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Latest Flood-Mitigation Funding Trends

New data obtained from Harris County Flood Control District via a FOIA Request breaks down flood-mitigation funding by watershed through the end of 2021. It shows where your flood-bond money is going. It also debunks some popular myths. Those include the oft repeated:

Rich watersheds get all the funding; poor watersheds get none.
Partner funding favors rich watersheds because home values are higher.
HCFCD has historically discriminated against low-to-moderate income (LMI) watersheds.

Eight out of 23 watersheds in Harris County have a majority of residents that fall into the LMI category. That means a majority make less than the average annual income for the region. As the data below shows, those eight LMI watersheds get the vast majority of county, partner, and total funding. In fact, four have received 54% of total flood-mitigation funding since 2000.

Funding now correlates more highly with LMI population than damage!

Data also calls into question why some feel compelled to tweak the equity prioritization framework endlessly.

Improved Basis for Reporting

Before I dive into the data, though, let me point out that between the 3Q21 and the end of last year, the county changed the way it compiles historical data. Instead of using the start/stop dates in project management software and reporting only completed projects, the county is now using invoice dates. This produces much higher accuracy. Dollars do not spill over from one period into another. The new data also reflects spending on projects that are ongoing, but still open.

In response to my FOIA Request, the county provided spending using both the old and new methods. They differ by roughly $615 million. Of that, approximately $215 million reflects actual fourth-quarter spending and $400 million reflects the change in when expenses are recognized.

Spending by Watershed

The rank order of spending by watershed has not changed much since last year. Several watersheds moved up or down by a place or two.

The top four are still the top four in the same order. But some of the amounts changed radically, mostly due to the change accounting. For instance, White Oak increased from $387 million to $521 million. But out of the $134 million difference, $102 million comes from when expenses are recognized.

Because this gets so confusing, and because the rank order did not change much, I will use only the new totals compiled by invoice date from now on. I will not compare old and new totals based on the different accounting methods.

*Spending by watershed between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2121 broken down by county and partner contributions, and LMI/Other watersheds.*

Graphs of Spending

Here’s a graph of total funding by watershed since 2000, arranged from highest to lowest.

*Watersheds rank ordered by amount of flood-mitigation funding received between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2121.*

Funding correlates with population. But you can see notable exceptions below. Some watersheds get far more funding than their proportion of the population, i.e., White Oak, Sims and Greens. Others get far less.

*Spending is not allocated proportionately to population in all cases. Six out of eight LMI watersheds received more funding than their population alone would justify.*

But population alone does not tell the whole story. Some watersheds are huge and some small. So I also looked at population density per square mile. The curves correlated even less.

Graphing population density vs. total spending shows more variance. Of the eight LMI watersheds, four (Brays, White Oak, Sims, and Greens) get far more than their population density alone would dictate.

As we saw last year, funding flows primarily to damage. The chart below plots funding versus the total number of structures in each watershed damaged in five major storms (Allison, Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey, and Imelda). The slope of the curves closely match. But several major exceptions exist.

Historical Discrimination?

Many community groups from LMI neighborhoods have alleged historical discrimination in the distribution of flood-mitigation funding. I just don’t see it. All of the pie charts below take into account all funding between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2021 based on invoice dates.

*The county itself sent almost 60% of its flood-mitigation funding to one third of the watersheds* *with majority LMI populations.*

*An even larger percentage came from partner funding.*

*Whether you look only at county funding, partner-funding, or the total, the picture is still roughly the same.* *One third of the watersheds get almost two thirds of the funding.*

*Top 4 include Brays, White Oak, Sims and Greens. All have an LMI percentage higher than 50%.*

LMI Population Now Correlates Higher with Funding than Damage

A coefficient of correlation of 1.0 is considered perfect. A good example: between gallons of gas in your car and the distance they will take you.

As a result of the constant tweaking of the equity funding formula, “Population” and “LMI Population” now correlate more highly with “Funding” than “Damage.” The correlation between “Funding since 2000” and:

Population Density = .54
Damage = .85
Population = .87
LMI Population = .89

Statisticians consider all of the last three very high.

With all the rhetoric flying around these days, it’s more important than ever to have facts to base your decisions on. To see all the original data from my FOIA Request, click here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/2022

1642 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Laurel Springs RV Resort Construction Pushes Forward Despite Investigations

Despite investigations by local, county and state authorities into construction practices at the Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove, contractors seem to have stepped up the pace of construction. They’ve also launched a major cleanup effort around the detention pond. Contractors triggered a cease-and-desist letter from the County Attorney, with the threat of a lawsuit, after it became apparent the developer was emptying its stormwater into Harris County Precinct 4’s Edgewater Park contrary to permits and approved plans. Contractors also apparently cut down a wide swath of trees in the northern part of the park.

Photos Showing Construction Activity Since Last Friday

Looking west toward Sorters-McClellan Bridge over 59. Edgewater Park on left. RV Resort on right. Silt fence at the base of the pond corresponds to approximate southern boundary of RV Resort on survey. Taken 2/24/22.

*Looking south along Laurel Springs Lane at freshly poured concrete at entrance. Taken 2/24.* *This afternoon (2/25), trucks were pouring more concrete.*

*Pipes being laid in northern part of RV Resort.* *Note water still ponding from rain in early January. Soil reports in the site’s stormwater pollution prevention plan claimed the soil was sandy loam which would have absorbed the rain by now.*

*Still no pipe from the corner of the detention pond leading to the pump housing in the round white* *concrete housing at top of frame.* 2/23/22.

The detention pond was to have drained into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system with the aid of pumps. But there’s no inlet yet at the pond.

*Looking east toward Laurel Springs on 2/19/22.*

*Plans approved by City of Houston for pumping stormwater in detention pond into Lakewood Cove’s storm sewer system.*

*Contractors pulling up tree debris from below detention pond. 2/18/22.* *Looking SW.*

Looking south toward Edgewater Park. Contractors initially piled the debris on the western (right) wall of detention pond, but ran out of room. They then started hauling it round to northern edge of pond where trucks are carting it away.

Investigations Still in Progress

Neither the County, City, nor Texas Commission on Environmental Quality would comment on the status of their investigations this week except to say that they are still ongoing. According to the Harris County District Clerk’s website, Harris County has not yet filed a lawsuit against the developer.

Overall, the developer appears to be cleaning up its act. But as you can see in the first shot, they seem to have made a significant and serious intrusion on Edgewater Park.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/22

1641 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.

Forest Cove Townhomes: Demolition Update

Several readers recently asked for a an update on the demolition of the remaining Forest Cove townhomes on Marina Drive. Three clusters remain near the Forest Cove Community Center. The vacant townhomes destroyed by Hurricane Harvey have become magnets for gangs, graffiti, dope dealing and illegal dumping. The people who wrote me avoid using the community center facilities because they now fear the area.

Difficulty and Delays with Demolition

Harvey flooded these once-proud buildings to the third floor. The flood swept some buildings off their foundations and rendered everything else structurally unsound. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has tried to buy out the properties ever since. However, they can’t tear down a building until all units within it have been purchased.

Most of the buildings have been torn down, burned down or swept away at this point. But HCFCD can’t find all owners. Several just moved away after Harvey and abandoned their property. That has stymied demolition efforts.

One Complex Scheduled for Demolition Soon

HCFCD’s property acquisition manager offered this update on the schedule for demolition.

Three buildings remain to demolish (1106, 1110 and 1020 Marina Drive).

1106 Marina Dr. is scheduled to be demolished within the next few weeks. That’s the building directly across Marina from the Community Center.

Two Still in Condemnation Proceedings

1110 and 1020 Marina Dr. will be demolished once the last 2 units are purchased (one in each building). These units are currently in condemnation proceedings.

*Of the three remaining complexes, the one in the middle will soon come down.*

*One owner couldn’t be found in this building. It is currently going through condemnation proceedings.*

*One owner couldn’t be found in the building on the right. It is also going through condemnation proceedings.*

*Not much remains. Someone could easily get killed or injured by stepping in the wrong place. Red area censored.*

*What 240,000 cubic feet per second can do to your dream home with a close-up water view.*

HCFCD also plans to clean up debris at the former location of 980 Aqua Vista in the near future. When HCFCD demolished that building earlier contractors left some materials behind.

Turning a Negative into a Positive

When HCFCD does finish demolishing these buildings, their long-range plan is to revert these properties back to nature and green space. That could turn what has become a blight on the community into an asset that supports the values of properties on higher ground.

Another good thing may come out of this. The destruction you see here may deter others from building these types of structures this close to a major river. Or even cause a change in building codes.

The theory here was that only garages would be built on the ground floor; living spaces would go safely above. That didn’t work out so well for the Forest Cove townhomes and those who invested their life savings.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/2022 with input from HCFCD

1640 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How Soon We Forget!

How soon we forget. Hurricane Harvey was just 4.5 years ago. Since then I have documented dozens, if not hundreds of questionable practices that erode margins of flood safety.

It Didn’t Have to Be That Bad

Harvey was the largest rainfall event in the history of North America. However, with better regulations and construction practices, it didn’t have to be as destructive as it was.

Lax regulations;
Willful blindness;
Development and construction practices that pushed the safety envelope;
Relentless destruction of forests and wetlands near rivers and streams;
And homebuyers who didn’t realize their true flood risk…

…made Harvey’s destruction worse than it otherwise would have been.

No one factor by itself would explain Harvey’s destruction. But put them all together, and it’s like “death of a thousand cuts.”

The sheer volume of material – more than 1,000,000 words on this site – makes it difficult for people to see the big picture sometimes. To put 1,000,000 words into perspective, the average novel contains only about 100,000. So I’m condensing the website into a book that includes the themes below.

No One Wins Arguments with Mother Nature

During an interview with Milan Saunders and his daughter Lori, Milan said, “No one wins arguments with Mother Nature.” How profound! It doesn’t matter how many surveys, studies and engineer stamps you have on your home’s title. If you don’t:

Respect the rivers.
Give them room to roam.
Protect wetlands.
Allow plenty of margin for safety…

…you will flood.

*Thought courtesy of Milan Saunders, Chairman/CEO of Plains State Bank*. *That’s his daughter Lori’s house during Harvey.*

Understanding the Causes of Flooding

Excess sedimentation is one of them. Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity.

Large islands built up during Harvey blocked both drainage ditches and rivers. Below, you can see a large sand island (top) built up at the confluence of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch where it reaches the San Jacinto West Fork at River Grove Park. This sand bar reached 10-12 feet in height above the waterline and helped back water up into Trailwood, the Barrington and Kingwood Lakes and Kings Forest. Before the Army Corps dredged this island, River Grove flooded five times in six months. It hasn’t flooded since.

*The Kingwood Diversion Ditch and West Fork San Jacinto were almost totally blocked by sediment dams deposited during Harvey.*

The second photo above was taken a few hundred yards downstream on the West Fork from the first. It shows “Sand Island” – so nicknamed by the Army Corps. It took the Corps months to dredge this island which they say had blocked the West Fork by 90%.

A certain amount of this sedimentation can be explained by natural erosion. But mankind also contributed to the sheer volume by other practices which I will discuss below.

Respect the Rivers

The red polygons in the satellite image below surround 20-square miles of sand mines on the West Fork of the San Jacinto in a 20 mile reach of river between I-45 and I-69. That exposes a mile-wide swath of sediment to erosion during floods and increases the potential for erosion by 33x compared the river’s normal width.

Even without floods, mines sometimes flush their waste into the rivers. The shot below on the top right shows the day the West Fork turned white. The TCEQ found the source of the pollution upstream: a sand mine that had flushed 56 million gallons of sludge into the West Fork (bottom right).

*Influence of sand mines of West Fork San Jacinto water quality.*

End the War on Wetlands

Wetlands are nature’s detention ponds. During storms, they hold water back so it won’t flood people downstream. But we seem to want to eradicate wetlands. The images below show the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. Wetlands (right) are being cleared (left) to make way for the world’s largest trailer park. The acceleration of runoff wiped out FM1010 during Harvey. The road still has not been repaired.

Conservation Costs Much Less than Mitigation

*Halls Bayou at I-69 near Fiesta. Image on left shows whole subdivisions that that to be bought out before detention ponds on right could be built.*

All across Harris County, especially in older areas inside Beltway 8, apartment complexes, homes and businesses are built right next to bayous and channels. This makes it difficult to enlarge streams or build detention ponds when necessary. One study showed that preservation of floodplains is 5X more cost effective than mitigation after homes flood. Yet private developers keep crowding bayous and residents keep demanding public solutions.

Respecting Individuals’ Property Rights While Protecting Others’

In Texas, it sometimes feels that an individual’s right to do what he/she wants with property trumps others’ rights NOT to flood. You may think you’re protected by all those public servants reviewing and approving plans. But what happens when developers and contractors decide to ignore the approved plans? Here’s a prime example: the Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove.

The approved plans said that “Stormwater runoff shall not cross property lines.” So what did the contractors do? They pumped their stormwater over the development’s detention pond wall. When that took too long, they dug a trench through the wall. Then they laid pipes through the wall to permanently empty the sludge into the wetlands of Harris County’s new Edgewater Park.

This apparently violated the developer’s City of Houston permit, the Texas Water Code, TCEQ’s construction permit and the developer’s stormwater pollution prevention plan. Four investigations are currently swirling around this development. The contractor also cut down approximately 50 feet of trees in Edgewater Park along the entire boundary line and received a cease-and-desist letter from the Harris County Attorney. But the damage is done.

Balance Upstream and Downstream Interests

About 10% of all the water coming down the West Fork at the peak of Harvey came from Crystal Creek in Montgomery County. But the wetlands near the headwaters of Crystal Creek are currently under development. And the developer is avoiding building detention ponds with a “beat-the-peak” survey. This loophole allowed by Montgomery County says that if you get your stormwater to the river faster than the peak of a flood arrives, then you’re not adding to the peak of a flood and you don’t have to build detention ponds. So developers conduct timing surveys to reduce costs and maximize salable land.

*What happens when upstream areas develop without consideration for the impact on downstream property owners.*

Of course, speeding up the flow of water in a flood is the opposite of what you want to do. To reduce flooding, you should hold back as much water as possible.

The slide above shows part of a new development called Mavera at SH242 and FM1314 being built on wetlands near Crystal Creek.

The graph on the right shows what happened on Brays Bayou without suitable detention upstream. Floodwaters peak higher, sooner. Harris County has spent more than $700 million in the last 20 years to remediate flooding problems along Brays.

How much will we need to spend when more areas like Mavera get built upstream on the West Fork?

How Quickly We Forget!

FEMA’s Base-Flood-Elevation Viewer shows that in that same area, developers have already built homes that could go under 1-5 feet of water in a 100-year flood. These homes are actually in a ten-year flood zone. And yet more homes are being built nearby. On even more marginal land!

In recent years, the price of land as a percent of a new home’s cost has risen from a historical average of 25% to approximately 40% today. This puts pressure on developers to seek out cheaper land in floodplains, reduce costs by avoiding detention pond requirements, pave over wetlands, and reduce lot sizes resulting in more impervious cover. All contribute to flooding.

Of course, smart homebuyers would not make such risky investments. But few lack the expertise to gauge flood risk. Educating such homebuyers will be one of the major objectives of the book I hope to write.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2022

1639 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.

New Woodridge Village Detention Pond Taking Shape

Sprint Sand & Clay has begun excavating a new Woodridge Village detention pond on the former site of Perry Homes’ aborted development. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) signed an excavation and removal (E&R) contract with Sprint last November to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards for just $1000. In exchange for the dirt-cheap fee, Sprint gets to sell the material it removes at market rates to make its profit.

Photos of Progress

Taxpayers like such contracts. But they have one potential drawback. If the market softens, it could take years to remove all the material. Progress to date has been slow, but steady.

Harris County Flood Control executives emphasized that E&R contracts provide flexibility to both sides. They let Sprint move the material when it’s needed. And they let the Flood Control District get a head start on construction of detention ponds that they know they will need.

Perry left the Woodridge Village site 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements for detention-pond capacity. Five-hundred-thousand cubic yards will virtually double the detention-pond capacity, leaving a significant margin to help accommodate future upstream development.

An engineering study on Taylor Gully is currently underway. When completed, we will learn more about future needs. But that could still be months away.

HCFCD currently has no plans to tie this detention pond into the network of five others on the Woodridge site. It will just form a barrier against sheet flow from the north for the moment. Tie-ins with the existing drainage network could come after completion of the Taylor Gully engineering study.

After completion of the study, when HCFCD has a better handle on how much land it actually needs on the site, the District will hold public meetings to discuss secondary uses of the land, such as wetland restoration, reforestation, jogging trails, parkland and such.

HCFCD met with members of KSA and community associations that border Woodridge property last week to discuss the timetable. The ability to create secondary uses for the land will depend on finding local partners to maintain them. Flood control would only be responsible for maintaining its own flood control infrastructure (ponds, ditches, etc.).

Where Dirt Can, Can’t Go

Sprint has broad latitude with where it can sell the dirt from Woodridge Village. But HCFCD does impose limitations. It cannot be placed in the current 100- or 500-year flood plains.

According to Alan Black, Interim Executive Director of HCFCD, “We place some pretty stringent criteria in our E&R contract agreements requiring that fill from our project sites can only be placed in areas where a permit has been obtained. But we actually go a step further.

“It is possible for developers to obtain a permit that includes fill in the 100/500 year floodplain provided that it is property mitigated,” continued Black. “However, HCFCD contractors are prohibited from placing fill in the 100/500 year floodplain even if there is a development permit to do so. This has resulted in an increase in our construction costs, but it’s the right thing to do.”

Black is referring to the City of Houston rules for placing fill in floodplains. See sec 19-34 of the City code of ordinances. Remember that the “Houston special flood hazard area” means the 500-yr. Section 19-34(a) says nobody can diminish the storage volume within a Houston special flood hazard area. However, this is followed by an exception. Paragragh A4 says fill may be placed… “In the 0.2 percent chance floodplain, [if] the amount of fill proposed does not impact or impede the 100 year overland sheet flow in the watershed.”

Regardless of the City regulations, HCFCD refuses to let its dirt be used in this situation.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/22

1637 Days since Hurricane Harvey

February East Fork Mouth Bar Dredging Update

Since last month, dredgers have removed one island and have started on another in the massive complex of sand bars laid down during Harvey and Imelda on the San Jacinto East Fork where it meets Lake Houston.

Current Location

Another island in the San Jacinto East Fork Mouth Bar complex. — *Another island in the San Jacinto East Fork Mouth Bar complex is being dredged away. Photo taken on Sunday afternoon, 2/20/22. Looking downstream toward Lake Houston.*

The sand bar already eliminated was toward the top and left side of the frame above. It stretched almost 2000 feet.

Now dredgers are focusing on the giant bar in the middle above.

Mouth Bar Complex in 2020 Before Start of Dredging

The shot below, taken from the opposite direction, helps put things in perspective.

Looking upstream at the East Fork Mouth Bar complex in March 2020 before dredging. The bar dredgers already eliminated is the bright white one in the foreground. Now they’re working on the one farther upriver and to the left.

More Current Shots Taken Today

*Looking NE at dredging in the East Fork Mouth Bar Complex. It looks like they may have started here and moved elsewhere for some reason. Photo taken 2/20/22.*

*This shot more than the others, gives one a feeling for the immensity of the task.*

Long Range Dredging Plan

The City of Houston’s purchasing website does not indicate whether the City has yet awarded the project to develop a long range dredging plan. Last month, the purchasing agent for the City, Bridget Cormier, stated that “The City has not yet made a decision, nor a recommendation for award yet.” She explained, “We are still in the evaluation phase and have requested additional information from suppliers that moved forward in the process.”

It took three months just for contractors to dredge their way through the Royal Shores channel to get to East Fork (July, August, September 2021). East Fork dredging started in October last year. Spoils are currently being ferried back to land south of the West Fork, opposite River Grove Park. There it dries before TexDoT hauls it away for use in roadbuilding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/2022

1636 Days since Hurricane Harvey

February Update on Northpark Drive Expansion

My posts earlier this week about repair of the Northpark Drive drainage ditch between Loop 494 and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch sparked a flurry of questions. People wanted to know when the Northpark Drive expansion project would begin. Last July, local leaders felt it would begin before the end of 2021. Obviously that didn’t happen. So I reached out to Stan Sarman, chairman of the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA) and Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) #10 (Kingwood).

Sarman, an engineer by trade, said “I never thought it would take this long to obtain all the Right-Of-Way easements and approval of the plans by the City of Houston and Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR). Below is a summary of the information that was reported at the LHRA/TIRZ10 Board meeting on February 10th.”

“The 100% construction plans went to the City and UPRR,” continued Sarman. “We are now getting more comments from the City Public Works people. There is to be a meeting next week with our consultants and the City staff to work through the comments.”

“The UPRR approval is not expected until late March, 2022, according to UPRR’s consultant. We have 6 or 7 easements remaining and we are close to getting across the finish line by the end of March.”

“The best estimate I have,” said Sarman “is to try and bid the job in April, 2022, and start construction in mid summer. We will keep the public informed of when we expect construction to start.”

The money is in the TIRZ budget, which the City approved. See pages 7-9 of Exhibit A in this PDF.

Northpark Drive Reconstruction Project Overview

Here’s a link to more information about the project on the LHRA website. Northpark Drive reconstruction consists of two projects right now.

T-1013 Northpark Drive Overpass Project (Western Phase)

The reconstruction of Northpark Drive into a 6-lane divided roadway, between IH-69 and Russell Palmer Road and an overpass over the UPRR train tracks and State Loop 494. Projected to take 30 months after start of construction.

T-1014 Northpark Drive Reconstruction Project (Eastern Phase)

The reconstruction of Northpark Drive into a 6-lane divided roadway, new bridges at the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Ben’s Branch and a pedestrian tunnel near Glade Valley Road. Projected to take 24 months after start of construction.

Say Goodbye to the Ditch

A giant buried box culvert will replace the ditch down the middle of the Northpark and the extra lanes will go over the top of it.

Other features include:

Drainage will be sized to comply with new higher Atlas-14 requirements.
Dual 10-foot wide pathways on the north and south sides of Northpark Drive from Rock Creek Drive to Russell Palmer Road will facilitate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
Enhanced lighting and landscaping.

This project can’t come soon enough for me. Coming inbound to Kingwood today from US59, I saw outbound traffic stacked up for more than a mile past Russell-Palmer Road! That’s an everyday experience as shown by this file photo taken last July 28.

*Northpark Drive looking east at outbound traffic on left side of road. Taken July 28, 2021 from over the UP railroad tracks.*

If traffic backs up this far in the middle of a sunny afternoon, imagine how far it would back up when thousands were trying to evacuate from a flood.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/19/22

1635 Days since Hurricane Harvey

RV Resort Getting Ready to Pour Concrete, Baffling Activity at Detention Pond

Construction activity at the Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove kicked into overdrive today as workers laid forms to prepare for concrete and more pipes went into the ground. Also, the detention pond seemed to change shape in ways that could reduce its capacity.

Getting Ready for Concrete

The shot below shows what will become the main entrance/exit opposite Mystic Glen Loop in Lakewood Cove.

*Entrance/Exit to RV Resort. Concrete building pad for recreation center. The two rectangular areas in front of the three cargo containers will be the first RV pads. Blue pipes will carry fresh water*.

*Plans that correspond to the photo above.*

*Concrete forms also extend south toward the detention pond*, *out of sight at bottom of frame.*

Baffling Work at Detention Pond

The work at the detention pond today was hard to explain. For the last few days, workers have pulled dirt and tree debris up onto the southwestern wall of the detention pond. Here’s how it looked yesterday around noon.

*SW wall of RV Resort detention pond photographed on 2/17/2022.*

Trucks have moved a portion of it to the western wall.

*Looking east. Excavator loading debris onto truck which will back it around to the western wall (out of frame to the lower left). This and all photos below taken 2/18/22.*

*Truck transplanting debris on western wall.*

The wide shot below shows where they have been piling it on the western wall and puts the activity in context.

*Looking South toward Edgewater Park in background.*

*But it wasn’t all going to the western wall. Bulldozers spread some into the Laurel Springs RV Resort detention pond.*

*The area where contractors laid pipe between the pond (left) and ponding water (right).*

*Meanwhile, another bulldozer seemed to push dirt from the outside of the pond’s southern wall to the inside.*

*It appeared as though contractors were attempting to shift the entire wall to the north. If accurate, that could reduce the pond’s already constrained capacity.*

Did the developer’s surveyors make a mistake initially? We shall know soon enough if the County conducts its own survey.

*If that tree debris gets plowed into the pond wall, it could weaken the structural integrity of the pond as the woody material decays.*

Reducing Pond Capacity?

I’m especially concerned about the potential loss of capacity in the detention pond. It already had only half the current capacity required to meet current City of Houston standards.

The further along construction gets, the harder it is to undo mistakes if they happen. So we need to monitor this closely.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/22

1634 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.

Northpark Drainage Ditch: Got ‘Er Done This Time!

This morning, I posted about what appeared to be a premature victory lap on the repair of the Northpark Drive drainage ditch with a plea to Git ‘Er Done. Well, this afternoon, Montgomery County Precinct 4 Commissioner James Metts and his drainage supervisor Mike McKay Got ‘Er Done.

Barely Enough Time to Take Photos

They must have had their ears close to the ground. By noon, I got a call from McKay. Within another hour, he had inspected the ditch and agreed it was a mess. Then by 2PM, he had trucks and backhoes onsite. And by 4PM, they were packing up and hauling away the last piles of dirt left in the ditch from last weekend’s repair effort.

It all happened so fast, I barely had time to get there to take photos. And it all happened before rush hour!

*Photo submitted by reader of work on Thursday afternoon, 2/17/22.* *Backhoe scoops up dirt left behind that was in danger of slumping back into ditch during a heavy rain.*

*Traffic was slightly backed up, but it kept moving. It took about five minutes to get from 494 to the car wash at Russell-Palmer Road.*

*By the time I got my drone up, the last of the dirt was excavated*…

He said they hauled more than 30 truckloads of dirt out of Northpark on Saturday night and Sunday morning before knocking off at around 2AM. The temp had dropped below freezing at that point.

Regular Maintenance Key to Reducing Flooding

McKay apologized for not returning my call earlier this week. He said he had a dental emergency that kept him out of the office until today.

Having worked near this area for more than 20 years, I watched Northpark go underwater with regularity – on average at least once or twice a year. Scary for an evacuation route!

I hope MoCo can improve the maintenance intervals on this ditch. Northpark and the areas around it have seen tremendous growth in recent years.

My thanks to Commissioner Metts and Mr. McKay for the heavy lifting on this one. And especially for their fast response! They got ‘er done this time!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/22

1533 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Northpark Ditch Repair Half Done

Update: 6PM Thursday 2/17/22. After I posted the article below on Thursday morning, MoCo returned and finished the job on Thursday afternoon. Use the post below only for context.

Last Saturday night, Montgomery County closed Northpark Drive to excavate the ditch in the median between Northpark Drive and Russell-Palmer Road. Here’s a nighttime video Precinct 4 Commissioner Metts’ posted on his Facebook page to promote the results. It contains eleven minutes of close-up shots of a backhoe scooping dirt into a truck, complete with a triumphant, pounding music track. You’d think this was MoCo’s moon shot!

What Video Doesn’t Show

At daybreak, it became clear, the county cleaned out the ditch between Russell-Palmer and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, not 494. County crews DID clear blocked drains leading into the ditch west of Russell-Palmer. But they left the dirt piled on the sides of the ditch where it can slump back down and re-block drains.

*Looking west along Northpark toward Dunkin’ Donuts and Public Storage.*

*Facing same direction from the other side of the crossover shows the “improvement” to drainage.*

*Still looking east toward Russell-Palmer from the Kings Mill Entrance.*

“Git ‘Er Done”

I called Metts’ office earlier this week and asked whether they intended to finish the job. The receptionist told me she would have someone call me back to discuss the project. No one ever did. Then Metts posted the “Conquering Earth” video.

I’m grateful for what Metts’ team did do. But I’m also fearful of what they didn’t do.

Metts’ followup post makes no mention of a timetable for finishing the job.

Please! In the immortal words of Larry the Cable Guy, “Git ‘er done!” This is one way people and businesses flood.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/17/22

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