The Houston Chronicle reported this afternoon that Russ Poppe, the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, submitted a letter of resignation and plans to leave his office on July 2.
Poppe helped former County Judge Ed Emmett sell the historic $2.5 Billion Harris County Flood Bond in 2018 with a whirlwind, barnstorming tour of all 23 watersheds. After voters approved the bond, Poppe, in essence, became the head of multi-billion enterprise overnight.
Russ Poppe
Summary of Work to Date on Flood Bond Projects
His focus immediately turned to hiring staff and contractors to begin hundreds of projects identified in the watershed meetings. In April, he provided an update on the projects’ progress through the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Accepting 25 grants totaling approximately $960 million with Bond funds providing around $259 million in local matching funds
Executing 326 engineering agreements totaling $241 million
Awarding 39 construction agreements totaling $296 million
Procuring 19 staff augmentation agreements providing 113 contract staff members
Acquiring nearly 340 properties at a value over $208 million for construction projects, floodplain preservation, and wetland mitigation banks
Making $115 million available to the Office of the County Engineer to manage and construct drainage improvements in nearly 100 subdivisions across Harris County
Conducting 140 community engagement meetings with over 11,413 attendees
Completing nearly 630 home buyouts at a value over $130 million with over 680 additional in process for a buyout (since Hurricane Harvey)
Completing a repair program worth more than $125 million to address damages to District infrastructure causedby Harvey
At the end of March, only 21 bond projects had not yet been initiated. All in all, a pretty amazing record in less than three years.
In addition, Poppe made countless trips to Austin and Washington to lobby for funding. He reportedly had strong relationships in both places and helped attract $495 million in US Army Corps funding for Harris County projects currently being deployed. He also helped attract $260 million in funding for projects on Clear Creek and was head of the San Jacinto River Planning Group.
Navigating the Political Process
Most who watched Poppe in action at Harris County Commissioner’s court meetings were impressed by his calm, steady demeanor in a tumultuous political environment.
Shortly after the flood bond was sold to the public, Lina Hidalgo was elected County Judge in a blue wave of straight-ticket voting. That gave Democrats a majority in Commissioners Court and they systematically started replacing the heads of departments.
Despite his successes, Poppe came under fire from Democrats for not attracting partnership funds fast enough. That supposedly threatened projects in low-to-moderate income areas. Anyone who watched Commissioners Court regularly witnessed constant backbiting in recent months.
In March, it reached a crescendo. Democrats demanded that Poppe identify the next seven years of partnership funding in 90 days. Commissioner Rodney Ellis threatened “we’ll all have blood on our hands” if those projects in Halls and Greens Bayous don’t get completed. The implication was that Poppe was dragging his feet in adopting the Democrats “equity” plan.
FOIA Request Shows Poor Watersheds Already Far Ahead
To see if that last point was true, I started investigating those watersheds. I also submitted a FOIA request for HCFCD spending by watershed over several different time periods, including since Harvey and since 2000. I have now correlated that with other information and have spent months analyzing it. (It will soon turn into a series of articles.)
Suffice it to say that Poppe and his team were not dragging their feet.
A quartile analysis showed that the poorest watersheds were already getting twice as much flood-mitigation funding compared to the richest.
You’d think that would make Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Shiela Jackson Lee and Al Green happy. However, it appears to this observer that the Democrats have driven out a tremendous asset who was working hard to please his political bosses. In my opinion, they should have just declared victory and let Poppe do his work.
It will be hard to find a replacement as qualified as he is. At their June 29 meeting, Commissioners will have three options:
Take no action
Name an interim director
Appoint a new director
Make sure you watch that meeting. The fate of the flood-mitigation in Harris County is at stake. Poppe was highly respected according to multiple sources and will make a tremendous asset to some organization. People of Poppe’s calibre rarely make moves like this without having a plan in mind. I hope he decides to stay in the region.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/12/2021
1383 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Headshot_Russ_Poppe.jpg?fit=824%2C960&ssl=1960824adminadmin2021-06-12 15:49:242021-06-14 14:52:34Russ Poppe, Head of Flood Control District, Resigns
According to the National Hurricane Center, an area of cloudiness and showers has developed over the Bay of Campeche and adjacent land areas. Slow development of this system is possible over the next several days as it moves slowly and erratically.
A tropical depression could form by the middle of next week.
NHC
Due to the slow motion, regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Central America and southern Mexico. So keep your eye on the Bay of Campeche next week.
Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent.
Chance of formation through 5 days has increased to medium…40 percent.
Beyond that, no one is predicting at this point. If nothing else, this should be a good reminder to think about preparedness.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/12/21
1283 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/two_atl_5d1.png?fit=900%2C665&ssl=1665900adminadmin2021-06-12 09:46:422021-06-12 09:48:53Brewing in Bay of Campeche
Wetlands are nature’s way of slowing water down after a rain. They also filter runoff before it reaches streams, reducing the amount of sediment pollution.
Looking north from a helicopter. Notice how ditch and roads are beginning to push into woods at top of frame.As with previous sections recently developed, Colony Ridge is not too picky about piling dirt next to ditches where sediment can wash back in.Piling dirt next to the ditches seems to be a standard practice.Note how it’s already washing back into the ditch in the lower left of this photo.
If the developer were following best management practices, according to the TCEQ and Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan recommendations, you would expect to see temporary grass, rock gabions, silt fences, and hay bales in these photos. All check the flow of sediment into ditches.
Draining the swampLooking SE toward the east part of Sante Fe (Sections 6-11) already cleared. Note swampy areas at bottom left.
Biden Trying to Restore Clean Water Act Protections
Ironically, all this development comes as the EPA under the Biden administration seeks to put teeth back into the Clean Water Act. The administration is trying to restore the definition of “Waters of the United States” that Trump restricted. Yesterday, the Justice Department submitted a legal filing that begins that process.
The EPA and Department of the Army have formally requested repeal of the Trump-era rule. That rule exempted many developments near upstream tributaries such as Luce and Tarkington Bayous from the need to obtain permits under the Clean Water Act. It basically removed large swaths of land from regulation by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
According to this Associated Press article by Matthew Daly on 6/9/2021, environmental groups and public health advocates said Trump’s interpretation of Waters of the US “allowed businesses to dump pollutants into unprotected waterways and fill in some wetlands, threatening public water supplies downstream and harming wildlife and habitat.”
Daly quotes Jaime Pinkham, acting assistant Army secretary for civil works as saying, “The Trump-era rule resulted in a 25% reduction in the number of streams and wetlands that are afforded federal protection.”
It’s unclear at this time whether rollback of Trump regulations will affect Colony Ridge. Even if the changes survive legal and legislative challenges, it could be years before they take affect.
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/2021/06/RJR_8410.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-06-10 17:39:512021-06-10 17:56:09Colony Ridge Expanding North Into More Wetlands
Russ Poppe, Head of Flood Control District, Resigns
The Houston Chronicle reported this afternoon that Russ Poppe, the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, submitted a letter of resignation and plans to leave his office on July 2.
Poppe helped former County Judge Ed Emmett sell the historic $2.5 Billion Harris County Flood Bond in 2018 with a whirlwind, barnstorming tour of all 23 watersheds. After voters approved the bond, Poppe, in essence, became the head of multi-billion enterprise overnight.
Summary of Work to Date on Flood Bond Projects
His focus immediately turned to hiring staff and contractors to begin hundreds of projects identified in the watershed meetings. In April, he provided an update on the projects’ progress through the end of the first quarter of 2021.
The highlights included:
At the end of March, only 21 bond projects had not yet been initiated. All in all, a pretty amazing record in less than three years.
In addition, Poppe made countless trips to Austin and Washington to lobby for funding. He reportedly had strong relationships in both places and helped attract $495 million in US Army Corps funding for Harris County projects currently being deployed. He also helped attract $260 million in funding for projects on Clear Creek and was head of the San Jacinto River Planning Group.
Navigating the Political Process
Most who watched Poppe in action at Harris County Commissioner’s court meetings were impressed by his calm, steady demeanor in a tumultuous political environment.
Shortly after the flood bond was sold to the public, Lina Hidalgo was elected County Judge in a blue wave of straight-ticket voting. That gave Democrats a majority in Commissioners Court and they systematically started replacing the heads of departments.
Despite his successes, Poppe came under fire from Democrats for not attracting partnership funds fast enough. That supposedly threatened projects in low-to-moderate income areas. Anyone who watched Commissioners Court regularly witnessed constant backbiting in recent months.
In March, it reached a crescendo. Democrats demanded that Poppe identify the next seven years of partnership funding in 90 days. Commissioner Rodney Ellis threatened “we’ll all have blood on our hands” if those projects in Halls and Greens Bayous don’t get completed. The implication was that Poppe was dragging his feet in adopting the Democrats “equity” plan.
FOIA Request Shows Poor Watersheds Already Far Ahead
To see if that last point was true, I started investigating those watersheds. I also submitted a FOIA request for HCFCD spending by watershed over several different time periods, including since Harvey and since 2000. I have now correlated that with other information and have spent months analyzing it. (It will soon turn into a series of articles.)
Suffice it to say that Poppe and his team were not dragging their feet.
You’d think that would make Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Shiela Jackson Lee and Al Green happy. However, it appears to this observer that the Democrats have driven out a tremendous asset who was working hard to please his political bosses. In my opinion, they should have just declared victory and let Poppe do his work.
It will be hard to find a replacement as qualified as he is. At their June 29 meeting, Commissioners will have three options:
Make sure you watch that meeting. The fate of the flood-mitigation in Harris County is at stake. Poppe was highly respected according to multiple sources and will make a tremendous asset to some organization. People of Poppe’s calibre rarely make moves like this without having a plan in mind. I hope he decides to stay in the region.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/12/2021
1383 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Brewing in Bay of Campeche
According to the National Hurricane Center, an area of cloudiness and showers has developed over the Bay of Campeche and adjacent land areas. Slow development of this system is possible over the next several days as it moves slowly and erratically.
Due to the slow motion, regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Central America and southern Mexico. So keep your eye on the Bay of Campeche next week.
Beyond that, no one is predicting at this point. If nothing else, this should be a good reminder to think about preparedness.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/12/21
1283 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Colony Ridge Expanding North Into More Wetlands
After months of expanding Colony Ridge to the east, the developer is now pushing north. The new area is outlined in red below.
US Fish and Wildlife Shows Area Contains Many Wetlands
According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the new area contains numerous wetlands. So did the partially developed area below it.
Wetlands are nature’s way of slowing water down after a rain. They also filter runoff before it reaches streams, reducing the amount of sediment pollution.
The photos below, all taken on 5/26/2021, show the same kinds of business practices that just earned Colony Ridge eight complaints from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality during nine investigations.
If the developer were following best management practices, according to the TCEQ and Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan recommendations, you would expect to see temporary grass, rock gabions, silt fences, and hay bales in these photos. All check the flow of sediment into ditches.
Biden Trying to Restore Clean Water Act Protections
Ironically, all this development comes as the EPA under the Biden administration seeks to put teeth back into the Clean Water Act. The administration is trying to restore the definition of “Waters of the United States” that Trump restricted. Yesterday, the Justice Department submitted a legal filing that begins that process.
The EPA and Department of the Army have formally requested repeal of the Trump-era rule. That rule exempted many developments near upstream tributaries such as Luce and Tarkington Bayous from the need to obtain permits under the Clean Water Act. It basically removed large swaths of land from regulation by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
According to this Associated Press article by Matthew Daly on 6/9/2021, environmental groups and public health advocates said Trump’s interpretation of Waters of the US “allowed businesses to dump pollutants into unprotected waterways and fill in some wetlands, threatening public water supplies downstream and harming wildlife and habitat.”
Daly quotes Jaime Pinkham, acting assistant Army secretary for civil works as saying, “The Trump-era rule resulted in a 25% reduction in the number of streams and wetlands that are afforded federal protection.”
It’s unclear at this time whether rollback of Trump regulations will affect Colony Ridge. Even if the changes survive legal and legislative challenges, it could be years before they take affect.
By then, the world’s largest trailer park will have doubled again in size.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/10/2021
1381 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.