The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will soon begin constructing its Lauder Basin Phase 2 in the Greens Bayou watershed. Scheduled for Fall 2022, Phase 2 is located east of Aldine Westfield Road in the area of the Castlewood Subdivision between Aldine Bender and Lauder Roads.
Location of Lauder Basin Phase 2 near Castlewood SubdivisionLooking S over Phase 1 of the Lauder Basin in March 2022. Greens Bayou on right. Phase 2 will go in the trees, upper right.
Size and Scope
This project help reduce existing flood levels by safely holding 651 acre-feet of stormwater during heavy rains. It will involve excavating approximately 1,152,200 cubic yards of soil, cost approximately $22.5 million, and hold 212 million gallons of stormwater. That’s more than a foot of rain falling across a square mile.
Phase II will be a dry bottom stormwater detention basin. A remnant channel, or “oxbow,” in Phase II will be recreated at the bottom of the basin.
Additional trees will be planted post-construction. While the stormwater detention basin’s primary function is to reduce flooding risks, the site may provide multi-use recreational facilities that would be developed by partner entities. Construction of Phase I of this project, located along Greens Bayou between Lauder Road and JFK Boulevard, was substantially completed earlier this Spring.
More Specifics
2018 HCFCD Bond Project C-34 Precinct: 2 Contractor: RES Gulf Coast LLC, dba LECON, Inc. Contract Amount: approximately $22.5 Million Construction Start: Fall 2022 Contract Duration: 581 calendar days (about 1.5 years)
Mid-Reach Program: Greens Bayou cuts across NW Houston to Greenspoint Mall, then parallels Beltway 8 south of Intercontinental Airport. At Aldine-Westfield Road it turns further south, and cuts under 59 by the go-cart track. This project is part of the Greens Mid-Reach program, which has restored a 10-year level of service to the Bayou and is aiming for a 25-year level.
Greens Mid-Reach Program. See Lauder Basin Location in lower right.
Construction Warning
Construction equipment will access the work area via Miranda Street. The contractor will use heavy construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators, and bulldozers to remove trees, vegetation, and excavated soil.
Motorists should heed all warning and road closure signs and detours. Be alert to truck traffic when passing near construction access points and along truck routes.
Since April 2022, I’ve documented the ever-widening clearing of the new Royal Pines subdivision at the north end of West Lake Houston Parkway. See what the development looked like in:
At the end of August, it appeared as though the clearing was close to complete. Massive piles of dead trees remain to haul away. But the cleared area closely matches the general plan shown below.
Looking ENE across the new, barren Royal Pines subdivisionLooking SSE from NW corner of Royal PinesLooking WNW across Country Colony and Royal Pines, the clearing in the background.General Plan for Royal Pines. Click here for higher resolution version.
All across the region we see this same scenario played out over and over again. Why?
Bloomberg points out, “Money, of course. For homebuilders, trees are a nuisance. To keep a tree alive while building on a lot, they have to keep heavy equipment far away so they don’t compact the soil above its roots. They also can’t push soil up around the trunk. Preserving trees means keeping the topography of the lot unchanged, which often doesn’t fit their plans.”
Memphis Daily News interviewed the president of the local homebuilders association there. The article says that “a developer’s stance on clear-cutting trees often depends on landscape and lot sizes. It’s easier to save trees on larger lots because they allow more room to work.”
“If a developer goes in and he decides he’s going to do two-acre lots, trees are no issue and they’re going to stay,” said Tim Wilson, president of the Memphis Area Homebuilders Association’s executive board. “But if a builder decides the best use for a piece of property is 40-foot lots, then the trees are coming down, every single one of them. That’s because there is no room for a house and a tree on a 40-foot lot.”
Majority of Lots 40-42 Feet
Exploring the links below will show you the general plan and layouts for the first three sections of Royal Pines. Most of the lots are, in fact, 40 to 42 feet wide:
That increases impervious cover. Unless sufficient detention and retention basins slow the water down, accelerated runoff increases the time of concentration downstream. That builds faster, higher flood peaks.
Effect of Urbanization on Peak Stream Flows” by Dr. William Dupre, professor emeritus from the University of Houston.
Impact on Environment
Sciencing.com points out that clearcutting also has other environmental impacts. They include erosion, pollution and flooding. “
“The roots of trees hold moisture and keep soil in place, protecting it from washing away during wind and rain. This erosion can also lead to flooding in waterways. Because trees are no longer holding the soil in place, rain flushes the sediment into waterways. … That can impact the river’s ability to flow properly and cause flooding.”
All this clearcutting has the potential to increase runoff, erosion and sedimentation that could require future dredging…at public expense.
Eventually, the ground cover and forest canopy will regrow. But what about in the meantime? Neighbors have been lucky so far unlike those in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/5/22
1833 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220904-DJI_0445.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-09-05 16:14:332022-09-05 16:14:37202.8 Acres of Royal Pines Gone. Was It Necessary?
New Caney ISD’s new West Fork High School on Sorters-McClellan Road south of Kingwood Drive celebrated its grand opening on August 23, 2022. Here’s a video of the event. I’ve been following the construction of the school since early 2020.
Construction is the riskiest period in a project as we saw with the aborted Woodridge Village project. Sheet flow during heavy rains flooded Elm Grove Village and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019, largely because of the failure to follow best practices. Contractors cleared 270 acres before building required detention ponds.
No Flooding During Construction
However, New Caney ISD built a large detention pond at the low end of the site when it started construction. They also planted grass in it right away. Luckily, TA DA, no one flooded during construction. And no major erosion problems were observed. Amazing how safety improves when you follow best practices.
Pictures of Completed Campus
Here are pictures of the school taken 9/4/22, Sunday morning when no students were around. The campus looks beautiful and will make a welcome addition for New Caney ISD students in the area.
Wide shot showing whole campus including detention pond. Looking NE across Sorters-McClellan Road toward HCA Kingwood Medical Center in background.Closer shot looking in same direction. Looking NW from SE corner of site over the detention basin. Track, field events, baseball and a dedicated athletic facility on the left.Looking directly west at back of new high school.Looking south from north end of main complex.Central open-air courtyard, a signature feature of the new school. Gives more classrooms sunlight.Completing the circle. Looking NE again from SW corner of main building.
Historical Photos of Construction Progress
To look back at the sequence of construction photos starting in June 2020, see the links below.
Congratulations to New Caney ISD, its students, and all the neighbors who survived construction.
There’s still a little work left to do. The road in front of the high school is widening. A pile of dirt at the north end needs to be removed. And pipe, most likely for irrigation, still remains in places. But I think we can safely close the books on this project.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/4/22
1832 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220904-DJI_0405.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-09-04 13:23:012022-09-04 13:27:09New West Fork High School Opens
My weird nephew Izzy wants to rent one of those new 660-square-foot homelets going up in the Preserve at Woodridge. He came to me so excited the other day that he was gesturing wildly and sloshed beer all over his Mötley Crüe T-shirt.
“Uncle Bob,” he enthused, “You gotta see these places! I can maybe actually possibly afford one!”
131 homes under construction, 13 to the acre. Photo taken 9/2/22.
That’s saying a lot. Or a little. Izzy isn’t exactly the top earner down at the Crystal Pistol. The owner demoted him from bartender to sweeping up beer nuts and cigarette butts. That happened after the owner learned Izzy had applied to be the head of the Flood Control District. Something about not showing loyalty and appreciation.
“A lease is a pretty big obligation, Izzy,” I said.
“It’s better than living outa the back seat of my Oldsmobile,” Izzy shot back.
“I thought you told me it would be a collector’s item someday.”
All the Amenities
“True,” said Izzy, “but these homelets, they got flush toilets.”
“I can see the advantage there. But they’re so close together, Izzy.”
“That’s one of the big pluses, Uncle Bob.”
“Why is that?”
“No trees to water. No grass to mow. More time for the ladies.”
Some of the homelets are more than 4 feet apart. Density is about 13 homelets to the acre.
“But Izzy. People commute all the way to Kingwood because they like nature.”
“Well, I heard they give you a geranium.”
“Will it fit?”
“Them homelets, they got plenty of room. Some even gots a study.”
“Do you own a book, Izzy?”
“No, but I got me a library card.”
“Have you ever used it?”
“I see your point, Uncle Bob. “
“Izzy, what you really need is a washer and drier.”
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.
At the end of August, I checked with Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to see how excavation of the new Woodridge Village detention pond was coming and what the next steps are.
Before and After Photos
The two photos below show the extent of excavation at the end of July and today.
The far end of the pond reached slightly past the second cluster of storm sewers at the end of July.By the end of August, excavation had reached the far end of the second pile of storm sewers.
Eventually, the new detention basin could reach to or past the cluster of trees in the background.
Rough layout showing the excavation limits for Sprint. Right now, they’re in the lower left of the green area.
Progress by the Numbers
From February through August, 2022, Sprint Sand and Clay has removed 55,167 Cubic Yards of dirt from the area where a new detention pond will eventually be built.
Eventually, they could double the amount of detention on the site. Sprint’s contract lets them remove up to 500,000 cubic yards and sell the dirt at market rates. In exchange, HCFCD will pay them only $1,000. The minimum amount to be removed under the contract is 5,000 cubic yards per month.
Since January, Sprint has managed to beat the minimum each month. But regular reports show the rate of excavation slowing with the housing market.
At 6,000 cubic yards per month, Sprint exceeds the contract minimum. But it would take the company another six years to reach 500,000 cubic yards. Flood-weary Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest residents pray it doesn’t take that long.
Slowing Rates Reflect Slowdown in Housing
The slowing rates of removal reflect a slowdown in the housing market. The Census Bureau reports that privately‐owned housing starts in July were 9.6 percent below June and 8.1 percent below July 2021. TradingEconomics.com reports that the housing sector has been cooling down amid soaring prices of materials and rising mortgage rates. The Census Bureau has not yet released August rates.
Luckily, this project and others in the Kingwood Area could potentially accelerate soon.
Status of Preliminary Engineering Review on Taylor Gully
According to Black, HCFCD can’t just extend the Idcus contract. HCFCD will have to start over with a request for qualifications (RFQ) for final design of the Woodridge Village detention basin and other improvements along Taylor Gully.
“That’s because the money that we’re going to use is coming from this year’s earmark from Congressman Crenshaw,” said Black. “Because federal funds are involved, we have to issue a new RFQ. We can’t use the consultant we already have just by default. So it will take us a little bit longer. By the end of this year or the beginning of next, we need to get a consultant selected, based on qualifications, once those grants come to fruition. In this case, they will be through the EPA.”
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/20220902-DJI_0362.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2022-09-02 22:01:402022-09-03 11:08:20Update on new Woodridge Village Detention Pond
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) spending data on right-of-way acquisition and construction for the first half of 2022 shows that, once again, the San Jacinto watershed has been ignored. Thus, the largest watershed in the county received virtually no help in terms of flood-mitigation funding.
Brays, where Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis lives, received $89.4 million for the completion of Project Brays. But the San Jacinto watershed and Kingwood, which he constantly berates for getting “all the money,” received only $200 thousand. Cedar Bayou, also in the northeastern part of the county, received only $160 thousand. Buffalo Bayou received only $230 thousand.
Thus, Ellis’s Brays received 389X more than Buffalo Bayou. 447X more than San Jacinto. And 559X more than Cedar. All in the name of equity.
Here’s the right-of-way and construction data from my FOIA Request in a bar graph. Do those blips on the right below make you feel ignored?
Harris County ROW and Construction dpending data obtained via a FOIA Requestfor Q1 and Q2 2022
Here’s the same data in a table, again arranged from highest to lowest.
If it weren’t for money contributed by Federal, State and City sources, virtually nothing would get done in this part of the county. So far, Harris County has mostly paid for studies. But the studies do no good without construction to back them up. They’re just yellowing paper on a bookshelf somewhere.
It looks like the Democrats are hoarding money hoping for a larger majority in November so they can move around – at will – the remaining money in the bond.
Hypocrisy of “Worst First”
Since 1979, floods have ravaged the northeastern part of the county more than most.
Historical flood-loss map of Harris County since 1979. From MAAPnext.
And during Harvey, we had the highest water above flood stage in the county – 20+ feet! Compare that to representative locations in watersheds getting the lion’s share of funding.
Chart showing feet above flood stage of 33 gages of misc. bayous in Harris County during Harvey.
It’s much more difficult to survive a 20′ flood than a flood that’s two or three feet.
When Will This Political Torture End?
The Democratic majority on Commissioners Court has proven that it won’t play fair. It’s up to voters to create a new majority in November and right this wrong. People’s lives are at risk.
Imagine being trapped in one of these as water rose during Harvey. Parts of other townhomes were swept away and now lie at the bottom of Lake Houston somewhere.
If you lump historical spending on top of first-half spending, the disparities become even more exaggerated. Get mad, people. Your silence only emboldens them. Demand fairness. Demand change.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/1/22
1829 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Jan-June-22-Spending-by-Watershed.png?fit=1490%2C968&ssl=19681490adminadmin2022-09-01 17:24:032022-09-01 22:34:02San Jacinto Watershed Still Virtually Ignored
Ever wonder why so many hurricanes track like boomerangs? They don’t all follow this pattern, of course, but when you look at the 1370 hurricanes between 1851 and 2006, a pattern clearly emerges.
In my research, I found several possible explanations for the pattern above.
Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner provided this explanation. “Many of the storms that form in the eastern or central tropical Atlantic tend to get pulled northward by mid-latitude troughs over the western Atlantic as they attempt to move westward. Storms that make it all the way across tend to happen only when strong ridges of high pressure are in place.”
“Once a system is ‘captured’ by a mid-latitude trough, it will turn NW then N and then NE and E ahead of and along the trough axis. That’s why so many tracks are of this fashion over the open central and north Atlantic.”
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist
Lindner added, “The further south a storm develops the less likely it is to be influenced by any sort of trough and a more westward track is then favored. Tracks into the Caribbean Sea from the east usually continue westward and those are what we tend to worry most about here along the Gulf Coast.”
“It is very rare for storms to cross central America or Mexico due to the high mountains in this area. The mountains quickly destroy the low-level circulations. A few in history have survived the trek, but they are few,” said Lindner.
Shifts in Bermuda High
The mother of all high-pressure ridges in the Atlantic is sometimes called the Bermuda or Azores high. NOAA defines it as “a semi-permanent, subtropical area of high pressure that migrates east and west between Bermuda and the Azores depending on the season.”
Red arrow added to NOAA Image indicating migration of high between Bermuda and the Azores.
The Meteorology 101 blog says, “During the summer, [the Bermuda high] is located just off the east coast of the United States. The clockwise circulation around this high pressure area helps direct the path of hurricanes and helps determine where they will make landfall. … During the winter months, the Bermuda High is located farther east of the US towards the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Depending on the Bermuda high’s location at any given time, it can block storms from going north. Or it can spin storms around in the boomerang pattern in the first image above. That’s because winds circulate in a clockwise fashion around high-pressure systems in the northern hemisphere.
Also note, sometimes gaps open in the high, letting storms slip north and get caught up in that clockwise circulation.
Highs Sometimes Block Storms from Curving North
HurricaneScience.org says, “Atlantic hurricanes typically propagate around the periphery of the subtropical ridge, riding along its strongest winds. If the high is positioned to the east, then hurricanes generally propagate around the high’s western edge into the open Atlantic Ocean without making landfall.”
“However, if the high is positioned to the west and extends far enough to the south, storms are blocked from curving north and forced to continue west, putting a large bulls-eye on Florida, Cuba, and the Gulf of Mexico.” This helps explain the wide spread of tracks on the left of the first image.
Influence of Trade Winds
This post from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explains the relationship between the Sahara Desert and the formation of many hurricanes. Prevailing winds blowing from east to west (often called trade winds) come off the hot, dry Sahara Desert where they meet the cooler, wetter environment of the Atlantic Ocean west of Africa.
Prevailing global wind circulation patterns, courtesy of NASA
The prevailing winds in this latitude are so steady that in the days of sailing ships, mariners from Europe going to the Americas would first sail south to Africa. There, they would ride the reliable winds west to conduct commerce in the New World. Hence the name “trade winds.” The trade winds steer hurricanes, too.
In higher latitudes, the trade winds reverse direction. So sailors returning to Europe would sail north before returning to Europe and catch a tailwind home.
Opposing trade winds at least partially explain the boomerang pattern shown above.
If you ever get to Seville, Spain, make sure you visit the Archive of the Indies. There you will find the story of every Spanish treasure fleet that made the round trip between Europe and the Americas. I was struck by how many fleets sank in hurricanes while riding the trade winds.
Meteorology, or lack thereof, has influenced the fate of empires.
Coriolis Force
Many scientists also cite the Coriolis Force as a reason for why hurricanes try to drift north of dominant west-to-east winds. Frankly, the physics are beyond me. It has to do with the rotation of the earth at different speeds in different latitudes, and the rightward drift of objects (like hurricanes) not anchored to the earth while traveling over long distances. The Coriolis Force is also used to explain why hurricanes rotate in a counter-clockwise direction.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/31/2022with input from Jeff Lindner, HCFCD
1828 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/image001.png?fit=1152%2C862&ssl=18621152adminadmin2022-08-31 20:21:142022-08-31 20:58:38Why Hurricanes Often Track Like Boomerangs
This Friday, September 2, 2022, I will give a talk at Lone Star College Kingwood. It will summarize what I have learned since Hurricane Harvey about flooding and flood mitigation while researching more than 2000 articles. The title of the talk: How Far We’ve Come, What We Still Need to Do. And it will focus on the Lake Houston Area plus areas immediately upstream in Harris, Montgomery and Liberty Counties.
It begins at 12:30 pm in the Teaching Theater.
Directions
If you’re coming from Kingwood, take Kingwood Drive west until it dead ends at Sorters Road. Turn right. Go about 50 to 100 yards north, then turn into Student Parking Lot C on your left. Then walk across Sorters to the building marked 4 in the map below.
Talk will be in building circled in red.
Lonestar College Kingwood was one of the most heavily damaged facilities in the area. The college lost six of nine buildings, including the one where we will meet on Friday. Dr. Katherine Persson, president at the time, said in 2018 while cleanup was still in progress that she expected blackwater decontamination to cost $11 million and replacing contents to cost $19 million. With reconstruction, she estimated the total would come to $60 million. The parts of the campus I have seen since then have been beautifully restored.
Focus of Talk
The focus of my talk will be:
The mitigation objectives for the Lake Houston Area adopted after Harvey to help prevent a similar disaster in the future.
What we have accomplished since then.
What we still need to do.
I hope to provide a big picture for those who haven’t been able to read ReduceFlooding.com every day. Sometimes the volume of material in a subject this wide-ranging can be overwhelming.
It will be an excellent opportunity to ask any questions on your mind and get clarification. Please spread the word and bring a friend. Hope to see you Friday, 12:30 PM at Lone Star College Kingwood.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/30/2022
1827 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LoneStarTalk.jpeg?fit=1080%2C1080&ssl=110801080adminadmin2022-08-30 18:04:112022-08-30 18:11:10Public Invited: Rehak Talk at Lone Star College Kingwood, Friday 12:30 PM
On the fifth Anniversary of Harvey, the law firm McGehee ☆ Chang, Landgraf, Feiler issued updates on both its upstream and downstream cases in the Addicks-Barker lawsuits against the Army Corps of Engineers.
Judge Lettow heard the plaintiffs’ opening post-trial brief on August 1, 2022.
Defendants will present their response on September 9.
Plaintiffs will get a chance to reply to that on September 23, 2022.
The judge will hear final arguments on September 29, 2022, at 2:30 p.m.
“Once the post-trial argument concludes, we expect Judge Lettow to render a decision – which outlines the amount of damages that the homeowners are entitled to,” said the law firm in a press release. “We hope to receive the ruling by the end of the year.”
Flooded Homes in Addicks Reservoir during Harvey
Downstream Case Still Alive but No Definite Schedule
The lower court found that “Downstream property owners did not have a cognizable [clearly identifiable] property interest.” But in June, a Federal Court of Appeals’ reversed and remanded the lower court’s decision. That means the case will go back to the lower court for further proceedings that follow instructions given by the appeals court.
The lower court will now have to determine whether a “taking” of the Downstream properties occurred, and whether the government’s other defense (i.e., necessity) will apply.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Flooded-Homes-Addicks-Reservoir.jpg?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=17651200adminadmin2022-08-29 13:29:022022-08-29 13:33:41Addicks-Barker Upstream Trial Case Entering Final Phase
The previous Drainage Criteria Manual posted on the MoCo Engineer’s site is dated 1989, but appears to have some minor updates from 2019. The Subdivision Rules and Regulations for new developments date even further back, to 1984, although they too had new amendments and addenda incorporated in July, 2021.
MoCo hired Halff Associates to do the updating. Their fee: $302,000.
Welcome News
This is welcome news for people in northern Harris County. Drainage and engineering standards in MoCo have lagged those in Harris. That has created adverse downstream impacts even though developers may technically meet MoCo requirements. But the lower standards enable them to claim “no adverse impacts” when, in fact, there may sometimes be some.
Changes Could Reduce Flooding in MoCo and Harris Counties
Since Harvey, the Harris County Engineering Department and Flood Control District have worked to get surrounding counties to adopt five minimum drainage standards. They include:
Requiring “no net fill” in the current mapped 500-year floodplain
Require the minimum Finished Flood Elevation of new habitable structures be established at or waterproofed to the 500-year flood.
Scope of Content Updates
The Scope of Work approved by MoCo Commissions last week shows that Halff will examine most, if not all, of these issues and more. The effort will evaluate and potentially update, at a minimum:
Hydrologic methodology (this includes hydrographic timing but is broader)
Detention sizing and outfall design
Open channel design frequency and requirements
Floodplain analysis.
Process for Updates
The scope of work also defines the process that Halff will follow. It includes:
Coordination with County engineering staff
Evaluation of existing manuals
Identifying dated criteria/information
Comparisons with neighboring counties‘practices (see below)
Revisions
Development of the new documentation
Stakeholder review and reporting
Presentation to Commissioners Court
Reporting approved changes to adjacent counties.
Work should take about a year.
Comparison with Regs in Other Entities
For the drainage Criteria Manual, Halff will compare criteria from TxDOT, Harris County, HCFCD, Waller County, Fort Bend County, and Brazoria County.
Halff will compare MoCo’s Subdivision Rules and Regulations to those in Harris, Waller, Fort Bend, and Walker Counties.
This is more good news for those in northern Harris County.
About Halff Associates
A source in the engineering community characterized Halff as a good company. He said, “The Montgomery County manual is in good hands….as long as they let Halff do the right things.”
Halff will work with the MoCo Engineer Jeff Johnson on the updates.
Subdivision Rules and Regulations
Neither the Scope of Work, nor Commissioners discussed specific recommendations for updates to Subdivision Rules and Regulations. But Commissioners did request an opportunity to discuss and review updates on both manuals before they came back to Commissioners Court for final approval.
Immediate Impact
One former MoCo employee said, “There is still the hurdle of the court adopting the updated standards. Expect a rush of drainage studies to be submitted in the next year so they can be grandfathered in.”
We saw this in the City of Houston (CoH), for instance, with the Laurel Springs RV Resort. The detention pond in that development is half the size required by new standards. CoH permitted it one day before the new standards went into effect.
Related News: MoCo Floodplain Administrator Office
At about 40 seconds into the video for Items 17 and 18 on the agenda, the Commissioners approved a motion to have Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley oversee MoCo’s Office of the Floodplain Administrator. Reasons for the change were not clear. Discussion happened in Executive Session.
All we have to go by is the outcome. And the outcome shows that MoCo is bringing the Office of the Floodplain Administrator – for the whole county – under the direct, political control of one precinct commissioner. Interesting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/28/2022
1825 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.
