Engineering on Lake Houston Gates Project Now 90 Percent Complete

7/22/26 – (Updated at 3pm to correct funding figures.) Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger reported this morning that engineering for the Lake Houston Gates Project is now 90% complete.

Flickinger delivering news about the Lake Houston Gates Project

Speaking before the Kingwood Executive Group at the Kingwood Country Club today, he added that we now know the true cost of a workable plan and it’s higher than before. Thus, the next phase of the project will be the hunt for yet more funding.

The addition of more floodgates will let Lake Houston keep up with releases from Lake Conroe during major storm events. That will help enable pre-release and joint-reservoir-operation strategies when needed to reduce flooding.

Another benefit of the new gates: they will facilitate needed repair and rehab of the 73-year-old dam.

Scope Change Increases Cost, Leaves Funding Gap

Flickinger explained. “They now have everything nailed down on the cost. We’re looking at $273.7 million. Unfortunately, the elevated cost means that we’re not going to qualify for FEMA money. The benefit/cost analysis doesn’t meet the threshold.” Previous cost estimates put the total around $180 million, according to former Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin.

Cost increases plus FEMA money we no longer qualify for leave a funding gap of $183.7 million, according to Flickinger. “So, we’re going to have to go back to the State and the Feds for some more money to try and get that built,” he said.

Th table below shows the current cost breakdown.

Funding analysis as of 7/22/26

“Essentially the scope has changed. When they originally estimated it, they were going to use the concrete portion of the structure. But no construction companies would touch the job because of the risk. They were afraid of a catastrophic loss.”

Flickinger then added, “So, the engineers went back and said, ‘Okay, we’ll put the gates in the earthen portion.’ But they were trying to do it without building a coffer dam. Then they came back again and said, ‘No, that’s not going to work. You’re going to have to build a coffer dam.’ So, the increase in the cost has been driven by the general scope change.”

Flickinger described a scenario where well meaning people were trying to control costs to fit the budget. But ultimately, that didn’t work for safety reasons. And when you’re dealing with the water supply for approximately 2.4 million people, safety is paramount.

Flickinger added, “Now they’ve gone pretty much full blown. The cofferdam that they’re talking about building is going to be very substantial. In fact, you will even be able to drive vehicles on it.”

Where Will the Money Come From?

“We’re not going to get the extra funding as a flood-mitigation project,” said Flickinger, “because the math doesn’t work.” Then he shifted gears and talked about the water supply problems in Texas. “Texas has a huge problem right now with water. The state has appropriated…several billion towards water.”

State Representative Charles Cunningham, who also attended the meeting clarified, “Somewhere over $5 billion.”

Flickinger has already reached out to a number of elected officials and candidates on the ballot this fall. They include State Senator Brett Ligon, Cunningham, Alex Mealer, and Steve Toth. “

“I think we’re going to have a lot of help, both in Washington and in Austin, to get this money,” said Flickinger.

Martin, under whom the project started years ago, joked, “That’s DAM good news.”

Flickinger now hopes to start building the Lake Houston gates by late 2027 or early 2028. But engineers have not yet offered a completion date.

How Benefit/Cost Ratio Will Affect Previous FEMA Commitment

FEMA initially committed $50 million to the gates project. Flickinger says that despite the change in the benefit/cost ratio (BCR), clawbacks are not an issue on the money already spent on engineering. However, the BCR will “absolutely affect” unspent funds.

Complexity of Reducing Flooding

Before moving on to other subjects, Flickinger addressed the complexity of flooding. “Everyone looks at the dam as kind of a shiny object,” he said. “And the dam is hugely important, but there’s a ton of other stuff that goes into flooding and drainage. For instance, he referenced explosive upstream development in Montgomery County and the regulations intended to offset the growth of impervious cover, which were finally upgraded just last year.

He talked about the need to upgrade the Kingwood Diversion Ditch in order to take pressure off Bens Branch and Kingwood Town Center to handle all that upstream growth.

Flickinger also cited the importance of dredging to offset sedimentation and maintain capacity. Just recently, the City approved a Board of Directors for the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District established by Cunningham last year.

But that, too, will take money. The next legislative session will definitely be important for the Lake Houston Area.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/26

3249 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Official Taylor Gully-Woodridge Project Groundbreaking

7/20/2026 – Federal, State, County and City officials gathered today for the official groundbreaking of the Taylor Gully/Woodridge flood-mitigation project. The ceremony took place against the backdrop of an excavator and a parade of trucks already hard at work.

For added drama and to underscore the project’s urgency, the groundbreaking happened while the second tropical depression of the season brews in the Gulf…and just days after heavy non-tropical rainfall produced deadly flooding in the Texas Hill Country.

The Value of Partnerships

The size of projects such as Woodridge/Taylor Gully usually means multiple entities are involved. Groundbreaking ceremonies such as this give all parties an opportunity to thank each other and explain the value of teamwork to the public.

Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey PE acted as master of ceremonies and introduced the guests. For close-up of charts, see below.

Ramsey introduced each of the partners:

  • Marcus Stuckett, the new executive director of Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD)
  • Fred Flickinger, District E Houston City Council Member
  • Cameron Chottiner, District Director for U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw
  • Aaron Harris, representing the Texas General Land Office (GLO)

Scope and Details of Project

Stuckett explained how the Taylor Gully/Woodridge Project came out of HCFCD’s 2020 Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis. The study identified ways to reduce flood risk in the Kingwood area.

HCFCD’s new executive director, Marcus Stuckett, previously served HCFCD as Director of Engineering.

The Taylor Gully portion of the project includes channel conveyance improvements from the Harris County line to a location near Maple Bend Drive. The next portion of the project involves a stormwater detention basin containing approximately 400-acre-feet of volume on more than 195 acres in Montgomery County.

Stuckett said, “With both of these pieces in place, we expect in the long term to reduce water surface elevations as much as five feet during storm events…a major flood reduction for this community.” (See second poster below for exact numbers at different locations.)

Need for Project

Flickinger spoke next and reminded people how Elm Grove and Sherwood Trails had never flooded until a land developer altered the drainage. Then it flooded repeatedly. He also reminded people of all the additional development taking place upstream in Montgomery County.

Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger

“Although we’re thrilled with all the development and would like to see more of it, we’ve got to do it smart,” said Flickinger. “And hopefully this project will mitigate problems for a lot of people. We’re really looking forward to getting it done.”

At this point, weather permitting, “getting it done,” should take another 18 months.

Financing the Improvements

Ramsey then reminded everyone that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development/GLO are bearing $41.9 million of the project’s cost.

Aaron Harris from the GLO spoke on behalf of Commissioner Dawn Buckingham. Harris has relatives and friends in Kingwood, so this was personal for him. He said that the GLO is administering $14 billion of HUD funds in Texas targeted at Harvey flood mitigation and disaster relief “to build safer, more resilient communities.”

Aaron Harris spoke on behalf of the GLO.

Cameron Chottiner, standing in for Congressman Dan Crenshaw, reminded people how Crenshaw made disaster relief and flood mitigation one of his top priorities. Crenshaw helped secure more than $100 million in direct federal appropriations for 30 flood-mitigation projects, such as Kingwood Diversion Ditch improvements, Taylor Gully and Ford Road Expansion.

Chottiner, representing Congressman Dan Crenshaw

“While our region is far better prepared today thanks to additional detention capacity and ongoing drainage improvements,” said Chottiner, “we cannot lose sight of the fact that flood risks remain real.”

“Federal funding has played an important role,” he continued, “but none of these accomplishments would be made without the strong partnerships among Harris County, the Harris County Flood Control District, City of Houston, community leaders and engaged residents. So this has truly been a team effort.”

“Let’s Go Throw a Little Dirt”

Ramsey concluded the ceremony with a reminder that Harris County still has about $3 billion worth of flood mitigation projects to build that are currently on the books. “So, let’s go throw a little dirt,” he concluded.

And with that, they all picked up ceremonial shovels for the assembled members of the press corps.

L to R: Chottiner, Stuckett, Ramsey, Flickinger and Harris

Project Details

The first poster below shows the location of project elements. Note that the red detention basin is not being built as part of the present project.

The next poster shows the benefits. “Interim” refers to the work now in construction. “Ultimate” refers to the benefits if/when Compartment 2 (shown in the poster above) is funded and built.

In general, the addition of the second compartment reduces water surface elevations by another 1-2 feet. The percentages refer to floods with an X% annual chance of occurrence. For instance, a “10-year” flood, actually has a 10% chance of occurring every year. Likewise, a “100-year” flood has a 1% chance of occurring every year.

All in all, this project will make life safer for the hundreds of families that flooded after the developer clearcut Woodridge and sloped the land toward Taylor Gully.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/20/2026

3247 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Catastrophic Flash Flooding in Texas Hill Country

7/16/26 Update @ 11am (See earlier report below the update.) – Widespread catastrophic flooding is occurring on the:

  • Pedernales River
  • Frio River
  • Guadalupe River
  • Nueces River 
  • Leona River
  • Sabinal River

Flash Flood Emergencies have been announced for: 

  • Guadalupe River (Hunt to Bergheim)
  • Pedernales River (Fredericksburg to Johnson City)
  • Frio River (Leakey to Concan)
  • All Uvalde County
  • All Central and eastern Kerr County
Guadalupe River: 

An initial catastrophic flood wave is passing Comfort.

The river at Comfort crested 2 feet above July 2025 levels.

Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist

This flood wave is now moving into western Kendall County.

A second floodwave of 15-20 feet has been generated on the south Fork upstream of Hunt TX and is moving into Hunt. It will impact Ingram and Kerrville in a secondary rise on the river similar to levels experienced this morning.

This remains a life-threatening situation along the river from upstream of Hunt to downstream into Kendall County. Catastrophic damage has occurred and is occurring along the river. Numerous swift water and air asset rescues from trees and rooftops are ongoing.   

Frio River: 

Major to catastrophic flooding is ongoing from Leakey to Concan. River is approaching record levels at Leakey upstream of Concan. Disastrous flooding with up to 10 feet of flow inundating all camp grounds from Rio Frio into Concan and downstream toward Uvalde. Much of Garner State Park is flooded. All low water crossing are flooded and impassable.

Pedernales River: 

Major to catastrophic flooding from the headwaters into Fredericksburg downstream to Johnson City. Evacuations underway along the river. Considerable damage will occur near LBJ ranch.

From 8am Earlier Today

7/16/26 @ 9am – Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, reports that there is ongoing catastrophic flash flooding this morning across the Texas Hill Country.

Kerr County officials have declared a flash flood emergency for the Guadalupe River from Ingram to Comfort.

Ditto for Uvalde County where there is catastrophic flooding likely along the Frio, Leona, Sabinal, and Nueces Rivers.

8-10 Inches of Rainfall Overnight

Rainfall since midnight of 8-10 inches over Hunt and Ingram has resulted in a 20-30 foot rise in the Guadalupe River downstream of Hunt. Catastrophic life-threatening flooding is occurring. Numerous evacuations of camp grounds are in progress along the river and Johnson Creek.

Water levels in Ingram rose 25 feet in a few hours and peaked five feet below July 2025 levels. A destructive flood wave is moving down the Guadalupe River into Kerrville and toward Centerpoint and Comfort. The river has risen 32 ft in just four hours at Centerpoint, Texas, and is likely to reach July 2025 levels at this location.

The river at Comfort rose 16 feet in just 30 minutes this morning.

Rainfall of 15-30 inches has occurred over portions of Uvalde, Medina, and Real Counties in the last 48 hours.

Catastrophic flooding is ongoing across Uvalde County along the Frio, Leona, Sabinal, and Nueces Rivers.

The forecast crest on the Frio River at Concan will result in damaging flooding to camps along the river below Rio Frio into Concan. Rises along the Leona River will approach or equal levels seen yesterday resulting in widespread flooding in the City of Uvalde.  

Significant downstream moving flood waves are being generated on several of these rivers. They will continue into the weekend.


Defining Characteristics of Flash Flooding

The defining characteristic of flash flooding is speed. Unlike most other forms of flooding, flash floods develop rapidly — typically within 6 hours of the rainfall event, and often within 1 to 3 hours. That rapid onset leaves little time for warnings or evacuation.

Here’s how flash flooding differs from other common types of flooding, according to ChatGPT:

Flood TypeTypical OnsetPrimary CauseTypical DurationGreatest Hazard
Flash floodingMinutes to <6 hoursIntense rainfall, dam or levee failureHoursSudden rise, high velocity
River floodingDays to weeksProlonged rainfall, snowmeltDays to weeksLarge geographic extent
Coastal floodingHours to daysStorm surge, high tidesHours to daysSaltwater inundation
Urban floodingMinutes to hoursRainfall exceeds drainage capacityHoursStreets and buildings inundated
Pluvial (surface water) floodingHoursHeavy rainfall independent of riversHours to a dayPonding in low areas

What Makes a Flash Flood “Flash”?

Several conditions combine:

  • Very intense rainfall (for example, several inches per hour)
  • Small drainage basins that respond quickly
  • Steep terrain where water accelerates downhill
  • Impervious surfaces such as pavement and rooftops
  • Limited storage in soils, wetlands, or detention basins

The hydrograph of a flash flood has a very steep rising limb, meaning stream levels can increase several feet in minutes.

For More Information

The Hill Country Flooding has attracted the attention of media nationwide:

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/16/2026 @ 9am

3243 Days since Hurricane Harvey