6/3/25 – The new 1,056-page Texas state budget includes more than $200 million for Houston-area flood mitigation projects and dredging.
The legislature allocated $50 million for Lake Houston dredging through the Texas Water Development Board and another $150 million for Houston/Harris County Area flood-mitigation projects.
That’s out of a total $581 million appropriated to TWDB for funding infrastructure, flood, wastewater and water-supply projects.
List of Other Local Flood-Mitigation Projects
Other Houston/Harris County flood-related projects include:
$54 million for the Cypress Ditch Regional Flood Mitigation Project
$2.5 million for Greens Bayou Watershed Channel Improvements
For the Lake Houston dredging district (HB1532) to succeed long term, the operation must make business sense. The legislation that formed the district stipulates it cannot impose taxes or fees. So operations must generate a funding stream from the sale of spoils for beneficial uses such as roads, development, and the Ike Dike.
However, in the near term, the dredging money allocated by the legislature could be used to help purchase dredging equipment and set up operations.
Many decisions lie ahead re: equipment, staging areas, staffing, sales of the spoils, maintenance, trucking, and more.
Frankly, I thought we might have to wait until the next session of the legislature in two years before we had a chance at seed money to launch the dredging district.
So, seeing the money in this state budget is a very pleasant surprise…as is the additional $150+ million for other flood-mitigation projects coming to the Houston region!
For More Information
To see the entire 1068-page state budget, click here. (Warning: 10 meg download.)
For the two pages relating to TWDB and flood mitigation projects, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/3/2025
2885 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250114-DJI_20250114091626_0721_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-06-03 19:12:472025-06-03 19:12:48New State Budget Includes $200 Million for Area Flood Projects, Dredging
6/4/25 Update: Construction has not yet stopped and it may not. It continues as City and County Authorities try to set up a meeting to review drainage plans with engineers.
6/2/25 – Construction has stopped, at least temporarily, at the Enclave, a new 11-acre residential development adjacent to the Northpark expansion project in Montgomery County.
Both Montgomery County and the City of Houston have asked engineers to review the drainage plans, which showed the development’s detention basin overflowing into the only evacuation route for 78,000 people during extreme weather events.
HNTB, the engineer for the Northpark Expansion project, is going to conduct a peer review of EHRA plans for the Enclave’s drainage. They need to hurry.
Detention Basin Already Dug Out
Photographs taken between 5/31 and 6/2/25 show that construction crews have already excavated the proposed detention basin. And they are starting to install pipes and junction boxes for drainage.
Looking E. Northpark on left. Detention Basin, partially filled with water from last week’s rains, is already excavated.
However, I have received word that both the City and Montgomery County have asked for construction to be paused for a new independent peer review of the development’s drainage plans.
Partial Update to Outdated Drainage Plans
The new development is technically part of Kings Mill, which had its drainage plans approved in 2012. But after Harvey in 2018, Montgomery County and the City of Houston both adopted Atlas 14 rainfall probability statistics, which are 33% higher than those used to design virtually all of Kings Mill’s infrastructure.
That means Kings Mill – which is 20 times larger than the Northpark Enclave – funnels much more stormwater toward the Kingwood Diversion Ditch than it was designed to handle.
Yet Enclave engineers designed its detention basin to hold only the difference between the old and new rainfall statistics. And only for 11 acres, not all 240.
Concerns about Capacity, Its Impact and Inconsistencies
Several other things have happened since approval of the 2012 drainage study.
The Northpark Expansion project started. A major goal: to create an all-weather evacuation route when Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive and Mills Branch Road are cut off by high water.
The developer’s plans raised concerns about where Enclave overflow will go during an extreme event. (See construction diagram above.)
Construction plans showed inconsistencies between the initial drainage impact analysis and today, including the size of the Enclave.
The developer claims it can build ten homes to the acre with only 55% impervious cover, an extremely ambitious goal.
Photos Show Drainage Route to Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Photos below show the new Northpark Enclave development and the path that stormwater will take on its way to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, which already has capacity problems of its own.
Hundreds of homes have flooded because of the ditch’s diminishing capacity as insufficiently mitigated new subdivisions began draining into it.
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has completed its preliminary engineering review of the Diversion Ditch. HCFCD is now in the process of selecting an engineering company to make final recommendations for improving the ditch. But it could take years to find the money to construct any recommendations that come out of the study.
So, MoCo and the City want to make sure they get this right. The photos below show how all the drainage will connect.
Looking SE over the intersection of Loop 494 and Northpark Drive at construction of the Northpark Enclave.Still looking SE. From the new development, stormwater will move to the giant detention basin in the upper center of frame.Contractors are already starting to install culverts that will carry runoff to the main Kings Mill Detention Basin.From the Kings Mill Detention Basin, stormwater will flow into the ditch that angles toward top and then makes a left turn toward Russell-Palmer Road in the upper left corner of the frame.Stormwater runoff goes a half mile east toward Russell-Palmer Road. Kings Mill’s drainage on left. Kings Manor’s on right.Looking S along Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Russell-Palmer Road. Kings Mill Ditch on lower right. Kings Manor Ditch above it. Both outfall under the road into the Diversion Ditch. Bridge at top of frame by water tower is Kingwood Drive.
Once contractors have drain pipes and culverts in the ground and start pouring concrete, it will be very difficult to make any changes. So, it’s good that construction has been paused now for peer review.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/2/2025
2834 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/2025/06/20250601-DJI_20250601114737_0637_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-06-02 19:50:342025-06-04 20:18:09Enclave Construction Stopped While Engineers Review Drainage
6/1/25 – Harris County Flood Control District has performed maintenance excavation and regrading of the Kings Crossing Ditch that runs from behind the Memorial Hermann Convenient Care Center to Kingwood Drive.
See #9.
Here’s what that area looks like in a satellite view. Note the Kingwood Park N Ride at the top left and H-E-B below it. This short ditch drains more than 50 acres of concrete by my estimate.
NE quadrant of Kingwood Town Center with Kings Crossing Ditch (G103-33-04-X007)highlighted.
A resident alerted me to the maintenance. He said, “The ditch was already in decent shape and depth, but this looks to have deepened the ditch and sharpened the toe.” He estimates HCFCD removed at least 15-20 cubic yards of sediment. Workers have already removed the sediment.
Not only does the bottom of the ditch collect silt, it is the first to fill and the last to drain. So keeping it clear and properly graded is critical to reducing flood risk.
Protecting the Commercial Center of Kingwood
The northeast quadrant of Kingwood Town Center contains numerous essential services from the area’s largest grocery store to 24-hour emergency room and advanced medical imaging services, not to mention more than a dozen restaurants.
Unfortunately, the area is low lying and prone to flooding. A flood in May of 2024 had the parking lots underwater. It also forced closure of the Memorial Hermann facility.
May 4, 2024, as floodwaters receded. High water had forced the cancellation of appointments at the Convenient Care Center in upper left.Note ditch in top center.Also note barricades by front door under canopy.
Pictures of Maintenance Repairs
I took the pictures below on May 31 and June 1, 2025. Here’s what the ditch looked like after the operation. First from high up.
Kings Crossing Ditch Maintenance. H-E-B at top of frame.Kings Crossing Ditch Maintenance. Memorial Hermann at top of this frame.
And then from a lower angle…
It wasn’t the largest HCFCD effort ever, but flooding is often a matter of inches. One inch in a building can mean major repair bills.
The merchants of Kings Crossing and all the people who depend on them appreciate the effort.
If you see other HCFCD operations in progress, please alert me through the contact form of this website so I can photograph them.
New State Budget Includes $200 Million for Area Flood Projects, Dredging
6/3/25 – The new 1,056-page Texas state budget includes more than $200 million for Houston-area flood mitigation projects and dredging.
The legislature allocated $50 million for Lake Houston dredging through the Texas Water Development Board and another $150 million for Houston/Harris County Area flood-mitigation projects.
That’s out of a total $581 million appropriated to TWDB for funding infrastructure, flood, wastewater and water-supply projects.
List of Other Local Flood-Mitigation Projects
Other Houston/Harris County flood-related projects include:
Dredging Program Must Make Business Sense
For the Lake Houston dredging district (HB1532) to succeed long term, the operation must make business sense. The legislation that formed the district stipulates it cannot impose taxes or fees. So operations must generate a funding stream from the sale of spoils for beneficial uses such as roads, development, and the Ike Dike.
However, in the near term, the dredging money allocated by the legislature could be used to help purchase dredging equipment and set up operations.
Many decisions lie ahead re: equipment, staging areas, staffing, sales of the spoils, maintenance, trucking, and more.
Frankly, I thought we might have to wait until the next session of the legislature in two years before we had a chance at seed money to launch the dredging district.
So, seeing the money in this state budget is a very pleasant surprise…as is the additional $150+ million for other flood-mitigation projects coming to the Houston region!
For More Information
To see the entire 1068-page state budget, click here. (Warning: 10 meg download.)
For the two pages relating to TWDB and flood mitigation projects, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/3/2025
2885 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Enclave Construction Stopped While Engineers Review Drainage
6/4/25 Update: Construction has not yet stopped and it may not. It continues as City and County Authorities try to set up a meeting to review drainage plans with engineers.
6/2/25 – Construction has stopped, at least temporarily, at the Enclave, a new 11-acre residential development adjacent to the Northpark expansion project in Montgomery County.
Both Montgomery County and the City of Houston have asked engineers to review the drainage plans, which showed the development’s detention basin overflowing into the only evacuation route for 78,000 people during extreme weather events.
HNTB, the engineer for the Northpark Expansion project, is going to conduct a peer review of EHRA plans for the Enclave’s drainage. They need to hurry.
Detention Basin Already Dug Out
Photographs taken between 5/31 and 6/2/25 show that construction crews have already excavated the proposed detention basin. And they are starting to install pipes and junction boxes for drainage.
However, I have received word that both the City and Montgomery County have asked for construction to be paused for a new independent peer review of the development’s drainage plans.
Partial Update to Outdated Drainage Plans
The new development is technically part of Kings Mill, which had its drainage plans approved in 2012. But after Harvey in 2018, Montgomery County and the City of Houston both adopted Atlas 14 rainfall probability statistics, which are 33% higher than those used to design virtually all of Kings Mill’s infrastructure.
That means Kings Mill – which is 20 times larger than the Northpark Enclave – funnels much more stormwater toward the Kingwood Diversion Ditch than it was designed to handle.
Yet Enclave engineers designed its detention basin to hold only the difference between the old and new rainfall statistics. And only for 11 acres, not all 240.
Concerns about Capacity, Its Impact and Inconsistencies
Several other things have happened since approval of the 2012 drainage study.
Photos Show Drainage Route to Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Photos below show the new Northpark Enclave development and the path that stormwater will take on its way to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, which already has capacity problems of its own.
Hundreds of homes have flooded because of the ditch’s diminishing capacity as insufficiently mitigated new subdivisions began draining into it.
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has completed its preliminary engineering review of the Diversion Ditch. HCFCD is now in the process of selecting an engineering company to make final recommendations for improving the ditch. But it could take years to find the money to construct any recommendations that come out of the study.
So, MoCo and the City want to make sure they get this right. The photos below show how all the drainage will connect.
Once contractors have drain pipes and culverts in the ground and start pouring concrete, it will be very difficult to make any changes. So, it’s good that construction has been paused now for peer review.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/2/2025
2834 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.
HCFCD Regrades Kings Crossing Ditch
6/1/25 – Harris County Flood Control District has performed maintenance excavation and regrading of the Kings Crossing Ditch that runs from behind the Memorial Hermann Convenient Care Center to Kingwood Drive.
Here’s what that area looks like in a satellite view. Note the Kingwood Park N Ride at the top left and H-E-B below it. This short ditch drains more than 50 acres of concrete by my estimate.
A resident alerted me to the maintenance. He said, “The ditch was already in decent shape and depth, but this looks to have deepened the ditch and sharpened the toe.” He estimates HCFCD removed at least 15-20 cubic yards of sediment. Workers have already removed the sediment.
Not only does the bottom of the ditch collect silt, it is the first to fill and the last to drain. So keeping it clear and properly graded is critical to reducing flood risk.
Protecting the Commercial Center of Kingwood
The northeast quadrant of Kingwood Town Center contains numerous essential services from the area’s largest grocery store to 24-hour emergency room and advanced medical imaging services, not to mention more than a dozen restaurants.
Unfortunately, the area is low lying and prone to flooding. A flood in May of 2024 had the parking lots underwater. It also forced closure of the Memorial Hermann facility.
Pictures of Maintenance Repairs
I took the pictures below on May 31 and June 1, 2025. Here’s what the ditch looked like after the operation. First from high up.
And then from a lower angle…
It wasn’t the largest HCFCD effort ever, but flooding is often a matter of inches. One inch in a building can mean major repair bills.
The merchants of Kings Crossing and all the people who depend on them appreciate the effort.
If you see other HCFCD operations in progress, please alert me through the contact form of this website so I can photograph them.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2025
2833 Days since Hurricane Harvey