6/18/25 – While speaking to the Kingwood Executive Group this morning, Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger reassured members that the project to add more flood gates to the Lake Houston Dam was on track. He said that the engineering and environmental survey work should be completed by the end of this year as previously promised.
Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger addressing members of Kingwood Executive Group today.
However, he also cautioned that a potential cost increase might skew the critical Benefit/Cost Ratio (BCR) used to evaluate grant applications.
In an update on a related drainage issue, Flickinger explained how important the passage of Rep. Charles Cunningham’s Lake Houston Dredging District bill was for the Lake Houston area. Specifically, he talked about how dredging done to date reduced predicted peaks in the May 2024 flood by more than 2 feet and kept water from entering homes throughout Kingwood and the Lake Houston Area.
Latest on Gates Project
After Hurricane Harvey, many people focused on the addition of more flood gates to the Lake Houston Dam could reduce lake levels and flooding by letting water out faster before and during major storms.
Lake Conroe’s dam can release water 15 times faster than the gates on Lake Houston’s dam.
The gates on Lake Houston’s dam release water so slowly that the City must begin releasing water days before a storm to create significant extra storage capacity in the lake.
With a lead time measured in days, forecasts can change before storms arrive. But with a higher release capacity, dam operators could wait until they were certain a storm would hit before opening the gates.
Flickinger stated that the engineering for the additional gates should be at least 90 percent complete by the end of 2025.
“At that point in time,” said Flickinger, “they’ll be able to get accurate BCRs. And they’re already working on the environmental study. Black & Veatch is handling that.”
Community meetings within the next 4 to 5 months will give the public a chance for input.
Construction Still Predicted to Start in 2028, Completion in 2029
“I think they’ll be able to start construction in 2028 and complete the project in 2029,” said Flickinger. “Nothing’s really changed with the dates in the last six months.”
Early indications are that the project could need another $35 million. Flickinger said, “That could delay the project a little bit if they don’t get the BCR they need. But we got it one time; I think we’ll get it a second.”
Flickinger was referring to when Dave Martin, his predecessor convinced FEMA to include social benefits in the calculation of the BCR. Typically, benefits must exceed costs before FEMA or any other group will award a grant.
Since Flickinger took office, the plan for the gates has significantly changed. The original plan was to construct crest gates on the concrete portion of the spillway. However, because of the risk involved, the City could not find a contractor willing to bid on that job.
The new plan is to add tainter gates to the earthen portion of the dam. The project basically turned into a “start over.”
Kudos to Crenshaw and Cunningham
In his talk today, Flickinger also addressed dredging – past, present and future.
He thanked US Rep. Dan Crenshaw and State Rep. Charles Cunningham. “We’re dredging out on the lake today,” said Flickinger. “That’s part of the money that Congressman Crenshaw got for us. We’re moving 800,000 cubic yards of sediment. And that makes a huge difference,” said Flickinger, before lauding HB1532, Rep. Charles Cunningham’s bill that will create a permanent dredging district on Lake Houston.
The Computer Model that Missed and the Legislation that Didn’t
To underscore the importance of dredging, Flickinger explained how computer models missed predictions for the timing and crest of the May 2024 floods in the Lake Houston Area … at a time when water was already lapping at the foundations of thousands of homes.
“The expectation was that the water would crest two feet higher than it did. But they missed it because their model did not include all the dredging that had been done over the last several years. They missed by about two feet and a day. The river was supposed to crest two feet higher and one day later,” said Flickinger.
“But all the dredging allowed the water to flow into the lake and over the dam faster than what they thought it would. So the dredging is a huge deal.”
HB1532, the bill to create a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District, finally passed in this year’s session of the state legislature – after three previous tries.
“Sediment comes into the river and the lake 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Flickinger. “And unless we do something about that, it’s going to be a huge problem.”
Even though Cunningham got the dredging district over the goal line this year, Flickinger was quick to acknowledge assists from Senators Paul Bettencourt, Brandon Creighton and Mayes Middleton who helped push it through the Senate.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/18/2025
2850 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/20250618-DSC_2534.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2025-06-18 18:05:412025-06-18 18:07:15Flickinger Provides Updates on Lake Houston Gates, Dredging District
6/27/25 – In a virtual public meeting tonight, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) briefed the public on the last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project associated with the 2018 Flood Bond. The project name: Cypress Creek Channel Rehabilitation and Stormwater Detention Basin, Main Stem, Batch 5.
Batch 5 consists of two smaller packages:
Channel Rehab at Kuykendahl and the Cypress Hill Stormwater Detention Basin, expected completion by Q4 2027.
Channel Rehab near I-45 and the first phase of the Senger Stormwater Detention Basin, completed by Q2 2028.
Currently, HCFCD is finalizing design for both packages. They expect to complete design by July 2025 and advertise it for bids beginning in Q2 of 2026.
Batch 5 consists of channel repairs for 1.4 miles of the creek and its tributaries, plus two major detention basins that together will hold 631 acre feet.
All Flood Control District projects receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Develop Block Grant mitigation funds must be completed by March 31st, 2028.
During the channel repairs, HCFCD says it will make the side slopes of channels less steep to minimize future erosion.
About Cypress Creek and Repairs
The first four batches of repairs restored approximately 24 miles of Cypress Creek and its tributaries. HCFCD has completed Batches 1-3 and Batch 4 is still in progress. Estimated completion for Batch 4: Q1 2026.
Cypress Creek is a highly developed watershed located in northwest Harris County. It extends into Waller County. The watershed comprises 267 square miles, making it one of the county’s larger watersheds. It has 250 miles of open channels including Cypress Creek itself.
During Hurricane Harvey, 29 inches of rain fell across the watershed, damaging more than 9,500 structures.
No Adverse Impact Allowed Downstream
This is the fifth of five major maintenance programs along Cypress Creek associated with the 2018 Flood Bond.
The detention basins are actually designed to mitigate the channel rehabilitation work. Specifically, the channel rehabilitation work will speed floodwater up. The basins will offset that by slowing floodwaters down and reducing the volume in the creek.
As one presenter tonight pointed out, “The flood control district is a “no-adverse-impact” agency. That means we do not allow our projects to reduce flooding risks for one area, while increasing risks somewhere else. That’s why stormwater detention basins are often built before or at the same time as channel conveyance improvements or channel rehabilitation to prevent any unintended impacts downstream.”
The detention basins will hold enough water to cover a football field to a depth of 478 feet.
Getting Closer to Lake Houston Area
Batch 5 includes two separate packages. One is near Kuykendahl.
And the other is near I-45.
HCFCD should hear from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and HUD on funding soon. The District submitted a grant application for almost $54 million that is still under review (as of 6/7/25) by GLO.
Project Benefits
The District was a little hazy about the benefits. Of course, this is a maintenance program, not a capital improvement program.
A spokesperson said, “Pre-Atlas-14 100-year design storm models show a water-surface elevation reduction of up to one foot near the I-45 project limits” for the Kuykendahl package.
Altogether, HCFCD estimates the benefit area of this project will include nearly 40,000 people, who either live near and/or commute through the area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2025
2849 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/K500-31-00-E001.jpg?fit=1100%2C745&ssl=17451100adminadmin2025-06-17 22:37:062025-06-18 13:43:04HCFCD Briefs Community on Last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project
6/16/25 – Not many people understand the value of education and preservation as a flood-mitigation strategies. Leaving land near waterways in its natural state costs a tiny fraction of building giant detention basins after people flood. Plus the natural land provides recreation for people and habitat for wildlife.
The people who built communities like Kingwood and the Woodlands understood that. That’s why we have 300-foot-wide greenbelts along streams like Bens Branch. It’s also why we have giant natural areas like East End Park and the Creekwood Nature Center. They draw an exceptional amount of wildlife to one of the largest cities in America.
But passing that learning on to others requires education.
Connecting with Nature Through Photography
Ansel Adams once said, “If you want to preserve nature, inspire people with its beauty.” I’d take that a step further and add “…while they are young.”
Education and preservation are both crucial flood-mitigation strategies.
So, this morning, I gave a talk about bird photography to a class of young, aspiring photographers at the Creativity Shell in Kingwood.
Years ago before retirement, I built the building that now houses the Creativity Shell. It won national architectural awards for the way it integrated nature with business. I took many of the photos below on the property near Kingwood Park High School. The rest were taken in the surrounding area.
The photos underscore how preservation can bring beauty, contentment, excitement and joy to people who otherwise inhabit a densely populated urban environment. They help people see the subjects, not just as other species, but as individuals struggling to survive, thrive, and raise young of their own.
Photos of Area Wildlife
Two great egrets mirror each other as they preen their feathers.Painted bunting munches on tall-grass seed outside the front door of the Creativity ShellTwo proud parents watch the first of their chicks hatch out of its egg.Mallard on Lake HoustonA gathering of roseate spoonbills. The shape of their long bills lets them efficiently sift through muddy water in swampy areas where they can’t see food clearly. Mating display of great egret.Roseate spoonbill returning to nest.Great egret tilts its wings to slow down before landing on its nest.One species attempts to raid the nest of another and triggers a war.Another display of the great egret. The long, lacy plumes (aigrettes) are raised and displayed during courtship.One roseate spoonbill returns to the nest which the other was guarding.Red-tailed hawk was feasting on a possum outside Creativity ShellBig sticks like these are used to form the foundation of nests that will hold three to four chicks as they grow to adolescence.The vision of a hawk is significantly sharper than humans’. Some estimates suggest they have eight times more resolution. This lets them spot prey up to a mile away in some cases. Roseate spoonbill coming in for a landing.
And for something completely different…
Fawn born on the lawn of the Creativity Shell near the front door.
About the Creativity Shell
The Creativity Shell took over a building I constructed in the early 2000s for my business – Rehak Creative Services. The 20,000 SF facility is divided up into multiple open spaces designed to encourage interaction, sharing and creativity. Virtually every space in the building has a view of nature outside from at least three different angles.
Shelancia Daniel, M.Ed. and executive director, has turned it into a space for encouraging creativity among students of all ages. Offerings include classes/workshops for sewing, textile arts, fiber arts, art, drawing, painting, pottery, photography, media, cooking, culinary arts, knitting, S.T.R.E.A.M. (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, math/media), and so much more.
More than 80 summer-camp students and teachers gathered outside the Creative Shell for a group photo this morning.
The Creativity Shell operates year round. It is a nonprofit organization on a mission to educate and inspire the next generation of makers. It was a privilege and a pleasure to see the light in their young eyes.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/16/25
2848 days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Slide6.jpeg?fit=1100%2C825&ssl=18251100adminadmin2025-06-16 15:39:412025-06-16 15:48:07In Praise of Education, Preservation as Flood-Mitigation Strategies
Flickinger Provides Updates on Lake Houston Gates, Dredging District
6/18/25 – While speaking to the Kingwood Executive Group this morning, Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger reassured members that the project to add more flood gates to the Lake Houston Dam was on track. He said that the engineering and environmental survey work should be completed by the end of this year as previously promised.
However, he also cautioned that a potential cost increase might skew the critical Benefit/Cost Ratio (BCR) used to evaluate grant applications.
In an update on a related drainage issue, Flickinger explained how important the passage of Rep. Charles Cunningham’s Lake Houston Dredging District bill was for the Lake Houston area. Specifically, he talked about how dredging done to date reduced predicted peaks in the May 2024 flood by more than 2 feet and kept water from entering homes throughout Kingwood and the Lake Houston Area.
Latest on Gates Project
After Hurricane Harvey, many people focused on the addition of more flood gates to the Lake Houston Dam could reduce lake levels and flooding by letting water out faster before and during major storms.
The gates on Lake Houston’s dam release water so slowly that the City must begin releasing water days before a storm to create significant extra storage capacity in the lake.
With a lead time measured in days, forecasts can change before storms arrive. But with a higher release capacity, dam operators could wait until they were certain a storm would hit before opening the gates.
Flickinger stated that the engineering for the additional gates should be at least 90 percent complete by the end of 2025.
“At that point in time,” said Flickinger, “they’ll be able to get accurate BCRs. And they’re already working on the environmental study. Black & Veatch is handling that.”
Community meetings within the next 4 to 5 months will give the public a chance for input.
Construction Still Predicted to Start in 2028, Completion in 2029
“I think they’ll be able to start construction in 2028 and complete the project in 2029,” said Flickinger. “Nothing’s really changed with the dates in the last six months.”
Early indications are that the project could need another $35 million. Flickinger said, “That could delay the project a little bit if they don’t get the BCR they need. But we got it one time; I think we’ll get it a second.”
Flickinger was referring to when Dave Martin, his predecessor convinced FEMA to include social benefits in the calculation of the BCR. Typically, benefits must exceed costs before FEMA or any other group will award a grant.
Since Flickinger took office, the plan for the gates has significantly changed. The original plan was to construct crest gates on the concrete portion of the spillway. However, because of the risk involved, the City could not find a contractor willing to bid on that job.
The new plan is to add tainter gates to the earthen portion of the dam. The project basically turned into a “start over.”
Kudos to Crenshaw and Cunningham
In his talk today, Flickinger also addressed dredging – past, present and future.
He thanked US Rep. Dan Crenshaw and State Rep. Charles Cunningham. “We’re dredging out on the lake today,” said Flickinger. “That’s part of the money that Congressman Crenshaw got for us. We’re moving 800,000 cubic yards of sediment. And that makes a huge difference,” said Flickinger, before lauding HB1532, Rep. Charles Cunningham’s bill that will create a permanent dredging district on Lake Houston.
The Computer Model that Missed and the Legislation that Didn’t
To underscore the importance of dredging, Flickinger explained how computer models missed predictions for the timing and crest of the May 2024 floods in the Lake Houston Area … at a time when water was already lapping at the foundations of thousands of homes.
“The expectation was that the water would crest two feet higher than it did. But they missed it because their model did not include all the dredging that had been done over the last several years. They missed by about two feet and a day. The river was supposed to crest two feet higher and one day later,” said Flickinger.
“But all the dredging allowed the water to flow into the lake and over the dam faster than what they thought it would. So the dredging is a huge deal.”
HB1532, the bill to create a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District, finally passed in this year’s session of the state legislature – after three previous tries.
“Sediment comes into the river and the lake 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Flickinger. “And unless we do something about that, it’s going to be a huge problem.”
Even though Cunningham got the dredging district over the goal line this year, Flickinger was quick to acknowledge assists from Senators Paul Bettencourt, Brandon Creighton and Mayes Middleton who helped push it through the Senate.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/18/2025
2850 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Briefs Community on Last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project
6/27/25 – In a virtual public meeting tonight, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) briefed the public on the last Cypress Creek Major Maintenance Project associated with the 2018 Flood Bond. The project name: Cypress Creek Channel Rehabilitation and Stormwater Detention Basin, Main Stem, Batch 5.
Batch 5 consists of two smaller packages:
Currently, HCFCD is finalizing design for both packages. They expect to complete design by July 2025 and advertise it for bids beginning in Q2 of 2026.
Batch 5 consists of channel repairs for 1.4 miles of the creek and its tributaries, plus two major detention basins that together will hold 631 acre feet.
All Flood Control District projects receiving U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Develop Block Grant mitigation funds must be completed by March 31st, 2028.
During the channel repairs, HCFCD says it will make the side slopes of channels less steep to minimize future erosion.
About Cypress Creek and Repairs
The first four batches of repairs restored approximately 24 miles of Cypress Creek and its tributaries. HCFCD has completed Batches 1-3 and Batch 4 is still in progress. Estimated completion for Batch 4: Q1 2026.
Cypress Creek is a highly developed watershed located in northwest Harris County. It extends into Waller County. The watershed comprises 267 square miles, making it one of the county’s larger watersheds. It has 250 miles of open channels including Cypress Creek itself.
During Hurricane Harvey, 29 inches of rain fell across the watershed, damaging more than 9,500 structures.
No Adverse Impact Allowed Downstream
This is the fifth of five major maintenance programs along Cypress Creek associated with the 2018 Flood Bond.
The detention basins are actually designed to mitigate the channel rehabilitation work. Specifically, the channel rehabilitation work will speed floodwater up. The basins will offset that by slowing floodwaters down and reducing the volume in the creek.
As one presenter tonight pointed out, “The flood control district is a “no-adverse-impact” agency. That means we do not allow our projects to reduce flooding risks for one area, while increasing risks somewhere else. That’s why stormwater detention basins are often built before or at the same time as channel conveyance improvements or channel rehabilitation to prevent any unintended impacts downstream.”
The detention basins will hold enough water to cover a football field to a depth of 478 feet.
Getting Closer to Lake Houston Area
Batch 5 includes two separate packages. One is near Kuykendahl.
And the other is near I-45.
HCFCD should hear from the Texas General Land Office (GLO) and HUD on funding soon. The District submitted a grant application for almost $54 million that is still under review (as of 6/7/25) by GLO.
Project Benefits
The District was a little hazy about the benefits. Of course, this is a maintenance program, not a capital improvement program.
A spokesperson said, “Pre-Atlas-14 100-year design storm models show a water-surface elevation reduction of up to one foot near the I-45 project limits” for the Kuykendahl package.
Altogether, HCFCD estimates the benefit area of this project will include nearly 40,000 people, who either live near and/or commute through the area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2025
2849 Days since Hurricane Harvey
In Praise of Education, Preservation as Flood-Mitigation Strategies
6/16/25 – Not many people understand the value of education and preservation as a flood-mitigation strategies. Leaving land near waterways in its natural state costs a tiny fraction of building giant detention basins after people flood. Plus the natural land provides recreation for people and habitat for wildlife.
The people who built communities like Kingwood and the Woodlands understood that. That’s why we have 300-foot-wide greenbelts along streams like Bens Branch. It’s also why we have giant natural areas like East End Park and the Creekwood Nature Center. They draw an exceptional amount of wildlife to one of the largest cities in America.
But passing that learning on to others requires education.
Connecting with Nature Through Photography
Ansel Adams once said, “If you want to preserve nature, inspire people with its beauty.” I’d take that a step further and add “…while they are young.”
Education and preservation are both crucial flood-mitigation strategies.
So, this morning, I gave a talk about bird photography to a class of young, aspiring photographers at the Creativity Shell in Kingwood.
Years ago before retirement, I built the building that now houses the Creativity Shell. It won national architectural awards for the way it integrated nature with business. I took many of the photos below on the property near Kingwood Park High School. The rest were taken in the surrounding area.
The photos underscore how preservation can bring beauty, contentment, excitement and joy to people who otherwise inhabit a densely populated urban environment. They help people see the subjects, not just as other species, but as individuals struggling to survive, thrive, and raise young of their own.
Photos of Area Wildlife
And for something completely different…
About the Creativity Shell
The Creativity Shell took over a building I constructed in the early 2000s for my business – Rehak Creative Services. The 20,000 SF facility is divided up into multiple open spaces designed to encourage interaction, sharing and creativity. Virtually every space in the building has a view of nature outside from at least three different angles.
Shelancia Daniel, M.Ed. and executive director, has turned it into a space for encouraging creativity among students of all ages. Offerings include classes/workshops for sewing, textile arts, fiber arts, art, drawing, painting, pottery, photography, media, cooking, culinary arts, knitting, S.T.R.E.A.M. (science, technology, reading, engineering, arts, math/media), and so much more.
The Creativity Shell operates year round. It is a nonprofit organization on a mission to educate and inspire the next generation of makers. It was a privilege and a pleasure to see the light in their young eyes.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/16/25
2848 days since Hurricane Harvey