San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold public meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 6:00 p.m., via webinar and telephone conference, to discuss its ongoing Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Project.
Accurately determining inflow during a flood theoretically lets dam operators determine how much water to release and when. That, in turn, helps protect properties both upstream and downstream to the extent possible.
Senior residents of Kingwood Village Estates trying to escape as Harvey’s floodwaters rose.
Additional Information
The Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Project addresses flood protection in the San Jacinto River Watershed.
One goal: to anticipate peak water level in Lake Conroe during rainfall events based on:
Weather forecasts
Observed rainfall
Lake levels
Other data.
A second goal: to predict peak release rates of stormwater from Lake Conroe.
The SJRA says this will help improve communication with Offices of Emergency Management and the general public during rainfall events.
SJRA expects completion of the project by early spring 2021. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and SJRA have funded the project.
Ask Questions, Express Views
You can view and participate in the meeting remotely via the webinar link below to express your views of the Project.
Questions or requests for additional information about the SJRA Reservoir Forecasting Tool may be directed to Mr. Matt Barrett, P.E., Division Engineer, SJRA, 1577 Dam Site Road, Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas 77304, Tel. (936) 588-3111.
SJRA requests those who intend to express their views to contact Mr. Barrett either in writing or by telephone in advance of the meeting.
To Participate Via Webinar and/or Comment
Only those participating via Webinar using the GoToWebinar App will be able to provide comments during the meeting.
If you choose to participate via conference call using the number below, you will NOT have the opportunity to provide comments during the designated portion of the meeting. The conference call phone number is provided for LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY.
Telephone conference call phone number: (562) 247-8321 and the audio access code is 150-445-802
Editorial Comment
I, for one, hope they use their new Reservoir Forecasting Tool to release floodwater at safe rates, although that was not explicitly stated in the SJRA press release on the meeting. Releasing at safer rates may mean releasing water earlier or holding it longer to flatten peaks. In my opinion, SJRA should hold floodwater as high as they safely can…as long as they safely can. I hope this new tool helps SJRA do that.
I’d rather see floodwater in Lake Conroe than in Kingwood’s Town Center.
Kingwood Town Center Apartments after Lake Conroe Release. Yes, that’s the top of an SUV that failed to evacuate in time.
Posted by Bob Rehak on September 9th, 2020
1107 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Kingwood-Town-Center-Apts.jpg?fit=1200%2C563&ssl=15631200adminadmin2020-09-09 14:18:192020-09-09 14:48:09SJRA Considering Input on Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Thursday, 6PM
Nicole Black-Rudolph captured these two photos downstream from Woodridge. They show the water in Taylor Gully at the Turtle Bridge in Woodstream. The first shows what the water normally looks like. The second shows what it looks like now.
Normal/Now Photos by Nicole Black-Rudolph showing increased silt in Taylor Gully.
Where Did Silt-Laden Water Come From?
Following Taylor Gully upstream, you come to 268 clear-cut acres – Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village. All pictures below show Woodridge Village on the morning of September 7, 2020. A nearby Elm Grove resident, Jeff Miller, reported .7 inches of rain fell in his gauge on 9/5 and 9/6. That wasn’t enough to cause flooding, but it was certainly enough to erode sediment as the pictures below show.
Looking SSW across Woodridge from the top of the N3 detention pond on the eastern border. Elm Grove is at top. Everything slopes toward Taylor Gully in the upper left.Woodridge Village, looking NW from over Taylor GullyLooking north at N3 detention pond day after rainfall. Silty water is still flowing out of the pond.Looking east at the concrete lined portion of Taylor Gully on the Woodridge site where water exits the site and crosses into the open channel on the Harris County side of the county line, out of frame to the right (see below).Looking south at Taylor Gully immediately south of the county line. Note how color of water in ditch matches the color of water on the right in the side-by-side comparison photo above.
Now, despite best efforts to reduce erosion with conventional countermeasures, the exposed surface washes downstream with each rain. This re-deposits more sediment, which the Flood Control District just removed. (See two photos below from 2019.)
Taylor Gully Before 2019 Clean out.
Taylor Gully After 2019 Clean Out
Pray there’s movement on this deal soon. Perry Homes should plant grass on their property until the ping-pong match is over. Silt fences and rock baskets alone just don’t do the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/8/2020 with photos from Nicole Black-Rudolph and Rain Data from Jeff Miller
1106 Days since Hurricane Harveyand 355 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/2020/09/Taylor-Gully-Silt.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-09-08 14:37:012020-09-08 14:40:40Woodridge Village Still Silting Up Taylor Gully
It’s the heart of the storm season. It’s going to be an interesting next several weeks as we look toward the sea. Buy flood insurance. ANY place in Harris County can flood, don’t be another surprised flooding victim. “I’ve never flooded before” will not get you much sympathy anymore, we have heard it too much.
Rice U Assesses Cypress Creek Situation
In 1984 Dr. Phil Bedient, of Rice University, wrote his first research paper on flooding along Cypress Creek. At the time he said the cause was too much development with no place for the water to go. In 2018 Dr. Bedient, as head of Rice’s Severe Storms Center, wrote another paper on flooding on Cypress Creek.
He said the cause was too much development with no place for the water to go – too much run off.
One of his co-authors told us that even if a dam was erected on the creek at 290, and another dam erected at the junction with Little Cypress Creek, the main stem of the creek would still flood. Too much run off, no place for the water to go. And too much unbridled development.
We all bewailed the Arizona developer who brought eight (8) feet of fill onto the 50 acres at the Vintage, on Vintage Preserve Pkwy., to build apartments. He installed detention to capture the run off on that 50 acres, but what of the water that used to pool there during floods, where does it go? He produced an engineering study saying “no adverse impact”, but where does that water go?
Rebuilding Next to Buyouts!
We recently visited a Harris County home buy out focus site in Saracen Park on Cypress Creek. There were several vacant lots where residents had sold out to FEMA to escape repeated flooding. Immediately adjacent to these properties, which were purchased with federal tax dollars, was a new home being constructed. It was a spec home being erected by a builder – “for sale by owner”. The County verified that the builder had the proper permits to build in the floodway. Not flood plain, floodway – the stream channel.
Is There No Other Land?
Harris County allows building in the stream channel. Why? Is there no other land? Or is this land just really cheap because it’s in the floodway? Why spend tax dollars to buy out properties and, in turn, allow more properties to be built there? What sense does this make? Who are the stewards of our tax money?
Harris County is one of the few places in the country which allows building in the floodway. As one of our state representatives told us, it is difficult to obtain state funding for flood mitigation in Harris County when other representatives from around the state ask: “Well, why ya’ll allow building in the flood plain, anyhow?” How does one answer that?
Fill Without Permit and Slap-on-Wrist Fine
At the corner of Cypresswood Drive and Champions Forest Drive a developer, Don Hand, recently brought in 5-6 feet of fill to build up his lot for a construction project.
He didn’t bother to obtain a permit. There was no detention built and no consideration for his neighbors.
If a tropical storm had arrived, the water would have cascaded off that lot into the Chase branch bank, crossed the street into the Mormon Temple, flooded the Conservatory parking lot, inundated Cypresswood Drive and perhaps entered the Kroger, again. Citizen outrage caused the County to ‘red flag’ his construction.
The County was required to go to court to obtain an injunction to stop this developer and require the fill to be removed. It was a pyritic victory. The penalty assessed under the law against this type of dangerous develop is $100/day. Little wonder the dirt is still there – it’s cheaper to pay the fine than remove it.
3600 Building Permits Issued Along Cypress Creek Since 1997
Development continues apace along Cypress Creek. Community Impact’s investigation into development along the creek indicates that since the 1997 county standards were adopted, there have been over 3,600 new building permits issued along the creek. More impervious surface, less room for the water.
Subsidizing Developers with Taxpayer Dollars
The Greater Houston Flood Consortium’s 2017 report on flooding and building standards recited that “…not requiring new development to fully mitigate its impacts would essentially be a subsidy for that development, reducing the cost of building but ultimately requiring taxpayers to pay for more new flood mitigation infrastructure and saddling downstream residents with flood-related property damages.”
The Politics of Development
How did we get so far out of balance? For a century builders & developers have had a powerful hold on Houston and Harris County. Recall the 1960s mayor of Houston, Louie Welch, and his statement: “The business of Houston is business”. No zoning, weak regulation.
Another reason is money. County regulations are approved by Commissioner’s Court. In 2018 a Houston Chronicle investigative report indicated that all four commissioners received at least 80% of their re-election funds from builders/developers/engineering firms. While all the commissioners deny that these election contributions have any impact on their decisions, you can bet the donors get their phone calls returned.
Luck Not a Strategy
Thus far in this very active hurricane season we have been lucky and dodged all the storms. In flood mitigation, luck is not a strategy. We must have flood infrastructure. Three years after Harvey, four years after Tax Day, not a shovel of dirt has turned on Cypress Creek. But we must also have reasonable rules which look after not only developer profits, but public safety and security. Tell your friends, tell you neighbors, tell your elected representatives. Let’s start that conversation.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-img_26511104.jpg?fit=479%2C479&ssl=1479479adminadmin2020-09-07 19:18:332020-09-07 19:18:45Developing Problem
SJRA Considering Input on Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Thursday, 6PM
San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold public meeting on Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 6:00 p.m., via webinar and telephone conference, to discuss its ongoing Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Project.
Accurately determining inflow during a flood theoretically lets dam operators determine how much water to release and when. That, in turn, helps protect properties both upstream and downstream to the extent possible.
During Harvey, many felt that the SJRA released too much water too quickly – 79,000 cubic feet per second at one point. That, they say, flooded homes downstream unnecessarily when capacity still existed in the reservoir. Lawsuits are still working their way through the courts.
Many also complained about the lack of warning for the massive release which inundated homes as people slept.
Additional Information
The Lake Conroe Reservoir Forecasting Tool Project addresses flood protection in the San Jacinto River Watershed.
One goal: to anticipate peak water level in Lake Conroe during rainfall events based on:
A second goal: to predict peak release rates of stormwater from Lake Conroe.
The SJRA says this will help improve communication with Offices of Emergency Management and the general public during rainfall events.
SJRA expects completion of the project by early spring 2021. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) and SJRA have funded the project.
Ask Questions, Express Views
You can view and participate in the meeting remotely via the webinar link below to express your views of the Project.
Questions or requests for additional information about the SJRA Reservoir Forecasting Tool may be directed to Mr. Matt Barrett, P.E., Division Engineer, SJRA, 1577 Dam Site Road, Conroe, Montgomery County, Texas 77304, Tel. (936) 588-3111.
SJRA requests those who intend to express their views to contact Mr. Barrett either in writing or by telephone in advance of the meeting.
To Participate Via Webinar and/or Comment
Only those participating via Webinar using the GoToWebinar App will be able to provide comments during the meeting.
Webinar Link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5029250157384078351
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Please use Webinar ID: 372-655-099
To Participate Via Phone and Listen
If you choose to participate via conference call using the number below, you will NOT have the opportunity to provide comments during the designated portion of the meeting. The conference call phone number is provided for LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY.
Telephone conference call phone number: (562) 247-8321 and the audio access code is 150-445-802
Editorial Comment
I, for one, hope they use their new Reservoir Forecasting Tool to release floodwater at safe rates, although that was not explicitly stated in the SJRA press release on the meeting. Releasing at safer rates may mean releasing water earlier or holding it longer to flatten peaks. In my opinion, SJRA should hold floodwater as high as they safely can…as long as they safely can. I hope this new tool helps SJRA do that.
I’d rather see floodwater in Lake Conroe than in Kingwood’s Town Center.
Posted by Bob Rehak on September 9th, 2020
1107 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Woodridge Village Still Silting Up Taylor Gully
Despite countermeasures, such as silt fences and rock baskets designed to catch erosion, Woodridge Village is still silting up Taylor Gully. And this comes shortly after Harris County Flood Control just cleaned out the ditch to restore its conveyance.
Nicole Black-Rudolph captured these two photos downstream from Woodridge. They show the water in Taylor Gully at the Turtle Bridge in Woodstream. The first shows what the water normally looks like. The second shows what it looks like now.
Where Did Silt-Laden Water Come From?
Following Taylor Gully upstream, you come to 268 clear-cut acres – Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village. All pictures below show Woodridge Village on the morning of September 7, 2020. A nearby Elm Grove resident, Jeff Miller, reported .7 inches of rain fell in his gauge on 9/5 and 9/6. That wasn’t enough to cause flooding, but it was certainly enough to erode sediment as the pictures below show.
Political Ping Pong
Perry Homes’ troubled development in Montgomery County has been caught in a political ping-pong match that has delayed either its ultimate build out or conversion into a regional detention facility. The match started in February when the City of Houston said Harris County should pay for the conversion. It has continued until now. Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis keeps heaping one new condition after another on the sale of the property to Harris County Flood Control District.
Woodridge contributed to flooding Elm Grove Village in Kingwood (immediately to the south and across the Harris County line) twice last year. Perry contractors had clear cut 268 acres and filled in natural streams and wetlands that criss-crossed the property before fully installing detention ponds. When major rains stuck on May 7th and September 19th last year, sheet flow from Woodridge, coupled with water backing up in the streets of Elm Grove, flooded hundreds of homes. The area is still recovering.
Harris County Flood Control immediately started a project to restore the conveyance of the ditch which was badly silted, in part due to construction activities.
Now, despite best efforts to reduce erosion with conventional countermeasures, the exposed surface washes downstream with each rain. This re-deposits more sediment, which the Flood Control District just removed. (See two photos below from 2019.)
Pray there’s movement on this deal soon. Perry Homes should plant grass on their property until the ping-pong match is over. Silt fences and rock baskets alone just don’t do the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/8/2020 with photos from Nicole Black-Rudolph and Rain Data from Jeff Miller
1106 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 355 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.
Developing Problem
A Guest Post by Paul Eschenfelder and George Peckham of CyCreekStopTheFlooding.com
It’s the heart of the storm season. It’s going to be an interesting next several weeks as we look toward the sea. Buy flood insurance. ANY place in Harris County can flood, don’t be another surprised flooding victim. “I’ve never flooded before” will not get you much sympathy anymore, we have heard it too much.
Rice U Assesses Cypress Creek Situation
In 1984 Dr. Phil Bedient, of Rice University, wrote his first research paper on flooding along Cypress Creek. At the time he said the cause was too much development with no place for the water to go. In 2018 Dr. Bedient, as head of Rice’s Severe Storms Center, wrote another paper on flooding on Cypress Creek.
One of his co-authors told us that even if a dam was erected on the creek at 290, and another dam erected at the junction with Little Cypress Creek, the main stem of the creek would still flood. Too much run off, no place for the water to go. And too much unbridled development.
We all bewailed the Arizona developer who brought eight (8) feet of fill onto the 50 acres at the Vintage, on Vintage Preserve Pkwy., to build apartments. He installed detention to capture the run off on that 50 acres, but what of the water that used to pool there during floods, where does it go? He produced an engineering study saying “no adverse impact”, but where does that water go?
Rebuilding Next to Buyouts!
We recently visited a Harris County home buy out focus site in Saracen Park on Cypress Creek. There were several vacant lots where residents had sold out to FEMA to escape repeated flooding. Immediately adjacent to these properties, which were purchased with federal tax dollars, was a new home being constructed. It was a spec home being erected by a builder – “for sale by owner”. The County verified that the builder had the proper permits to build in the floodway. Not flood plain, floodway – the stream channel.
Is There No Other Land?
Harris County allows building in the stream channel. Why? Is there no other land? Or is this land just really cheap because it’s in the floodway? Why spend tax dollars to buy out properties and, in turn, allow more properties to be built there? What sense does this make? Who are the stewards of our tax money?
Harris County is one of the few places in the country which allows building in the floodway. As one of our state representatives told us, it is difficult to obtain state funding for flood mitigation in Harris County when other representatives from around the state ask: “Well, why ya’ll allow building in the flood plain, anyhow?” How does one answer that?
Fill Without Permit and Slap-on-Wrist Fine
At the corner of Cypresswood Drive and Champions Forest Drive a developer, Don Hand, recently brought in 5-6 feet of fill to build up his lot for a construction project.
If a tropical storm had arrived, the water would have cascaded off that lot into the Chase branch bank, crossed the street into the Mormon Temple, flooded the Conservatory parking lot, inundated Cypresswood Drive and perhaps entered the Kroger, again. Citizen outrage caused the County to ‘red flag’ his construction.
The County was required to go to court to obtain an injunction to stop this developer and require the fill to be removed. It was a pyritic victory. The penalty assessed under the law against this type of dangerous develop is $100/day. Little wonder the dirt is still there – it’s cheaper to pay the fine than remove it.
3600 Building Permits Issued Along Cypress Creek Since 1997
Development continues apace along Cypress Creek. Community Impact’s investigation into development along the creek indicates that since the 1997 county standards were adopted, there have been over 3,600 new building permits issued along the creek. More impervious surface, less room for the water.
Subsidizing Developers with Taxpayer Dollars
The Greater Houston Flood Consortium’s 2017 report on flooding and building standards recited that “…not requiring new development to fully mitigate its impacts would essentially be a subsidy for that development, reducing the cost of building but ultimately requiring taxpayers to pay for more new flood mitigation infrastructure and saddling downstream residents with flood-related property damages.”
The Politics of Development
How did we get so far out of balance? For a century builders & developers have had a powerful hold on Houston and Harris County. Recall the 1960s mayor of Houston, Louie Welch, and his statement: “The business of Houston is business”. No zoning, weak regulation.
Another reason is money. County regulations are approved by Commissioner’s Court. In 2018 a Houston Chronicle investigative report indicated that all four commissioners received at least 80% of their re-election funds from builders/developers/engineering firms. While all the commissioners deny that these election contributions have any impact on their decisions, you can bet the donors get their phone calls returned.
Luck Not a Strategy
Thus far in this very active hurricane season we have been lucky and dodged all the storms. In flood mitigation, luck is not a strategy. We must have flood infrastructure. Three years after Harvey, four years after Tax Day, not a shovel of dirt has turned on Cypress Creek. But we must also have reasonable rules which look after not only developer profits, but public safety and security. Tell your friends, tell you neighbors, tell your elected representatives. Let’s start that conversation.
By Paul Eschenfelder and George Peckham of cycreekstoptheflooding.com
1105 Days after Hurricane Harvey