Yes, time is the enemy. That’s precisely why I have put the count-up calendar at the top of every page on this website and why I sign off every post with the number of days since Hurricane Harvey.
I would urge you to do the same every time you contact friends, colleagues and representatives. Remind them how long it’s been. Don’t let people forget.
Official Start of Hurricane Season
Today is the official start of another hurricane season. Already one tropical storm, Alberto, narrowly missed us before the season even began. So where do major flood mitigation projects stand for our area?
Where Major Projects Stand
The Army Corps of Engineers delayed the opening of bids for the West Fork dredging project until June 12. They expect the project to take through the end of the year … just to go from River Grove Park to the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
The TCEQ is still trying to decide whether to allow the SJRA to lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season … which, if historical averages hold, would amount to a whopping 4.8 inches (because evaporation usually lowers Lake Conroe already by more than 1.5 feet due to evaporation).
Harris County plans to issue a $2.5 billion flood bond on August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey. Harris County Flood Control is currently defining projects within that fund and soliciting community input on them. (Please come to the Kingwood meeting at the Community Center on June 14 at 6pm.)
Then the city filled out a three-page Notice of Intent for the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). TDEM is part of the Texas Department of Public Safety. A Notice of Intent is like an application to fill out an application! The TDEM uses it to evaluate eligibility of an application before the City goes to all the time and expense of actually filling out the real application.
In May, Houston City Council Member Dave Martin notified the public in his newsletter that, “The Notice of Intent was recently approved by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The City of Houston is now working diligently to complete this application and submit for selection.”
Currently Working on Application
Stephen Costello said, “TDEM has approved the gates project to go to the application phase. We are meeting with Tetra Tech this week (May 7) to discuss timing of application preparation and submittal. Either way we plan on having all resilience projects applications submitted no later than end of August.”
The City must still submit the real application to TDEM. TDEM prioritizes applications based primarily on benefit/cost analysis. TDEM sends those that provide the most benefit for the buck to the Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) within FEMA. FEMA, of course, is within the Department of Homeland Security.
Submittal Hopefully before End of August
Dave Jackson, Chairman of the State Hazard Mitigation team at DPS, has stated that Texas will send $1.2 billion worth of recommended projects to FEMA by August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey.
“If TDEM approves the project application, TDEM then prepares the grant paperwork for City of Houston acceptance,” says Matt Zeve of Harris County Flood Control who has recently submitted 15 other mitigation projects himself. “That’s when the local match is actually encumbered.” HMGP projects work on a 75/25 split. That means that if the gates cost $47 million, the City must put up almost $12 million that becomes legally reserved for the project.
Grant Approval and Lining Up Funding
It’s unclear at this time where those matching funds will come from. If they come from Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, those funds have not yet been released by the Federal Government and probably won’t be until November. The CDBG-DR, of course, is administered by yet another agency of the Federal Government – Housing and Urban Development. However, at least one Federal official thinks the City may also be able to use some funds left over from debris cleanup for the match.
Engineering and Construction
Once the monies are committed and plans approved, the Army Corps of Engineers, part of the Department of Defense, gets involved! I am told that the Corps would approve the engineering of the new flood gates.
Shepherding projects such as this one through the federal gauntlet requires constant supervision. Ted Poe and our senators have asked all departments involved to expedite the project. However, Ted Poe retires at the end of this year and either Todd Litton or Dan Crenshaw will replace him. Both would be freshman legislators.
And don’t forget time for environmental studies and comments.
Ted Poe’s Chief of Staff is optimistic though. “With luck, construction could begin in two years,” said Tim Tarpley.
The Case for Process Re-engineering
If ever I saw a classic case for the need to re-engineer business processes, this is it. For the gates, A TIME-SENSITIVE PROJECT, we have involved or will involve:
The City of Houston
Consultants
The Mayor
City Council Members
City Engineer
The Texas Division of Emergency Management
The Texas Department of Public Safety
The Governor of Texas
Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
FEMA
Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Department of Defense
Community Block Grant Development Disaster Recovery Fund
Department of Housing and Urban Development
U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. Senate
Cabinet Secretaries
Agency Heads
Countless staff members at every entity above
Environmentalists
Could we possibly make this multi-jurisdictional morass more complicated? A Rubic’s Cube has fewer facets!
After Pearl Harbor, it took approximately 3.5 years to win World War II. Anyone want to bet on how long it will take to add flood gates to Lake Houston?
Posted June 1, 2018 by Bob Rehak
276 Days Since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-06-01 17:24:002018-06-01 20:11:45Time is Enemy of Flood Mitigation
Harris County Flood Control District has just launched a new portion of its website designed to explain the proposed $2.5 billion flood bond package. Residents will go to the polls on August 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, to vote on the package. For details about the bond package, access the site at https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/.
The site is organized by all watersheds in Harris County. For people new to the Lake Houston area, we live within the San Jacinto watershed. Within each watershed, the site also talks about:
Potential project types
Community engagement meetings
Community input
Frequently asked questions
One of the more interesting features of the site is an interactive map with icons representing the locations of potential projects. Clicking on an icon reveals the type of project under consideration at that location, the number of people affected and more.
Preliminary map of projects currently under consideration within the San Jacinto River Watershed.
Transparency and Equity Among Goals for Flood Bond
Remember several important things: In addition to flood mitigation, two goals of this project are transparency and equity. The county wants to ensure that the bond money helps each watershed throughout the area, and that money is spent in ways that will help the largest number of people and yield the greatest benefit. That’s why you see the population numbers for each watershed and the number of people affected by each project as you click on icons throughout the map.
More Projects Than Dollars To Do Them
The county has far more potential projects than dollars. Some projects currently under consideration may not make the final cut. Likewise, other projects not yet listed could make the final cut. According to Matt Zeve of Harris County Flood Control, “Our staff is working furiously to define projects for the bond.”
Community Input Meeting for Flood Bond on June 14
Zeve says the County is also soliciting citizen input through community meetings and the website itself. Mark your calendar. One of the first meetings will be in Kingwood at:
Kingwood Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods Drive
Kingwood, Texas 77345
“The Harris County Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by working with our partners and local stakeholders to evaluate, develop, and implement flood damage reduction plans and then perform long-term maintenance of drainage infrastructure,” says the site.
Flood damage reduction plans and projects can include:
Modifications of streams and bayous to increase the amount of stormwater they carry
Creation of detention basins to store excess stormwater
Nonstructural flood mitigation tools
Any combination of the above
Types of Flood Bond Projects Currently Under Consideration
Currently, the vast majority of projects fall into the following categories. Types of projects eligible for bond funding include:
Voluntary Home Buyouts – The purchase of flood-prone structures from willing sellers in areas that are too deep in the floodplain to benefit from structural flood risk reduction projects, or in areas where flood risk reduction projects are not feasible. This process includes the demolition of the structure and relocation of the seller to higher ground.
Storm Repair – Major maintenance projects that restore the designed function and capacity of a channel or stormwater detention basin.
Subdivision Drainage Improvement – Partnership projects with the Harris County Engineering Department and a Municipal Utility District to provide drainage improvements to subdivisions in unincorporated Harris County.
Local Projects – Flood risk reduction projects such as channel modifications or stormwater detention basin construction using only Harris County Flood Control District funds.
Partnership Projects – Flood risk reduction projects such as channel modifications or stormwater detention basin construction using a combination of Harris County Flood Control District funding and funding from local, state, or federal partners such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Prioritization of Projects
Make sure you read the Frequently Asked Questions. One asks, “How will projects be prioritized?” Answer: “High on the priority list are construction-ready projects with federal funding partners (such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency) that give the County “the most bang for its flood control buck.”… Consideration is also given to areas that have a lower level of current protection as compared to other areas in the county.”
The county will give highest consideration to projects that meet the following criteria:
Provides the greatest potential flood risk reduction benefits relative to the community’s population
Causes NO increase in existing flood risks upstream or downstream
Offers potential for multiple benefits, in addition to flood risk reduction
Features long-term viability and relatively low maintenance
Includes a clearly defined drainage issue and flood risk reduction benefit
Uses readily available, proven engineering techniques and industry standards
Poses NO undue burden on disadvantaged communities
Minimizes adverse impacts on the environment
Submit Your Flood Bond Ideas Now
If you have ideas to contribute, submit them now so that they can receive the full consideration they deserve. Remember: when it comes to “equity,” historically the San Jacinto watershed has received 0% of flood mitigation budgets, but we suffered 13% of the damage in the region during Harvey. For an excellent discussion of equity and needs throughout the region, see the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium’s report.
The consortium’s report provides an excellent summary of the needs of the San Jacinto watershed.
Posted on May 31 by Bob Rehak. Thanks to Clay Crawford the tip.
275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-05-31 05:22:472018-05-31 06:13:58Harris County Flood Control Solicits Ideas for Flood Bond Package on New Portion of Website
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has posted bid specifications for its emergency dredging project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River between Humble and Kingwood.
Bid documents available publicly online reveal details, maps, scope and timing of the project. Specifications, maps and amendments total more than 300 pages. See highlights below.
Start and Completion Dates
Opening of bids for the San Jacinto River Emergency dredging project, originally scheduled for May 29, has been moved to June 12, 2018. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to award the job shortly after bids are opened.
The winning bidder is expected to commence work within five calendar days after the award of the job. The winning bidder is also expected to complete the work within 180 calendar days from the award. That would put the new completion date in mid-January 2019. The core expects bidders to staff the project sufficiently to complete work within that time.
From River Grove Park to Just Beyond
West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge
The project will focus on the area from River Grove Park in Kingwood to slightly east of the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge.
Dredging will start near River Grove Park and end just east of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
The objective: to restore the main river channel to pre-Harvey conditions by removing sand and other debris, such as dead trees, that obstruct the flow of the river.
Removal and Storage Methods
Sediment may be excavated or dredged mechanically. Regardless of how it is removed, it must be placed in one of two designated sand pits. The first is between Townsen and the West Fork, east of US59 and Wilson Road. The second is west of US59, between Sorters Road and the West Fork, south of Kingwood College.
Sediment will be transported via pipeline or trucks to one of two sand pits for permanent storage.
The disposal area south of the river will be filled first – up to the existing ground elevation. When the pit is filled, it will be graded to prevent ponding and make sure it drains toward the San Jacinto River.
The remainder of the sand will go to the second site near Sorters Road. It is unclear at this point whether enough sand will be dredged to fill those pits.
Restoration
Neither sand, nor other debris, will be stored on the river’s banks where it could be washed back into the river.
Fences, roads, ditches, private or public grounds, and other structures or improvements damaged as a result of the contractor’s operations must be repaired or rebuilt at the contractor’s expense.
If fresh deposits from new storms during the term of the project require additional dredging, the Corps will expand the scope to include those.
The Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative will be hosting a meeting June 11 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, 77339. So mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Leader for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Jacinto River West Fork Dredging Project, will discuss the project and take questions.
Additionally, the Flood Prevention Initiative organizers will provide updates on other important issues. They include the potential lowering of Lake Conroe during August and September (as well as next April and May), dam upgrades for Lake Houston, and the upcoming Harris County Flood Mitigation Bond Election.
The meeting is free and open to the public.
Posted May 30, 2018 by Bob Rehak
274 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-05-29 19:56:572018-05-30 05:37:34San Jacinto West Fork Emergency Dredging Project Details
Time is Enemy of Flood Mitigation
Everyone says, “It’s not if, but when we will flood again.” Most people would therefore deduce that “Time is the enemy of flood mitigation.”
The Maryland Reminder
We were reminded of that this week with the horrific images of flash floods raging down Main Street of a small Maryland town. It was the town’s second so-called “thousand-year storm” in 22 months. Just two weeks ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the state and county more than $1 million to pay for projects aimed at reducing the flood risk in areas around Main Street. The project had barely begun when the second storm hit, wiping out the town again and killing at least one person. Luckless residents lamented how they had already spent their life savings to fix up their homes and businesses after the first flood.
Reason for Count-Up Calendar on This Site
Yes, time is the enemy. That’s precisely why I have put the count-up calendar at the top of every page on this website and why I sign off every post with the number of days since Hurricane Harvey.
I would urge you to do the same every time you contact friends, colleagues and representatives. Remind them how long it’s been. Don’t let people forget.
Official Start of Hurricane Season
Today is the official start of another hurricane season. Already one tropical storm, Alberto, narrowly missed us before the season even began. So where do major flood mitigation projects stand for our area?
Where Major Projects Stand
The Army Corps of Engineers delayed the opening of bids for the West Fork dredging project until June 12. They expect the project to take through the end of the year … just to go from River Grove Park to the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
The TCEQ is still trying to decide whether to allow the SJRA to lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season … which, if historical averages hold, would amount to a whopping 4.8 inches (because evaporation usually lowers Lake Conroe already by more than 1.5 feet due to evaporation).
Harris County plans to issue a $2.5 billion flood bond on August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey. Harris County Flood Control is currently defining projects within that fund and soliciting community input on them. (Please come to the Kingwood meeting at the Community Center on June 14 at 6pm.)
Flood gate additions for Lake Houston? See below.
The Flood-Gate Gauntlet
The City of Houston and Harris County Flood Control hired a consultant to evaluate the idea of adding more flood gates to Lake Houston to increase the discharge capacity during floods.
Then the city filled out a three-page Notice of Intent for the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). TDEM is part of the Texas Department of Public Safety. A Notice of Intent is like an application to fill out an application! The TDEM uses it to evaluate eligibility of an application before the City goes to all the time and expense of actually filling out the real application.
In May, Houston City Council Member Dave Martin notified the public in his newsletter that, “The Notice of Intent was recently approved by the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The City of Houston is now working diligently to complete this application and submit for selection.”
Currently Working on Application
Stephen Costello said, “TDEM has approved the gates project to go to the application phase. We are meeting with Tetra Tech this week (May 7) to discuss timing of application preparation and submittal. Either way we plan on having all resilience projects applications submitted no later than end of August.”
The City must still submit the real application to TDEM. TDEM prioritizes applications based primarily on benefit/cost analysis. TDEM sends those that provide the most benefit for the buck to the Federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) within FEMA. FEMA, of course, is within the Department of Homeland Security.
Submittal Hopefully before End of August
Dave Jackson, Chairman of the State Hazard Mitigation team at DPS, has stated that Texas will send $1.2 billion worth of recommended projects to FEMA by August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey.
“If TDEM approves the project application, TDEM then prepares the grant paperwork for City of Houston acceptance,” says Matt Zeve of Harris County Flood Control who has recently submitted 15 other mitigation projects himself. “That’s when the local match is actually encumbered.” HMGP projects work on a 75/25 split. That means that if the gates cost $47 million, the City must put up almost $12 million that becomes legally reserved for the project.
Grant Approval and Lining Up Funding
It’s unclear at this time where those matching funds will come from. If they come from Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds, those funds have not yet been released by the Federal Government and probably won’t be until November. The CDBG-DR, of course, is administered by yet another agency of the Federal Government – Housing and Urban Development. However, at least one Federal official thinks the City may also be able to use some funds left over from debris cleanup for the match.
Engineering and Construction
Once the monies are committed and plans approved, the Army Corps of Engineers, part of the Department of Defense, gets involved! I am told that the Corps would approve the engineering of the new flood gates.
Shepherding projects such as this one through the federal gauntlet requires constant supervision. Ted Poe and our senators have asked all departments involved to expedite the project. However, Ted Poe retires at the end of this year and either Todd Litton or Dan Crenshaw will replace him. Both would be freshman legislators.
And don’t forget time for environmental studies and comments.
Ted Poe’s Chief of Staff is optimistic though. “With luck, construction could begin in two years,” said Tim Tarpley.
The Case for Process Re-engineering
If ever I saw a classic case for the need to re-engineer business processes, this is it. For the gates, A TIME-SENSITIVE PROJECT, we have involved or will involve:
Could we possibly make this multi-jurisdictional morass more complicated? A Rubic’s Cube has fewer facets!
After Pearl Harbor, it took approximately 3.5 years to win World War II. Anyone want to bet on how long it will take to add flood gates to Lake Houston?
Posted June 1, 2018 by Bob Rehak
276 Days Since Hurricane Harvey
Harris County Flood Control Solicits Ideas for Flood Bond Package on New Portion of Website
Harris County Flood Control District has just launched a new portion of its website designed to explain the proposed $2.5 billion flood bond package. Residents will go to the polls on August 25, the anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, to vote on the package. For details about the bond package, access the site at https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/.
The site is organized by all watersheds in Harris County. For people new to the Lake Houston area, we live within the San Jacinto watershed. Within each watershed, the site also talks about:
One of the more interesting features of the site is an interactive map with icons representing the locations of potential projects. Clicking on an icon reveals the type of project under consideration at that location, the number of people affected and more.
Preliminary map of projects currently under consideration within the San Jacinto River Watershed.
Transparency and Equity Among Goals for Flood Bond
Remember several important things: In addition to flood mitigation, two goals of this project are transparency and equity. The county wants to ensure that the bond money helps each watershed throughout the area, and that money is spent in ways that will help the largest number of people and yield the greatest benefit. That’s why you see the population numbers for each watershed and the number of people affected by each project as you click on icons throughout the map.
More Projects Than Dollars To Do Them
The county has far more potential projects than dollars. Some projects currently under consideration may not make the final cut. Likewise, other projects not yet listed could make the final cut. According to Matt Zeve of Harris County Flood Control, “Our staff is working furiously to define projects for the bond.”
Community Input Meeting for Flood Bond on June 14
Zeve says the County is also soliciting citizen input through community meetings and the website itself. Mark your calendar. One of the first meetings will be in Kingwood at:
Kingwood Community Center
4102 Rustic Woods Drive
Kingwood, Texas 77345
June 14, 2018
6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Citizens can also submit input through the website.
“The Harris County Flood Control District accomplishes its mission by working with our partners and local stakeholders to evaluate, develop, and implement flood damage reduction plans and then perform long-term maintenance of drainage infrastructure,” says the site.
Flood damage reduction plans and projects can include:
Types of Flood Bond Projects Currently Under Consideration
Currently, the vast majority of projects fall into the following categories. Types of projects eligible for bond funding include:
Prioritization of Projects
Make sure you read the Frequently Asked Questions. One asks, “How will projects be prioritized?” Answer: “High on the priority list are construction-ready projects with federal funding partners (such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency) that give the County “the most bang for its flood control buck.”… Consideration is also given to areas that have a lower level of current protection as compared to other areas in the county.”
The county will give highest consideration to projects that meet the following criteria:
Submit Your Flood Bond Ideas Now
If you have ideas to contribute, submit them now so that they can receive the full consideration they deserve. Remember: when it comes to “equity,” historically the San Jacinto watershed has received 0% of flood mitigation budgets, but we suffered 13% of the damage in the region during Harvey. For an excellent discussion of equity and needs throughout the region, see the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium’s report.
The consortium’s report provides an excellent summary of the needs of the San Jacinto watershed.
Posted on May 31 by Bob Rehak. Thanks to Clay Crawford the tip.
275 Days since Hurricane Harvey
San Jacinto West Fork Emergency Dredging Project Details
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has posted bid specifications for its emergency dredging project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River between Humble and Kingwood.
Bid documents available publicly online reveal details, maps, scope and timing of the project. Specifications, maps and amendments total more than 300 pages. See highlights below.
Start and Completion Dates
Opening of bids for the San Jacinto River Emergency dredging project, originally scheduled for May 29, has been moved to June 12, 2018. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to award the job shortly after bids are opened.
The winning bidder is expected to commence work within five calendar days after the award of the job. The winning bidder is also expected to complete the work within 180 calendar days from the award. That would put the new completion date in mid-January 2019. The core expects bidders to staff the project sufficiently to complete work within that time.
From River Grove Park to Just Beyond
West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge
The project will focus on the area from River Grove Park in Kingwood to slightly east of the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge.
Dredging will start near River Grove Park and end just east of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
The objective: to restore the main river channel to pre-Harvey conditions by removing sand and other debris, such as dead trees, that obstruct the flow of the river.
Removal and Storage Methods
Sediment may be excavated or dredged mechanically. Regardless of how it is removed, it must be placed in one of two designated sand pits. The first is between Townsen and the West Fork, east of US59 and Wilson Road. The second is west of US59, between Sorters Road and the West Fork, south of Kingwood College.
Sediment will be transported via pipeline or trucks to one of two sand pits for permanent storage.
The disposal area south of the river will be filled first – up to the existing ground elevation. When the pit is filled, it will be graded to prevent ponding and make sure it drains toward the San Jacinto River.
The remainder of the sand will go to the second site near Sorters Road. It is unclear at this point whether enough sand will be dredged to fill those pits.
Restoration
Fences, roads, ditches, private or public grounds, and other structures or improvements damaged as a result of the contractor’s operations must be repaired or rebuilt at the contractor’s expense.
If fresh deposits from new storms during the term of the project require additional dredging, the Corps will expand the scope to include those.
To view the full specs, visit this site: https://govtribe.com/project/usace-west-fork-san-jacinto-river-emergency-debris-removal-harris-county-texas.
Questions? Ask the Corp Directly
The Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative will be hosting a meeting June 11 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, 77339. So mark your calendars and plan to attend.
Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Leader for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ San Jacinto River West Fork Dredging Project, will discuss the project and take questions.
Additionally, the Flood Prevention Initiative organizers will provide updates on other important issues. They include the potential lowering of Lake Conroe during August and September (as well as next April and May), dam upgrades for Lake Houston, and the upcoming Harris County Flood Mitigation Bond Election.
The meeting is free and open to the public.
Posted May 30, 2018 by Bob Rehak
274 Days since Hurricane Harvey