News - Reduce Flooding

Cross Your Fingers: Porter Dam Replaced by Two Large Culverts Under Road to Nowhere

Last year, shortly before Christmas, I reported on flooding between Loop 494 and US59 related to an undersized culvert, nicknamed the Porter Dam.

A developer mysteriously installed two small culverts with grates in the ditch that runs on the west side of Loop 494. I say “mysteriously” because there was no apparent reason to install them. The developer also built a road over the culverts. But the road led nowhere. So there was basically no need for the project.

*Picture taken last December. The Porter Dam, an undersized culvert and an unnecessary road, backed water up for blocks.*

*The offending culvert and grate restricted flow in the ditch. Also from last December.*

*The Road to Nowhere crosses a ditch only to end at a detention pond. Photo taken December, 2018.*

Residents and businesses speculated that the real purpose of this project was to slow the flow of water from the north to speed up the flow of water from the south where a large shopping center and an apartment complex exist. While the small culvert worked wonders for those developments, it backed water up into businesses and homes for several blocks to the north.

As a result, Mike Eberle, owner of Mike’s Hobby Shop, Lakeside Plumbing and the Gulf Coast Raceway got an unwelcome early Christmas present last year. Here’s what the situation looked like before Christmas, 2018. Not good for a hobby shop!

*After the flood, Eberle complained to TxDot. Within days, a backhoe began lowering the road over the culvert*. *By lowering the road, the developer hoped to increase the conveyance of the ditch without removing the culvert.*

First Attempt at Porter Dam Mitigation Failed

However, that attempt at mitigating the Porter Dam failed. Within five months, the same area flooded again.

Last week, a reader, Dan Monks, sent me this photo. It looks like the developer is trying a third time with bigger culverts AND a lower road.

*Bigger culverts now installed under the Road to Nowhere.* *Photo 8/14/2019, courtesy of Dan Monks.*

Let’s hope this attempt works better than the last and gets things back to normal. These culverts appear to match the size of those farther up the ditch.

Please Help Shine a Public Light on Similar Problems

Hundreds of people, businesses and even a church were damaged by this thoughtless, careless project.

If you see situations that contribute to flooding, please send photos via the submissions page of this web site. By shining a public light on problems, we can encourage people to fix them.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/17/2019 with photos courtesy of Dan Monks and Mike Eberle

718 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TWDB to Host Two State Flood Plan Webinars on August 19

If you missed the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) state flood planning seminar in Tomball, you still have three more options to participate.

TWDB Planning Process

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) will offer two webinars to discuss and solicit input on state flood planning and financing programs established during the last legislative session.

Discussion during each webinar will be guided by the issues presented in this document: Implementation of Flood Legislation from the 86th Texas Legislative Session.

Webinar #1: Monday, August 19, 9:30–11:30 a.m. CT

Webinar #2: Monday, August 19, 5:30–7:00 p.m. CT

How to Register for Webinar

To participate: Visit http://texasadmin.com/tx/twdb/ to register for the webinar.

The TWDB will launch the presentation screen approximately five minutes before the start of each webinar. Questions and comments will be addressed live during each webinar; you may email your questions and comments to FloodWebinar@twdb.texas.gov throughout the presentations.

Each webinar will be recorded and may be viewed at a later date at http://texasadmin.com/tx/twdb/.

Last In-Person Meeting at Houston City Hall

The last in-person meeting will be held on Friday, August 23rd at Houston City Hall.

Houston City Hall
Council Chamber,
2nd floor
901 Bagby St.
Houston, TX 77002
9:30-11:30 a.m.

The complete meeting schedule may be viewed on the TWDB website.

If you ever wanted to influence the way $800 million is spent, here’s your chance.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2019

717 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village Plans Being Set in Concrete…Before Case Goes to Trial

Just three months ago, on May 7th, water poured out of Woodridge Village and into the streets and homes of Elm Grove. More than 200 flooded homeowners are suing the developer and contractor for negligence. Meanwhile, before the case has even gone to trial, contractors are pouring concrete. Let’s hope the drainage plans do the job. Because they are literally setting those plans in “stone,” so to speak. Here’s what’s happening north of the MoCo border.

Woodridge plans 5 detention ponds, 3 in the northern and 2 in the southern section. The two in the southern section are now at total depth. However, excavation still has not started on the three northern ponds, despite ideal construction weather.

Elevation Raised Compared to Elm Grove

Looking east along the southern border with the detention pond S1 out of frame on the left and the culvert that leads to Taylor Gully in the upper left. Village Springs in Elm Grove can be seen through the trees on the right.

The new development has been built up about four feet above Elm Grove and Woodland Hills Villages. It gives the hood a split level look.

At the top of that hill, along the perimeter, the contractor bulldozed a v-shaped notch. That’s called a backslope interceptor swale. The swale or depression collects rainwater that would otherwise drain straight into detention ponds. In theory it provides additional storage for rainwater. It also reduces the potential for erosion along the banks of the pond. That’s because water collects in the swale and drains through a pipe into the detention pond.

S2 detention pond above Village Springs in Elm Grove. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller. Miller says that the pond looks 3 feet below the mouth to the culvert on Taylor Gully. So it will hold water constantly.

Detention Pond S1 Now Lined with Concrete

Contractors have also begun lining detention pond S1 with concrete. That should reduce erosion. It will also accelerate runoff.

*Woodridge Village Detention Pond S1 which is north of Woodland Hills Village. The ditch has reached its total depth and is now being lined with concrete.* *Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.*

Roads Going In

Contractors have also poured the main road through the southern part of the subdivision. It is within feet of connecting to Woodland Hills Drive on one end. It will soon cross Taylor Gulley about in the middle of the subdivision and eventually connect to the northern half of the development.

*Looking east from Woodland Hills in front of Kingwood Park High School.*

It looks like this from the opposite direction.

*Looking southwest toward Woodland Hills from the northern side of the southern section of Woodridge. Main road in distance will soon cross Taylor Gully.* *Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.*

In Other News

Jeff Miller says it appears that the contractor has nuked all of the trees separating the northern and souther section. Says Jeff Miller who supplied many of these pictures, “As Peter Townseand of the Who sang, ‘I can see for miles and miles.’” The song now applies to the view from Elm Grove looking north. There’s little to see but brush piles.

*Nothing but brush piles for miles and miles. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller*

Risky Business: No More Detention Ponds Heading into Peak Hurricane Season

Contractors have not yet started excavation on any of the detention ponds for the northern section: N1, N2, or N3. That’s a risky strategy given months of ideal construction weather behind us and the peak of hurricane season fast approaching. Those Perry Homes subsidiaries are definitely connoisseurs of edge work.

*Peak of hurricane season is less than a month away. This is when things usually start to heat up.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2019 with thanks to Jeff Miller