5/02/26 – There’s still time to sign the petition against Scarborough’s 5300+ acre floodplain development upstream from the Lake Houston Area between Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork. One of the region’s leading hydrologists told me that if it gets developed, it would be like aiming a firehose at Humble and Kingwood.
Why This Land Should Not Be Developed
This is one of the most flood-prone areas in the entire Houston region. See this 30-second video of wetlands that lace the area.
Scarborough Area in center of FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Crosshatch = floodway, Aqua = 100-year floodplain, Brown = 500-year.
New flood maps show the situation is even worse than it appears above. The area is about half the size of Kingwood and exceedingly flat.
Looking NW at Scarborough property at confluence of Spring Creek (l) and San Jacinto West Fork (r).
Near the confluence, dry land would be under at least 25 feet of water in another flood like Harvey.
From FEMA Base Flood Elevation Viewer
Just this morning, at 8 AM after a mere 4 inches of rain, the Harris County Flood Warning System showed the river was in danger of overflowing near the bridge – the only such channel in the area.
This is just a dangerous place to build, at least in my opinion.
GLO Backing Developer
Yet strangely, the Texas General Land Office, which is responsible for $14 billion dollars of HUD flood-mitigation money in Texas, is a financial partner in the development. Even worse, the GLO refuses to explain why, what the terms of its investment are, and how much of your tax money it has invested. Print out the poster below, and share it with your friends and family.
For a high res PDF suitable for printing, click here.
Please Sign Petition NOW
But above all, if you haven’t yet signed the petition protesting this development, do it NOW!
A Friendswood executive once told me they looked at extending Kingwood Drive across this property but gave up on the idea because it would have cost too much to do it safely.
So, read the details of the petition at Change.org and please sign it. It will only take a minute and could save your home someday. Not to mention, a lot of your tax dollars now.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/2/2026
3168 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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/2026/05/DJI_20260502092307_0995_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-05-02 19:45:202026-05-02 21:37:18Still Time to Sign Petition Against Upstream Floodplain Development
5/1/2026 – According to FEMA, its BRIC program has been infused with $1 billion to help mitigate the impact of future disasters. The agency also immediately provided previously cancelled funds to states.
BRIC stands for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities. The program aims to reduce the cost of future disasters by awarding grants that help prevent damage.
According to the American Flood Coalition (AFC), “The BRIC announcement came one day after former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Since assuming this role, Secretary Mullin has eliminated a DHS policy requiring secretarial approval for payments over $100,000.”
BRIC is BACK
After the year-long pause, FEMA has introduced several programmatic changes, including a heightened focus on infrastructure, construction-ready projects, the adoption of up-to-date building codes, and a new scoring rubric.
Key changes include:
Smaller awards. While total funding has increased by $250 million to $1 billion, individual projects are capped at $20 million, allowing funding to reach more communities. No single applicant (e.g., state) may receive more than 15% of total available funding.
Construction-ready infrastructure is the priority. This cycle favors projects ready to break ground, especially traditional infrastructure projects protecting transportation, utilities, water systems, communications, and public buildings, with clear design progress and risk reduction benefits. Phased projects are not permitted in this funding cycle.
Streamlined scoring rubric. Applications are scored across six criteria (100 points total), with construction readiness (30 points), building codes (20), and risk reduction (20) weighted most heavily. New applicants receive a 15-point bonus; small, impoverished communities receive 5 points.
Applications
The application period opened on March 25, 2026. The deadline to submit applications is July 23, 2026.
Eligible applicants include states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Eligible subapplicants include local governments, communities, special districts and Tribal Nations applying through a state or territory.
Reportedly, one of the key objectives is to move money faster. FEMA intends to do this by eliminating phased projects, simplifying the National Competition scoring system and removing sub-application scoring by the National Review Panel.
However, the government shutdown affected all but essential workers at FEMA for months. At this hour, it’s not clear how the shutdown will affect the applications and deadlines. Just yesterday, Congress passed a bill that would restore FEMA funding through September.
According to a spokesperson for Representative Dan Crenshaw, the BRIC deadline would likely be extended if necessary because of staffing issues during the shutdown.
4/30/26 – The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD) has published a presentation that summarizes the major findings of its 2025 Annual Groundwater Report. HGSD also heard public comments on the report this morning, which the HGSD Board will review on May 13 before the report becomes final.
The major finding: serious subsidence continues in a band that stretches across southern Montgomery County into northwest Harris County out to Katy. See red area below.
Page 40 from HGSD 2025 Groundwater presentation.
A monitoring station in Katy measured a total of 35 cm of subsidence since 2007 with an average rate between 2021-2025 of 2.64 cm/yr. Thirty-five centimeters is 13.77 inches. 2.64 centimeters equals 1.03 inches.
What Causes Subsidence and What it Affects
Groundwater withdrawals lead to compaction of soils which, in turn, leads to subsidence or a sinking of the land surface.
Subsidence is critical near the coast. A whole subdivision in Baytown sank below the waves. But even in inland areas, differential subsidence can create bowls in the landscape that make structures more susceptible to flooding.
In places the cumulative rate of subsidence has been enough to erase the safety margins between foundations and floodplains.
Subsidence also causes cracks in pipelines, storm drains, roads, driveways, and foundations that can lead to expensive repairs. Problems are especially severe near fault lines because subsidence can activate fault movement.
History of HGSD and Subsidence in Houston Region
The Texas Legislature created HGSD 50 years ago to regulate groundwater withdrawals and slow subsidence. HGSD divided the region up into three regulatory areas, based on need at the time. The area with the lowest need then has the highest need now, because it took longer for regulations to kick in.
The regulations create incentives for people to reduce usage of groundwater.
Since 1988, groundwater-level altitudes in wells are down 200 to 300+ feet in portions of southern Montgomery County and west-central Harris County.
This year’s annual report covers four main areas. Discussions of a) climate, b) water use and c) groundwater levels. Those three factors result in d) subsidence. Next, let’s briefly look at the three contributing factors.
Climate
Drought spread throughout the region last year and accelerated in the second half. The tan areas in the graph below show the rainfall deficit versus the average from 1991 to 2020. Each monitoring station showed significant deficits.
Page 7 of 2025 Annual Report Presentation
Less rain means more irrigation of lawns and crops. And much of that supplementary water comes from the ground.
Groundwater Use
The discussion of groundwater withdrawals starts with the three different regulatory areas.
Page 12 of presentation. Note the different requirements for Area 3.
The next two pages show dramatic declines of groundwater usage in Areas 1 and 2. However, it’s a different story in Area 3 which also has the greatest subsidence. Groundwater usage is down slightly in the last 25 years, but still hovering near the 50-year average.
Page 13 of presentation
When you add up groundwater usage from all three areas, you can clearly see two things:
Overall decline in usage
Region 3 represents 83% of the total
Page 14. Note how Region 3 comprised roughly a third of groundwater usage in 1976.
As we reduce groundwater consumption, we’re relying more on alternative water sources, such as surface water from the three major rivers that feed our region. Increasingly, we rely on water from the Trinity River and Lake Livingston.
Page 17
So how does all that actually translate into water-level declines? HGSD has observed declines in wells throughout the region. Those wells are drilled into three aquifers that supply us: the Jasper, Chicot and Evangeline. The last two are undifferentiated and effectively form one unit for research purposes.
In the next two charts, note howareas with the greatest water-level declines have experienced the most subsidence.
Page 27 focuses on declines in the Chicot/Evangeline aquifers.Page 28 focuses on declines in the Jasper aquifer.
The full 40-page presentation contains much more detail. For instance, it describes water level declines at individual wells. The presentation also reviews data from multiple sources/technologies as a cross-check for consistency and reliability.
Next Steps
HGSD has not yet published its full 2025 Annual Groundwater report. This presentation was intended to give the public a chance to comment on a preview this morning. HGSD’s board will consider a resolution to approve the report at its regularly scheduled meeting on the third Wednesday in May.
Upon approval, HGSD will publish the report, all supporting documents and an updated interactive subsidence map on its website.
Still Time to Sign Petition Against Upstream Floodplain Development
5/02/26 – There’s still time to sign the petition against Scarborough’s 5300+ acre floodplain development upstream from the Lake Houston Area between Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork. One of the region’s leading hydrologists told me that if it gets developed, it would be like aiming a firehose at Humble and Kingwood.
Why This Land Should Not Be Developed
This is one of the most flood-prone areas in the entire Houston region. See this 30-second video of wetlands that lace the area.
Also see FEMA’s pre-Atlas-14 flood map below.
New flood maps show the situation is even worse than it appears above. The area is about half the size of Kingwood and exceedingly flat.
Near the confluence, dry land would be under at least 25 feet of water in another flood like Harvey.
Just this morning, at 8 AM after a mere 4 inches of rain, the Harris County Flood Warning System showed the river was in danger of overflowing near the bridge – the only such channel in the area.
This is just a dangerous place to build, at least in my opinion.
GLO Backing Developer
Yet strangely, the Texas General Land Office, which is responsible for $14 billion dollars of HUD flood-mitigation money in Texas, is a financial partner in the development. Even worse, the GLO refuses to explain why, what the terms of its investment are, and how much of your tax money it has invested. Print out the poster below, and share it with your friends and family.
Please Sign Petition NOW
But above all, if you haven’t yet signed the petition protesting this development, do it NOW!
A Friendswood executive once told me they looked at extending Kingwood Drive across this property but gave up on the idea because it would have cost too much to do it safely.
So, read the details of the petition at Change.org and please sign it. It will only take a minute and could save your home someday. Not to mention, a lot of your tax dollars now.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/2/2026
3168 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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.
FEMA Restores BRIC Funding
5/1/2026 – According to FEMA, its BRIC program has been infused with $1 billion to help mitigate the impact of future disasters. The agency also immediately provided previously cancelled funds to states.
BRIC stands for Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities. The program aims to reduce the cost of future disasters by awarding grants that help prevent damage.
FEMA studies show that every dollar spent on prevention avoids six dollars in future damage costs. However, FEMA had announced the termination of BRIC grants in 2025.
According to the American Flood Coalition (AFC), “The BRIC announcement came one day after former Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin was sworn in as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Since assuming this role, Secretary Mullin has eliminated a DHS policy requiring secretarial approval for payments over $100,000.”
BRIC is BACK
After the year-long pause, FEMA has introduced several programmatic changes, including a heightened focus on infrastructure, construction-ready projects, the adoption of up-to-date building codes, and a new scoring rubric.
Key changes include:
Applications
The application period opened on March 25, 2026. The deadline to submit applications is July 23, 2026.
Eligible applicants include states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories and federally recognized Tribal Nations. Eligible subapplicants include local governments, communities, special districts and Tribal Nations applying through a state or territory.
Interested applicants and sub-applicants may review the Notice of Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. For more information on the BRIC program, applicants should contact their FEMA Regional Office or visit www.fema.gov/grants/mitigation/learn/building-resilient-infrastructure-communities.
Moving Money Faster, But…
Reportedly, one of the key objectives is to move money faster. FEMA intends to do this by eliminating phased projects, simplifying the National Competition scoring system and removing sub-application scoring by the National Review Panel.
However, the government shutdown affected all but essential workers at FEMA for months. At this hour, it’s not clear how the shutdown will affect the applications and deadlines. Just yesterday, Congress passed a bill that would restore FEMA funding through September.
According to a spokesperson for Representative Dan Crenshaw, the BRIC deadline would likely be extended if necessary because of staffing issues during the shutdown.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/1/26
3167 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Subsidence Update: HGSD 2025 Groundwater Report
4/30/26 – The Harris-Galveston Subsidence District (HGSD) has published a presentation that summarizes the major findings of its 2025 Annual Groundwater Report. HGSD also heard public comments on the report this morning, which the HGSD Board will review on May 13 before the report becomes final.
The major finding: serious subsidence continues in a band that stretches across southern Montgomery County into northwest Harris County out to Katy. See red area below.
A monitoring station in Katy measured a total of 35 cm of subsidence since 2007 with an average rate between 2021-2025 of 2.64 cm/yr. Thirty-five centimeters is 13.77 inches. 2.64 centimeters equals 1.03 inches.
What Causes Subsidence and What it Affects
Groundwater withdrawals lead to compaction of soils which, in turn, leads to subsidence or a sinking of the land surface.
Subsidence is critical near the coast. A whole subdivision in Baytown sank below the waves. But even in inland areas, differential subsidence can create bowls in the landscape that make structures more susceptible to flooding.
In places the cumulative rate of subsidence has been enough to erase the safety margins between foundations and floodplains.
Subsidence also causes cracks in pipelines, storm drains, roads, driveways, and foundations that can lead to expensive repairs. Problems are especially severe near fault lines because subsidence can activate fault movement.
History of HGSD and Subsidence in Houston Region
The Texas Legislature created HGSD 50 years ago to regulate groundwater withdrawals and slow subsidence. HGSD divided the region up into three regulatory areas, based on need at the time. The area with the lowest need then has the highest need now, because it took longer for regulations to kick in.
The regulations create incentives for people to reduce usage of groundwater.
Since 1988, groundwater-level altitudes in wells are down 200 to 300+ feet in portions of southern Montgomery County and west-central Harris County.
This year’s annual report covers four main areas. Discussions of a) climate, b) water use and c) groundwater levels. Those three factors result in d) subsidence. Next, let’s briefly look at the three contributing factors.
Climate
Drought spread throughout the region last year and accelerated in the second half. The tan areas in the graph below show the rainfall deficit versus the average from 1991 to 2020. Each monitoring station showed significant deficits.
Less rain means more irrigation of lawns and crops. And much of that supplementary water comes from the ground.
Groundwater Use
The discussion of groundwater withdrawals starts with the three different regulatory areas.
The next two pages show dramatic declines of groundwater usage in Areas 1 and 2. However, it’s a different story in Area 3 which also has the greatest subsidence. Groundwater usage is down slightly in the last 25 years, but still hovering near the 50-year average.
When you add up groundwater usage from all three areas, you can clearly see two things:
As we reduce groundwater consumption, we’re relying more on alternative water sources, such as surface water from the three major rivers that feed our region. Increasingly, we rely on water from the Trinity River and Lake Livingston.
So how does all that actually translate into water-level declines? HGSD has observed declines in wells throughout the region. Those wells are drilled into three aquifers that supply us: the Jasper, Chicot and Evangeline. The last two are undifferentiated and effectively form one unit for research purposes.
In the next two charts, note how areas with the greatest water-level declines have experienced the most subsidence.
The full 40-page presentation contains much more detail. For instance, it describes water level declines at individual wells. The presentation also reviews data from multiple sources/technologies as a cross-check for consistency and reliability.
Next Steps
HGSD has not yet published its full 2025 Annual Groundwater report. This presentation was intended to give the public a chance to comment on a preview this morning. HGSD’s board will consider a resolution to approve the report at its regularly scheduled meeting on the third Wednesday in May.
Upon approval, HGSD will publish the report, all supporting documents and an updated interactive subsidence map on its website.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/30/26
3166 Days since Hurricane Harvey