No matter whom you like in the Mayor’s race, if you have not yet voted, I hope you vote in the runoff election Saturday. The Mayor’s office sets policies, priorities and budgets. So if you’re not satisfied with the pace of flood mitigation, speak now. At the ballot box.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Vote-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C615&ssl=16151200adminadmin2019-12-13 18:22:342019-12-13 18:31:25Last Chance to Vote for Mayor is Saturday
At the 12/12/2019 San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) Board Meeting, several people talked about problems getting boats in and out of Grand Harbor, a waterfront development on Lake Conroe. They used this to argue against the lowering of the lake. No doubt, the temporary seasonal lowering policy of the SJRA Board makes recreation more difficult for these folks several months out of the year.
However, the seasonal lake lowering policy is just one of many Grand Harbor problems. And the navigation problems did not start with seasonal lake lowering.
Maintenance Issues Dating Back Years
Matt Newsom, a Grand Harbor resident, has produced several videos on waterfront issues associated with the development. In May of 2018, before the lake lowering policy ever started, he produced a video detailing maintenance problems in Grand Harbor. In it, Mr. Newsom describes the origins of Grand Harbor’s problems. They include:
Developer problems
Shallow excavation (6 feet)
Subsequent siltation
Unsold lots without bulkheading that let hillsides collapse into canals
Now Problem is Lake Lowering, Not Lack of Maintenance
Mr. Newsom also produced the YouTube video below in November of 2019. It discusses how seasonal lake lowering will affect lakefront property owners in Grand Harbor. It’s based on information provided to Mr. Newsom by the Lake Conroe Association. I reviewed this video last month. It makes no mention of the maintenance problems discussed in the May 2018 video, 18 months earlier, before lake lowering started.
Problems Go Far Deeper than Lake Lowering
I can’t fault Mr. Newsom for fighting for extra water. He appears to be a sincere community activist trying to rally support to tackle a tough problem. I admire him for that. If every community had leaders as committed and as articulate as Mr. Newsome, the world would be a much better place.
I just wish that in his second video he acknowledged that the problems go far deeper (no pun intended) than the lake lowering policy. Lake lowering worsens boating problems. But…
Had the problems outlined above been addressed in a timely way, lowering Lake Conroe would likely not have been the problem for Grand Harbor residents that it is today.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2019
836 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Lot-Runoff-and-Erosion.jpg?fit=1200%2C802&ssl=18021200adminadmin2019-12-13 17:36:252020-01-17 08:56:12YouTube Video Shows Grand Harbor Boating Problems on Lake Conroe Predate SJRA Lowering Policy
More than 150 red-shirted “Stop the Drop” protesters packed the SJRA board meeting at the Lake Conroe Dam this morning. Lake Conroe lakefront homeowners came to protest the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. According to SJRA Board Member Mark Micheletti, two and a half busloads of additional angry protesters had to be turned away because they exceeded the building’s capacity.
Five Lake Houston area residents came to speak. However, they were outnumbered by more than 30 to 1. The Lake Houston Area residents made good presentations, but on the basis of numbers alone, the well organized sea of protesters overwhelmed them. The disparity in numbers between the two sides sent a not-so-subtle message to SJRA board members.
People protesting the Lake Conroe seasonal lowering policy packed the SJRA board meeting on 12/12/2019. Photo taken before meeting shows only half the room.
Because some Kingwood East Fork residents flooded during Imelda, it proves that Lake Conroe has nothing to do with Kingwood flooding. The East and West Forks (which includes Lake Conroe) are in different watersheds. During Imelda, the East Fork received 20 inches of rain while Lake Conroe received only 2.
Lake Conroe releases during Harvey comprised just 15% of the water flowing into Lake Houston and that was not a large enough percentage to affect flooding. The statistic may be literally true. But it’s misleading. It has nothing to do with the flooding on the West Fork. And that’s where the vast majority of all damage occurred. Lake Conroe releases comprised ONE THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork. Furthermore, they came at the peak of the flood.
Two More Board Meetings Before Vote
The SJRA board meets again in January and February before voting on whether to extend the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe another year. The next meeting will be at the The Lonestar Convention & Expo Center so more people can attend.
The board was afraid that if it chose a Lake Houston venue for the meeting, it would look as if they were trying to stifle dissent.
Watch for more details in January about the next board meeting.
Another meeting like this could mean the end of Lake Houston’s only flood protection measure at the moment.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/12/2019
835 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 82 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Stop-Drop.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=17681024adminadmin2019-12-12 15:29:552020-01-17 10:17:10SJRA Board Meeting Packed by “Stop the Drop” Protesters
Last Chance to Vote for Mayor is Saturday
No matter whom you like in the Mayor’s race, if you have not yet voted, I hope you vote in the runoff election Saturday. The Mayor’s office sets policies, priorities and budgets. So if you’re not satisfied with the pace of flood mitigation, speak now. At the ballot box.
Don’t know where to vote? Check HarrisVotes.com.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2019
836 Days after Hurricane Harvey
YouTube Video Shows Grand Harbor Boating Problems on Lake Conroe Predate SJRA Lowering Policy
At the 12/12/2019 San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) Board Meeting, several people talked about problems getting boats in and out of Grand Harbor, a waterfront development on Lake Conroe. They used this to argue against the lowering of the lake. No doubt, the temporary seasonal lowering policy of the SJRA Board makes recreation more difficult for these folks several months out of the year.
Maintenance Issues Dating Back Years
Matt Newsom, a Grand Harbor resident, has produced several videos on waterfront issues associated with the development. In May of 2018, before the lake lowering policy ever started, he produced a video detailing maintenance problems in Grand Harbor. In it, Mr. Newsom describes the origins of Grand Harbor’s problems. They include:
Now Problem is Lake Lowering, Not Lack of Maintenance
Mr. Newsom also produced the YouTube video below in November of 2019. It discusses how seasonal lake lowering will affect lakefront property owners in Grand Harbor. It’s based on information provided to Mr. Newsom by the Lake Conroe Association. I reviewed this video last month. It makes no mention of the maintenance problems discussed in the May 2018 video, 18 months earlier, before lake lowering started.
Problems Go Far Deeper than Lake Lowering
I can’t fault Mr. Newsom for fighting for extra water. He appears to be a sincere community activist trying to rally support to tackle a tough problem. I admire him for that. If every community had leaders as committed and as articulate as Mr. Newsome, the world would be a much better place.
I just wish that in his second video he acknowledged that the problems go far deeper (no pun intended) than the lake lowering policy. Lake lowering worsens boating problems. But…
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2019
836 Days after Hurricane Harvey
SJRA Board Meeting Packed by “Stop the Drop” Protesters
More than 150 red-shirted “Stop the Drop” protesters packed the SJRA board meeting at the Lake Conroe Dam this morning. Lake Conroe lakefront homeowners came to protest the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. According to SJRA Board Member Mark Micheletti, two and a half busloads of additional angry protesters had to be turned away because they exceeded the building’s capacity.
Five Lake Houston area residents came to speak. However, they were outnumbered by more than 30 to 1. The Lake Houston Area residents made good presentations, but on the basis of numbers alone, the well organized sea of protesters overwhelmed them. The disparity in numbers between the two sides sent a not-so-subtle message to SJRA board members.
Goal of Policy
The SJRA designed the temporary lowering program to provide downstream residents with an extra cushion against flooding until flood mitigation measures in the Lake Houston Area are completed. The measures include dredging and the installation of additional gates on the Lake Houston Dam. This year, the SJRA lowered the Lake Conroe one foot during the rainiest part of Spring and two feet during the peak of Hurricane Season.
Since the policy started in the second half of 2018, no downstream or Lake Conroe residents have flooded because of releases from Lake Conroe.
Misperceptions Abound
Organizers had fed protesters false information. For instance, many protesters claimed:
Two More Board Meetings Before Vote
The SJRA board meets again in January and February before voting on whether to extend the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe another year. The next meeting will be at the The Lonestar Convention & Expo Center so more people can attend.
Watch for more details in January about the next board meeting.
Another meeting like this could mean the end of Lake Houston’s only flood protection measure at the moment.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/12/2019
835 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 82 since Imelda