Mayoral candidate Bill King has unveiled a multifaceted flood mitigation plan for Houston. While developing the plans, King visited about twenty neighborhoods in Houston that chronically flood and talked to residents about their flood experiences.
Bill King gave Kingwood residents a sneak peak at his flood plan earlier this month.
No One Solution, No Easy Answers
King believes the dynamics of flooding in each area are unique and there are no easy answers to Houston’s flooding problems. “There is no one solution,” says King. “Our topology and climate present significant challenges when attempting to address flooding. It will require a multi-phased approach and consistent, disciplined attention to the problem over many years.”
Seven-Phase Plan
Below are his seven proposals to improve flood mitigation. These proposals are specific to the City of Houston’s responsibilities. You can click on each for a detailed discussion.
I will post the flood mitigation plans of other candidates as I receive them. Flooding certainly isn’t the only problem Houston faces. However, solving those other problems will require solving flooding problems.
Who would want to invest in building a home or business in an area that chronically floods? Maintaining Houston’s growth will require solving flooding first.
Posted by Bob Rehak on August 26, 2019
727 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Bill-King.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-08-26 12:22:002019-08-26 12:23:24Mayoral Candidate Bill King Lays Out Multifaceted Flood Mitigation Plan
On May 18, Josh Alberson and I gave Tony Buzbee a tour of sediment and sand mining issues on the San Jacinto River. Buzbee is a candidate for Mayor of Houston and got to witness first hand some of the problems I have been talking about for almost two years now. On Caney Creek, we stumbled across a giant breach in the dike of the Triple-PG mine in Porter. We reported it immediately to the TCEQ.
Massive breach in dike between Triple PG Mine and Caney Creek, May, 2019
Two-Week Discharge
Investigators actually observed the unauthorized discharge of process water from the mine into the City’s drinking water supply. It continued for approximately two weeks.
Not One, But Two Massive Breaches
The TCEQ found not one, but two breaches. The first was on the southwest side of the mine. Water entered the mine from a breach of the dike near White Oak Creek. The water then swept through the mine and exited through a second breach on Caney Creek. That meant the two creeks were actually flushing process water out of the mine into the drinking water supply for two million people.
The TCEQ finished its investigation in July and cited the operation for failing to prevent the unauthorized discharge of process water. The TCEQ told them to repair and widen their dikes. They did. Case closed.
This same mine has been investigated five times in five years by the TCEQ for various problems detailed in this report. The mine is owned by a cardiologist from Nacogdoches named Guniganti. His family operates it.
The basic problem with this mine is its location. It sits at the confluence of two floodways. That’s why the dikes were blown out. That’s why Harvey’s floodwaters swept through it. Continuing to operate this mine is like flying a plane into conditions that you know are unsafe.
No Disincentive for Dangerous Business Practices
Yet there’s no disincentive for dangerous business practices. Investigators told the operators to fix the breaches. They did. Business will go on as usual. Until the next disaster.
As a society, why do we tolerate this?
We even seem to venerate it. How strange that one family’s profit outweighs the health and safety of millions! The legislature had an opportunity to fix this problem this year. However, one bill that would have established best practices for sand mining and another that would have established minimum setbacks from rivers for sand mines never made it out of committee. Likewise HB-908 proposed by State Representative Dan Huberty that would have provided meaningful financial penalties for such bad practices never made it out of committee.
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public interest 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/2019/05/Mine-Breech.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-08-23 00:01:462019-08-23 00:19:45TCEQ Observes Triple-PG Sand Mine Discharging Wastewater Directly into Tributary of Lake Houston
Next week will mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. As we look back and build forward, we should also remember previous storms and how flooding shaped the a city called Houston and the people who inhabit it.
Houston History Magazine
In this regard, a reader forwarded me several links to a fascinating magazine. Debbie Z. Harwell, PhD., is managing editor of Houston History Magazine and a history teacher at the University of Houston.
Dr. Harwell was helping birth a new edition of Houston History focused on industrial accidents when Harvey hit. It was too late in her publication schedule to refocus the issue; she had been working on it for almost a year. So she wrote an introduction that helped put the storm in historical perspective. She wrote it sitting on a couch while Harvey’s rains beat against her windows.
Short-Term Memory Loss of Long-Term Needs
Prophetically, she titled the intro “Short-term Memory Loss of Long-term Needs.” In it, she says, “As a city and as a country we seem to suffer from short-term memory loss. Our memory of the flood is wiped out not by old age but by the next big news story, or even the next tweet. Past floods have similarly faded from the collective memory (until it happens again), with few willing to spend money on the necessary infrastructure to produce real change.”
Houston History also published a photo essay of Houston Floods called “Lest We Forget.” Former Houston Post photographer Joel Draut collected the photos and wrote the accompanying text. Interestingly, one of the most significant floods happened in 1837, one year before Louis Daguerre invented the first commercially viable photographic process, now known as the daguerreotype.
In an August 1836 advertisement, the Allen brothers proclaimed that Houston would become “ …beyond all doubt, the great interior commercial emporium of Texas.” Thirteen months later rains from a hurricane in September 1837 flooded the city’s Main Street to a depth of four feet. This inundation did not deter developers.
As I looked through page after page of forgotten photos from 1929, 1935, 1960, and 1973, I was struck by how similar they were to Harvey images. They were grainier. They were black and white. But aside from that, the images could have been from any one of a hundred more contemporary calamities, such as Katrina, Ike, Rita, or Harvey. Sometimes, even the dates were the same, like the Memorial Day flood of 1929 shown below. The location: Franklin and Milam. The bayou: Buffalo.
Photo courtesy of Houston History Magazine and Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.
“Lest We Forget” is a short but great and sobering read. I highly recommend it.
Survivors, Volunteers, Responders Tell Their Harvey Stories
Dr. Harwell is also one of the driving forces behind a project called Resilient Houston: Documenting Hurricane Harvey. “We did an oral history harvest at the Kingwood Community Center last October,” said Dr. Harwell, “and excerpts from those interviews appear on the site. Almost half of those are from Kingwood – survivors, volunteers, responders. We will be adding more at the end of the fall semester.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/22/2019with thanks to Dr. Debbie Harwell and Joel Draut
723 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Memorial-Day-1929.jpg?fit=1500%2C993&ssl=19931500adminadmin2019-08-21 23:43:102019-08-22 09:12:56Lest We Forget: Houston’s History of Flooding
Mayoral Candidate Bill King Lays Out Multifaceted Flood Mitigation Plan
Mayoral candidate Bill King has unveiled a multifaceted flood mitigation plan for Houston. While developing the plans, King visited about twenty neighborhoods in Houston that chronically flood and talked to residents about their flood experiences.
No One Solution, No Easy Answers
King believes the dynamics of flooding in each area are unique and there are no easy answers to Houston’s flooding problems. “There is no one solution,” says King. “Our topology and climate present significant challenges when attempting to address flooding. It will require a multi-phased approach and consistent, disciplined attention to the problem over many years.”
Seven-Phase Plan
Below are his seven proposals to improve flood mitigation. These proposals are specific to the City of Houston’s responsibilities. You can click on each for a detailed discussion.
First In a Series
I will post the flood mitigation plans of other candidates as I receive them. Flooding certainly isn’t the only problem Houston faces. However, solving those other problems will require solving flooding problems.
Who would want to invest in building a home or business in an area that chronically floods? Maintaining Houston’s growth will require solving flooding first.
Posted by Bob Rehak on August 26, 2019
727 Days since Hurricane Harvey
TCEQ Observes Triple-PG Sand Mine Discharging Wastewater Directly into Tributary of Lake Houston
On May 18, Josh Alberson and I gave Tony Buzbee a tour of sediment and sand mining issues on the San Jacinto River. Buzbee is a candidate for Mayor of Houston and got to witness first hand some of the problems I have been talking about for almost two years now. On Caney Creek, we stumbled across a giant breach in the dike of the Triple-PG mine in Porter. We reported it immediately to the TCEQ.
Two-Week Discharge
Investigators actually observed the unauthorized discharge of process water from the mine into the City’s drinking water supply. It continued for approximately two weeks.
Not One, But Two Massive Breaches
The TCEQ found not one, but two breaches. The first was on the southwest side of the mine. Water entered the mine from a breach of the dike near White Oak Creek. The water then swept through the mine and exited through a second breach on Caney Creek. That meant the two creeks were actually flushing process water out of the mine into the drinking water supply for two million people.
The TCEQ finished its investigation in July and cited the operation for failing to prevent the unauthorized discharge of process water. The TCEQ told them to repair and widen their dikes. They did. Case closed.
Classic Example of Pit Capture
The breeches appear to be the result of heavy rains in early May. This is a prime example of pit capture. High pressure in the floodway causes dike failure. The river or stream then flows through the mine and breaks out the opposite side. The same thing happened during Harvey when floodwaters carried away a large part of the mine’s stockpile.
Repeated Violations
This same mine has been investigated five times in five years by the TCEQ for various problems detailed in this report. The mine is owned by a cardiologist from Nacogdoches named Guniganti. His family operates it.
The basic problem with this mine is its location. It sits at the confluence of two floodways. That’s why the dikes were blown out. That’s why Harvey’s floodwaters swept through it. Continuing to operate this mine is like flying a plane into conditions that you know are unsafe.
No Disincentive for Dangerous Business Practices
Yet there’s no disincentive for dangerous business practices. Investigators told the operators to fix the breaches. They did. Business will go on as usual. Until the next disaster.
We even seem to venerate it. How strange that one family’s profit outweighs the health and safety of millions! The legislature had an opportunity to fix this problem this year. However, one bill that would have established best practices for sand mining and another that would have established minimum setbacks from rivers for sand mines never made it out of committee. Likewise HB-908 proposed by State Representative Dan Huberty that would have provided meaningful financial penalties for such bad practices never made it out of committee.
Tax Breaks Instead of Penalties
This Guniganti family even gets tax breaks from Montgomery County. The appraisal district gives timber and agricultural exemptions to areas actively being mined. Go figure!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/23/2019
724 Days after Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public interest and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the great State of Texas.
Lest We Forget: Houston’s History of Flooding
Next week will mark the second anniversary of Hurricane Harvey. As we look back and build forward, we should also remember previous storms and how flooding shaped the a city called Houston and the people who inhabit it.
Houston History Magazine
In this regard, a reader forwarded me several links to a fascinating magazine. Debbie Z. Harwell, PhD., is managing editor of Houston History Magazine and a history teacher at the University of Houston.
Dr. Harwell was helping birth a new edition of Houston History focused on industrial accidents when Harvey hit. It was too late in her publication schedule to refocus the issue; she had been working on it for almost a year. So she wrote an introduction that helped put the storm in historical perspective. She wrote it sitting on a couch while Harvey’s rains beat against her windows.
Short-Term Memory Loss of Long-Term Needs
Prophetically, she titled the intro “Short-term Memory Loss of Long-term Needs.” In it, she says, “As a city and as a country we seem to suffer from short-term memory loss. Our memory of the flood is wiped out not by old age but by the next big news story, or even the next tweet. Past floods have similarly faded from the collective memory (until it happens again), with few willing to spend money on the necessary infrastructure to produce real change.”
Two years after Harvey and Dr. Harwell’s essay, we struggle with that same issue. The floodplain homes that she referenced in her Fall 2017 issue are back on the agenda only in Montgomery County this time. So are loopholes in regulations that allow developers to build with detention ponds.
Historical Photo Essay of Houston Flooding
Houston History also published a photo essay of Houston Floods called “Lest We Forget.” Former Houston Post photographer Joel Draut collected the photos and wrote the accompanying text. Interestingly, one of the most significant floods happened in 1837, one year before Louis Daguerre invented the first commercially viable photographic process, now known as the daguerreotype.
In an August 1836 advertisement, the Allen brothers proclaimed that Houston would become “ …beyond all doubt, the great interior commercial emporium of Texas.” Thirteen months later rains from a hurricane in September 1837 flooded the city’s Main Street to a depth of four feet. This inundation did not deter developers.
As I looked through page after page of forgotten photos from 1929, 1935, 1960, and 1973, I was struck by how similar they were to Harvey images. They were grainier. They were black and white. But aside from that, the images could have been from any one of a hundred more contemporary calamities, such as Katrina, Ike, Rita, or Harvey. Sometimes, even the dates were the same, like the Memorial Day flood of 1929 shown below. The location: Franklin and Milam. The bayou: Buffalo.
“Lest We Forget” is a short but great and sobering read. I highly recommend it.
Survivors, Volunteers, Responders Tell Their Harvey Stories
Dr. Harwell is also one of the driving forces behind a project called Resilient Houston: Documenting Hurricane Harvey. “We did an oral history harvest at the Kingwood Community Center last October,” said Dr. Harwell, “and excerpts from those interviews appear on the site. Almost half of those are from Kingwood – survivors, volunteers, responders. We will be adding more at the end of the fall semester.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/22/2019 with thanks to Dr. Debbie Harwell and Joel Draut
723 Days since Hurricane Harvey