#60 Recommendation to execute a Partnership Agreement with TXDoT for preliminary engineering and environmental review for a railroad grade separation on Hamblen Road, from Loop 494 to Laurel Springs Lane.
#83 Authorization to negotiate an interlocal agreement for a partnership project with the SJRA, Humble, and five utility districts for a feasibility study and conceptual design on the Spring Creek Watershed Flood Control Reservoirs.
This would improve traffic flow and expand the development area of the 90-acre park that will serve as a key anchor park along the Spring Creek Greenway trail. The current two-lane asphalt segment of Hamblen Road runs across the Union Pacific Railroad track through the middle of the proposed park. Plans include rerouting the new segment diagonally from Loop 494 at Sorters-McClellan Road to Laurel Springs Lane and upgrading it to a four-lane concrete with a bridge over the railroad track. The previous Hamblen Road segment could then be repurposed to serve park visitors. If approved, construction will not affect the park’s cypress ponds.
Tentative plans for a new Edgewater Park at Hamblen Road and Loop 494. The proposed bridge across the railroad would be part of the diagonal segment.
The bridge would also provide an evacuation route from Kingwood in the event of a railroad accident. UP plans to increase the length of its trains making a bridge more important than ever. In the event of a derailment, the longer trains (without the bridge) could block all Kingwood exits to US59.
Also, the current intersection is one of the most dangerous in Kingwood. Danny Sullivan, of Sullivan’s Automotive, says he tows vehicles almost daily from this stretch of road. There are a number of blind turns with people trying to cut across multiple lanes as traffic zooms north off the San Jacinto bridge.
Spring Creek Reservoirs: Feasibility Study, Conceptual Design
Additional upstream detention is one of the three main legs of the Lake Houston Areas flood-reduction strategy. Upstream detention would reduce the inbound flow; dredging is restoring conveyance of the West Fork; and additional gates on the Lake Houston Dam will help eliminate backups.
Peak flows from various tributaries during Hurricane Harvey. Source: SJRA.
During Harvey, Spring Creek provided one third of the flow coming down the West Fork between Humble and Kingwood. To put that in perspective, that was as much as the peak release from Lake Conroe. Retaining even a portion of Spring Creek’s floodwater upstream would benefit people in Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 all across northern Harris County.
So even though this would be far upstream and not in our area, it still has the potential to reduce flooding significantly in the Lake Houston Area. And that’s very good news.
Thanks to Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, Harris County Flood Control and their partners for pushing this project forward.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/2021
1275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/EdgewaterParkScansCombined.jpg?fit=1848%2C1175&ssl=111751848adminadmin2021-02-24 16:09:322021-02-24 16:09:35Bridge over Tracks, Upstream Detention on Friday’s Commissioners Court Agenda
This is an update on construction progress of the Northeast Water Purification Plant. The massive multi-billion project stretches from Lake Houston to the northeast corner of Beltway 8. Water was in the news last week when half the state was forced to boil water because of power outages at treatment plants. I sure hope the City plans to build a massive power-generation backup facility as part of this plant. If the presentation doesn’t address the subject, I hope someone asks.
The sprawling NE Water Purification Plant Expansion. Photographed Jan. 1, 2021
The new treatment facility is being constructed next to the current plant. When complete in 2024, it will provide 320 million gallons per day of treated water capacity in addition to the current 80 million gallons per day treated water capacity. It will help sustain growth by providing enough surface water to meet 80% of the region’s needs in 2035.
The amount of groundwater that LSGWD would like to pump would create approximately 3 feet of subsidence near the Harris/Montgomery County line but only one foot at the Lake Houston Dam. This would essentially “tilt” the lake upstream and reduce the gradient of the East and West Forks. That could contribute to increased flooding between Conroe, The Woodlands, and the Lake Houston Area.
What will LSGWCD’s position be on subsidence this week? This is getting better than a soap opera.
6A) Election of officers to the board of directors. The governor recently appointed two new board members to the SJRA and reappointed Kaaren Cambio. And the term of board president Lloyd Tisdale expired. The reshuffling will require the board to select new officers. Who the board members elect among themselves to replace Tisdale could have long-term consequences for board priorities, such downstream flood mitigation.
6B) Consideration of a “public engagement policy.” This comes out of SJRA’s growing regional role and a Texas Sunset Advisory Commission requirement to improve public engagement efforts. Key components of the resolution:
Seeking general public input in advance of major actions and projects.
Proactively anticipating and interacting with those ultimately affected by SJRA decisions.
Register for the SJRA Go To Webinar meeting at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2515623643758462479. Use meeting ID 958-527467.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2021and updated at 4:08 PM to clarify Item 6A on SJRA Agenda
1274 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210101-RJR_5052.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-02-23 13:04:072021-06-06 17:19:26Three Meetings This Week Will Affect Future of Water in Lake Houston Area
Most people who die in floods die in their cars … after they drive into water. But how do you communicate the danger to people? It’s one thing to say, “Turn around; don’t drown.” It’s another altogether to get them to feel the risk and act on it. But this VR video (virtual reality) does an excellent job. The Clark County (Las Vegas, NV) Regional Flood Control District produced it. And it won first place in last year’s National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Communication Awards.
They named their campaign “Water Always Wins” and produced a scary, virtual-reality video showing a car of teenagers returning from a day trip in the desert. As they get off the freeway near home, they approach a flooded intersection and decide to try to make it across. Their car becomes buoyant and loses traction. It floats down the road into deeper water. The floodwater starts to fill the interior of the vehicle. It loses power. The teens can’t get the windows down. Water pressure on the doors keeps them locked in the rising water. And pretty soon, the occupants run out of breathing space. (Spoiler alert: There is a rescue at the end.)
Made for the Desert, but Applies to Houston
The video realistically illustrates a worst case scenario (minus the rescue, of course). If you have a teenager learning to drive, this is highly recommended viewing. The video was produced for a desert audience, but the location could easily be Houston. I had a similar near-death experience on Little York when a bayou rose up over the road. I narrowly escaped. I must say that what I experienced bears a striking resemblance to what you will see in this video. And the water wasn’t even moving as fast as the water in this video.
Confronts Mortality Head On
Such videos have one problem though. They sometimes become so hard to watch, the audience rebels. Teenagers, especially, may try to make fun of it, because it confronts them with their own mortality. And most teenagers have an unshakeable belief in their own immortality. This video has received more than 5 million views. It also received thousands of snarky comments from teens.
Still, if I had teenagers in the house, I would make them watch it. Next time they come up to a flooded intersection, they may remember the video and forget their snarky comments.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210222-Screen-Shot-2021-02-22-at-4.09.13-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C669&ssl=16691200adminadmin2021-02-22 16:23:432021-02-22 16:23:46VR Video Shows What It’s Like From Driver’s Point of View to Get Swept Away in Flash Flood
Bridge over Tracks, Upstream Detention on Friday’s Commissioners Court Agenda
Two Kingwood-related items are on Harris County Commissioner’s Court agenda for this Friday.
#60 Recommendation to execute a Partnership Agreement with TXDoT for preliminary engineering and environmental review for a railroad grade separation on Hamblen Road, from Loop 494 to Laurel Springs Lane.
#83 Authorization to negotiate an interlocal agreement for a partnership project with the SJRA, Humble, and five utility districts for a feasibility study and conceptual design on the Spring Creek Watershed Flood Control Reservoirs.
Bridge over UP Tracks
The first item relates to the development of Precinct 4’s new Edgewater Park at 59 and the West Fork. Hamblen Road will be re-routed during park construction so that it connects with the first bridge over US59 north of the West Fork and Sorters-McClellan Road.
This would improve traffic flow and expand the development area of the 90-acre park that will serve as a key anchor park along the Spring Creek Greenway trail.
The current two-lane asphalt segment of Hamblen Road runs across the Union Pacific Railroad track through the middle of the proposed park. Plans include rerouting the new segment diagonally from Loop 494 at Sorters-McClellan Road to Laurel Springs Lane and upgrading it to a four-lane concrete with a bridge over the railroad track. The previous Hamblen Road segment could then be repurposed to serve park visitors. If approved, construction will not affect the park’s cypress ponds.
The bridge would also provide an evacuation route from Kingwood in the event of a railroad accident. UP plans to increase the length of its trains making a bridge more important than ever. In the event of a derailment, the longer trains (without the bridge) could block all Kingwood exits to US59.
Also, the current intersection is one of the most dangerous in Kingwood. Danny Sullivan, of Sullivan’s Automotive, says he tows vehicles almost daily from this stretch of road. There are a number of blind turns with people trying to cut across multiple lanes as traffic zooms north off the San Jacinto bridge.
Spring Creek Reservoirs: Feasibility Study, Conceptual Design
The second item arose out of the San Jacinto River Basin Master Drainage Study and a Spring Creek Siting Study conducted in parallel. This current project would study the feasibility of alternative locations and provide conceptual designs for one or more reservoirs.
Additional upstream detention is one of the three main legs of the Lake Houston Areas flood-reduction strategy. Upstream detention would reduce the inbound flow; dredging is restoring conveyance of the West Fork; and additional gates on the Lake Houston Dam will help eliminate backups.
During Harvey, Spring Creek provided one third of the flow coming down the West Fork between Humble and Kingwood. To put that in perspective, that was as much as the peak release from Lake Conroe. Retaining even a portion of Spring Creek’s floodwater upstream would benefit people in Precinct 3 and Precinct 4 all across northern Harris County.
So even though this would be far upstream and not in our area, it still has the potential to reduce flooding significantly in the Lake Houston Area. And that’s very good news.
Thanks to Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, Harris County Flood Control and their partners for pushing this project forward.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/2021
1275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Three Meetings This Week Will Affect Future of Water in Lake Houston Area
Three meetings this week will affect water issues in the Lake Houston Area. Here’s a brief rundown on each and how you can participate.
Below: a little more about each meeting.
NE Water Purification Plant Update
This is an update on construction progress of the Northeast Water Purification Plant. The massive multi-billion project stretches from Lake Houston to the northeast corner of Beltway 8. Water was in the news last week when half the state was forced to boil water because of power outages at treatment plants. I sure hope the City plans to build a massive power-generation backup facility as part of this plant. If the presentation doesn’t address the subject, I hope someone asks.
The new treatment facility is being constructed next to the current plant. When complete in 2024, it will provide 320 million gallons per day of treated water capacity in addition to the current 80 million gallons per day treated water capacity. It will help sustain growth by providing enough surface water to meet 80% of the region’s needs in 2035.
Register for the online meeting at: www.bit.ly/NEWPPFeb23.
Lone Star Groundwater/GMA-14 Meeting
At its last meeting, the LSGWCD board’s legal counsel spent 90 minutes trying to explain that they were indeed concerned about subsidence. But she failed to address the fact that one of their consultants told GMA-14 that LSGWCD would not consider subsidence in their desired future conditions (DFCs). Then the board deferred any decisions on subsidence and DFCs or even initiating the second phase of its subsidence study. At this month’s GMA 14 meeting, items 7, 8 and 10 all address DFCs.
The amount of groundwater that LSGWD would like to pump would create approximately 3 feet of subsidence near the Harris/Montgomery County line but only one foot at the Lake Houston Dam. This would essentially “tilt” the lake upstream and reduce the gradient of the East and West Forks. That could contribute to increased flooding between Conroe, The Woodlands, and the Lake Houston Area.
What will LSGWCD’s position be on subsidence this week? This is getting better than a soap opera.
Register for the GMA-14 Planning Committee meeting at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8339631182398941456.
The virtual platform for the meeting is Go To Webinar.
SJRA Board Agenda
Two unusual items on the SJRA agenda this month caught my eye:
6A) Election of officers to the board of directors. The governor recently appointed two new board members to the SJRA and reappointed Kaaren Cambio. And the term of board president Lloyd Tisdale expired. The reshuffling will require the board to select new officers. Who the board members elect among themselves to replace Tisdale could have long-term consequences for board priorities, such downstream flood mitigation.
6B) Consideration of a “public engagement policy.” This comes out of SJRA’s growing regional role and a Texas Sunset Advisory Commission requirement to improve public engagement efforts. Key components of the resolution:
Register for the SJRA Go To Webinar meeting at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2515623643758462479. Use meeting ID 958-527467.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2021 and updated at 4:08 PM to clarify Item 6A on SJRA Agenda
1274 Days after Hurricane Harvey
VR Video Shows What It’s Like From Driver’s Point of View to Get Swept Away in Flash Flood
Most people who die in floods die in their cars … after they drive into water. But how do you communicate the danger to people? It’s one thing to say, “Turn around; don’t drown.” It’s another altogether to get them to feel the risk and act on it. But this VR video (virtual reality) does an excellent job. The Clark County (Las Vegas, NV) Regional Flood Control District produced it. And it won first place in last year’s National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Communication Awards.
Water Always Wins
They named their campaign “Water Always Wins” and produced a scary, virtual-reality video showing a car of teenagers returning from a day trip in the desert. As they get off the freeway near home, they approach a flooded intersection and decide to try to make it across. Their car becomes buoyant and loses traction. It floats down the road into deeper water. The floodwater starts to fill the interior of the vehicle. It loses power. The teens can’t get the windows down. Water pressure on the doors keeps them locked in the rising water. And pretty soon, the occupants run out of breathing space. (Spoiler alert: There is a rescue at the end.)
Made for the Desert, but Applies to Houston
The video realistically illustrates a worst case scenario (minus the rescue, of course). If you have a teenager learning to drive, this is highly recommended viewing. The video was produced for a desert audience, but the location could easily be Houston. I had a similar near-death experience on Little York when a bayou rose up over the road. I narrowly escaped. I must say that what I experienced bears a striking resemblance to what you will see in this video. And the water wasn’t even moving as fast as the water in this video.
Confronts Mortality Head On
Such videos have one problem though. They sometimes become so hard to watch, the audience rebels. Teenagers, especially, may try to make fun of it, because it confronts them with their own mortality. And most teenagers have an unshakeable belief in their own immortality. This video has received more than 5 million views. It also received thousands of snarky comments from teens.
Still, if I had teenagers in the house, I would make them watch it. Next time they come up to a flooded intersection, they may remember the video and forget their snarky comments.
To view the video, follow this link. The VR experience starts after a brief animated intro.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/22/2021
1273 Days since Hurricane Harvey