Construction of State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, has turned south. It is now approximately 4.5 miles from FM1960, but more than 20 miles from reaching its goal of I-10. In the image below, taken on 6/16/2020, you can see it crossing the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer project and then heading through open farm land.
Looking southeast. Grand Parkway construction has now passed the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Project. Approximately 4.5 miles remains before construction reaches FM1960 to the south.
The Grand Parkway will open up vast areas in Montgomery, Harris and Liberty counties for development. All of that will put pressure on Lake Houston, shown in the lower left of the satellite image below (which was taken seven months ago.
Now, more than ever, it’s important for these counties to work together to reduce the risk of flooding for downstream residents in Houston, which is the economic center of the region.
Without a vital, safe center, growth in the entire region could falter.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/18/2020
1024 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200616-RJR_3555.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-18 15:33:432020-06-18 15:33:53Grand Parkway Construction Now Within 4.5 Miles of FM1960
New Caney ISD is planning to build a new comprehensive high school on a roughly 50-acre site between US59 and Sorters-McClellan Road, where a par-3 golf course used to be. The land is south of HCA Kingwood Medical Center and behind several car dealerships that face US59.
New Caney ISD High School #3, still unnamed, will be built where the par 3 golf course used to be in the center of the image above.
Photos of Site and Layout
The site for this high school is roughly 5-acres larger than Kingwood High School’s site. Clearing and grading of the land has already started. See pictures below.
Looking NE. Land for Future New Caney ISD High School #3Looking East. Looking South. Detention pond will go at the far end of this part of the site.
Importance of Detention Pond
A Bid Bulletin described the total project as a 337,000 square-foot, 3-story building with tilt-wall construction and a detention pond.
A building that large, with parking lots, and rubber grass on its playing fields would make make detention ponds critical.
Site Plan for New Caney HS #3 shows detention pond on south side of property (right) and taking up approximately 10% of the property.For a higher resolution PDF, click here.
Plans show that the retention pond will be located along the southern border of the property. The land naturally slopes to there.
Although width and length are not noted on this drawing, it appears to take up about ten percent of the site and have a depth of 6.66 feet. If those are accurate assumptions, that would mean the pond provides 33.3 acre feet of detention for a 50 acre site.
That equals .666 acre feet of detention per acre. The City of Houston requires .5 feet per acre for sites of this size.
But a white paper by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium points out that many factors can influence the amount of detention needed to offset development. Those factors include the amount of impervious cover, the soil type and more. They can change the rate needed for protection of downstream residents more than 10X. There is not one-size-fits-all.
Until we learn more about the specifics of this site and project, we can’t know whether this plan provides enough detention. But this certainly is an encouraging start.
Community Impact newspaper reported earlier this year that the high school will open in August, 2022. The project will be built in two phases.
Artists renderings of the campus show a sleek, modern, open, light-filled design.
Aerial image shows high school will be built around an open courtyard giving more classrooms access to more sunlight.Rendering from New Caney ISD.
Artists rendering of lobby of New Caney HS #3 from New Caney ISD.
Front Elevation of the new high school from New Caney ISD.
For those new to the area, two independent school districts serve the Kingwood area. The Humble ISD serves the vast majority of the area. The New Caney ISD serves the parts outside of Harris County on the north and west.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2020
1023 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Screen-Shot-2020-06-17-at-4.02.13-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C946&ssl=19461200adminadmin2020-06-17 18:04:412020-06-17 18:04:53Development Watchlist: New Caney ISD Prepping Land for High School #3 in Kingwood
Harvey inundated many old oil and gas properties in Humble and Kingwood, including many old stripper wells and storage tanks. Nowhere is the problem more apparent than in the abandoned well site next to the Forest Cove little league fields.
Proximity of Abandoned Site and Little League Fields
Harvey floodwaters toppled and rusted tanks which are now leaking onto the soil around them. The wells and equipment have been abandoned. All within range of a long fly ball.
Noxxe Oil & Gas, LLC used to list the abandoned property as its headquarters in Forest Cove until Harvey.Photo taken from helicopter on 6/16/2020, 1022 days after Harvey.
A home run and you’re out! Ain’t no one going over that fence for the long ball.
Closer shot shows three wells, 16 tanks, a truck and a trailer on the site.Sign at entrance to property indicates the Railroad Commission has seized the property and equipment. The TRCC will plug the wells and auction the equipment.This will be a major cleanup. It looks like one wellhead has been removed already. Tanks are ruptured and leaking. One tank has embedded itself in the ground.
Economics of Stripper Wells
As oil fields mature and well production declines, thinly capitalized operators often buy up old “stripper” wells. They hope they can still turn a profit because of their lower overhead compared to majors. But when a disaster like Harvey strikes, it exposes the flaw in that formula.
Foul!
It won’t take a major flood to cause more problems on this site and surrounding properties. Even a minor flood could spread this foul mess around.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/16/2020
1022 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200616-DJI_0200-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-06-16 22:51:252020-06-16 22:51:35Toxic Waste Next to Little League Fields Since Hurricane Harvey
Grand Parkway Construction Now Within 4.5 Miles of FM1960
Construction of State Highway 99, also known as the Grand Parkway, has turned south. It is now approximately 4.5 miles from FM1960, but more than 20 miles from reaching its goal of I-10. In the image below, taken on 6/16/2020, you can see it crossing the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer project and then heading through open farm land.
The Grand Parkway will open up vast areas in Montgomery, Harris and Liberty counties for development. All of that will put pressure on Lake Houston, shown in the lower left of the satellite image below (which was taken seven months ago.
Without a vital, safe center, growth in the entire region could falter.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/18/2020
1024 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Development Watchlist: New Caney ISD Prepping Land for High School #3 in Kingwood
New Caney ISD is planning to build a new comprehensive high school on a roughly 50-acre site between US59 and Sorters-McClellan Road, where a par-3 golf course used to be. The land is south of HCA Kingwood Medical Center and behind several car dealerships that face US59.
At the moment, this is the largest active development in the Kingwood area. Luckily for residents downstream, plans call for a large retention pond on the site
Photos of Site and Layout
The site for this high school is roughly 5-acres larger than Kingwood High School’s site. Clearing and grading of the land has already started. See pictures below.
Importance of Detention Pond
A Bid Bulletin described the total project as a 337,000 square-foot, 3-story building with tilt-wall construction and a detention pond.
A building that large, with parking lots, and rubber grass on its playing fields would make make detention ponds critical.
Plans show that the retention pond will be located along the southern border of the property. The land naturally slopes to there.
Although width and length are not noted on this drawing, it appears to take up about ten percent of the site and have a depth of 6.66 feet. If those are accurate assumptions, that would mean the pond provides 33.3 acre feet of detention for a 50 acre site.
But a white paper by the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium points out that many factors can influence the amount of detention needed to offset development. Those factors include the amount of impervious cover, the soil type and more. They can change the rate needed for protection of downstream residents more than 10X. There is not one-size-fits-all.
Until we learn more about the specifics of this site and project, we can’t know whether this plan provides enough detention. But this certainly is an encouraging start.
Now that the site is cleared though, New Caney ISD should expedite construction of the detention pond. The peak of hurricane season is two months away. Elm Grove showed us what can happen between clearing and the installation of detention ponds.
More About the High School
Community Impact newspaper reported earlier this year that the high school will open in August, 2022. The project will be built in two phases.
Artists renderings of the campus show a sleek, modern, open, light-filled design.
For those new to the area, two independent school districts serve the Kingwood area. The Humble ISD serves the vast majority of the area. The New Caney ISD serves the parts outside of Harris County on the north and west.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2020
1023 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Toxic Waste Next to Little League Fields Since Hurricane Harvey
Harvey inundated many old oil and gas properties in Humble and Kingwood, including many old stripper wells and storage tanks. Nowhere is the problem more apparent than in the abandoned well site next to the Forest Cove little league fields.
Proximity of Abandoned Site and Little League Fields
Harvey floodwaters toppled and rusted tanks which are now leaking onto the soil around them. The wells and equipment have been abandoned. All within range of a long fly ball.
A home run and you’re out! Ain’t no one going over that fence for the long ball.
Economics of Stripper Wells
As oil fields mature and well production declines, thinly capitalized operators often buy up old “stripper” wells. They hope they can still turn a profit because of their lower overhead compared to majors. But when a disaster like Harvey strikes, it exposes the flaw in that formula.
It won’t take a major flood to cause more problems on this site and surrounding properties. Even a minor flood could spread this foul mess around.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/16/2020
1022 Days since Hurricane Harvey