10/1/25 – City of Houston representatives and their partners discussed the status of more than twenty infrastructure projects including more floodgates for the Lake Houston Dam at Council Member Fred Flickinger’s Kingwood town hall meeting on 9/30/25. Most of the projects had to do with flooding and drainage, but several had to do with the airport system.
Hundreds packed the Kingwood Community Center as Flickinger kicked off the meeting.
Overall, despite another delay in the project to add more floodgates to Lake Houston’s dam, it was one of the most positive, encouraging meetings in recent memory. Discussion topics included:
Three Lake Houston dam projects (Gates, Repairs, Replacement)
Two Kingwood Diversion Channel bridge replacements at Kingwood Drive and Walnut Lane
Neighborhood matching grants
Formation of the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District
A new pedestrian bridge over Bens Branch at Kingwood Drive
Roadside ditch improvements along Chestnut Ridge in Forest Cove
Sand Creek Village drainage improvements
Multiple Kingwood Central Wastewater Plant improvements
SJRA’s Master Drainage Plan
Spring Creek Flood Control Dams on Birch and Walnut Creeks
A Pilot Sand Trap Project on the West Fork San Jacinto
A Regional Sedimentation Study
Lake Conroe/Lake Houston Joint Reservoir Operations Study
Regional Flood Planning
Flood Early Warning Systems
Six Houston Airport Improvements
Northpark Drive Expansion Project
Solid Waste Management Improvements
Houston Police Department also updated the community on crime.
In addition to Flickinger. other City Council Members in attendance included:
Twila Carter
Sallie Alcorn
Willie Davis
Julian Ramirez
City of Houston District E Council Member Fred Flickinger
Leaders from other organizations included:
State Rep. Charles Cunningham
SJRA Flood-Mitigation Manager Matt Barrett
Jim Szczesniak, Houston Airport Aviation Director
Larius Hassen, Houston Solid Waste Management Director
Casey Christman, TIRZ 10 Board Member
Craig Bellamy, HPD Captain
Additional Gates for Lake Houston Dam
In this post, to keep the length manageable, I’ll discuss three projects affecting the Lake Houston Dam.
Slide #8 from meeting presentation.
I will then summarize other flood-related projects in several subsequent posts.
Houston hopes to get design approval of the floodgates by May 2026 and start construction later that year. Construction could last 3+ years. That could take the project out to 2030 or even 2031 – if all goes well.
Benefits
the increased discharge capability would let Lake Houston shed water as fast has Lake Conroe has ever sent water downstream. This would facilitate joint reservoir operations and pre-releases to create increased storage capacity in both lakes before major storms strike.
That would, in turn, lower the maximum discharge rate from Lake Conroe and hopefully reduce flooding downstream.
The increased discharge rate would also help conserve water. While that sounds counter-intuitive, the higher rate means the City can wait until it is certain that approaching storms will strike the Lake Houston watershed before starting to release. And that reduces the likelihood of wasting water.
Change in Approach
Coastal Water Authority Board Member Dan Huberty spent much of his time at the microphone discussing floodgates’ delays. Huberty reminded the crowd of the original plan to put crest gates on the concrete spillway portion of the dam. But the City couldn’t find “a contractor in the world” willing to take on the risk because of the aging nature of the concrete in what was a 65-year-old dam at that time.
So, everyone involved (FEMA, the Army Corps, Public Works, Coastal Water Authority, City) decided to pivot. The focus shifted to adding tainter gates to the earthen, eastern portion of the dam.
According to Greg Olinger, CWA’s Chief Engineer, “In August of this year, we completed the preliminary engineering and 15% design. That involved quite a bit of field work, environmental assessments, geotechnical analysis, and structural testing of the embankment. We have developed an 11 tainter gate type of concept. Each is about 20 x 22 feet. And together they’ll pass up to 78,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) compared to the 10,000 CFS we can pass now.”
Greg Olinger, CWA Chief Engineer
Next Steps
Olinger added, “Now, we’re going to move forward with what we call the detailed design, carrying it forward to the 30%, 60%, and 90% final-design stages that can then be packaged and submitted for permitting.”
He then described the extensive permitting process with the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“All have to review the plans and provide the requisite permitting – an 18 month process,” Olinger said. “And then, we move forward into construction. The 30% design is due by the end of the year, the 60% by May of next year, and the completed design by the end of 2026.”
Several people from the crowd shouted questions about the impact that delays could have on costs. But Huberty refused to blow sunshine at them.
Coastal Water Authority Board Member Dan Huberty
“We’re telling you what the reality is,” he said. “This is how long it takes to be able to do a project of this size and scope. That’s just the way that it works.”
Dam Repairs and Replacement
The City and Coastal Water Authority have two additional related projects moving forward simultaneously. One addresses repairs to the dam. The other studies its eventual replacement.
Huberty said, “We also have a project for filling of voids and doing concrete repairs on what is now a 71-year-old concrete dam spillway.
“And then the third project is looking in a proactive way to the future as this dam reaches the end of its service life. What are the concepts and options available for either doing a robust rehabilitation of the dam or doing a complete replacement? And this is a project that’s further out.”
Lake Houston Dam and Spillway were built in the early 1950s.
All three projects are related according to one engineer I interviewed. Repairs and more floodgates could help prolong the life of the existing dam while a new one is planned and built.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Kingwood-2025-TOWN-HALL-SLIDES-Small_Page_08-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1440&ssl=114402560adminadmin2025-10-01 15:08:472025-10-02 17:31:0520+ Infrastructure Projects Including Floodgates Discussed at Kingwood Town Hall
9/29/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) recently completed Phase 2 of the Lauder Stormwater Detention Basin on Greens Bayou. The basin is located south of Intercontinental Airport between the bayou, Aldine Bender Road, Aldine Westfield Road and Lauder Road. It brings the total stormwater detention in the area to 1200 acre feet and Phase 3 is still to come.
Flood Control District Map not yet updated. Phase 2 is now complete.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony for Phase 2 on 9/17/25, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said, “The scale of this project is enormous. We have three different phases. Phase one was started in 2020, and it took two years to complete. This project started in 2022, and we completed it just this year in 2025.”
Flood Protection Plus Recreational Amenity
Petersen added, “One of the great things, too, is that we are able to partner with our precinct (Harris County Precinct 2), and they have been able to put trails along the first phase, and they are in the process of planning trails for this next phase. And so, not only will it provide flood mitigation, but it’s going to provide an amenity for this community.”
How much is 1200 acre feet? Imagine a football field stacked with water to the height of 1200 feet. That’s 200 feet taller than the tallest building in Houston and Texas – the JP Morgan Chase Tower which tops out at 1002 feet.
Resident in Alleged “500-Year Floodplain” Flooded 3 Times
At the dedication, Connie Esparza, President of the Castlewood Civic Club said, “What a great day to witness and be a part of this historic event. I moved to the Aldine area in 1979 when I built my house, never expecting to flood since the south side of Castlewood was in the 500-year floodplain.”
She continued, “But unfortunately, I, along with my entire subdivision, some of whom are present here, flooded in 2001 with Tropical Storm Allison, then again with Harvey in 2017, followed by Imelda two years later. We are certainly excited with the completion of this Phase 2 stormwater detention basin that will further reduce the risk of flooding.”
Esparza is also a member of the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force.
9/28/25 – The final outlines of the Northpark expansion project are now fully visible – much like a skyscraper after being framed out (except Northpark is horizontal). Even though all the concrete is not yet poured, yesterday, I saw for the first time what ten lanes will look like.
For most of its length, Northpark will have six lanes (3 inbound and 3 outbound). But the area around the railroad tracks and Loop 494 will expand to 10 lanes. In addition to the six lanes that go over a bridge, contractors are building two surface lanes on both sides of the bridge for traffic turning left and right.
In other news, boring under the UnionPacific Railroad tracks has resumed. On a Saturday afternoon, crews were placing two 60″ steel pipes under the tracks to convey stormwater from west to east. See pictures below.
Photos Taken on Saturday, 9/27/25
I took all the photos below on a Saturday afternoon, shortly after lunchtime.
Looking east toward tracks and Loop 494 from WhataburgerOpposite direction from same location. Looking toward US59.Looking east over Loop 494. Boring operation (lower left) has held up completion of surface lanes on north side (left) of shot.
In the picture above note that only three large sections of stockpiled pipe remain. Originally, there were ten.
A look inside bore pit where pipe is being forced from east to west under tracks.However, neither pipe has yet reached the receiving pit on the east side of the tracks.Looking west from over Russell Palmer Road. Contractors are preparing the sub grade for more concrete.Still looking west from near Italiano’s.
Impact of Construction on Small Businesses
Note in the shot above how westbound traffic cannot turn left into the strip center that contains several restaurants. The parking lot is practically empty on a day and at a time when it should be teeming.
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies found that “Small businesses often suffer significant revenue declines (10-20 % or more) during and after disruptive construction.”
So, please continue to support Northpark businesses during this trying time.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/2025
2952 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250927-DJI_20250927151100_0150_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-09-28 11:34:212025-09-28 11:34:22Outlines of Full Northpark Expansion Now Visible
20+ Infrastructure Projects Including Floodgates Discussed at Kingwood Town Hall
Updated on 10/2/25 with a new slide provided by the City on the timetable for the floodgate project.
10/1/25 – City of Houston representatives and their partners discussed the status of more than twenty infrastructure projects including more floodgates for the Lake Houston Dam at Council Member Fred Flickinger’s Kingwood town hall meeting on 9/30/25. Most of the projects had to do with flooding and drainage, but several had to do with the airport system.
Overall, despite another delay in the project to add more floodgates to Lake Houston’s dam, it was one of the most positive, encouraging meetings in recent memory. Discussion topics included:
In addition to Flickinger. other City Council Members in attendance included:
Leaders from other organizations included:
Additional Gates for Lake Houston Dam
In this post, to keep the length manageable, I’ll discuss three projects affecting the Lake Houston Dam.
I will then summarize other flood-related projects in several subsequent posts.
The City is designing an eleven tainter-gate solution that would increase discharge capacity from approximately 10,000 to 78,000 cubic feet per second.
Houston hopes to get design approval of the floodgates by May 2026 and start construction later that year. Construction could last 3+ years. That could take the project out to 2030 or even 2031 – if all goes well.
Benefits
the increased discharge capability would let Lake Houston shed water as fast has Lake Conroe has ever sent water downstream. This would facilitate joint reservoir operations and pre-releases to create increased storage capacity in both lakes before major storms strike.
That would, in turn, lower the maximum discharge rate from Lake Conroe and hopefully reduce flooding downstream.
The increased discharge rate would also help conserve water. While that sounds counter-intuitive, the higher rate means the City can wait until it is certain that approaching storms will strike the Lake Houston watershed before starting to release. And that reduces the likelihood of wasting water.
Change in Approach
Coastal Water Authority Board Member Dan Huberty spent much of his time at the microphone discussing floodgates’ delays. Huberty reminded the crowd of the original plan to put crest gates on the concrete spillway portion of the dam. But the City couldn’t find “a contractor in the world” willing to take on the risk because of the aging nature of the concrete in what was a 65-year-old dam at that time.
So, everyone involved (FEMA, the Army Corps, Public Works, Coastal Water Authority, City) decided to pivot. The focus shifted to adding tainter gates to the earthen, eastern portion of the dam.
According to Greg Olinger, CWA’s Chief Engineer, “In August of this year, we completed the preliminary engineering and 15% design. That involved quite a bit of field work, environmental assessments, geotechnical analysis, and structural testing of the embankment. We have developed an 11 tainter gate type of concept. Each is about 20 x 22 feet. And together they’ll pass up to 78,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) compared to the 10,000 CFS we can pass now.”
Next Steps
Olinger added, “Now, we’re going to move forward with what we call the detailed design, carrying it forward to the 30%, 60%, and 90% final-design stages that can then be packaged and submitted for permitting.”
He then described the extensive permitting process with the Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA and Texas Division of Emergency Management.
“All have to review the plans and provide the requisite permitting – an 18 month process,” Olinger said. “And then, we move forward into construction. The 30% design is due by the end of the year, the 60% by May of next year, and the completed design by the end of 2026.”
Several people from the crowd shouted questions about the impact that delays could have on costs. But Huberty refused to blow sunshine at them.
“We’re telling you what the reality is,” he said. “This is how long it takes to be able to do a project of this size and scope. That’s just the way that it works.”
Dam Repairs and Replacement
The City and Coastal Water Authority have two additional related projects moving forward simultaneously. One addresses repairs to the dam. The other studies its eventual replacement.
Huberty said, “We also have a project for filling of voids and doing concrete repairs on what is now a 71-year-old concrete dam spillway.
“And then the third project is looking in a proactive way to the future as this dam reaches the end of its service life. What are the concepts and options available for either doing a robust rehabilitation of the dam or doing a complete replacement? And this is a project that’s further out.”
All three projects are related according to one engineer I interviewed. Repairs and more floodgates could help prolong the life of the existing dam while a new one is planned and built.
For More Information
More news to follow on other projects.
In the meantime, you can download the entire 13-megabyte Town Hall presentation here.
Or watch the meeting here: https://houstontx.new.swagit.com/videos/356980.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/1/25
2955 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Completes Phase 2 of Giant Lauder Basin on Greens Bayou
9/29/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) recently completed Phase 2 of the Lauder Stormwater Detention Basin on Greens Bayou. The basin is located south of Intercontinental Airport between the bayou, Aldine Bender Road, Aldine Westfield Road and Lauder Road. It brings the total stormwater detention in the area to 1200 acre feet and Phase 3 is still to come.
Funding from Multiple Partners
Built with 2018 Flood-Bond funds (see Bond ID C-34), help from the Texas Water Development Board, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Texas General Land Office, the detention basin complex will grow even larger when Phase 3 is completed.
Speaking at the dedication ceremony for Phase 2 on 9/17/25, HCFCD Executive Director Tina Petersen said, “The scale of this project is enormous. We have three different phases. Phase one was started in 2020, and it took two years to complete. This project started in 2022, and we completed it just this year in 2025.”
Flood Protection Plus Recreational Amenity
Petersen added, “One of the great things, too, is that we are able to partner with our precinct (Harris County Precinct 2), and they have been able to put trails along the first phase, and they are in the process of planning trails for this next phase. And so, not only will it provide flood mitigation, but it’s going to provide an amenity for this community.”
How much is 1200 acre feet? Imagine a football field stacked with water to the height of 1200 feet. That’s 200 feet taller than the tallest building in Houston and Texas – the JP Morgan Chase Tower which tops out at 1002 feet.
Resident in Alleged “500-Year Floodplain” Flooded 3 Times
At the dedication, Connie Esparza, President of the Castlewood Civic Club said, “What a great day to witness and be a part of this historic event. I moved to the Aldine area in 1979 when I built my house, never expecting to flood since the south side of Castlewood was in the 500-year floodplain.”
She continued, “But unfortunately, I, along with my entire subdivision, some of whom are present here, flooded in 2001 with Tropical Storm Allison, then again with Harvey in 2017, followed by Imelda two years later. We are certainly excited with the completion of this Phase 2 stormwater detention basin that will further reduce the risk of flooding.”
Esparza is also a member of the Harris County Community Flood Resilience Task Force.
To See TWDB Video
To see the dedication ceremony and basin, see this Texas Water Development Board Video.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 09/29/2025
2953 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Outlines of Full Northpark Expansion Now Visible
9/28/25 – The final outlines of the Northpark expansion project are now fully visible – much like a skyscraper after being framed out (except Northpark is horizontal). Even though all the concrete is not yet poured, yesterday, I saw for the first time what ten lanes will look like.
For most of its length, Northpark will have six lanes (3 inbound and 3 outbound). But the area around the railroad tracks and Loop 494 will expand to 10 lanes. In addition to the six lanes that go over a bridge, contractors are building two surface lanes on both sides of the bridge for traffic turning left and right.
In other news, boring under the UnionPacific Railroad tracks has resumed. On a Saturday afternoon, crews were placing two 60″ steel pipes under the tracks to convey stormwater from west to east. See pictures below.
Photos Taken on Saturday, 9/27/25
I took all the photos below on a Saturday afternoon, shortly after lunchtime.
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s 3-week lookahead construction schedule indicates that boring will continue 24/7 at least through 10/11.
In the picture above note that only three large sections of stockpiled pipe remain. Originally, there were ten.
Impact of Construction on Small Businesses
Note in the shot above how westbound traffic cannot turn left into the strip center that contains several restaurants. The parking lot is practically empty on a day and at a time when it should be teeming.
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies found that “Small businesses often suffer significant revenue declines (10-20 % or more) during and after disruptive construction.”
So, please continue to support Northpark businesses during this trying time.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/28/2025
2952 Days since Hurricane Harvey