River Grove dredging has finally begun. Silt and sand deposited by Hurricane Harvey 2.5 years ago is being removed from two areas: the boat launch and boardwalk. KSA obtained a final permit from the City of Houston and equipment arrived yesterday.
Boardwalk First Priority
As you can see from these pictures, the contractor wasted no time. Equipment has already started removing silt from in front of the boardwalk.
Mechanical dredging equipment excavates area near boardwalk.
Additional equipment is being staged from the parking lot.
Contractors closed off the parking lot adjacent to the boat launch for public safety.
Contractors have already started removing the top layer of vegetation adjacent to the boardwalkthat sprouted since Harvey.
Pictures From Immediately After Harvey
A huge sandbar deposited by Hurricane Harvey blocked the Kingwood Diversion Ditch which drains the western third of Kingwood.Note sand covering the parking lot. It was 5 feet deep in places.Taken 9/14/2017.
The lagoon in front of the boardwalk was badly silted in.Taken 9/14/2017.
Pictures Taken February 2020 Before Start of Dredging
Photo taken 2/13/2020 shows how vegetation grew up on silt in lagoon.Aerial photo of boat launch area taken on 1/20/2020 shows that Army Corps opened up the drainage channel to the river. However, the area near the boat launch remains too shallow for most boats to launch safely.
Dredging and cleanup should take about 6 weeks. Completion will make eager boaters and park visitors very happy. River Grove has long been one of the most popular parks in Kingwood.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/2020
903 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IMG_0480-rotated.jpg?fit=1512%2C2016&ssl=120161512adminadmin2020-02-18 13:05:072020-02-18 13:06:01River Grove Dredging Begins
Note: This post has been modified to delete the mention of storm drains. On closer examination of older photos, it appears that the storm drains were installed before January 20th.
As of last Thursday, they were still doing touch-up work on detention pond S1. Specifically, they were removing soil that had eroded into the pond since last May.
Woodridge Village S1 Pond still has no grass on shoulders almost a year after substantial completion.Last week, workers were trying to repair sidewall erosion and remove sand from pilot channel.
Woodridge Village S1 detention pond still has no grass despite substantial completion before the May storms last year. Photo taken 2/13/2020.Woodridge Village S2 pond as of 2/13/2020 still shows little grass.
Perry’s letter to the City promised construction of a berm between S1 and S2. Work on the berm connecting S1 and S2 looked like it had not begun yet as of last week.
Area between S1 and S2 where berm should be. Photo taken 2/13/2020. I can’t see it in this photo, but in fairness, resident Jeff Miller feels Perry is building this area up slightly.
Work on Three Northern Ponds Still Not Started
Perry still has less than 25% of the promised detention capacity constructed. Work on the three northern detention ponds has definitely not begun yet as you can see from the photos below. I took all of them on 2/13/2020.
The N1 detention pond should go in the foreground in the northwest corner of the site.Montgomery County partially excavated this pond decades ago to count as detention for other development. Perry Homes must deepen it to create additional detention for this site.This is the N2 pond in the middle of the western side.The N3 Pond will go above the S2 pond shown in the foreground here.It should stretch almost all the way back to the far tree line.
How Long Will It Take to Build Ponds?
Neither Perry Homes, nor LJA engineering has published bid requirements for the ponds. The only thing we currently have to go on for a construction timetable is J. Carey Gray’s letter to the City.
In it, Perry committed to developing each of those ponds within 250-280 days. Assuming construction remains on schedule and that the deadlines are sequential, not concurrent, Perry should complete the remainder of the ponds in 2.3 years.
If the work on S2 is any indication, consider this. Perry had substantially completed the S2 pond before Imelda. As of today, they have gone 109 days past a 45-day self-imposed deadline. They still don’t have a maintenance road around it. Nor do they have grass established on the sides of it. Both are Montgomery County requirements.
Implications for Future
The end of Perry’s letter says, “…we will continue to consider alternatives that provide more robust mitigation.” Presumably that was a veiled reference to a potential buyout by the City of Houston or Harris County Flood Control. No one is talking about that alternative at the moment…if it exists. A spokesperson for the City this afternoon said only, “We support any alternative that reduces flooding.”
On one hand, it’s exciting that Perry is finally moving forward with work that should have been completed long ago. But on the other…
… the additions to infrastructure signal that hopes for a buyout by the City of Houston and/or Harris County Flood Control – to provide more robust mitigation – have vanished or are fading quickly.
We should not forget that even if Perry succeeds in building additional ponds, they are based on old rainfall statistics. The NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall statistics – on which new flood maps are being redrawn – require about 40% more detention capacity.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/2020
903 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 151 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/2020/02/20200213-RJR_8421.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-02-17 20:32:472020-02-18 12:06:25Perry Homes Taking Bids on More Detention Ponds for Woodridge Village
Replacement of the old Union Pacific Bridge across the San Jacinto West Fork is nearing completion.
Less than a month ago, crews constructing the new railroad bridge still had to remove the supports for the old bridge. See below the old four-post steel-frame structures between the new cement supports.
Photo taken on January 20, 2020 shows old supports still in place between new concrete supports.
By 2/13/2020, however, only one of the old supports remained. See photo below.
Photo taken on 2/13/2020 shows only one of the old supports remains.
Trees caught in Union Pacific Railroad Bridge supports during Hurricane Harvey.
The result: the tracks were destroyed. UP had to reroute northbound rail traffic out of Houston for months as they literally built a new bridge around the old one.
Harvey knocked out the Union Pacific Railroad bridge over the San Jacinto River near I-69.
The concrete supports for the new bridge are spaced much farther apart. Thus, they should allow trees to pass through in a flood and eliminate backwater effects.
Photo taken 2/13/2020, the same time as the first shot above. This is from the other side of the bridge.
Other Sign Job is Nearing Completion
Notice in the picture above that crews have already started removing the temporary bridge for cranes on the north side of the river.
All of this is good news from flood remediation and mitigation perspectives. It is yet one more sign that life is finally starting to return to normal after Harvey. The bridge should also help the community deal better with the next major storm.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/2020
902 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/20200213-RJR_7956.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-02-16 19:46:332020-02-16 19:46:51Union Pacific Almost Done Removing Last Remnants of Old Railroad Bridge
River Grove Dredging Begins
River Grove dredging has finally begun. Silt and sand deposited by Hurricane Harvey 2.5 years ago is being removed from two areas: the boat launch and boardwalk. KSA obtained a final permit from the City of Houston and equipment arrived yesterday.
Boardwalk First Priority
As you can see from these pictures, the contractor wasted no time. Equipment has already started removing silt from in front of the boardwalk.
Pictures From Immediately After Harvey
The Army Corps dredged a channel through the sandbar above to allow the ditch to empty into the river. However, the Corps’ equipment was too big to maneuver safely near the boat launch. That created the need for a second dredging program with more precise equipment.
Pictures Taken February 2020 Before Start of Dredging
Dredging and cleanup should take about 6 weeks. Completion will make eager boaters and park visitors very happy. River Grove has long been one of the most popular parks in Kingwood.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/2020
903 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Perry Homes Taking Bids on More Detention Ponds for Woodridge Village
Note: This post has been modified to delete the mention of storm drains. On closer examination of older photos, it appears that the storm drains were installed before January 20th.
Perry Taking Bids on New Detention Ponds
Perry Homes is taking bids on additional detention ponds, as you can see from this document by LJA Engineering, their engineering firm for this property.
In a letter Perry’s lawyer sent to the City Attorney on October 17, 2019, Perry Homes promised the City they would accelerate construction of those. They were originally scheduled for Phase 1.
Status of Detention Pond Construction
The letter by Perry’s lawyer laid out a timetable. Perry Homes was supposed to have finished the S2 detention pond in 30-45 days.
As of last Thursday, they were still doing touch-up work on detention pond S1. Specifically, they were removing soil that had eroded into the pond since last May.
Grass still has not grown on the sides of either the S1 or S2 ponds.
Perry’s letter to the City promised construction of a berm between S1 and S2. Work on the berm connecting S1 and S2 looked like it had not begun yet as of last week.
Work on Three Northern Ponds Still Not Started
Perry still has less than 25% of the promised detention capacity constructed. Work on the three northern detention ponds has definitely not begun yet as you can see from the photos below. I took all of them on 2/13/2020.
How Long Will It Take to Build Ponds?
Neither Perry Homes, nor LJA engineering has published bid requirements for the ponds. The only thing we currently have to go on for a construction timetable is J. Carey Gray’s letter to the City.
In it, Perry committed to developing each of those ponds within 250-280 days. Assuming construction remains on schedule and that the deadlines are sequential, not concurrent, Perry should complete the remainder of the ponds in 2.3 years.
If the work on S2 is any indication, consider this. Perry had substantially completed the S2 pond before Imelda. As of today, they have gone 109 days past a 45-day self-imposed deadline. They still don’t have a maintenance road around it. Nor do they have grass established on the sides of it. Both are Montgomery County requirements.
Implications for Future
The end of Perry’s letter says, “…we will continue to consider alternatives that provide more robust mitigation.” Presumably that was a veiled reference to a potential buyout by the City of Houston or Harris County Flood Control. No one is talking about that alternative at the moment…if it exists. A spokesperson for the City this afternoon said only, “We support any alternative that reduces flooding.”
On one hand, it’s exciting that Perry is finally moving forward with work that should have been completed long ago. But on the other…
We should not forget that even if Perry succeeds in building additional ponds, they are based on old rainfall statistics. The NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall statistics – on which new flood maps are being redrawn – require about 40% more detention capacity.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/2020
903 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 151 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.
Union Pacific Almost Done Removing Last Remnants of Old Railroad Bridge
Replacement of the old Union Pacific Bridge across the San Jacinto West Fork is nearing completion.
Less than a month ago, crews constructing the new railroad bridge still had to remove the supports for the old bridge. See below the old four-post steel-frame structures between the new cement supports.
By 2/13/2020, however, only one of the old supports remained. See photo below.
Reason for New Bridge
Union Pacific started reconstructing the bridge after Harvey. Trees swept downstream by the flood caught on the old supports and backed water up.
The result: the tracks were destroyed. UP had to reroute northbound rail traffic out of Houston for months as they literally built a new bridge around the old one.
Other Sign Job is Nearing Completion
Notice in the picture above that crews have already started removing the temporary bridge for cranes on the north side of the river.
All of this is good news from flood remediation and mitigation perspectives. It is yet one more sign that life is finally starting to return to normal after Harvey. The bridge should also help the community deal better with the next major storm.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/2020
902 Days since Hurricane Harvey