From December 16 -19, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and its partners will hold a series of open houses to familiarize people with the San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan (SJMDP). Residents may also give input at the meetings.
HCFCD, Montgomery County, the City of Houston, and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA), will host the open houses to provide information about the regional plan and other study efforts underway in the San Jacinto River watershed. Keeping them all straight is difficult!
Timeline for the San Jacinto River Watershed Master Drainage Plan as of 12/4/2019. Source: HCFCD.
More about the Master Drainage Plan
The SJMDP is jointly funded with 75 percent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Planning Program and 25 percent from the four local partners.
Overall, the SJMDP aims to provide an up-to-date technical basis to identify flooding vulnerabilities for existing infrastructure and impacts from future growth to improve flood resiliency within the watershed. The SJMDP should complete in fall 2020.
The SJMDP study area covers nearly 3,000 square miles located in seven different counties and includes approximately 535 miles of stream.
Open House Dates/Times/Content
Flood Control will solicit public input and participation throughout the study. The first series of public open houses for this study effort will be held on the following dates and locations:
Tomball
Monday, December 16, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Lonestar Bekendorf Conference Center
30555 Tomball Parkway
Tomball, Texas 77375
Kingwood
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Kingwood Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods Drive
Kingwood, Texas 77345
Huffman
Thursday, December 19, 2019
3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
May Community Center
2100 Wolf Road
Huffman, Texas 77336
All three meetings will have the same materials and format. Each open house will include information about the following projects, studies, and efforts in the region:
San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan
Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis
Huffman Area Drainage Analysis
Spring Creek Watershed Planning Study
Luce Bayou Watershed Planning Study
Willow Creek Watershed Planning Study
Jackson Bayou Watershed Planning Study
Cedar Bayou Tributary Analysis
SJRA-led Projects
City of Houston-led Projects
Harris County Permit Office
Harris County Engineering Department – Recovery and Resiliency Division
Hurricane Harvey Repair Efforts
Information about services provided by Harris County Flood Control District, Harris County and Montgomery County
The open houses will last from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The free-flowing meetings will have informational displays. Staff will answer questions. The open house format lets attendees arrive and participate at their convenience. No formal presentation will be made.
To Provide Input on Master Drainage Plan
You can comment on the plans at the public open houses and throughout the duration of the study.
If you can’t attend in person, mail comments to:
Harris County Flood Control District
9900 Northwest Freeway
Houston, Texas 77092
Attn: San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan
For more information about the San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan, visit www.sanjacstudy.org.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/4/2019
827 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 76 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Screen-Shot-2019-12-04-at-7.22.51-PM-e1575509569259.png?fit=1500%2C973&ssl=19731500adminadmin2019-12-04 19:35:392019-12-16 20:41:32Reminder: Public Open House for San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan
Behind-the-scenes work for the next phase of dredging has already started. The City, County and State are working together on a $30 million grant application for submission this month. The legislature earmarked the money for dredging at the confluence of the San Jacinto and Lake Houston. However, the money must go through the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to Harris County and then the Harris County Flood Control District.
Circuitous Route for Funding
The supplemental appropriations bill, SB500, that the legislature approved dictates the circuitous route for funding. See the exact text from SB500 below.
“Out of funds appropriated in Subsection (1), $30 million is dedicated to the Texas Water Development Board to provide a grant to Harris County for the purchase and operation of equipment to remove accumulated siltation and sediment deposits located at the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston.”
DIY vs. Outsourcing
State Representative Dan Huberty, who authored the SB500 amendment, has worked closely with all parties involved to explore the most cost-effective and timely solutions. For instance, Flood Control explored how much it would cost to hire an outside company for dredging versus buying the equipment and doing it themselves. Said Huberty, “In my discussion with the TWDB last week, they have agreed we can buy equipment if we need to, which is the direction we are pushing for at this time.” However, that option would take longer to implement and the money must be spent within the current bi-annum – by law.
Long Term vs. Immediate Needs
Meanwhile, the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto have urgent, immediate dredging needs, too. So the partners could break the work up and pursue both DIY and outsourcing options.
Said Huberty, “I met with DRC (Disaster Recovery Corporation) a week ago. DRC has an ongoing contract with both the City and County for debris removal from Lake Houston and they are still removing debris from the lake. So they might be an option that would let us deploy faster.”
DRC is the parent company of Callan Marine, a subcontractor during the Army Corps’ Emergency West Fork Dredging project after Hurricane Harvey.
The dredges are gone but the pipe is not. The quarter-mile long sections of pipe used in the initial Emergency West Fork Dredging Project have been broken down into smaller sections for transport, but much of it remains on the West Fork.Photo taken 12/3/2019.
Additional Sources of Funding
Huberty also said that, “In addition to the $30 million, the Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Council Member Dave Martin committed last weekend to help us fund this in partnership with Harris County Flood Control.” The City committed approximately $6 million, according to Huberty.
The ever-growing mouth bar on the San Jacinto West Fork. Imelda wiped out many of the gains from the Corps’ supplemental dredging program that ended on Labor Day and removed 500,000 cubic yards. Photo taken on 12/3/2019.The growing mouth bar on the East Fork of the San Jacinto near the entrance to Luce Bayou and the Interbasin Transfer Project.The Inter-Basin Transfer canal empties into the lower reaches of Luce Bayou, which flows into the northeastern corner of Lake Houston, near the emerging mouth bar. The project costs $351 million and will provide water to the Northeast Purification Plant. Photo taken 12/3/2019.
“In addition,” says Huberty, “I spoke to the Governor’s staff this weekend. We still have money left over from Harvey debris removal. That’s approximately another $16 million. They told us we can spend the money on the river and lake, but not for other purposes. This will let us complete the mouth bar dredging and get mechanical dredging done in areas like Huffman and Atascocita. The scope of the project is expanding, which is very good news. We’ll be able to help more people.”
Smaller mouth bars have set up around the lake at the entrance to drainage ditches, like this one in Atascocita near Walden. Photo taken on 10/4/2019. Such blockages can force water up, out and over the banks into neighborhoods during large rains.
Next Step: Commissioners’ Court Needs to Approve Grant Request
The ball, at this moment, is in Flood Control’s court. Commissioners’ Court must approve all grant requests made by any part of the County. Says Huberty, “There will be an item on the December 17th Commissioners Court agenda requesting permission from the Court to submit the grant application to TWDB. All parties involved have already had discussions with the TWDB staff and are working on the grant application paperwork.”
Early next week Huberty plans to meet with John Blount, the Harris County Engineer; Stephen Costello, the Mayor’s Flood Czar; and John Sullivan, President of DRC.
Constant Dredging for Foreseeable Future
“In my discussions with all interested parties,” said Huberty, “we should have the application submitted by year end. We have been pushing to get it awarded quickly. It is a formality. We need to spend this money quickly which works to our advantage. We can always go back to the legislature for more after that.”
“All of these initiatives will ensure we can have constant, permanent dredging on the Lake for the foreseeable future,” said Huberty. “I am very pleased with the result and look forward to getting this project started.”
Posted By Bob Rehak on 12/4/2019
827 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 76 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Mouth-Bar-Upstream-Sml.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2019-12-04 16:03:542020-01-17 10:17:50Plans For Next Phase of Dredging Announced
At the Kingwood Town Hall meeting on October 17th, 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner read a letter from lawyer J. Carey Gray who represents Perry Homes and its subsidiaries against hundreds of flooded Elm Grove homeowners. The letter laid out a timetable – extending more than 2 years into the future – for completion of the detention ponds on the troubled Woodridge Village subdivision. The first step: finish the S2 pond, which was already substantially complete. Perry Homes gave itself 30-45 days for that task. As nonsensical as that sounded on October 17, they managed to miss the deadline … by not showing up … until after the deadline.
Deadline Expired Yesterday With No Improvements to Pond
Yesterday marked 45 days since Lawyer Gray delivered his letter to the Houston City Attorney. Since then crews have worked several days on adding a concrete lining to a small portion of Taylor Gully. They also replaced some eroded dirt along the northern edge of S2. Still incomplete, however are:
Excavation of the remaining dirt
Grass to stabilize the soil on the banks
A perimeter road required by the Montgomery County Drainage Criteria Manual
Lining for a severely eroded spillway between Taylor Gully and S2
Drainage of the detention pond
Backslope interceptor swales
Photos Demonstrate Lack of Progress
Here’s how the pond looked in September, two days after Imelda.
Status of S2 Pond on September 21, 2019, two days after ImeldaStatus of S2 Pond on November 4, 2019, two and a half weeks after J. Carey Gray’s letter to City Attorney.
Here’s what it looks like today, 46 days after J. Carey Gray’s letter to the City Attorney. They had made some progress on lining the Taylor Gully channel behind the pond. But as far as the pond itself went, there was a lone excavator moving dirt that had eroded into the pond back up on the banks. That’s because they failed to establish grass there.
One day after the deadline for completing the S2 detention pond, Perry Homes had a lone excavator pushing eroded dirt back up onto the banks. Photo taken 12/3/2019.Photo taken 12/3/2019. Hardly a bustling construction site with contractors racing to meet deadlines.
Only 735 more days before all the detention ponds are complete … assuming they can meet any of their own deadlines.
Questions Raised by Lack of Performance
The failure to meet this first deadline raises questions:
Is Perry Homes sincere? Can they ever be trusted for anything ever again?
Has Perry Homes lost its ability to deliver? Is the company financially crippled beyond repair?
Did Sylvester Turner extract terms from Perry Homes designed to get him through the general election?
Or did Perry Homes play Sylvester Turner to torpedo his chances in a runoff election?
Did Kathy Perry Britton, CEO of Perry Homes, think no one would remember?
Is Perry Homes holding the threat of future flooding over Elm Grove residents to force a settlement of their lawsuits?
If it’s the latter and there’s another flood – with this record of foot dragging – they’ve nuked themselves. It’s a Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School case study that will go down in the Annals of Corporate Stupidity.
What can explain this level of ineptitude?
This has to be a huge embarrassment for the City of Houston and Montgomery County. It’s also a PR debacle for Sylvester Turner … in the middle of a hotly contested runoff election. Turner can’t do anything about that now except to tell the City Attorney to sharpen his spurs.
But if I were MoCo, I would claim Perry Homes’ performance bond and finish the work myself.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/3/2019
826 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 75 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy 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/2019/12/Woodridge-s2-20191203-1-e1575423092173.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2019-12-03 19:22:122019-12-03 19:36:49Perry Homes Fails to Meet Own First Deadline For Additional Woodridge Village Detention
Reminder: Public Open House for San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan
From December 16 -19, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and its partners will hold a series of open houses to familiarize people with the San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan (SJMDP). Residents may also give input at the meetings.
HCFCD, Montgomery County, the City of Houston, and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA), will host the open houses to provide information about the regional plan and other study efforts underway in the San Jacinto River watershed. Keeping them all straight is difficult!
Timeline for Master Drainage Plan
More about the Master Drainage Plan
The SJMDP is jointly funded with 75 percent from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Planning Program and 25 percent from the four local partners.
Overall, the SJMDP aims to provide an up-to-date technical basis to identify flooding vulnerabilities for existing infrastructure and impacts from future growth to improve flood resiliency within the watershed. The SJMDP should complete in fall 2020.
The SJMDP study area covers nearly 3,000 square miles located in seven different counties and includes approximately 535 miles of stream.
Open House Dates/Times/Content
Flood Control will solicit public input and participation throughout the study. The first series of public open houses for this study effort will be held on the following dates and locations:
Tomball
Kingwood
Huffman
All three meetings will have the same materials and format. Each open house will include information about the following projects, studies, and efforts in the region:
The open houses will last from 3:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The free-flowing meetings will have informational displays. Staff will answer questions. The open house format lets attendees arrive and participate at their convenience. No formal presentation will be made.
To Provide Input on Master Drainage Plan
You can comment on the plans at the public open houses and throughout the duration of the study.
If you can’t attend in person, mail comments to:
Alternatively, you may submit comments online.
For more information about the San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan, visit www.sanjacstudy.org.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/4/2019
827 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 76 since Imelda
Plans For Next Phase of Dredging Announced
Behind-the-scenes work for the next phase of dredging has already started. The City, County and State are working together on a $30 million grant application for submission this month. The legislature earmarked the money for dredging at the confluence of the San Jacinto and Lake Houston. However, the money must go through the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to Harris County and then the Harris County Flood Control District.
Circuitous Route for Funding
The supplemental appropriations bill, SB500, that the legislature approved dictates the circuitous route for funding. See the exact text from SB500 below.
DIY vs. Outsourcing
State Representative Dan Huberty, who authored the SB500 amendment, has worked closely with all parties involved to explore the most cost-effective and timely solutions. For instance, Flood Control explored how much it would cost to hire an outside company for dredging versus buying the equipment and doing it themselves. Said Huberty, “In my discussion with the TWDB last week, they have agreed we can buy equipment if we need to, which is the direction we are pushing for at this time.” However, that option would take longer to implement and the money must be spent within the current bi-annum – by law.
Long Term vs. Immediate Needs
Meanwhile, the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto have urgent, immediate dredging needs, too. So the partners could break the work up and pursue both DIY and outsourcing options.
Said Huberty, “I met with DRC (Disaster Recovery Corporation) a week ago. DRC has an ongoing contract with both the City and County for debris removal from Lake Houston and they are still removing debris from the lake. So they might be an option that would let us deploy faster.”
DRC is the parent company of Callan Marine, a subcontractor during the Army Corps’ Emergency West Fork Dredging project after Hurricane Harvey.
Additional Sources of Funding
Huberty also said that, “In addition to the $30 million, the Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Council Member Dave Martin committed last weekend to help us fund this in partnership with Harris County Flood Control.” The City committed approximately $6 million, according to Huberty.
“In addition,” says Huberty, “I spoke to the Governor’s staff this weekend. We still have money left over from Harvey debris removal. That’s approximately another $16 million. They told us we can spend the money on the river and lake, but not for other purposes. This will let us complete the mouth bar dredging and get mechanical dredging done in areas like Huffman and Atascocita. The scope of the project is expanding, which is very good news. We’ll be able to help more people.”
Next Step: Commissioners’ Court Needs to Approve Grant Request
The ball, at this moment, is in Flood Control’s court. Commissioners’ Court must approve all grant requests made by any part of the County. Says Huberty, “There will be an item on the December 17th Commissioners Court agenda requesting permission from the Court to submit the grant application to TWDB. All parties involved have already had discussions with the TWDB staff and are working on the grant application paperwork.”
Early next week Huberty plans to meet with John Blount, the Harris County Engineer; Stephen Costello, the Mayor’s Flood Czar; and John Sullivan, President of DRC.
Constant Dredging for Foreseeable Future
“In my discussions with all interested parties,” said Huberty, “we should have the application submitted by year end. We have been pushing to get it awarded quickly. It is a formality. We need to spend this money quickly which works to our advantage. We can always go back to the legislature for more after that.”
“All of these initiatives will ensure we can have constant, permanent dredging on the Lake for the foreseeable future,” said Huberty. “I am very pleased with the result and look forward to getting this project started.”
Posted By Bob Rehak on 12/4/2019
827 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 76 since Imelda
Perry Homes Fails to Meet Own First Deadline For Additional Woodridge Village Detention
At the Kingwood Town Hall meeting on October 17th, 2019, Mayor Sylvester Turner read a letter from lawyer J. Carey Gray who represents Perry Homes and its subsidiaries against hundreds of flooded Elm Grove homeowners. The letter laid out a timetable – extending more than 2 years into the future – for completion of the detention ponds on the troubled Woodridge Village subdivision. The first step: finish the S2 pond, which was already substantially complete. Perry Homes gave itself 30-45 days for that task. As nonsensical as that sounded on October 17, they managed to miss the deadline … by not showing up … until after the deadline.
Deadline Expired Yesterday With No Improvements to Pond
Yesterday marked 45 days since Lawyer Gray delivered his letter to the Houston City Attorney. Since then crews have worked several days on adding a concrete lining to a small portion of Taylor Gully. They also replaced some eroded dirt along the northern edge of S2. Still incomplete, however are:
Photos Demonstrate Lack of Progress
Here’s how the pond looked in September, two days after Imelda.
Here’s what it looks like today, 46 days after J. Carey Gray’s letter to the City Attorney. They had made some progress on lining the Taylor Gully channel behind the pond. But as far as the pond itself went, there was a lone excavator moving dirt that had eroded into the pond back up on the banks. That’s because they failed to establish grass there.
Only 735 more days before all the detention ponds are complete … assuming they can meet any of their own deadlines.
Questions Raised by Lack of Performance
The failure to meet this first deadline raises questions:
If it’s the latter and there’s another flood – with this record of foot dragging – they’ve nuked themselves. It’s a Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School case study that will go down in the Annals of Corporate Stupidity.
What can explain this level of ineptitude?
This has to be a huge embarrassment for the City of Houston and Montgomery County. It’s also a PR debacle for Sylvester Turner … in the middle of a hotly contested runoff election. Turner can’t do anything about that now except to tell the City Attorney to sharpen his spurs.
But if I were MoCo, I would claim Perry Homes’ performance bond and finish the work myself.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/3/2019
826 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 75 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.