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
Overflow spillways in could have prevented many homes from flooding in May and again in September. Rain came down so fast in some neighborhoods that it couldn’t get through storm drains and into drainage ditches fast enough. Water backed up and flooded homes. I’m not talking about flooding like Elm Grove experienced from an external source. I’m talking about situations like we had in Mills Branch where approximately 25 homes flooded. They flooded, says the resident, when water backed up in the street, not because Taylor Gully overflowed.
Now Required in New Neighborhoods
Over the weekend, I corresponded with a Mills Branch resident who has anguished over what to do for months. In some cases, but not all, there may be a simple, relatively low-cost answer for the whole neighborhood. Overflow spillways. And Mills Branch might be a perfect candidate.
Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, pointed out that regulations in newer neighborhoods now require, where applicable, overflow spillways.
How Overflow Spillways Work
These work for neighborhoods adjacent to drainage ditches, streams or bayous. The channel is built at an elevation that retains water in the street during heavy storms, but lets it flow out before it reaches the level of homes. Obviously, the street must slope toward the spillway. This wouldn’t work for homes in the middle of a block that formed a natural bowl. But assuming conditions are right…
Can Be Retrofitted to Older Neighborhoods
I asked Zeve if the Flood Control District could retrofit this concept to older neighborhoods. The answer: YES, if there’s a home between the neighborhood and the ditch that can be bought out to create space for the spillway AND if that home has flooded repeatedly.
Here are some pictures of the overflow relief spillways in place. The first goes into a retention pond.
The second goes into some woods that apparently contain a natural drainage channel.
Zeve says the Flood Control District has been buying homes and converting them to overflow spillways in key areas around the County. These homes are in the lowest points and have flooded repeatedly.
Posted by Bob Rehak 1/6/2020, with thanks to Harris County Flood Control
860 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 109 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Spillway-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C655&ssl=16551200adminadmin2020-01-06 23:35:042020-01-06 23:35:13Overflow Spillways: Simple Idea to Help Keep Street Flooding Out of Homes
After stonewalling discovery in the Elm Grove lawsuits, on December 27th, defendant Double Oak Construction objected to use of the documents in court that the judge forced it to produce. I don’t know what’s in those documents, but I plan to camp out at the courthouse when this case goes to trial. The documents must be juicier than Juicyfruit gum.
Double Oak appears to be a Perry Homes’ contractor working primarily on the northern portion of the Woodridge Village site, where downed trees are now being turned into mulch.
Summary of Objections
After producing documents, Double Oak now objects to their use in court.
The plaintiffs filed notice that they intended to use, in court, all documents and items produced by Double Oak during discovery.
Double Oak claims that this notice is insufficient and contradicts the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
The Plaintiff’s Notice leaves them, they say, without knowledge of the specific documents plaintiffs intend to use. That, claims Double Oak, handicaps the company in its ability to defend itself. It must prepare to object to every single document, they say.
But the objections don’t stop there. Double Oak reserves its right to make further objections when the company becomes aware of specific documents being used by the plaintiffs.
And if that isn’t enough, Double Oak reserves the right to object to all documents on all grounds, including documents produced by third parties.
Playing the delay game is a high risk strategy for companies already facing obscenely high risk due to previous delays.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/5/2020
859 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 108 after 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/2020/01/20191030-RJR_3830.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-01-05 21:29:572020-01-05 21:32:38Double Oak Construction Causes Yet Another Delay in Elm Grove Lawsuits
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
Overflow Spillways: Simple Idea to Help Keep Street Flooding Out of Homes
Overflow spillways in could have prevented many homes from flooding in May and again in September. Rain came down so fast in some neighborhoods that it couldn’t get through storm drains and into drainage ditches fast enough. Water backed up and flooded homes. I’m not talking about flooding like Elm Grove experienced from an external source. I’m talking about situations like we had in Mills Branch where approximately 25 homes flooded. They flooded, says the resident, when water backed up in the street, not because Taylor Gully overflowed.
Now Required in New Neighborhoods
Over the weekend, I corresponded with a Mills Branch resident who has anguished over what to do for months. In some cases, but not all, there may be a simple, relatively low-cost answer for the whole neighborhood. Overflow spillways. And Mills Branch might be a perfect candidate.
Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, pointed out that regulations in newer neighborhoods now require, where applicable, overflow spillways.
How Overflow Spillways Work
These work for neighborhoods adjacent to drainage ditches, streams or bayous. The channel is built at an elevation that retains water in the street during heavy storms, but lets it flow out before it reaches the level of homes. Obviously, the street must slope toward the spillway. This wouldn’t work for homes in the middle of a block that formed a natural bowl. But assuming conditions are right…
Can Be Retrofitted to Older Neighborhoods
I asked Zeve if the Flood Control District could retrofit this concept to older neighborhoods. The answer: YES, if there’s a home between the neighborhood and the ditch that can be bought out to create space for the spillway AND if that home has flooded repeatedly.
Here are some pictures of the overflow relief spillways in place. The first goes into a retention pond.
The second goes into some woods that apparently contain a natural drainage channel.
Zeve says the Flood Control District has been buying homes and converting them to overflow spillways in key areas around the County. These homes are in the lowest points and have flooded repeatedly.
Posted by Bob Rehak 1/6/2020, with thanks to Harris County Flood Control
860 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 109 since Imelda
Double Oak Construction Causes Yet Another Delay in Elm Grove Lawsuits
After stonewalling discovery in the Elm Grove lawsuits, on December 27th, defendant Double Oak Construction objected to use of the documents in court that the judge forced it to produce. I don’t know what’s in those documents, but I plan to camp out at the courthouse when this case goes to trial. The documents must be juicier than Juicyfruit gum.
Summary of Objections
After producing documents, Double Oak now objects to their use in court.
The plaintiffs filed notice that they intended to use, in court, all documents and items produced by Double Oak during discovery.
Double Oak claims that this notice is insufficient and contradicts the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.
The Plaintiff’s Notice leaves them, they say, without knowledge of the specific documents plaintiffs intend to use. That, claims Double Oak, handicaps the company in its ability to defend itself. It must prepare to object to every single document, they say.
But the objections don’t stop there. Double Oak reserves its right to make further objections when the company becomes aware of specific documents being used by the plaintiffs.
And if that isn’t enough, Double Oak reserves the right to object to all documents on all grounds, including documents produced by third parties.
Here is the full text of Double Oak’s objections.
No End in Sight to Delays
Sadly, there’s no end in sight to these procedural delays in court. They parallel the construction delays on the actual job site.
Perry Homes broke its promise to the Houston City Attorney to accelerate construction of additional detention ponds. Perry pulled all actual excavation equipment from the job site in December. Only Double Oak crews turning dead trees into mulch remain.
Meanwhile, the flood risk remains high for the people of Elm Grove. Based on detention capacity in place today, that risk is no lower now than it was in August before Imelda. That’s when work on the site came to a virtual standstill.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/5/2020
859 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 108 after 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.