8/22/2026 – Look at flooding long enough and you will come to think of it as a series of debits and credits where the balance in the public-safety ledger is never quite clear. It feels as if flood-risk increases constantly offset flood-risk decreases. For example, shortly after posting about drainage improvements on Bens Branch, I witnessed contractors dumping fill in the Lake Houston floodplain.
Offsetting Efforts
On the plus side, a new clear-span bridge replaced a low-water crossing that backed up water in Bens Branch.
But on the minus side, last night around 7pm, I started receiving a barrage of text messages, emails and phone calls from people in Huffman. TXDoT contractors excavating a detention basin on FM2100 outside of the floodplain started dumping the dirt inside the floodplain…right next to a part of Lake Houston…that flooded badly…and that we just spent millions dredging.
East side of Lake Houston. Fill site in center foreground. FM1960 in upper right.
The trucks dumped their fill in a small trailer park east of the Lake Houston Brewery on the south side of FM1960. The area lies in floodplains and floodways.
From FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Cross-hatch = Floodway. Blue = 100-year floodplain.Red oval signifies approximate fill location.
According to multiple residents, the dump trucks went all night and continued this morning. So I went to Huffman shortly before noon today and started counting trucks. At one point, I counted six in a ten-minute period.
They backed up to a little channel that residents say was just dredged. Then they dumped their loads. A small bulldozer spread the dirt out, pushing it toward the water as fast as it was dumped. The owner had no silt fences in place. Nor did he have a permit or stormwater pollution prevention plan posted at the site entrance as required by law.
Truckers’ Carousel
I then spent approximately an hour tracking the trucks to and from the excavation site, near where Huffman-Cleveland road intersects FM2100. The trucks made one round trip after another.
This is not the first time contractors were caught dumping fill in floodplains from that detention basin. Even if the property owner didn’t know better, the contractors and TXDoT should have.
Upon learning of the problem, Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger went to the dump site and shut down the operation. He said…
“The owner will likely face a fine and be forced to remove the fill.”
Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger
What Regulations Say
City of Houston regulations prohibit bringing fill into a 100-year floodplain or floodway. See Ord. No. 2018-258, Sections 19-34 and 19-43. The area where the dumping occurred lies inside the City’s limits.
Three trucks and a bulldozer working simultaneously in fill area. As quickly as trucks dumped their loads, the dozer would spread them out.No silt fences!
No Adverse Impact Allowed
Flooding has been likened to the death of a thousand cuts.
Any displacement of floodwater in one area simply raises the level somewhere else. And many of the homeowners and businesses surrounding this site have flooded before on multiple occasions.
Adding fill to the floodplain reduces the area available to store floodwater during large storms.
So, if you see fill being dumped in a floodplain, please report it to the appropriate authorities. You could be saving your home from a flood that hasn’t yet happened.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/22/2026
3280 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/2026/08/DJI_20260822112255_0043_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-08-22 16:20:162026-08-23 10:24:45FM2100 Contractors Caught Dumping Fill in Lake Houston Floodplain
8/20/2026 – Ralph DeLeon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, shared some good news about Northpark Drive expansion today. It concerns the entry ponds at US59 and sidewalks near Loop 494.
Entergy has relocated power poles that were partially blocking sidewalks.
Entry ponds could have water in them by the end of October.
Here are the stories behind the developments.
Entergy Power Poles Relocated
Years before the Northpark project began, Entergy placed more than half a dozen power poles in front of Public Storage and Self-U storage west of the UnionPacific Railroad tracks. The placement of the poles encroached on the City’s easement. But the encroachment did not become apparent until construction of the 10-foot wide sidewalks along Northpark began as part of the expansion project.
Had Entergy fought moving the poles, the sidewalks would have had to narrow down in that area from 10 feet to 4.
Then the sidewalks would have expanded again past the pinch point. That could have compromised the functionality of the sidewalks which were designated as multi-use pathways. The idea behind the wider-than-normal pathways: allow pedestrians, handicapped people and bicyclists to all use the paths simultaneously. But the pinch point could have prohibited that.
Entergy began moving the encroaching poles on 8/12/26.
Entergy began moving the poles last week.Image supplied by De Leon.Another photo from 8/12/26 supplied by De Leon as Entergy began shifting poles.New Entergy Pole. Image taken today by De Leon.The job’s not quite done, but the wider sidewalks will make the pedestrian experience much more pleasant.
As of this afternoon, Entergy has finished relocating all its conflicting poles. That means continuous 10’-wide sidewalk along the north side of the roadway.
Closing on property for the well that would fill the ponds when rainwater doesn’t
The need to cover the pond liners with water to keep sunlight from damaging them.
De Leon says he now hopes to close on the property for the well during the first week of October 2026. If all goes according to plan, that would allow installation of the pond liners and filling of the ponds, presumably before the end of October.
Photographs supplied by De Leon today show that the pond liners have already arrived on location. They will prevent the loss of water due to seepage and stabilize lake levels.
Entry pond liners stored under protective blankets near Exxon station.
When complete, the Northpark entries should look as beautiful as the Kingwood Drive entries. That will be a major upgrade for the entire community.
For more than 20 years, I was president of the Northpark Place Commercial Association. During that time, I received hundreds, if not thousands of complaints about the appearance of Northpark entries compared to Kingwood Drive. Now, 30 years later, the community will get its wish.
8/19/26 – Today, the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) replaced the old low-water crossing over Bens Branch behind Bear Branch Elementary School with a new clear-span bridge.
Chris Bloch, a member of the BBTA board, wrote that “Today is a significant day in Kingwood Flood Mitigation. The old low-water crossing over Bens Branch is gone. We have replaced it with a new clear-span bridge. The Bear Branch Trail Association will dedicate this new bridge to the memory of Stan Sarman, who helped develop Kingwood’s drainage system.” See below.
This and other photos by Chris Bloch. New bridge installed today.In comparison, previous bridge restricted conveyance by 20X.
Original Built by Foster Lumber Company
Foster Lumber Company originally built the old low-water crossing, so its logging trucks could cross Bens Branch. When Sarman first came out to do survey work for Friendswood Development, the only access through the Livable Forest was old logging roads. This low-water crossing was the original Tree Lane logging road.
“Stan drove over the old crossing when he laid out future roads and utilities,” said Bloch. “People may have wondered why this low-water crossing was so wide. But the logging trucks needed the width. Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive, and Northpark also had logging-truck roads.”
One culvert bridge remains across Bens Branch. It’s in the median of Northpark between Hidden Pines and Glade Valley Drives south of the St. Martha cathedral. And it frequently contributes to Northpark flooding.
Old Bridge No Longer Adequate
The old low-water crossing near Bear Branch Elementary represented a major restriction to the flow of Bens Branch through Kingwood, according to Bloch, an engineer. “The three culverts were adequate before Kingwood was developed. But as more development took place, increasing the impermeable surface also increased water flows in Bens Branch.
Old crossing during a heavy rain
Debris caught in the three culverts during heavy rains further restricted evacuation of floodwaters. Bloch says that Kids in Action, St. Martha’s Elementary School, plus parts of North Woodland Hills and Bear Branch Villages all suffered flood damage because of the old low-water crossing.
Old low-water crossing catching debris from heavy rain
Delayed by Funding, But Harris County Precinct 3 Helps
The Kingwood Area Drainage Study called for removal of the structure. However, the Flood Control District said they did not have funding for it. The structure was also not on property owned by the District.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey provided the funds out of his budget for the removal of the old crossing The Bear Branch Trail Association provided funding to purchase and install the new bridge. The total cost of the flood-mitigation project exceeded $300,000.
The flow area under the new bridge is more than 20 times that of the old low-water crossing.
Chris Bloch
“In addition to mitigating upstream flooding, installation of the new bridge improves the safety of school children and other trail walkers who cross Bens Branch,” said Bloch.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/19/2026, based on information provided by Chris Bloch
3277 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/New-Bridge-over-Bens-Branch.jpg?fit=1100%2C508&ssl=15081100adminadmin2026-08-19 16:22:072026-08-19 16:22:08Clear-Span Bridge Replaces Low-Water Crossing over Bens Branch
FM2100 Contractors Caught Dumping Fill in Lake Houston Floodplain
8/22/2026 – Look at flooding long enough and you will come to think of it as a series of debits and credits where the balance in the public-safety ledger is never quite clear. It feels as if flood-risk increases constantly offset flood-risk decreases. For example, shortly after posting about drainage improvements on Bens Branch, I witnessed contractors dumping fill in the Lake Houston floodplain.
Offsetting Efforts
On the plus side, a new clear-span bridge replaced a low-water crossing that backed up water in Bens Branch.
But on the minus side, last night around 7pm, I started receiving a barrage of text messages, emails and phone calls from people in Huffman. TXDoT contractors excavating a detention basin on FM2100 outside of the floodplain started dumping the dirt inside the floodplain…right next to a part of Lake Houston…that flooded badly…and that we just spent millions dredging.
The trucks dumped their fill in a small trailer park east of the Lake Houston Brewery on the south side of FM1960. The area lies in floodplains and floodways.
According to multiple residents, the dump trucks went all night and continued this morning. So I went to Huffman shortly before noon today and started counting trucks. At one point, I counted six in a ten-minute period.
They backed up to a little channel that residents say was just dredged. Then they dumped their loads. A small bulldozer spread the dirt out, pushing it toward the water as fast as it was dumped. The owner had no silt fences in place. Nor did he have a permit or stormwater pollution prevention plan posted at the site entrance as required by law.
Truckers’ Carousel
I then spent approximately an hour tracking the trucks to and from the excavation site, near where Huffman-Cleveland road intersects FM2100. The trucks made one round trip after another.
This is not the first time contractors were caught dumping fill in floodplains from that detention basin. Even if the property owner didn’t know better, the contractors and TXDoT should have.
Upon learning of the problem, Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger went to the dump site and shut down the operation. He said…
What Regulations Say
City of Houston regulations prohibit bringing fill into a 100-year floodplain or floodway. See Ord. No. 2018-258, Sections 19-34 and 19-43. The area where the dumping occurred lies inside the City’s limits.
No Adverse Impact Allowed
Flooding has been likened to the death of a thousand cuts.
Any displacement of floodwater in one area simply raises the level somewhere else. And many of the homeowners and businesses surrounding this site have flooded before on multiple occasions.
Adding fill to the floodplain reduces the area available to store floodwater during large storms.
So, if you see fill being dumped in a floodplain, please report it to the appropriate authorities. You could be saving your home from a flood that hasn’t yet happened.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/22/2026
3280 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.
Northpark Update: Sidewalks, Entry Ponds Nearing Completion
8/20/2026 – Ralph DeLeon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, shared some good news about Northpark Drive expansion today. It concerns the entry ponds at US59 and sidewalks near Loop 494.
Here are the stories behind the developments.
Entergy Power Poles Relocated
Years before the Northpark project began, Entergy placed more than half a dozen power poles in front of Public Storage and Self-U storage west of the UnionPacific Railroad tracks. The placement of the poles encroached on the City’s easement. But the encroachment did not become apparent until construction of the 10-foot wide sidewalks along Northpark began as part of the expansion project.
Had Entergy fought moving the poles, the sidewalks would have had to narrow down in that area from 10 feet to 4.
Then the sidewalks would have expanded again past the pinch point. That could have compromised the functionality of the sidewalks which were designated as multi-use pathways. The idea behind the wider-than-normal pathways: allow pedestrians, handicapped people and bicyclists to all use the paths simultaneously. But the pinch point could have prohibited that.
Entergy began moving the encroaching poles on 8/12/26.
As of this afternoon, Entergy has finished relocating all its conflicting poles. That means continuous 10’-wide sidewalk along the north side of the roadway.
Entry Pond Liners and Well
On 7/24/26, I wrote a brief update about the entry ponds at US59 Two things were holding up completion.
De Leon says he now hopes to close on the property for the well during the first week of October 2026. If all goes according to plan, that would allow installation of the pond liners and filling of the ponds, presumably before the end of October.
Photographs supplied by De Leon today show that the pond liners have already arrived on location. They will prevent the loss of water due to seepage and stabilize lake levels.
When complete, the Northpark entries should look as beautiful as the Kingwood Drive entries. That will be a major upgrade for the entire community.
For more than 20 years, I was president of the Northpark Place Commercial Association. During that time, I received hundreds, if not thousands of complaints about the appearance of Northpark entries compared to Kingwood Drive. Now, 30 years later, the community will get its wish.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/20/26
3278 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Clear-Span Bridge Replaces Low-Water Crossing over Bens Branch
8/19/26 – Today, the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) replaced the old low-water crossing over Bens Branch behind Bear Branch Elementary School with a new clear-span bridge.
Chris Bloch, a member of the BBTA board, wrote that “Today is a significant day in Kingwood Flood Mitigation. The old low-water crossing over Bens Branch is gone. We have replaced it with a new clear-span bridge. The Bear Branch Trail Association will dedicate this new bridge to the memory of Stan Sarman, who helped develop Kingwood’s drainage system.” See below.
Original Built by Foster Lumber Company
Foster Lumber Company originally built the old low-water crossing, so its logging trucks could cross Bens Branch. When Sarman first came out to do survey work for Friendswood Development, the only access through the Livable Forest was old logging roads. This low-water crossing was the original Tree Lane logging road.
“Stan drove over the old crossing when he laid out future roads and utilities,” said Bloch. “People may have wondered why this low-water crossing was so wide. But the logging trucks needed the width. Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive, and Northpark also had logging-truck roads.”
One culvert bridge remains across Bens Branch. It’s in the median of Northpark between Hidden Pines and Glade Valley Drives south of the St. Martha cathedral. And it frequently contributes to Northpark flooding.
Old Bridge No Longer Adequate
The old low-water crossing near Bear Branch Elementary represented a major restriction to the flow of Bens Branch through Kingwood, according to Bloch, an engineer. “The three culverts were adequate before Kingwood was developed. But as more development took place, increasing the impermeable surface also increased water flows in Bens Branch.
Debris caught in the three culverts during heavy rains further restricted evacuation of floodwaters. Bloch says that Kids in Action, St. Martha’s Elementary School, plus parts of North Woodland Hills and Bear Branch Villages all suffered flood damage because of the old low-water crossing.
Delayed by Funding, But Harris County Precinct 3 Helps
The Kingwood Area Drainage Study called for removal of the structure. However, the Flood Control District said they did not have funding for it. The structure was also not on property owned by the District.
Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey provided the funds out of his budget for the removal of the old crossing The Bear Branch Trail Association provided funding to purchase and install the new bridge. The total cost of the flood-mitigation project exceeded $300,000.
“In addition to mitigating upstream flooding, installation of the new bridge improves the safety of school children and other trail walkers who cross Bens Branch,” said Bloch.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/19/2026, based on information provided by Chris Bloch
3277 Days since Harvey