In August 2016, Liberty County released a Strategic Plan. Officials intended it to be the official policy guide for the county’s growth. However, most of the growth experienced by the county since then contrasts sharply with the vision, strategies and goals outlined in the plan. The contrast is so great, it’s tragicomic.
Colony Ridge V. Liberty County Goals
The massive 12-13,000 acre Colony Ridge development has provided most of the county’s growth since the plan’s inception. The development was not even mentioned in the plan but is now larger than the largest cities in the county (Liberty, Cleveland and Dayton).
Below are quotes from the Strategic Plan paired with pictures from Colony Ridge. You be the judge. Is Liberty County delivering on its mission, vision and values? Or mortgaging its future?
Vision Statement
“Liberty County supports a high quality of life by nurturing a family-friendly, resilient, and equitable community, and welcomes sustainable growth while conserving natural assets” – County Vision Statement
High-Level Goals
Development Goals include “Developing in a safe and resilient way that will last for generations to come.”Environmental Goals include promotion of ecotourism, expansion of parks, and wetland preservation.Housing Goals include improving the quality of housing.Transportation Goals include expanding connectivity throughout the county. “The mobility of both people and goods is vital to the region’s success and its citizens’ quality of life.” Shown above: FM1010, washed out since Harvey, has traffic backed up for hours during morning and evening commutes.
Drainage/Water Concerns
Planners are concerned about “fast growth that will change the nature of the community, and place more pressure on existing services and storm water infrastructure.”
Building and Development Guidelines
“Strengthening building codes is an effective way to lessen damage from disasters...For example, there would have been 40% less damage in Hurricane Andrew had building codes been enforced.”“Encourage an intense tree canopy as a tool for reducing energy consumption and thermal pollution while also increasing value.”“Establish development regulations to reduce hazard exposure within the County.”“We envision a county abundant in natural, environmental, and wildlife resources that are protected and carefully managed to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem as the county grows.”
Promote an Overall Increase In Quality of Life
“…ensure that there is equitable access to resilient, high-quality housing to promote an overall increase in the quality of life.”
Such plans are always aspirational. They provide both direction and guideposts to measure success. People always make concessions to reality along the way.
However, what strikes me about thisparticular plan is that Liberty County gleefully accepted the first growth that fell into its lap. Judging by the pictures and statements above, and Wayne Dolcefino’s interviews, county officials were too busy licking their lips to say, “Hey now!”
They apparently made no attempt to influence the developer to follow even the most basic tenets of their plan.
From the Liberty County Strategic Plan.
It’s almost as if Colony Ridge exists in a parallel universe. I wonder how the structures above will hold up in a tornado, Toto?
An immutable law of biology states that “If you’re not growing, you’re going.” But I hope people down at the county courthouse remember that not all growth is good.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/14/2020
1203 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 452 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_734.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-14 09:00:262020-12-14 09:00:31Liberty County Strategic Plan … Dead On Arrival
Wayne Dolcefino, one of the country’s great investigative journalists, has been digging into Colony Ridge, as I have. So when he asked me last week if his videographer could hitch a ride on my helicopter, I said “sure.”
New Dolcefino Video Covers More Dimensions of Flooding Problem
While I shot hundreds of stills over Colony Ridge, his videographer shot 90 minutes of video. Dolcefino edited it together with other footage. His 8-minute video includes:
The most recent Liberty County Commissioner’s meeting
Attempted interviews with Trey Harris, the Colony Ridge developer
Some mind-boggling political donations made by Harris
An interview with a Harris County flood official
Articles from ReduceFlooding.com, including my recent Colony Ridge post, Rivers of Mud.
Wayne Dolcefino begs Liberty County Judge Jay Knight and commissioners to watch video of drainage violations at Colony Ridge before voting on new plats for the developer. They approved the plats without watching his video.
While I have focused primarily on the physical issues involved in flooding, Dolcefino has also focused on political issues. He literally digs deeper into the problem.
From Colony Ridge to the Liberty County Courthouse
The background for Dolcefino’s latest video is a Liberty County Commissioner’s Court meeting in which he attempted to show Commissioners video of drainage violations in Colony Ridge before they voted on additional plats for the developer.
Commissioners approved the plats after refusing to watch the video. Then, incredibly, one said he didn’t see any proof of violations.
And that – in one brief soundbite – explains why flooding is such a difficult problem to solve.
Colony Ridge violates Liberty County drainage standards because ditches have no backslope interceptor swales to reduce erosion.Most also lack grass.
I highly recommend Dolcefino’s video if you want to understand – in your gut – how politics can affect local flooding.
Out-Scrooging Scrooge
You may also find Trey Harris’ refusal to answer questions about deplorable living conditions in Colony Ridge, coupled with interest rates up to 13% on land purchases, quite interesting. It only took 177 years for someone to out-Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist from Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. But, in my opinion, the Colony Ridge developer now sets the standard.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2020 based on reporting by Wayne Dolcefino
1202 Days since Hurricane Harveyand 451 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20201213-Screen-Shot-2020-12-13-at-5.14.33-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=16801200adminadmin2020-12-13 18:08:472020-12-13 18:22:09Rivers of Mud, Part Dos: Wayne Dolcefino Uncovers More Liberty County Dirt
Two new developments in Montgomery County, Audubon in Magnolia and Country Colony in Porter, will have no detention ponds. The two developments total almost 3,400 acres. During heavy rainfalls, they will dump their floodwater directly into local streams.
The commissioners expressed concern in their 2019 meeting about placing economic hardships on developers. Residents complained about the economic hardships caused by flooding. The developers won.
Theory and Problems with Flood Routing Studies
The idea behind flood routing is simple. If you can show you can get your floodwater to the river faster than a flood’s peak arrives, theoretically, you’re not adding to the peak. Therefore, theoretically, you’re not making flooding worse.
However, engineers and hydrologists point out several flaws with this “beat the peak” theory.
Flood-routing studies don’t consider the cumulative effects of other developments.
They are almost always based on outdated hydrologic models.
They assume “ideal” storm conditions.
“If you start with a brand new hydrologic model,” said one county engineer, “the modeling a developer does could theoretically be accurate. But his/her runoff changes the model. That runoff rarely gets incorporated into the model that the next developer uses.”
And, of course, if everybody rushes floodwater to a river during a flood, that’s the exact opposite of what you want. Holding water back in detention and retention ponds is the best way to reduce flooding.
The two new developments in MoCo exploit this routing-study loophole to avoid the cost of building detention ponds.
Audubon in Magnolia
The first, called Audubon Magnolia will contain 5,000 homes at buildout. It occupies 3,300 acres that drain into Mill Creek, Spring Creek and then the West Fork San Jacinto.
From Audubon’s drainage impact analysis. Note school being placed at edge of floodplain…before new floodplain maps are redrawn based on Atlas-14.
Section 3.1 of the Impact Analysis includes a description of the flood routing study and concludes, “Therefore, the increased flows are able to exit into Mill Creek before the flow from the bulk of the upper drainage basin arrives at the mouth of the stream.”
Correspondence with Montgomery County officials at the front of the document shows their concerns: use of pre-Atlas 14 data; impact on wetlands; building in floodplain; roughness co-efficients used to model speed of water over various terrains; and impact on water surface elevations.
Clearly, the floodplain administrator had major concerns about use of pre-Atlas 14 rainfall data. However, the developer was grandfathered based on the date of the original permit application.
Montgomery County’s new Atlas 14 standards increased the total for a 24-hour, hundred-year rain by 4 inches. The Flood Plain administrator encouraged the developer to model the higher rainfall totals and build to higher elevations. Why? To ensure the likelihood of compliance for those homes in the future.
These documents, dated 2019, are the latest available from Montgomery County. The county engineer’s office indicated that no detention ponds are being planned by the developer or demanded by the County.
Country Colony in Porter
The second development, Country Colony, lies just north of the Harris County/Montgomery County line at the end of West Lake Houston Parkway. Country Colony occupies approximately 80 acres immediately west of the Triple PG sand mine.
Note county line at southern edge of development. Also note how some of the lots are actually in the floodplain of White Oak Creek.Country Colony. Taken December 7, 2020, looking east toward Triple PG Sand Mine in background.
No detention ponds here either! A big heads up to the people downstream in Walden Woods, Woodstream Forest and beyond.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/12/2020
1201 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_446.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-12 20:51:402020-12-12 20:53:04Two New MoCo Developments Will Total Almost 3,400 Acres, Have No Detention Ponds
Liberty County Strategic Plan … Dead On Arrival
In August 2016, Liberty County released a Strategic Plan. Officials intended it to be the official policy guide for the county’s growth. However, most of the growth experienced by the county since then contrasts sharply with the vision, strategies and goals outlined in the plan. The contrast is so great, it’s tragicomic.
Colony Ridge V. Liberty County Goals
The massive 12-13,000 acre Colony Ridge development has provided most of the county’s growth since the plan’s inception. The development was not even mentioned in the plan but is now larger than the largest cities in the county (Liberty, Cleveland and Dayton).
Below are quotes from the Strategic Plan paired with pictures from Colony Ridge. You be the judge. Is Liberty County delivering on its mission, vision and values? Or mortgaging its future?
Vision Statement
High-Level Goals
Drainage/Water Concerns
Building and Development Guidelines
Promote an Overall Increase In Quality of Life
For the full Liberty County Strategic Plan, click here.
Such plans are always aspirational. They provide both direction and guideposts to measure success. People always make concessions to reality along the way.
However, what strikes me about this particular plan is that Liberty County gleefully accepted the first growth that fell into its lap. Judging by the pictures and statements above, and Wayne Dolcefino’s interviews, county officials were too busy licking their lips to say, “Hey now!”
It’s almost as if Colony Ridge exists in a parallel universe. I wonder how the structures above will hold up in a tornado, Toto?
An immutable law of biology states that “If you’re not growing, you’re going.” But I hope people down at the county courthouse remember that not all growth is good.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/14/2020
1203 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 452 since Imelda
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.
Rivers of Mud, Part Dos: Wayne Dolcefino Uncovers More Liberty County Dirt
Wayne Dolcefino, one of the country’s great investigative journalists, has been digging into Colony Ridge, as I have. So when he asked me last week if his videographer could hitch a ride on my helicopter, I said “sure.”
New Dolcefino Video Covers More Dimensions of Flooding Problem
While I shot hundreds of stills over Colony Ridge, his videographer shot 90 minutes of video. Dolcefino edited it together with other footage. His 8-minute video includes:
While I have focused primarily on the physical issues involved in flooding, Dolcefino has also focused on political issues. He literally digs deeper into the problem.
From Colony Ridge to the Liberty County Courthouse
The background for Dolcefino’s latest video is a Liberty County Commissioner’s Court meeting in which he attempted to show Commissioners video of drainage violations in Colony Ridge before they voted on additional plats for the developer.
And that – in one brief soundbite – explains why flooding is such a difficult problem to solve.
I highly recommend Dolcefino’s video if you want to understand – in your gut – how politics can affect local flooding.
Out-Scrooging Scrooge
You may also find Trey Harris’ refusal to answer questions about deplorable living conditions in Colony Ridge, coupled with interest rates up to 13% on land purchases, quite interesting. It only took 177 years for someone to out-Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist from Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. But, in my opinion, the Colony Ridge developer now sets the standard.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2020 based on reporting by Wayne Dolcefino
1202 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 451 since Imelda
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.
Two New MoCo Developments Will Total Almost 3,400 Acres, Have No Detention Ponds
Two new developments in Montgomery County, Audubon in Magnolia and Country Colony in Porter, will have no detention ponds. The two developments total almost 3,400 acres. During heavy rainfalls, they will dump their floodwater directly into local streams.
How Do They Get Away With That?
Sixteen months ago, on the second anniversary of Harvey, Montgomery County commissioners voted to leave open a loophole that lets developers avoid detention pond requirements. They said they would revisit the issue after the San Jacinto River Basin Study was completed. Even though partners shared study results with the public last August, MoCo commissioners have still not revisited the loophole called a “flood routing study,” also known as hydrograph timing.
The commissioners expressed concern in their 2019 meeting about placing economic hardships on developers. Residents complained about the economic hardships caused by flooding. The developers won.
Theory and Problems with Flood Routing Studies
The idea behind flood routing is simple. If you can show you can get your floodwater to the river faster than a flood’s peak arrives, theoretically, you’re not adding to the peak. Therefore, theoretically, you’re not making flooding worse.
However, engineers and hydrologists point out several flaws with this “beat the peak” theory.
“If you start with a brand new hydrologic model,” said one county engineer, “the modeling a developer does could theoretically be accurate. But his/her runoff changes the model. That runoff rarely gets incorporated into the model that the next developer uses.”
And, of course, if everybody rushes floodwater to a river during a flood, that’s the exact opposite of what you want. Holding water back in detention and retention ponds is the best way to reduce flooding.
The two new developments in MoCo exploit this routing-study loophole to avoid the cost of building detention ponds.
Audubon in Magnolia
The first, called Audubon Magnolia will contain 5,000 homes at buildout. It occupies 3,300 acres that drain into Mill Creek, Spring Creek and then the West Fork San Jacinto.
Here is the entire 186-page Drainage Impact Analysis for section one. It also shows project plans and location.
Section 3.1 of the Impact Analysis includes a description of the flood routing study and concludes, “Therefore, the increased flows are able to exit into Mill Creek before the flow from the bulk of the upper drainage basin arrives at the mouth of the stream.”
Correspondence with Montgomery County officials at the front of the document shows their concerns: use of pre-Atlas 14 data; impact on wetlands; building in floodplain; roughness co-efficients used to model speed of water over various terrains; and impact on water surface elevations.
Montgomery County’s new Atlas 14 standards increased the total for a 24-hour, hundred-year rain by 4 inches. The Flood Plain administrator encouraged the developer to model the higher rainfall totals and build to higher elevations. Why? To ensure the likelihood of compliance for those homes in the future.
These documents, dated 2019, are the latest available from Montgomery County. The county engineer’s office indicated that no detention ponds are being planned by the developer or demanded by the County.
Country Colony in Porter
The second development, Country Colony, lies just north of the Harris County/Montgomery County line at the end of West Lake Houston Parkway. Country Colony occupies approximately 80 acres immediately west of the Triple PG sand mine.
No detention ponds here either! A big heads up to the people downstream in Walden Woods, Woodstream Forest and beyond.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/12/2020
1201 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.