Today, I took a much needed rest from floods, sand mines, sedimentation and tax appraisals. A friend took me and two others out on his boat for a day long encounter with nature. We explored the West Fork, East Fork, Taylor Gulley, Caney Creek, Peach Creek and Luce Bayou. It was a cool, overcast day…the kind that’s perfect for nature photography. Diffused light. Saturated colors. Quiet moments. An intense feeling of beauty and oneness with nature. Restful and rejuvenating. It taught me that there are still places on the San Jacinto that haven’t been screwed up yet. Places worth fighting for. Today reminded me of something Ansel Adams once said, “If you want to preserve nature, inspire people with its beauty.” Here’s my humble attempt. I hope you enjoy these moments as much as I did. Most were taken far up the East Fork.
Posted on 9/29/2018 by Bob Rehak with grateful thanks to Josh Alberson, his boat, and the Creator.
396 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-09-28 22:37:412018-09-28 22:37:41San Jacinto River at Its Finest: Nature the Way It Was Meant to Be
New data shows the 100-year rainfall for this area has increased 4-5 inches since the NOAA study in 1961 or 2-3 inches since the USGS study in 2004. This is why flood mitigation and reducing sedimentation are so important. Basically, what we used to think of as a 100-year storm is now almost a 25-year storm.
NOAA Atlas 14, Volume 11: The New Go-By for Everything Related to Rainfall
Today, the Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center of the NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction released updated precipitation frequency estimates for Texas.
They are published as NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 11: Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of the United States, Texas.
The new precipitation frequency estimates supersede the NOAA estimates published in 1961, 1964, and 1977, and the USGS estimates published in 2004. The new NOAA estimates include data from Harvey and all of the huge storms we have had since 1994 including Tropical Storm Allison, the Tax Day Flood and the Memorial Day Flood. Here’s what the 100-year/24-hour rainfall map looks like. Note that the Houston to Beaumont area is in the bulls-eye.
The new 100-year 24-hour Rainfall Intensity Map. Accompanying documentation, describing the data used in this project and project methodology, will be published in December 2018.
Zooming in on the Houston area shows that the new 100-year 24-hour rainfall for the Lake Houston area is between 17 and 18 inches depending on your exact location.
First, select your location in the map, then click on the gage nearest you.
Next, review the rainfall table associated with that gage. Clicking on the other tabs or “print” brings up additional information.
Then review the new data for different time periods and recurrence intervals. This may be the information you want to keep handy for ready reference.
Comparison to Previous Studies
From this data, we can see that – for the gage at the San Jacinto and US59 – the new, official 100-year rainfall is 17.3 inches in a 24-hour period.
Compare a previous dataset published. Look on page 58 for the 100-year/24 hour data from 1961. Twelve inches in 24-hours represented the old 100-year rainfall for our area for decades.
USGS also published a precipitation frequency study in 2004. See the USGS Rainfall Maxima Guide for Texas (Warning: 40 meg PDF). I believe it became the basis for the current flood-plain maps redrawn after Tropical Storm Allison that were released in 2007. It shows the 24-hour, 100-year rainfall to be about 13 inches.
How New Data Will Be Used
What does it mean that the 100-year rainfall has increased 4-5 inches?
First and foremost, it means that all of the floodplain maps will be revised. One expert I talked to suspected that the new 100-year floodplain could be close to where the 500-year flood plain is now. However, that is far from certain and not official.
Floodplain Maps
The flood plain maps have not yet been redrawn, as Matt Zeve, Harris County Flood Control Director of Operations, discussed at the September meet of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative. The next step is for the County to process the new rainfall data in a new 2-D model that the Flood Control District has developed with new high-resolution LIDAR data. Contour internals in the new models will shrink from feet to inches. The LIDAR data also reflects new conditions in the watershed (developments, road expansions, siltation in ditches, etc.), so predictions should become much more accurate.
Insurance
Based on the new rainfall data, flood insurance rates could also change.
Construction
Finally, the new data will become crucial in city planning, construction and permitting. The City is already demanding that new construction be raised to two feet above the 500-year flood plain. Perhaps Mayor Turner had a hint of what the new numbers would show when he suggested the new construction standards.
Infrastructure
The larger rainfall totals also mean that cities must use larger storm drains and sewers in new developments. Everything will change.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Screen-Shot-2018-09-27-at-9.23.33-PM.png?fit=728%2C486&ssl=1486728adminadmin2018-09-27 22:56:252018-09-28 07:20:51New 100-year 24-Hour Rainfall Map and Data Released by NOAA Today
Analysis of Montgomery County real estate tax records reveals wide inconsistencies in the way sand mines are appraised. Fifty three parcels of land in Montgomery County devoted to sand mining received seven different real estate tax classifications. Not one classification had anything to do with mining, though one parcel was classified as commercial land and two were classified as industrial.
Sand Mines on East and West Forks of the San Jacinto are appraised seven different ways from Sunday.
36 West Fork Mines Received Six Different Classifications
Sampling 36 parcels of land used for sand mining on the West Fork of the San Jacinto revealed that properties were taxed as:
A1 – Residential Single Family (1)
D1 – Qualified Ag & Timber Land (6)
E3 – Other Improvements over 5 acres Non-Ag (1)
E4 – Vac Rural Land over 5 acres Non-Ag (24)
F1 – Commercial (real) (1)
F2 – Industrial (real) (2)
The numbers in parentheses represent the number of parcels found within each category. The sample included West Fork mines larger than 5 acres from US59 to just west of I-45 on the San Jacinto River’s West Fork that showed clearly visible mining activities on the Montgomery County Appraisal District website.
17 East Fork Parcels Classified 3 Different Ways
Yesterday, I posted about one San Jacinto East Fork/Caney Creek mine in Porter that was subdivided into 17 different parcels. The parcels were classified as:
D1 – Qualified Ag & Timber Land (10)
C1 – All Vac Res Lts & Vac Res Tr < 5 Ac (3)
E4 – Vac Rural Land over 5 acres Non-Ag (4)
Real Estate Tax Roulette?
Altogether, the East and West Fork parcels represent a sample size of 53. Excluding undeveloped land reserved for expansion, several things stood out.
Sometimes adjacent pieces of land that were being used in identical ways received different classifications.
Areas dedicated to mining – often without any agriculture or timber – received ag/timber exemptions that dramatically lowered their taxes.
None of the parcels appeared to be vacant, yet 27 parcels out of 53 (more than half) were classified that way.
NOT ONE parcel of the 53 received a G3 Category classification for sand mines.
Not One Parcel Classified as “Subsurface Interests”
The G category in Texas Property tax includes “Real Property: Oil and Gas, Minerals and Other Subsurface Interests.” The Texas Property Clasification Guide states on page 10, “… real property defined as mines and quarries, should be reported as Category G3.”
The Texas State Controller’s website states: “Tax Code Section 23.01 requires … the same appraisal methods and techniques be used in appraising the same or similar kinds of property.”
Yet 53 parcels of land in Montgomery County devoted to sand mining received seven different classifications, not one of which had anything to do with mining.
Financial Impact of Inconsistencies
So how big of a deal is this? Yesterday, we saw the value of an ag/timber exemption compared to land classified as C1 and E4 on the East Fork. The actual tax due for the ag/timber land was $1.83 per acre. But the tax due on other land not receiving the exemption was $102.36 – 56 times more!
Today, I discovered similar inconsistencies on the West Fork.
JR Development paid $37,764.34 on 568 acres classified as vacant rural land (E4). The tax equaled $66.49 per acre or 36 times more than land with the ag/timber exemption.
For that land zoned as commercial, Scottie McDonald paid $2,180.18 on 22.1427 acres for tax/acre of $99.00. That’s 54 times more than land with the ag/timber exemption.
I still need to investigate this more. Is there a policy in Montgomery County NOT to classify mines as mines? Why are subsurface interests being given away? Did the State do away with the G3 classification?
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SandMinesInRed.jpg?fit=1024%2C684&ssl=16841024adminadmin2018-09-27 01:56:172018-09-27 08:40:33Inconsistencies in Montgomery County Sand-Mine Real-Estate Tax Appraisals
San Jacinto River at Its Finest: Nature the Way It Was Meant to Be
Today, I took a much needed rest from floods, sand mines, sedimentation and tax appraisals. A friend took me and two others out on his boat for a day long encounter with nature. We explored the West Fork, East Fork, Taylor Gulley, Caney Creek, Peach Creek and Luce Bayou. It was a cool, overcast day…the kind that’s perfect for nature photography. Diffused light. Saturated colors. Quiet moments. An intense feeling of beauty and oneness with nature. Restful and rejuvenating. It taught me that there are still places on the San Jacinto that haven’t been screwed up yet. Places worth fighting for. Today reminded me of something Ansel Adams once said, “If you want to preserve nature, inspire people with its beauty.” Here’s my humble attempt. I hope you enjoy these moments as much as I did. Most were taken far up the East Fork.
Posted on 9/29/2018 by Bob Rehak with grateful thanks to Josh Alberson, his boat, and the Creator.
396 Days since Hurricane Harvey
New 100-year 24-Hour Rainfall Map and Data Released by NOAA Today
New data shows the 100-year rainfall for this area has increased 4-5 inches since the NOAA study in 1961 or 2-3 inches since the USGS study in 2004. This is why flood mitigation and reducing sedimentation are so important. Basically, what we used to think of as a 100-year storm is now almost a 25-year storm.
NOAA Atlas 14, Volume 11: The New Go-By for Everything Related to Rainfall
Today, the Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center of the NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction released updated precipitation frequency estimates for Texas.
They are published as NOAA Atlas 14 Volume 11: Precipitation-Frequency Atlas of the United States, Texas.
The new precipitation frequency estimates supersede the NOAA estimates published in 1961, 1964, and 1977, and the USGS estimates published in 2004. The new NOAA estimates include data from Harvey and all of the huge storms we have had since 1994 including Tropical Storm Allison, the Tax Day Flood and the Memorial Day Flood. Here’s what the 100-year/24-hour rainfall map looks like. Note that the Houston to Beaumont area is in the bulls-eye.
The new 100-year 24-hour Rainfall Intensity Map. Accompanying documentation, describing the data used in this project and project methodology, will be published in December 2018.
For a full scale map like the one above, download this PDF: tx100y24h rainfall intensity pdf.
Zooming in on the Houston area shows that the new 100-year 24-hour rainfall for the Lake Houston area is between 17 and 18 inches depending on your exact location.
To find precise figures for your location, go to the Precipitation Frequency Data Server – PFDS.
The data varies by location, so…
First, select your location in the map, then click on the gage nearest you.
Next, review the rainfall table associated with that gage. Clicking on the other tabs or “print” brings up additional information.
Then review the new data for different time periods and recurrence intervals. This may be the information you want to keep handy for ready reference.
Comparison to Previous Studies
From this data, we can see that – for the gage at the San Jacinto and US59 – the new, official 100-year rainfall is 17.3 inches in a 24-hour period.
Compare a previous dataset published. Look on page 58 for the 100-year/24 hour data from 1961. Twelve inches in 24-hours represented the old 100-year rainfall for our area for decades.
USGS also published a precipitation frequency study in 2004. See the USGS Rainfall Maxima Guide for Texas (Warning: 40 meg PDF). I believe it became the basis for the current flood-plain maps redrawn after Tropical Storm Allison that were released in 2007. It shows the 24-hour, 100-year rainfall to be about 13 inches.
How New Data Will Be Used
What does it mean that the 100-year rainfall has increased 4-5 inches?
First and foremost, it means that all of the floodplain maps will be revised. One expert I talked to suspected that the new 100-year floodplain could be close to where the 500-year flood plain is now. However, that is far from certain and not official.
Floodplain Maps
The flood plain maps have not yet been redrawn, as Matt Zeve, Harris County Flood Control Director of Operations, discussed at the September meet of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative. The next step is for the County to process the new rainfall data in a new 2-D model that the Flood Control District has developed with new high-resolution LIDAR data. Contour internals in the new models will shrink from feet to inches. The LIDAR data also reflects new conditions in the watershed (developments, road expansions, siltation in ditches, etc.), so predictions should become much more accurate.
Insurance
Based on the new rainfall data, flood insurance rates could also change.
Construction
Finally, the new data will become crucial in city planning, construction and permitting. The City is already demanding that new construction be raised to two feet above the 500-year flood plain. Perhaps Mayor Turner had a hint of what the new numbers would show when he suggested the new construction standards.
Infrastructure
The larger rainfall totals also mean that cities must use larger storm drains and sewers in new developments. Everything will change.
For more information about the new data, review this quarterly newsletter from NOAA.
Posted on September 27, 2018 by Bob Rehak
395 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Inconsistencies in Montgomery County Sand-Mine Real-Estate Tax Appraisals
Analysis of Montgomery County real estate tax records reveals wide inconsistencies in the way sand mines are appraised. Fifty three parcels of land in Montgomery County devoted to sand mining received seven different real estate tax classifications. Not one classification had anything to do with mining, though one parcel was classified as commercial land and two were classified as industrial.
Sand Mines on East and West Forks of the San Jacinto are appraised seven different ways from Sunday.
36 West Fork Mines Received Six Different Classifications
Sampling 36 parcels of land used for sand mining on the West Fork of the San Jacinto revealed that properties were taxed as:
The numbers in parentheses represent the number of parcels found within each category. The sample included West Fork mines larger than 5 acres from US59 to just west of I-45 on the San Jacinto River’s West Fork that showed clearly visible mining activities on the Montgomery County Appraisal District website.
17 East Fork Parcels Classified 3 Different Ways
Yesterday, I posted about one San Jacinto East Fork/Caney Creek mine in Porter that was subdivided into 17 different parcels. The parcels were classified as:
Real Estate Tax Roulette?
Altogether, the East and West Fork parcels represent a sample size of 53. Excluding undeveloped land reserved for expansion, several things stood out.
Not One Parcel Classified as “Subsurface Interests”
The G category in Texas Property tax includes “Real Property: Oil and Gas, Minerals and Other Subsurface Interests.” The Texas Property Clasification Guide states on page 10, “… real property defined as mines and quarries, should be reported as Category G3.”
The Texas State Controller’s website states: “Tax Code Section 23.01 requires … the same appraisal methods and techniques be used in appraising the same or similar kinds of property.”
Financial Impact of Inconsistencies
So how big of a deal is this? Yesterday, we saw the value of an ag/timber exemption compared to land classified as C1 and E4 on the East Fork. The actual tax due for the ag/timber land was $1.83 per acre. But the tax due on other land not receiving the exemption was $102.36 – 56 times more!
Today, I discovered similar inconsistencies on the West Fork.
However, even $99/acre is still dirt cheap!
To see the list of who’s classified as what, download this Excel worksheet, West Fork MCAD Classifications.
I still need to investigate this more. Is there a policy in Montgomery County NOT to classify mines as mines? Why are subsurface interests being given away? Did the State do away with the G3 classification?
I’m sure the Montgomery County Appraiser can help us understand why none of the sand mines on the San Jacinto are classified as mines and why half of them receive ag/timber exemptions they apparently don’t qualify for.
Posted by Bob Rehak on September 27, 2018
394 Days since Hurricane Harvey