City Seeks Your Feedback on Equity Indicators Survey

The City of Houston is launching its “Equity Indicators” project by asking for your comments to one important question: What makes a community equitable?

Reflecting Houston’s Diversity

Houston is the most diverse city in the nation, but despite the strength of our diversity and multiculturalism, Houstonians experience vast racial and ethnic disparities. The Equity Indicators Project will facilitate broader conversations on equity and inclusion, take active steps to measure disparities, and have leaders across multiple sectors be held accountable for taking action to increase equitable outcomes for all Houstonians.

The city is seeking feedback from community members to ensure that this project is reflective of Houston’s diversity and multiculturalism.  Visit houstontx.gov/equity to share your thoughts on what makes a community equitable between March 6 until April 2.

“In a city where 146 languages are spoken, we must use every tool possible to ensure that every Houstonian’s voice is being heard,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “This survey is a direct, impactful way to participate in making the city, its services, and its opportunities more accessible to people regardless of their background.”

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner
File Photo: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner speaking at the Kingwood Community Center

Project Sponsored By…

The Equity Indicators project is led by the Planning and Development Department, Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Sustainability, and Complete Communities, and ties to the vision and framework for a resilient community outlined in the Resilient Houston strategy. The city has partnered with Rice Kinder Institute for Urban Research using the methodology developed by CUNY- Institute for State & Local Governance to focus on key indicators for equity in Houston. The Shell Foundation has funded this initiative that focuses on six themes:

  • Economic opportunity
  • Health
  • Public Safety
  • Environmental and Climate Risks
  • Built Environment
  • Access and Inclusion

How Data Will Be Used

The data analysis will result in an overall Equity Indicators Score for the City of Houston.  The public, city departments, city programs, and community service organizations can track the score to document progress and change over time.  The numerical value is based on a 100-point scale.  A high score signifies Houston’s level of success toward building an equitable city, whereas a low score represents a high level of inequity and more opportunity for improvement.

For More Information or Printed Survey…

A printed survey card will also be available at city locations. Houstonians with questions or needing assistance filling out the survey may call 832-393-6637.  For more information, visit Equity Indicators online atwww.houstontx.gov/equity.

Thought Starters: Aspects of Equity Measured by Various Indices

It seems everybody has a way to measure equity these days. Without trying to influence your opinion, I would simply reprint this list of indexes compiled by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/9/2022 based on a press release by COH and info compiled by Brookings

1653 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Next Challenge For City: Ditch Clean Out in Right of Way Under Kingwood Drive West of High School

About a half block west of Kingwood High School, G-103-36-03, a small drainage ditch without a name, cuts under Kingwood Drive. More than a hundred homes near this ditch flooded during Harvey. Before Imelda, Harris County Flood Control District did an emergency “de-snag” on the ditch. That means they cleaned out fallen trees that were forming “beaver dams” and backing water up.

But the right of way under Kingwood Drive has remained about half blocked by sediment. That’s what those red warning signs represent in the picture below. Clearing the right of way is the City of Houston’s responsibility.

Now, would be a good time to clean out this ditch while the City has crews working a block east of here at Kingwood High School.

Location of Blockage

Screen capture from HCFCD’s Kingwood Area Drainage Assessment. The purple in the upper right is Kingwood High School.

When I clicked on the upper warning sign, I found a link to this image from 2019.

Sediment and vegetation half blocking twin culverts under Kingwood Drive in 2019. Photo by HCFCD looking south from north of westbound lanes.

Pictures Taken Today Show Same Blockages

Here’s how the same scene looked on 3/8/22. The ditch stops before it even reaches the culvert.
Closer shot of same culverts shows sediment and vegetation blocking culvert entrances.
Still looking south, but across the median toward the eastbound lanes.
Looking north from eastbound lanes at sediment and vegetation blocking the ditch as it goes through the median of Kingwood Drive.

I’ve brought this issue to the attention of Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin and his staff. I’m confident this was just an oversight and look forward to doing another positive story when they complete this job, too.

Posted by Bob Rehak on March 8, 2022

1652 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How New Building Regs Cut Damage Rates During Harvey by Roughly 20X

Today, I came across an eye-popping presentation by John Blount, P.E.. Blount served as Harris County’s Engineer for decades. He left his position last year after serving the Engineering Department for 34 years. The presentation discussed how new building regs adopted in 2009 (and later amended) reduced damage rates during Harvey by approximately 20X.

Before/After Stats

The Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) final Harvey report found that 154,170 homes flooded in Harris County during Harvey. HCFCD estimated that was between 9-12% of the structures in the County at the time.

Bount’s report, however, pointed out that – at the time of Harvey – 75,000 homes had been built in subdivisions developed in 2009 or later that conformed to the new, more stringent building codes. These homes were in subdivisions that used current infrastructure requirements for drainage and extreme event-flow analysis. Out of those 75,000 homes, only 467 flooded during Harvey, or 0.6%. That’s 20X less than 12%.

But even more impressive, Blount said that not one of those homes suffered substantial damage.

Factors that Made the Difference

After that, Blount’s 22-page presentation gets fairly technical. It deals with regulations that affect:

  • Elevation above the 100-year flood plain
  • Acceptable types of foundations in flood hazard areas
  • Building in floodways including width, depth, bracing and other construction requirements for piers
  • Where fill can and cannot be used
  • Detention pond requirements
  • Coordination with MUDs and Special Districts
  • Coastal vs. Riverine Flooding
  • Wind resistance
  • Elevation above street level and more
Photos reflect changing standards for building in floodways.

For Full Report and an Eye-Opening Experience

To see Blount’s full report on How Building Regs Affected Damage during Hurricane Harvey, click here.

Driving around town after reading this report will be an eye-opening experience. Take any one of the factors mentioned above, for instance, elevation above street level.

As I was driving through Aldine last weekend to photograph the new detention basin along Halls Bayou, I was struck by how many homes, businesses, and apartment complexes were built several feet BELOW the street levels.

Page 12 of Blount’s presentation addresses this issue. “If the structure is a single family residence the finished floor shall be a minimum of 12 inches above the highest adjacent natural grade when measured 10 feet from the edge of the slab or 12 inches above the crown of the adjacent street whichever results in the highest elevation.”

Drive down Aldine Bender Road or Aldine Mail Route and look at the driveways that slope DOWN to properties. No wonder so many homes in this area flood.

To make Blount’s report easy to find in the future, search on the keyword “Blount” or consult the Reports Page under “Construction Regs in Flood Hazard Areas” or “Hurricane Harvey and Flooding” tabs.

It’s bewildering why so many surrounding counties and municipalities have resisted upgrading their building, subdivision and flood plain regs.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/7/2022 based on a report by the former Harris County Engineer John Blount

1651 Days since Hurricane Harvey

City De-Silting Channel Under Kingwood Drive Near High School

Last week, the City of Houston started clearing debris from the culverts under Kingwood Drive near Kingwood High School. Local flood-fighter Chris Bloch has been working for years behind the scenes to document drainage issues such as this one and convince local officials to address them.

Un-named and Long-Forgotten Tributary Finally Getting Attention

One of Bloch’s latest investigations has been an uncatalogued and long-ignored channel under Kingwood Drive. It helps drain Kingwood High School into Bens Branch. But it doesn’t show up anywhere on Harris County Flood Control District maps.

HCFCD’s Flood Education Mapping Tool. Red oval indicated approximate area of uncatalogued ditch.

Two Feet of Sediment Block Culverts Under Kingwood Drive

Bloch says, “The channel originates at Kingwood High School’s athletic fields. The ditch is narrow and full of sediment and vegetation. Side channels, which empty into this ditch, are also full of sediment and vegetation. This is the only ditch providing storm water drainage from the high school campus.”

The high school building suffered $67 million in damages during Harvey and lost another $10 million in contents.

The ditch in question passes through three culverts under the Westbound lanes of Kingwood Drive. They are obstructed by 24 inches of sediment and debris. See below.

Blocked culverts under Kingwood Drive are finally being cleared. Photo courtesy of Chris Bloch.

“Debris indicates stormwater runoff from the campus passes over Kingwood Drive due to the poor conveyance capacity of this ditch.”

Chris Bloch, Kingwood Resident and Retired Engineer

“If cleared of sediment, the cross section area of the three culverts would total 60 square feet.“

More Blockages Downstream

After crossing under Kingwood Drive, the ditch funnels water into a 24-inch corrugated plastic culvert. That carries it across the Kingwood Country Club Driving Range. “This cross-sectional flow area of this culvert is only about 5% of the total area of the three culverts that pass under Kingwood Drive,” says Bloch.

Later, as the ditch crosses two fairways on its way to Bens Branch, sediment and vegetation again partially block it. They also partially block the three culverts under Centerpoint’s easement near Bens Branch.

Bloch believes, “Maintenance and improvement of this ditch upstream of these outfalls would significantly improve drainage of the high school campus.”

Ensuring Long-Term Maintenance

“Although the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has no property rights for this channel, the District may be willing to partner with property owners to improve drainage,” says Bloch. “The original channel was reported to have been installed by Humble ISD (HISD) prior to the existence of the driving range.”

Bloch says he has been communicating with HISD, HCFCD and the City of Houston about the poor condition of this ditch since 2020. “I recently communicated with Mayor Pro Tem Martin’s office about this ditch and spoke with Mayor Pro Tem Martin himself about it. The de-silting is another small step forward for flood mitigation in Kingwood. I appreciate the involvement of Mayor Pro Tem Martin.”

“Recently, HCFCD indicated they would be willing to partner with the property owners of this ditch to improve drainage. Hopefully, once the City completes the sediment removal of the channel on the Kingwood Drive right of way, HISD and the Country Club can get together with the HCFCD to improve drainage across the Country Club property to Bens Branch,” says Bloch.

To see Bloch’s full report, click here.

Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Chris Bloch and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin

1650 Days since Hurricane Harvey

New Halls Bayou Detention Pond Rapidly Nearing Completion

Along Halls Bayou, HCFCD is constructing a large stormwater detention basin and making channel conveyance improvements as part of Bond Project C-25. The detention basin will reduce the risk of flooding by taking in excess stormwater during heavy rain events and then releasing it slowly back to the channel when the threat of flooding has passed.

I first covered this project six months ago when construction began. It’s come a long way since then.

Photos of Detention Basin Taken Saturday 3/5/22

Looking S across Isom Street toward Halls Bayou at far end of detention pond. Photo Taken 3/5/22.
Reverse shot. Looking N from over Halls Bayou. Photo taken 3/5/22.
At the south end of the detention basin, before Halls Bayou comes out of its banks, water will pour over the wide concrete spillway and fill up the pond. As the level of water in Halls falls, water will go back into the bayou through the twin culverts.

Projected Completion Dates

HCFCD expects to complete construction of the stormwater detention basin during spring 2022 and channel conveyance improvements during fall 2022.

The $6 million stormwater detention basin project (P518-11-00) will provide regional mitigation benefits and also mitigate increased stormwater coming from drainage improvements in the Western Homes subdivision along Aldine Mail Route Road.

The basin will hold 180 acre-feet, or nearly 58.7 million gallons, of stormwater that might otherwise flood homes and businesses. It will be a wet-bottom basin with a vegetated shelf.

Channel Improvement Highlights

North of the basin, HCFCD will shift Tributary P118-21-00 west and enlarge it to increase its capacity. Along Aldine Mail Route Road and north of the road, the channel will be extended as a box culvert system to the Western Homes subdivision. The channel will have a 140-foot top width and 15-foot depth.

These projects are part the Watershed-Wide Project Implementation Program for Halls Bayou.

Project Locations

Locations of projects above.
These two projects are just two of a dozen along Halls Bayou.

Regardless, activists in Halls claim they get no support from HCFCD and that places like Kingwood get all the flood bond money. As a consequence, the county administrator is revising the flood bond prioritization framework yet again to favor projects in Halls and other low-to-moderate income watersheds.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/5/2022

1649 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Word of the Day for Flood Victims: Solastalgia

I learned a new word today: solastalgia. I came across it while reading the UN Intergovernmental Panel 2022 Report on Climate Change. There it was on page 17 of the Technical Summary.

Looking east from the south side of the West Fork of the San Jacinto during Harvey. Photo courtesy of Harris County Flood Control District.

Unequal Impact of Mental Health Challenges

Section TS.B.5.2 says, “Mental health challenges increase with warming temperatures (high confidence), trauma associated with extreme weather (very high confidence), and loss of livelihoods and culture (high confidence). Distress sufficient to impair mental health has been caused by climate-related ecological grief associated with environmental change (e.g. solastalgia)…” [Emphasis added.]

The section continues, “Vulnerability to mental health effects of climate change varies by region and population, with evidence that Indigenous Peoples, agricultural communities, first responders, women, and members of minority groups experience greater impacts (high confidence).”

What Does Solastalgia Mean?

I’d never seen the word “solastalgia” before and had to look it up. It was difficult. Websters Third International Dictionary didn’t have it. The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary didn’t have it either. But Wikipedia did have a discussion of it. It’s a neologism – a new word entering the language.

According to Wikipedia, “solastalgia” was coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in his 2003 book Solastalgia: a new concept in human health and identity.[1] He describes it as “the homesickness you have when you are still at home” and your home environment is changing in ways you find distressing. In many cases, this relates to climate change, but more localized events such as volcanic eruptions, drought or destructive mining techniques can cause solastalgia as well.[2] 

Solastalgia refers to the “distress specifically caused by environmental change while still in a home environment.”[3]

Glenn Albrecht

Examples:

Deconstructing the Word

Solastalgia literally means “loss of solace.” Solace, in turn, means “comfort or consolation in a time of distress.” For instance, after the death of parent, you might seek solace by returning to the place where you grew up. But when you get there, you find a strip mine has obliterated the entire area. Now your grief doubles and you feel “solastalgia,” the loss of solace.

Distress Related to Income Level

Solastalgia affects people differently. Some groups are inherently more vulnerable and, therefore, may experience a greater sense of loss and grief. This study from a group of scholars at UCLA examined the impact of wildfires on psychological well-being.

They found a marked difference in the way high- and low-income groups processed loss. Those making more than $80,000 a year had resources to rebuild and experienced less grief. Those making less felt lost. The adverse financial impact of a fire felt insurmountable and left them with “clinically significant psychological distress.”

Those who lived in Houston during Hurricane Harvey can relate to this. Many are still trying to find the help to rebuild their homes and lives. The lucky ones moved on. Others still live among mold and rot, constant reminders of the day their lives changed forever.

I previously talked about flood psychology in terms of post traumatic stress disorder and re-traumatization. But I think solastalgia fits what I see better. Even 4.5 years after the flood. What do you think?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/22

1648 Days after Hurricane Harvey

RV Resort Detention-Pond Drain Finally Being Installed in Approved Location

Four months after Laurel Springs RV Resort contractors started tying into the Lakewood Cove storm sewer system, they may finally finish the job in the next few days. I spotted them yesterday and today, digging a trench from the pumps to the pond.

At their present rate of progress, and with gasoline prices spiraling out of control, one wonders whether RVs will be able to afford gas to get here when this job is complete.

Troubled History of Project

The storm sewer tie in comes more than a month after an aborted attempt to dig a trench through the wall of their half-sized detention pond and install pipes that drained the resort’s stormwater directly into Edgewater Park. Both actions violated state and city permit requirements. They also caused the state, city and Harris County to launch four investigations into construction practices at the RV resort. Subsequently, the Harris County Attorney sent a cease-and-desist letter to the resort’s owner and threatened a lawsuit.

Detention Pond Storm Sewer Tie In Started in Early December

Laurel Springs RV Resort detention pond drainage tie in as of 12/05/21. Contractor has tunneled under Laurel Springs Lane to Lakewood Cove storm sewer system on far side.
Drainage plans approved by City of Houston for this portion of the job site. SE corner of detention pond below is in upper left of diagram above.

Contractor Now Working on Approved Tie In

Wednesday around noon, 3/02/22, workers started excavating around the circular pump housing.
By early morning 3/3/22, they had already laid the first section of pipe.
By noon on 3/3/22, they had laid another section of pipe and were excavating their way to the corner of the pond.

Rec Center Being Framed Out

In separate news, workers started framing the RV Resort recreation building yesterday.

This shows the status on the morning of 3/3/22.

Spiraling Cost of Gasoline Could Affect Demand

I heard a story on the radio this morning that gasoline in Toronto has now topped $8.50 USD per gallon. With gasoline prices spiraling out of control, it’s unclear how many people will be traveling in RVs anytime soon. The larger ones get as little as 6 miles per gallon.

I remember taking a trip through the Yukon Territory several years ago when gasoline was half that price and seeing an RV fill up for more than $1000.

That’s comparable to the cost of a 2500 square-foot penthouse suite in a luxury 5-star hotel.

Now imagine doubling that cost to stay in something one tenth the size.

As they say in Hollywood, “Timing is everything in show business.” You could say the same for the RV park business.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/3/22

1647 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.

Dredgers Move to Rogers Gully from East Fork

Within the last week, the focus of dredging moved from the East Fork San Jacinto to the mouth of Rogers Gully on the west side of Lake Houston near the Walden Country Club. HCFCD conducted a dredging operation upstream from the Rogers Gully mouth bar in 2020. But the mouth bar itself is in Lake Houston, which is owned by the City of Houston. So this portion is the City’s responsibility.

Where dredging stopped in East Fork in late February. Looking South. Luce Bayou on upper left. FM1960 Bridge in upper right. Picture taken 2/27/22.
Rogers Gully mouth bar has already been partially removed by the dredgers anchored in the distance for the evening. Looking east toward Huffman on far side of lake from over the Walden Country Club. Photo taken 3/1/22.

New Base of Operations Will Shorten Supply Lines

At the same time, the base of operations for dredging appears to be moving from the West Fork to a marina across the lake from Rogers Gully. The new drop off point for spoils is about 2.2 miles from Rogers Gully. Compare that to almost 7 miles to get from the East Fork to Berry Madden’s property south of River Grove Park on the West Fork.

New deposit site for dredging spoils on Fairlake Lane in Huffman. Photo taken 2/27/22.

Over the weekend, I photographed dredgers preparing the site and carting the first loads of sediment to a dirt/mulch company about six miles east on 1960.

Where spoils from Lake Houston are going on FM1960 toward 99.

The dirt company is about 2 miles inside the new Grand Parkway extension.

Looking south. New Grand Parkway extension crossing FM1960. Photo taken 2/27/22.

The new highway will open vast new areas for development and create ready markets for dredging spoils to elevate homes and build roads.

Focus Shifting to Inlets Around Lake

According to State Representative Dan Huberty, about $40 million remains in the dredging fund appropriated by the state legislature last year. He hopes that after inlets around the lake are cleaned out, that dredgers will return to the East Fork in the future to continue the effort there.

Pictures taken this afternoon show that in the last two days, the dredgers have taken a significant bite out of the Rogers Gully mouth bar, which in my opinion, was the worst of many smaller inlets around the lake.

Rogers Gully mouth bar in August of 2020. Compare to photos below to see progress already made.

The photos below tell the story.

Looking west from beyond one of the anchored dredges toward the mouth bar and the Walden Country Club in the top center.
Still looking west at the partially removed mouth bar.
Looking NNW. From here, tugs will ferry the pontoons toward the general vicinity of that white spot on the lake front in the upper right. Note the FM1960 bridge in the background.

Soon, the dredgers will finish with Rogers Gully and move on to the next inlet.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/1/22 with input from Dan Huberty

1645 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Centerpoint Utility Corridor Flooding Below RV Resort

Since development of the Laurel Springs RV Resort started last October, the Centerpoint easement below the development has turned into a small lake. It’s not clear at this point what caused the lake to develop. Several theories come time mind: increased runoff; sediment blocking drains; heavy January rains; poorly drained soils; illegal discharges; or some combination of the above. Regardless, this raises the most common question I encounter these days. “What happens when a developer builds its land up and sends water onto my property?”

Before Development

Here’s how the Centerpoint easement looked on October 25 last year when contractors started clearing land. Note the power lines in the small corridor left of the bigger one for railroad tracks. Also notice the tiny little ponds in the distance toward Hamblen Road at the top of the frame.

Looking SSE along the utility corridor and railroad tracks to the west of the RV resort shortly after clearing started on October 25, 2021.
In the month before that picture was taken, the gage at the 59 bridge recorded 6.68 inches of rain. Source: Harris County Flood Warning System.

According to Weather.gov, the 30 year average for October is 5.46 inches. So we got a little more than an inch above normal. Yet the corridor had only tiny amounts of ponding water.

January Photo Shows Ponds Expanding

On January 9, we had a large rainfall event and a photo that day shows the ponds expanded.

After heavy rains on 1/9/2022. Note small stream of water running down middle of utility corridor and two large ponds.

But also note how the larger pond in the distance stops well short of Hamblen Road in top right of frame.

We had 7.88 inches in January, more than 5″ of which fell on January 8th and 9th. Source: Harris County Flood Warning System.

February Rainfall One Third of Normal, But Ponds Continue to Grow

But since January 8/9, we’ve had very little rain. Nevertheless, the ponds have expanded into what one resident called a “lake” that blocked her hike down the utility corridor. See below.

Looking S toward Hamblen Road at top of frame. Pond now extends almost all the way to Hamblen.

The amazing thing is that the “lake” grew despite very little rain in February. As the chart below shows, we got 1 inch which is one third of the monthly average of 2.97 inches. Moreover, we got no significant rain for the 7 weeks before I took the picture above.

Gage at 59/West Fork San Jacinto shows 1 inch of rain for whole month of February. Source: Harris County Flood Warning System.

Yet the lake now stretches almost all the way to Hamblen! It’s getting bigger! So where’s the water coming from?

Water Not Coming West, East or South

It didn’t come from west of the railroad tracks. Union Pacific elevated those several feet above ground level.

Laurel Springs Lane has storm sewers that would have intercepted water from the east.

And water doesn’t usually flow uphill, so it didn’t come from the south either.

Much of it probably came from the north and the detention pond below which the developers drained into Edgewater Park on January 29.

stormwater runoff discharge
Contractors drained detention pond into Edgewater Park on January 29.

Prior to that, they also pumped water over the wall of the pond.

Laurel Springs RV Resort
Laurel Springs RV Resort pumping stormwater into Edgewater Park on 1/18/2022.
Contractors laying pipe under wall of detention pond to send stormwater into Edgewater Park
Then on January 31, contractors even tried to lay pipe through the wall of the detention pond to create a permanent conduit for stormwater into Edgewater Park.

Addition of Fill

They’re also bringing in fill to build up the RV Resort higher than the property around them. As they do so, they have been pushing standing water toward the utility corridor.

Looking west toward Centerpoint corridor just beyond tree line. Photo taken 2/10/22.

Lake Expands on One-Third Average Rainfall!

The bottom line is this.

Standing water in the Centerpoint utility corridor has increased as rainfall has fallen well below normal.

When you look around, there’s only one place this water could have come from.

I don’t want to beat this horse to death. But I get emails every day from people across northern Harris and southern Montgomery Counties. They worry about comparable issues. In essence, the emails say something like this: “A developer is building up land and flooding my property.”

I can understand the desire to build up land to avoid flooding on your own property. But we need to agree on ways to avoid flooding neighbors in the process. The answer probably lies in:

  • Higher detention pond requirements – The pond on this property holds half the current requirement.
  • Better construction practices and training, i.e., sloping all land toward detention ponds.
  • Meaningful inspections and penalties by authorities.
  • Publication of the penalties.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/28/2022

1644 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.

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