Despite the fact that Perry had substantially completed S2 before Imelda, it has now taken the company 2X-3X more time than they said it would – with no end in sight.
I took all the ground-level photos below on January 25, 2020.
Looking north toward the southern edge of S2. Perry is elevating the lip of the pond which is now as high as this truck.Looking NW. The elevated lip tapers down as you move west of Village Springs. This should effectively shift the locus of the next flood.View looking west at construction work on southern lip of pond. Backslope swales were destroyed. Grass is gone.Because of lack of grass, increased slope, and lack of compaction, knee-high mud is piling up against silt fence.Edythe Cogdill, owner of the home in the background, is near tears over the lack of progress in Woodridge Village, out of frame to the right.Every home on Cogdill’s block flooded twice. This was the scene today. Six of eight homes on the block have been sold or are up for sale. S2 Pond still under construction. Photo taken 1.20.2020.
Perry Drives Families from Their Homes
I visited three Elm Grove families today. All have “snapped.” They have that 1000-yard stare.
One man kept shouting over and over again, “What are we to do?”
One woman broke down crying.
Another family is getting ready to walk away from their home.
They are not alone.
On one block I saw 25 homes for sale.
At the end of Village Springs, six of eight owners had put their homes up for sale.
On Shady Gardens Drive, a resident told me 22 neighbors had moved out.
This neighborhood has already been destroyed by Perry Homes’ broken promises. Fear paralyzes the few families remaining. Fear every time it rains. Fear for their safety. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of renovating their homes only to be flooded a third time.
Perry Homes’ Actions Mock City of Houston Leaders
Perry Homes’s inexplicable and inexcusable delays mock the City of Houston, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem and City Attorney. Their actions say with impunity, “We have nothing to fear from you. We are more powerful.”
Perhaps the City should start slow-walking Perry Homes’ permit applications until they live up to their promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2020
879 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 128 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/2020/01/20200125-RJR_7509.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-01-25 21:46:492020-01-26 07:14:48Perry Homes Still Not Finished with Detention Pond After 90 Days
“For a couple of weeks, I wasn’t able to work due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Kingwood resident Mike Combat Willcox. “So I documented the storm the best I could. I was thinking years into the future that we would need to remember how it happened and have something to show to our kids.”
He was right. We need this NOW as Lake Conroe residents fight to keep their lake full to the brim during rainy seasons.
A former TV producer-editor-photographer at ConocoPhillips, Willcox now runs his own real-estate photography business. Mike is also a world champion aeromodelling pilot, a skill he puts to good use in this video of Harvey.
8-Minute YouTube video courtesy of Mike Combat Willcox
I wish the SJRA would play THIS before its next board meeting so that Lake Conroe residents could see why Kingwood residents are so eager to continue the temporary, seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Then maybe we could see a video from the Lake Conroe Association about all the damage caused by the lake lowering. That might help the two sides understand each other better.
Just sayin’.
Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mike Combat Willcox for sharing his video
The roughly 80,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Lake Conroe discharged at the peak of Harvey would have created the ninth largest flood in West Fork History – all by itself. Only eight floods ever had higher “discharge” rates AND those all included floodwaters from other tributaries, such as Lake Creek, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and numerous drainage ditches.
Discharge is the volume of water flowing past a point on a stream. Discharge from a dam would be the volume flowing past the gates.
The discharge during Harvey is important because residents fighting the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe claim the impact of the release on Humble and Kingwood was insignificant.
Question I Asked Flood Control
So I asked Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control meteorologist, this simple question. “Assuming not a drop of rain fell in any other of the West Fork tributaries, where would that 80,000 CFS have ranked among the history of West Fork floods?” I then asked him to base his analysis on the West Fork gage at US59. It combines water from ALL upstream West Fork tributaries. It’s also the closest gage in continuous operation to the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. That’s where the vast majority of Lake Houston Area damage occurred during Harvey.
Only eight floods have ever exceeded 80,000 CFS at US59.
They occurred on:
8/28/17 (Harvey)
10/18/94 (Previous Record Flood)
11/26/40
5/31/29
5/29/16 (Memorial Day)
11/15/98
5/7/35
4/21/16 (Tax Day)
Note: three of these events happened before the construction of Lake Conroe in 1973. All since the advent of Lake Conroe flooded West Fork structures.
One Statistic Addresses Host of Issues
This observation (ninth largest flood by itself) addresses a host of issues raised by Lake Conroe people about lowering the lake seasonally to create a buffer against downstream flooding. They contend that:
In the grand scheme of things, the Lake Conroe release during Harvey had an insignificant impact on flooding in the Humble/Kingwood area.
Kingwood always floods.
Imelda proves that Kingwood will flood even when Conroe is not releasing water.
There’s no need to create extra storage capacity to offset future floods.
Since Lake Conroe was built, West Fork flooding has exceeded the release rate during Harvey only five times – and one of those was Harvey itself. So Kingwood does NOT always flood.
During Imelda, the discharge of the West Fork, Spring Creek and Cypress Creek put together was about 35,000 CFS at US59. That’s far less than half of the Harvey release from Lake Conroe alone. All of the headline-grabbing rains during Imelda happened on the East Fork. Claiming Imelda proves Kingwood will flood regardless of what Lake Conroe does is a “red herring” – a logical fallacy intended to deceive.
Lowering Lake Conroe two feet in advance of another Harvey will probably not make much of a difference. Likewise, lowering it two feet in advance of 1-inch rain would be unnecessary. The real value happens somewhere between those extremes in a 10-, 25-, 50- or perhaps even a 100-year storm. Somewhere along that spectrum, we will get enough rain to perhaps flood homes, but we’ll also have enough extra lake capacity to avoid actually flooding them.
We just don’t know where that point is right now. Jing Chen, the engineer with Harris County Flood Control managing the San Jacinto River Basin Study says that project will not be far enough along to model those scenarios until August of this year.
Increasing Upstream Detention Capacity: A Proven Flood Mitigation Strategy
According to Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, holding water upstream is a proven flood mitigation strategy. Engineers in the Houston area created upstream detention more than 80 years ago with the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Braes Bayou now has five different detention areas; White Oak Bayou has five with another under construction.
Such detention areas collect water during a storm and then release it slowly after a flood passes.
The extra storage capacity created by lowering Lake Conroe 1-2 feet works the same way. The idea: to reduce the amount and/or rate of water released during a flood to help avoid downstream property damage.
SJRA Mission and Lake Conroe History Includes Flood Prevention
It shows the SJRA considered building 20 dams that year.
So far it has built only one: Lake Conroe.
Therefore, Lake Conroe is currently the only way we have to mitigate flooding until we put other mitigation measures in place.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/23/2020
877 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Note: A reader’s question on Facebook prompted this post. But I can’t find his name now. My apologies. No offense intended.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Peak-Inflows-During-Harvey.jpg?fit=1500%2C1157&ssl=111571500adminadmin2020-01-23 18:51:562020-01-23 19:49:21By Itself, Lake Conroe Discharge During Harvey Among Top Ten West Fork Floods of All Time
Perry Homes Still Not Finished with Detention Pond After 90 Days
On October 17th, a lawyer for Perry Homes’ subsidiaries and contractors promised the City of Houston that it would complete the Woodridge Village S2 detention pond in 30-45 days. Ninety days later, they still had not finished.
Perry Homes Far from Complete
Despite the fact that Perry had substantially completed S2 before Imelda, it has now taken the company 2X-3X more time than they said it would – with no end in sight.
I took all the ground-level photos below on January 25, 2020.
Perry Drives Families from Their Homes
I visited three Elm Grove families today. All have “snapped.” They have that 1000-yard stare.
They are not alone.
This neighborhood has already been destroyed by Perry Homes’ broken promises. Fear paralyzes the few families remaining. Fear every time it rains. Fear for their safety. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of renovating their homes only to be flooded a third time.
Perry Homes’ Actions Mock City of Houston Leaders
Perry Homes’s inexplicable and inexcusable delays mock the City of Houston, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem and City Attorney. Their actions say with impunity, “We have nothing to fear from you. We are more powerful.”
The BBB has found that Perry Homes treats its customers with the same disdain.
Perhaps the City should start slow-walking Perry Homes’ permit applications until they live up to their promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2020
879 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 128 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.
Harvey Remembered
“For a couple of weeks, I wasn’t able to work due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Kingwood resident Mike Combat Willcox. “So I documented the storm the best I could. I was thinking years into the future that we would need to remember how it happened and have something to show to our kids.”
He was right. We need this NOW as Lake Conroe residents fight to keep their lake full to the brim during rainy seasons.
A former TV producer-editor-photographer at ConocoPhillips, Willcox now runs his own real-estate photography business. Mike is also a world champion aeromodelling pilot, a skill he puts to good use in this video of Harvey.
I still have yet to see any comparable pictures of the damage to Lake Conroe homes and businesses caused by lowering the lake an average six inches beyond the normal amount lost due to evaporation.
Suggestion for Next SJRA Board Meeting
I wish the SJRA would play THIS before its next board meeting so that Lake Conroe residents could see why Kingwood residents are so eager to continue the temporary, seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Then maybe we could see a video from the Lake Conroe Association about all the damage caused by the lake lowering. That might help the two sides understand each other better.
Just sayin’.
Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mike Combat Willcox for sharing his video
878 Days since Hurricane Harvey
By Itself, Lake Conroe Discharge During Harvey Among Top Ten West Fork Floods of All Time
The roughly 80,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Lake Conroe discharged at the peak of Harvey would have created the ninth largest flood in West Fork History – all by itself. Only eight floods ever had higher “discharge” rates AND those all included floodwaters from other tributaries, such as Lake Creek, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and numerous drainage ditches.
Discharge is the volume of water flowing past a point on a stream. Discharge from a dam would be the volume flowing past the gates.
The discharge during Harvey is important because residents fighting the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe claim the impact of the release on Humble and Kingwood was insignificant.
Question I Asked Flood Control
So I asked Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control meteorologist, this simple question. “Assuming not a drop of rain fell in any other of the West Fork tributaries, where would that 80,000 CFS have ranked among the history of West Fork floods?” I then asked him to base his analysis on the West Fork gage at US59. It combines water from ALL upstream West Fork tributaries. It’s also the closest gage in continuous operation to the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. That’s where the vast majority of Lake Houston Area damage occurred during Harvey.
They occurred on:
Note: three of these events happened before the construction of Lake Conroe in 1973. All since the advent of Lake Conroe flooded West Fork structures.
One Statistic Addresses Host of Issues
This observation (ninth largest flood by itself) addresses a host of issues raised by Lake Conroe people about lowering the lake seasonally to create a buffer against downstream flooding. They contend that:
What Records Really Show
On the contrary:
Will Two Feet Matter?
Lowering Lake Conroe two feet in advance of another Harvey will probably not make much of a difference. Likewise, lowering it two feet in advance of 1-inch rain would be unnecessary. The real value happens somewhere between those extremes in a 10-, 25-, 50- or perhaps even a 100-year storm. Somewhere along that spectrum, we will get enough rain to perhaps flood homes, but we’ll also have enough extra lake capacity to avoid actually flooding them.
We just don’t know where that point is right now. Jing Chen, the engineer with Harris County Flood Control managing the San Jacinto River Basin Study says that project will not be far enough along to model those scenarios until August of this year.
However, the SJRA feels the lower lake levels did help avoid flooding between Humble and Kingwood in May of last year. I concur. It’s also possible that the two foot lowering might create enough of a buffer to have avoided flooding many homes along the West Fork during the Tax and Memorial Day floods in 2016. Perhaps it wouldn’t have saved them all. But it might have avoided flooding many at the periphery of a flood.
Increasing Upstream Detention Capacity: A Proven Flood Mitigation Strategy
According to Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, holding water upstream is a proven flood mitigation strategy. Engineers in the Houston area created upstream detention more than 80 years ago with the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Braes Bayou now has five different detention areas; White Oak Bayou has five with another under construction.
The extra storage capacity created by lowering Lake Conroe 1-2 feet works the same way. The idea: to reduce the amount and/or rate of water released during a flood to help avoid downstream property damage.
SJRA Mission and Lake Conroe History Includes Flood Prevention
The enabling legislation of the SJRA mentions flood prevention three times. Moreover, the area now occupied by Lake Conroe was considered for floodwater detention as early as 1957, as this Master Plan for the SJRA that year shows – i.e., on the map below. Many of these proposed lakes/reservoirs serve a dual purpose according to Zeve. They help prevent floods AND supply water.
This map puts to rest another rumor spread by the Lake Conroe Association. They claim Lake Conroe was never conceived as a flood control reservoir; it is strictly a water supply reservoir. See the discussion of flood control starting on page 16 of the 1957 Master Plan. Then on page 27, see Exhibit A.
So far it has built only one: Lake Conroe.
Therefore, Lake Conroe is currently the only way we have to mitigate flooding until we put other mitigation measures in place.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/23/2020
877 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Note: A reader’s question on Facebook prompted this post. But I can’t find his name now. My apologies. No offense intended.