Descartes positions itself as a data refinery for satellite imagery. They process images from the major NASA and ESA satellite constellations at scale, creating a digital data twin of the entire planet that monitors the whole earth, in near real-time. Their mission: to better understand the planet.
The red dots in the map below show land that is newly covered in concrete or rooftops. It is a form of “heat map” that shows the hottest areas for growth. Studying this map, we can learn several things:
Stories about the demise of suburbs and exurbs after the real estate crash in 2008 proved short-lived. From the numerous rings around major metropolitan centers, you can see that growth outside of major metropolitan areas continues.
Texas appears to have the greatest increase in density of any state.
Far more growth happened in the East than the West.
This next map, also courtesy of Descartes, zooms in on Texas and surrounding states. The yellow dots simply correspond to the names of metropolitan centers.
Growth around Houston seems fairly uniform, though my eye does detect slightly more weight to the north, west and south than the east. This will likely change in the next decade with the extension of the Grand Parkway toward the east.
Several factors contribute to Houston’s reputation for flooding:
Rapid population growth and corresponding growth of impervious cover, as Descarte showed. The impervious cover causes floodwaters to concentrate/accumulate faster.
Loss of wetlands And flood plain storage
Flat, poorly drained landscape
Gulf moisture that regularly brings hurricanes, tropical storms and torrential rains
Fierce dedication to individual freedom, property rights, and local authority (Hey, this IS TEXAS after all.)
Political fragmentation
Widely varying flood control regulations
Upstream development that overwhelms the capacity of downstream drainage channels
In the last century, Houston has exploded from a sleepy city of less than 200,000 to a 9-county metropolitan statistical area with a population of about 7 million covering more than 9 thousand square miles.
Nine counties comprise the Houston metropolitan statistical area, home to 7 million people. Source: Greater Houston Partnership.
Now, superimpose watersheds over those counties and you can see how difficult the flood control situation becomes.
Watersheds of the Houston MSA. The Upper San Jacinto River Basin (above Lake Houston) contains 13 major watersheds. But, there are many smaller watersheds within each larger one.Source: San Jacinto River Authority.
Solutions Will Require Cooperation
Rivers and streams cross political boundaries throughout this region. So solutions to flooding problems are, by definition, regional. Yet development regulations and guidelines are anything but.
Most regulations pay lip service to “no adverse impact” on downstream neighbors. But in many areas, the regulations may be based on ancient maps and antiquated data. Moreover, they may have little to no oversight or enforcement.
Retain Your Rain
The region’s growth depends on its reputation for quality of life. If we are to continue growing, we must work together to solve flooding problems.
If every developer did one simple thing, we could eliminate most of our flooding problems. Just be responsible for the rain that falls on your property. Detain it long enough to avoid adding to flood peaks.
It’s that simple and that difficult. Especially considering that Texans don’t like having other people tell them what to do.
Posted by Bob Rehak, with thanks to Descartes Labs
863 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 112 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/DescartesLabsImperviousCvr-Tx.png?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=112001200adminadmin2020-01-09 17:44:252020-01-09 19:08:15Growth of Impervious Cover Across Political Boundaries, Watersheds Complicates Flooding
People believed the lie. They started putting up web sites and YouTube videos to spread the word. Soon, the lie took on a life of its own. And it became impossible for the LCA to stamp it out – even if they were so inclined, which they aren’t.
Residents started writing their state reps. And soon Will Metcalf who represents the Lake Conroe Area took up the cry. See the letter below dated Jan. 6.
State Senator Robert Nichols wound up with the same omelette on his face.
Whole Series of Lies, Half-Lies and Logical Fallacies Spread by LCA
The LCA fueled this whole sad, sorry food fight that embarrassed their own representatives with an entire a SERIES of lies, half-lies and logical fallacies that it fed to unknowing people.
For instance, in addition to “the dredging is done”, I see and hear these comments constantly:
Because the East Fork flooded during Imelda and Lake Conroe didn’t release water, that proves we don’t need to keep lowering Lake Conroe.
The Lake Conroe release during Harvey comprised only 5% of the water going through Lake Houston.
All of Kingwood was built in a flood plain. Kingwood people should just move to higher ground.
Kingwood’s flooding problems come from upstream developers.
No scientific study supports the lowering policy.
Lake Houston wants to make the lowering of Lake Conroe permanent.
They should lower Lake Houston.
For the Record…
To set the record straight:
West Fork dredging is NOT done. Just the portion FEMA paid for.
The East Fork and West Fork are in different watersheds. Imelda affected the East Fork, but not the West. Plum Grove got 33 inches of rain while Lake Conroe got two.
The Lake Conroe release during Harvey comprised ONE THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork where approximately 80-90% of all the damage occurred in the Humble/Kingwood area.
All of Kingwood was not built in a flood plain. For instance, 110 out of 250 of my neighbors in Kings Forest were not in a flood plain yet still flooded. We live more than TWO MILES from the river.
Some of Kingwood’s flooding problems come from upstream developers. But that’s a separate issue; they have nothing to do with West Fork flooding due to Lake Conroe releases.
The SJRA did commission an engineering study that supported lowering Lake Conroe.
Lake Houston IS and HAS BEEN lowered…longer than Lake Conroe.
No responsible/knowledgeable person that I know in the Lake Houston area is talking about making the lowering of Lake Conroe permanent.
To correct some of these misperceptions, I met the president of the LCA last year for a whole day. More recently, I spent an hour on the phone with him. I thought I had corrected these misperceptions. But they keep recurring. This is NO accident; this is intentional.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/8/2020
862 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 111 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/2020/01/image-1.png?fit=697%2C903&ssl=1903697adminadmin2020-01-08 18:43:272020-01-17 10:11:32Lake Conroe Association Misleads Area’s Own State Representative and Senator
The project to remove approximately 76,285 cubic yards of sediment from the lower reaches of Ben’s Branch in Kingwood is nearing its goal.
High-Priority Ben’s Branch Project Began Last August
This was a high priority project for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) not just because of the sedimentation, but because of the destruction it helped cause during Hurricane Harvey.
12 seniors from Kingwood Village Estates died either as a result injuries sustained during evacuation, or the stress of losing everything they owned.
Every home in the Enclave flooded: 283 out of 283.
All homes in Kingwood Greens flooded: 225 out of 225.
More than half the homes in Fosters Mill flooded: 346 out of 549.
The Kingwood Country Club flooded.
The Deerwood Club flooded.
100% of the businesses in Kingwood Town Center flooded.
100% of the businesses in Kings Harbor flooded.
Kingwood High School flooded to the second floor.
Kingwood’s library flooded.
Scope of project starts at red line on Kingwood Drive and curls south to the YMCA, where oval intersects West Lake Houston Parkway and blue line. Construction crews today were working on both sides of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge just above the Y.
The Ben’s Branch cleanup began last August, but suffered a setback during Tropical Storm Imelda. Much of the sediment that had been piled on the sides of the channel washed back into it during the storm.
Crews Making Up for Lost Time Since Imelda
Since then, however, Flood Control crews have been making up for lost time. Construction weather has been almost ideal. I took all the photos below on the afternoon of 1/7/2020.
Contractor pulls sediment from Ben’s Branch under the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.Just west of the WLHP Bridge, adjacent to Kingwood Greens in the background, another excavator was pulling sediment from Ben’s Branch and pushing it closer to shore……where yet another excavator was loading dump trucks. Contractors will remove an estimated 7,000 loads from the stream.On the East side of the WLHP bridge, two more excavators tag-teamed more sediment. While one worked the shoreline…Another broke up clumps of sediment and pulled it from the stream.The current downstream extent of work is just north of the YMCA. That bend in Ben’s Branch behind the excavator is the final bend in the project.
For More Information
HCFCD expected the Ben’s Branch project to take 9 months. That would put completion in April. At the current rate, the contractor should make that date and perhaps beat it.
For more information about the project, consult the Kingwood pages of the HCFCD website. The project ID is # G103-33-00-X004 – Bens Branch Conveyance Restoration.
All Kingwood residents will breath easier when HCFCD finishes Ben’s Branch.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/2020
861 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 110 since Imelda
Growth of Impervious Cover Across Political Boundaries, Watersheds Complicates Flooding
In December, the New York Times published a story about a company called Descartes Labs, which had trained computers to scan satellite images to detect changes in impervious cover. Descartes found that Texas had 9 of the top 20 counties in the US when ranked by the growth of impervious cover. So I contacted them to learn more.
A Better Understanding of the Planet
Descartes positions itself as a data refinery for satellite imagery. They process images from the major NASA and ESA satellite constellations at scale, creating a digital data twin of the entire planet that monitors the whole earth, in near real-time. Their mission: to better understand the planet.
The red dots in the map below show land that is newly covered in concrete or rooftops. It is a form of “heat map” that shows the hottest areas for growth. Studying this map, we can learn several things:
A Closer Look at Texas
This next map, also courtesy of Descartes, zooms in on Texas and surrounding states. The yellow dots simply correspond to the names of metropolitan centers.
Growth around Houston seems fairly uniform, though my eye does detect slightly more weight to the north, west and south than the east. This will likely change in the next decade with the extension of the Grand Parkway toward the east.
Factors Contributing to Flooding
Several factors contribute to Houston’s reputation for flooding:
In the last century, Houston has exploded from a sleepy city of less than 200,000 to a 9-county metropolitan statistical area with a population of about 7 million covering more than 9 thousand square miles.
Now, superimpose watersheds over those counties and you can see how difficult the flood control situation becomes.
Solutions Will Require Cooperation
Rivers and streams cross political boundaries throughout this region. So solutions to flooding problems are, by definition, regional. Yet development regulations and guidelines are anything but.
Most regulations pay lip service to “no adverse impact” on downstream neighbors. But in many areas, the regulations may be based on ancient maps and antiquated data. Moreover, they may have little to no oversight or enforcement.
Retain Your Rain
The region’s growth depends on its reputation for quality of life. If we are to continue growing, we must work together to solve flooding problems.
It’s that simple and that difficult. Especially considering that Texans don’t like having other people tell them what to do.
Posted by Bob Rehak, with thanks to Descartes Labs
863 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 112 since Imelda
Lake Conroe Association Misleads Area’s Own State Representative and Senator
The problem with incendiary lies: once you start them, they’re hard to stop. In its initial meetings with area residents, the Lake Conroe Association (LCA) told people that West Fork dredging was done. Therefore, said the LCA, the SJRA should stop the temporary seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe.
Lie Takes on Life of Its Own
People believed the lie. They started putting up web sites and YouTube videos to spread the word. Soon, the lie took on a life of its own. And it became impossible for the LCA to stamp it out – even if they were so inclined, which they aren’t.
Residents started writing their state reps. And soon Will Metcalf who represents the Lake Conroe Area took up the cry. See the letter below dated Jan. 6.
State Senator Robert Nichols wound up with the same omelette on his face.
Whole Series of Lies, Half-Lies and Logical Fallacies Spread by LCA
The LCA fueled this whole sad, sorry food fight that embarrassed their own representatives with an entire a SERIES of lies, half-lies and logical fallacies that it fed to unknowing people.
For instance, in addition to “the dredging is done”, I see and hear these comments constantly:
For the Record…
To set the record straight:
To correct some of these misperceptions, I met the president of the LCA last year for a whole day. More recently, I spent an hour on the phone with him. I thought I had corrected these misperceptions. But they keep recurring. This is NO accident; this is intentional.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/8/2020
862 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 111 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.
HCFCD Lower Ben’s Branch Clean-out Project Nears Final Stretch
The project to remove approximately 76,285 cubic yards of sediment from the lower reaches of Ben’s Branch in Kingwood is nearing its goal.
High-Priority Ben’s Branch Project Began Last August
This was a high priority project for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) not just because of the sedimentation, but because of the destruction it helped cause during Hurricane Harvey.
Construction crews today were working on both sides of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge just above the Y.
The Ben’s Branch cleanup began last August, but suffered a setback during Tropical Storm Imelda. Much of the sediment that had been piled on the sides of the channel washed back into it during the storm.
Crews Making Up for Lost Time Since Imelda
Since then, however, Flood Control crews have been making up for lost time. Construction weather has been almost ideal. I took all the photos below on the afternoon of 1/7/2020.
For More Information
HCFCD expected the Ben’s Branch project to take 9 months. That would put completion in April. At the current rate, the contractor should make that date and perhaps beat it.
For more information about the project, consult the Kingwood pages of the HCFCD website. The project ID is # G103-33-00-X004 – Bens Branch Conveyance Restoration.
All Kingwood residents will breath easier when HCFCD finishes Ben’s Branch.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/7/2020
861 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 110 since Imelda