contractor is doing excellent work,” said Price.

I would second that from everything I saw today at the park. Both the wood and workmanship appear top notch. This will make an excellent addition to the park.

Pics of New Pier Under Construction

*Driving new piles to extend the pier. The four poles stabilize the boat while the pile driver in the center does its work.*

*From this angle, you can more easily see how the pile driver slides forward and backward on rails to ensure alignmen*t *of supports.*

*From ground level, you can see how substantial the wood is.*

Expected Completion Soon

Price says she expects the work to be done this week or next, depending on weather. The launch remains open in the meantime, but is blocked periodically for short periods by the pile driver as you see here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/2/2021

1526 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Spring Creek Greenway Threatened by New Development

One of the most popular natural attractions in the north Houston area is the Spring Creek Greenway. But between mile marker 8 and 8.5, a large new development called Breckenridge East has cut across the trail, leaving a massive scar through the forest to accommodate its drainage.

Nature Interrupted

Since 1979, Harris County Precinct 4 commissioners have added to the beautiful trail system between I-69 and I-45. The Spring Creek Greenway currently connects and protects approximately 7,000 acres of forest in Harris County, preserving this ecological gem as a mecca for ecotourism, education, and outdoor recreation.

But yesterday, a reader and cyclist, Ken Matthews, alerted me to an issue.

*Photo by Ken Matthews on 10/31/2021. Taken from Spring Creek Greenway looking toward new development.*

*NE portion of development from the air. Oval indicates where it cuts across greenway.* *Spring Creek cuts through top of frame from left to right.*

Role of Forests in Flood Prevention

According to Harris County Precinct 4 and Harris County Flood Control District:

Forests buffer against flooding by absorbing rainfall in their canopies and in the soil.
Trees act as natural water filters and significantly slow the movement of storm water, which lowers runoff, soil erosion, and flooding.
From an economic viewpoint, communities that use this important function of trees and canopy cover may spend less money on other flood control methods.

Infiltration rates for forested areas are 10-15 times greater than for equivalent areas of turf and grass.
Harris County Flood Control District

Recipe for Runoff

In the shot above, you can see the beginning of what looks like a large detention pond. But as we saw with Woodridge Village flooding in 2019, putting in the detention ponds AFTER the land has been cleared can be a recipe for runaway runoff during big storms.

*Lush forest replaced by vast expanse of sterile nothingness.*

*Entire development. A local resident told me that during Harvey, water came up to Cypresswood Drive in the lower left. That put this entire area underwater.*

*Breckenridge East is in far upper left. Another development a little more than a block away is also cutting into the forest. Cypresswood Drive in foreground.*

*Looking NW from second development across Planet Ford Stadium toward Breckenridge East, one can see a whole series of developments starting to encroach on the Spring Creek floodplain and greenway.*

Support Bayou Land Conservancy

The Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) plays a vital role in protecting and maintaining the Spring Creek Greenway, which is the longest, contiguous, urban forested corridor in the country.

When finished, the Greenway will ultimately:

Stretch over 40 miles,
Reach from Highway 249 in Tomball east to US 59 in Kingwood, and
Cover more than 12,000 acres.

Please support the Bayou Land Conservancy. They preserve land along streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife. Not to mention future generations.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/1/2021 with thanks to Harris County Precinct 4, Bayou Land Conservancy and Ken Matthews

1425 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.

More West Fork Wetlands near Northpark Drive Could Soon Be Developed

Take Northpark Drive all the way west to where it ends at Sorters-McClellan and you will run into a 279-acre tract that the Houston Planning Commission will consider at its November 18th meeting. Sand mining has already destroyed most of the 279 acres. Now a developer wants to fill in the wetlands and build homes on the rest.

This is like “death by a thousand cuts.” Or the the Parable of the Rivet Poppers.

Parable of Rivet Poppers

Imagine you’re getting on an airplane and you see someone popping rivets out of the wing. You ask the pilot, “What’s that guy doing!?”

The pilot says, “Oh, he’s popping rivets. Our accountants have found that can eliminate weight and improve fuel economy.”

“But won’t that increase risk?” you ask.

The pilot replies, “Somewhat, but our engineers believe it won’t bring the plane down.”

Would you get on that airplane? Would you live in this proposed development? Or downstream from it? See details below.

Details of Northpark South

Here are the plans presented to the Planning Commission last Thursday for a plat of Northpark South. The commission deferred action on them until the next meeting. The developer is Hannover Estates, LTD. RG Miller engineered the development.

*Pretty location!* *Just don’t let your kids go fishing there.*

*Of course, the homes will be built on the highest ground. But look how far the floodplain (dotted line) cuts into them.*

Northpark South floodplains. Of course, these are based on 1980s data. Don’t be fooled by the data on the map. That’s the date of the background image. In Harris County, the new flood maps will reportedly expand the floodplains by 50% as a rule of thumb. But this is MoCo *and the last update was much longer ago.*

*Here’s how that area looked during Harvey.*

*US Fish & Wildlife Service Map of wetlands (and former wetlands) on the site (center of frame).*

*Looking W from over end of Northpark Drive. Sorters-McClellan cuts through bottom of frame from left to right. West Fork cuts through sand mines in the background.*

*The barren spot just right of center is the wetland area that will be filled in to make home sites.*

*Where the subdivision drainage will go…straight into the West Fork.*

*Water flowed so quickly through this area during Harvey that it moved and sunk this excavator within the mine.*

Another Development Targeted at the Uninitiated?

The shame of it is that if Northpark South gets built, the developer will likely build starter homes and market them to couples with young children. They’re the least knowledgeable about flood risk.

Of course, the people downstream won’t get to make a decision about this. But you can testify about it at the next Planning Commission meeting on November 18. Here are details.

Pop. There goes another rivet.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/31/2021 with thanks to Paul Ehrlich for the parable and Mai Truong for the heads up on this

1524 Days since Hurricane Harvey