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April 7 Meeting on Spring Creek Flood Control Dams

Spring Creek Flood Control Dams are back in the news. The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) recently announced the first of three meetings related to a feasibility study. So save the date – April 7.

According to Matt Barrett of the SJRA, this feasibility study is a continuation of the Spring Creek Siting Study which came out of the San Jacinto Regional Watershed Master Drainage Plan project (SJMDP). The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and multiple partner agencies including SJRA developed the Master Drainage Plan.

Overview of Feasibility Study

The Spring Creek Siting Study from December 2020 explored multiple alternative locations that could provide flood-mitigation benefits to the Spring Creek watershed. Two of the more cost-effective were dams on Walnut and Birch Creeks.

The Spring Creek Flood Control Dams Feasibility Study will include:

A conceptual design for each dam
Benefits and costs for each dam and a combination of the two dams.

The goal: to determine the most feasible and economical alternative(s) for possible future design and construction.

The cost of the study is estimated at $1 million. The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) Flood Infrastructure Fund (FIF) grant program will provide half. City of Humble, HCFCD, and five (5) Municipal Utility Districts will fund the other half. SJRA is performing in-kind services to reduce the local match amount to be funded by the Partners.

One Crucial Step of Many

This project is currently only in the feasibility phase. Construction of one or both dams, if feasible, would likely not occur for several years. Partners still need to identify a project sponsor and funding. They also need to perform final design, obtain environmental permits, and acquire land.

Details of Public Input Meeting

Public input and participation are critical components of this study, and SJRA wants to hear from you. A public meeting related to the study will be held on/at the following date and location:

Thursday, April 7, 2022

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Fields Store Community Center

26098 FM 362

Waller, Texas 77484

The meeting will be in an open-house format, allowing members of the public to come and go at their convenience at any time between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. A five-minute, high-level, project-summary presentation will be given at 6:00 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:00 p.m., and 7:30 p.m.

Between these presentations, project team members will answer questions and collect input. If you can’t attend in person, you can view the summary presentation on SJRA’s Facebook page following the meeting. You may also submit questions via email and the project team will answer them.

Project Location

Below, see preliminary maps. These project areas could change based on the results of study efforts.

*The proposed Spring Creek Flood Control Dams would lie in far northeastern Waller County, a few miles west of Magnolia in Montgomery County.*

The next map shows parcels of land that partners would need to acquire to develop the project(s).

*Preliminary map of Birch and Walnut Creeks flood control dams. Extent of inundation limits subject to change during study.*

*One more public engagement meeting will be held this summer. The third will happen after partners release the draft report in February, next year.*

Projected Benefits of Projects

As presently conceived, the Birch Creek dam could reduce water surface elevations by a half foot in a 100-year storm for almost 26 miles downstream. The larger Walnut Creek dam could produce a similar benefit for 41 miles downstream.

Each would cut the annual chance of exceedance (ACE) in half for the people in the affected areas. Thus, a hundred year storm would only have the impact of a 50-year storm.

Barrett currently estimates that the Birch Creek Dam could remove 815 structures from the 100-year floodplain and the Walnut Creek Dam could remove 1205. However, he also points out that those numbers will likely change as a result of updated modeling in the current study now underway.

How much would these dams benefit people in the Lake Houston Area? Barrett admits the impact would be small that far downstream. But he also points out that these represent the first two of 16 similar projects proposed in the Master Drainage Plan, and that they could have a major cumulative impact.

Every little bit helps. Even if you can’t attend the meeting, I hope you submit a public comment via email in support of the project.

How to Learn More and Provide Public Comment

For a fact sheet on each of the two proposed dams, click here.

For more information about the Spring Creek Flood Control Dams Feasibility Study, please visit www.SpringCreekStudy.com.

You can submit comments at the public meeting and throughout the duration of the study. Email comments to floodmanagementdivision@sjra.net, or submitted online at www.SpringCreekStudy.com.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/18/2022

1662 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Laurel Springs RV Resort Update: Mysterious Black Spots and Other News

In the two weeks since I last posted about the “RV Resort” under construction on Laurel Springs Lane, a lot has happened. Among other things, I’ve noticed contractors repeatedly covering up black spots in the detention pond that have a habit of mysteriously reappearing.

Mysterious Black Spots Keep Reappearing

*Photo taken 3/5/22. Note difference of color in puddles just inches from each other.*

*Wide shot also taken on 3/5 shows bulldozer filling in one black area while another leaks into pond*. *Note streak in water and see below.*

*Also taken 3/5. Pond was being manually pumped into Lakewood Cove Storm sewer* *system* *and thence into Lake Houston.* *The pumping explains the streak.*

*On 3/10/22, I noted these black areas at the western end of the pond emerging from freshly bulldozed areas.*

*Photo taken 3/11. The situation was worse and the bulldozers were back.*

*On 3/14, the floor of the detention pond had been smoothed out, but the black spots were making another embarrassing comeback.*

I have dozens of other shots that show similar patterns. But you get the idea.

I asked the Railroad Commission if they could identify oil seepage from photos. The answer was no. But they did send an investigator out. Unfortunately, he arrived after everything had been covered up.

The contractor acknowledged the black spots, but claimed they were just seepage from rotting mulch. But why would a contractor place mulch below an area being excavated? That would just raise the level of the pond they were deepening. The mystery continues.

The Railroad Commission of Texas found no records of abandoned oil or gas wells on this property, although many are nearby.

As a show of good faith, I wish the developer would have an independent lab confirm what this stuff is now that it’s being pumped to a storm sewer system that feeds into Lake Houston.

Other Recent Activity

In other news:

The developer has removed hundreds of truckloads of debris from below the detention pond.
They have excavated material from the southern walls of the pond and moved it north. This effectively shifted the pond back onto the developer’s property while elevating other portions of the property.
Contractors erected posts for what appears will be a chain link fence at the southern edge of the resort.
Contractors have finished tying the detention pond into the Lakewood Cove Storm Sewer system.
They also installed more underground drainage throughout the property.

The photographs below illustrate the points above.

*Photo taken 2/23/22 shows part of debris pulled up from south of detention pond. Also note the black spots in the detention pond.*

*Taken 3/16/22.* *Photo courtesy of reader. Used with permission.* *Note fence posts along left.* *These would appear to confirm the property boundary.*

*The detention pond intake valve in the foreground is now connected with the pump housings on higher ground. However, the pumps may not yet be installed. And the housing still looks sealed off.* *Photo taken 3/15/22.*

*Additional dirt is being brought in to raise the elevation of the site.* *Photo taken 3/13/22. Note water still ponding on site from a half inch of rain on 3/15. This soil is not as porous as the stormwater pollution prevention plan claims.*

*Rebar being laid for the next concrete pour* *on 3/14/22.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/16/22

1660 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 Caney ISD West Fork High School March Construction Update

One of the largest construction projects currently underway in the Kingwood Area is New Caney ISD’s West Fork High School, south of the HCA Kingwood Medical Center. New Caney ISD provided degrees of completion for all the trades associated with the project as of March 2022.

Athletic fields and structures – 70%
Concrete masonry 65%
Rough electrical – 80%
Rough mechanical – 80%
Rough plumbing – 90%
Insulation – 75%
Windows – 65%
Interior metal studs – 85%
Exterior paint – 50%
Curtain wall – 65%
Exterior storefront – 90%
Concrete paving, parking lot and driveways – 95%
Gas service – 90%
Water service – 80%
Sidewalks – 45%
Interior gypsum board – 65%
Interior paint 20%
Ceramic tile – 10%
Sorters Road storm drain – 90%
Rough grade – 75%

Aerial Photos from 3/13/22

Here’s what that looks like. Aerial photos show the exterior of the main building and athletic facilities rapidly nearing completion.

*Looking NE at New Caney ISD West Fork High School. HCA Kingwood Medical Center is white complex in background near horizon.*

*New ball fields. US59 runs left to right across top of frame. North is left.*

*Field house, football field and track. Looking east toward US 59.*

*Looking SW toward Sorters-McClellan Road.*

*The detention pond will need some erosion repair before this project is done.*

*Sorters-McClellan Road is being expanded to handle the increased traffic. Looking N from over detention pond.*

*Looking S at widening of Sorters-McClellan Road*. *Note proximity to West Fork and 59 Bridge in background.*

Compare with Previous Updates

To see how the project has progressed, compare these previous posts.

New Caney ISD expects to complete the project this summer. It is one of the District’s 2018 bond projects.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/15/2022

1659 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Crenshaw Secures Funding for Local Flood Mitigation Projects

U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw of the Texas Second Congressional District has secured $26.4 million earmarked for six specific flood-mitigation projects in his district. They include:

Appropriations for Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies

$1.6 million for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for the Taylor Gully channel improvements.
$1.6 million for HCFCD’s Kingwood Diversion Ditch improvements.
$1.67 million for Harris County for the Forest Manor drainage-improvement project in Huffman.
$3.39 million for Memorial City Redevelopment Authority’s detention-basin improvements.

Homeland Security Appropriations

$8.2 million through Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Community Project Funding for the Westador Basin Stormwater Detention Basin.
$9.9 million through FEMA’s Community Project Funding for the TC Jester stormwater detention basin.

Necessary Projects, Not Pork

Kaaren Cambio, District Director for Congressman Crenshaw, pointed out that “Our earmarks were just for necessary flooding projects that the county has not funded.”

Earmarks made a comeback this year for the first time since they were banned in 2010. This Houston Chronicle story points out the pros, cons and restrictions of the new earmark system. The amounts are limited. And representatives can have no financial connection to the projects. The key word is “necessary.” This money is NOT for building bridges to nowhere just to bring money to a district.

The need for the two projects in the Kingwood Area became apparent only after the completion of the Kingwood Area Drainage Study. The projects had not been identified when the flood bond passed.

Kingwood Diversion Ditch Improvements

These improvements will divert stormwater runoff from Bens Branch to lower the risk of structural flooding along the portion of Bens Branch within the Kingwood area. This project will also provide capacity to allow for future neighborhood drainage improvements that outfall into the Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch.

The Kingwood Diversion Channel was constructed with expansion in mind. So HCFCD will only need to acquire minimal additional right-of-way. The project includes:

Channel conveyance improvements
A concrete diversion structure from the confluence at Bens Branch in Montgomery County
A new proposed outfall into the West Fork San Jacinto River.

This project will remove 62 existing structures from the 100-year floodplain inundation area. It will also provide capacity for future drainage improvements that benefit an additional 586 structures – 295 and 291 from along the Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch respectively.

The proposed improvements also provide increased flood protection for Kingwood High School and Saint Martha Catholic School.

Taylor Gully Improvements

An engineering study found the upper portion of Taylor Gully insufficient. Large numbers of structures have flooded upstream of Rustling Elms Drive. This project will restore a 100-year level of service for Taylor Gully from the upper limits of the channel to Maple Bend Drive.

*Rustling Elms Bridge over Taylor Gully during peak of May 7, 2019 flood.*

The improvements include maintaining the existing top of banks, and constructing a concrete 20 foot by 6 foot (max) low flow channel section. This will remove 387 structures from the 100-year floodplain inundation area. It will also provide capacity for future improvements that could benefit an additional 62 structures.

Forest Manor Project in Huffman

The project would help reduce flood risk for 98 homes. Less than 15% of homes in the subdivision are in the regulatory FEMA 100-year floodplain, yet more than 40% of the homes have reported flood claims in recent years (with 30% consisting of repetitive losses).

Memorial City

The project will improve and deepen an existing detention basin. It will also better connect adjacent roads (Windhover, Westview, Cedardale, and Demaret) with the improved stormwater infrastructure. Stormwater capture will prevent structural and roadway flooding, and reduce non-point source pollutants from flood events. These pollutants result from structural and private property flooding. They include pollutants such as oil, grease, debris, and other contaminants. Without mitigation, these pollutants would end up in Galveston Bay.

TC Jester Detention Basin

This stormwater detention mitigation project will reduce flood damage within the Cypress Creek Watershed. It will retain storm runoff, and reduce floodplain width and depth. Approximately 2689 structures are currently at risk of riverine flooding during a 100-year rain. This proposed project will capitalize on an existing Harris County detention pond with an additional 0.18 acres of wetlands to create a basin footprint of 25 acres. The proposed project will capture overbank flooding so that water elevation in a 100-year storm does not exceed 0.49 feet. This proposed project will remove 87 structures from the existing 100-year floodplain. When complete, the full detention basin will remove 271 structures from the floodplain.

Cypress Creek Westador Basin

The Cypress Creek Westador Stormwater Detention will significantly reduce flood risk, the floodplain, and water levels. Phase I will be functionally independent of this multi-phase project and will remove 128 structures from the existing 100-year floodplain.

Thanks to Crenshaw and Staff

Many thanks to Congressman Dan Crenshaw and his staff. These projects will make a difference for thousands of people who have flooded repeatedly.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/14/22

1658 Days since Hurricane Harvey

New Kingwood Middle School Scheduled to Open in Months

The new three-story Kingwood Middle School is scheduled to open this year. That leaves just nine months. Pictures taken today show the exterior is almost complete. But interior progress is hard to judge.

Then there’s the question of demolition of the old school and reconstruction of the athletic fields where the old school now stands. None of that can happen until contractors finish the new school. But even if that runs past August, it shouldn’t impose any additional hardships on students. After all, they’ve done without athletic fields for the last two school years.

Construction Pics Show Status as of Mid-March 2022

Construction started on the east and has been working toward the west for more than a year now. Here’s how the westernmost building looks as of 3/13/22. It is the least finished. As you can see, additional exterior work remains on the roof, glass, and entries.

*Virtually all glass appears to be in as of mid-March 2022, but not the frames that seal it.*

*Workers still have materials left on several of the roofs.*

*The new back entry will provide pickup and drop-off points, relieving traffic congestion on surrounding streets.*

*This temporary detention pond in the foreground will be replaced by…*

*…a new permanent detention pond where the parking long in the foreground is.*

*The old school (right) must still be demolished.*

*New athletic fields will be built on the site of the old school.*

Once a building like this has been “dried in,” subcontractors can work on the interior 24/7 if necessary to make up for lost “weather days.” Interior trades include drywall, plumbing, electric, lighting, ceilings, paint, floor coverings, cabinets and other finish work.

Compare Current with Previous Pics

See the progress of work to date by comparing these pictures with those taken in previous months.

Here’s Humble ISD’s webpage on the project. It shows artist’s renderings of many of the interior areas not visible in these pictures. It will feature larger classrooms, more space for collaboration, natural light, and easier pickup/drop-off.

Careful reading of the Humble ISD copy will reveal that they have not yet promised which month in 2022 students will move from the old to the new Kingwood Middle School. However…

With each passing month, I get more excited about this project. It will make a wonderful addition to Kingwood and has the potential to become a community showcase.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/13/2022

1657 Days since Hurricane Harvey

MAAPnext Offers Powerful Historical Flood Loss Visualization Tools

By accident, I stumbled across some powerful historical flood loss visualization tools on Harris County Flood Control’s MAAPnext site today. They can help you understand the capricious nature of storms as well as political claims about which neighborhoods flood the most.

About MAAPnext

In 2019, using two FEMA grants and Flood Bond money, Harris County Flood Control District launched its MAAPnext project. MAAP stands for Modeling, Assessment and Awareness. The goal: to use new methodologies and technologies to improve understanding of flood risks throughout Harris County. The project goes far beyond updating Flood Insurance Rate Maps in the wake of recent storms. It also includes:

Interactive historical flood loss visualization tools
Water surface elevation change grids (maps showing difference between effective and revised floodplains)
Flood depth grids (for various flood frequencies including 10%, 4%, 2%, 1% and 0.2% annual chance events)
Urban flood maps (street flooding caused by rainfall exceeding storm sewer capacity)
Percent annual chance grids (giving you your exact probability of being flooded within a mapped floodplain)
30-Year chance grids (showing your home’s exact chance of flooding within the life of a 30-year mortgage)
Water surface elevation grids (showing the water surface elevation in various flood frequencies)

Not all of these maps have been released yet. For instance, MAAPnext/FEMA will release new preliminary flood insurance rate maps for public comment this fall. However, I did find three fascinating interactive maps showing the history of flood losses in Harris County.

Historical Flood Loss Tools

Cumulative Losses since 1978

The first map provides a visual representation of where all flooding claims have occurred throughout the county since 1978. A property’s flood risk can be a influenced by many factors but it’s important to remember that it can flood anywhere in Harris County. The darkest areas have the most cumulative flood losses. The lightest areas have the least.

*Total flood losses in various census tracts within Harris County since 1978.*

To understand exactly WHERE and WHEN these flood losses happened, you need to go to the next two series of maps.

Historical Inundation Map

The Historical Inundation Map shows the extent of flooding in five different major storms since 2015. These include only streams with gages, not all Harris County channels. Zoom and scroll into an area of interest and then select the storm of interest from the layer menu.

*Extent of flooding along the West and East Forks in the Memorial Day 2016 flood.*

You can toggle layers rapidly to see how floods compared to each other.

Flood-Loss History by Event

The map above shows the spread of flood waters in various events. However, to see the relative damage in census tracts, you need to go to the map called “Flood Loss History by Event.” Again, you’ll need to toggle layers to select the event of interest. The darker the colors, the more damage.

Tax Day 2016 Storm Damage

*Selecting the Tax Day 2016 layer shows that most damage from that storm occurred in NW Harris County.*

Hurricane Harvey 2017 Damage

*Selecting the Harvey layer shows that that storm affected the entire county with some watersheds experiencing more losses than others.*

Imelda 2019 Damage

*Distribution of damage in Harris County from Tropical Storm Imelda*

For More Interactive Exploration…

The four maps above only scratch the surface of what you can find on the MAAPnext site. To explore the distribution of damage in various storms, visit the page called Understanding Your Flood Risk.

Media accounts of major storms might lead you to believe that major storms affect all parts of the county equally. But they don’t. Who floods depends on upstream rainfall totals, dam releases, proximity to floodplains, development regulations, elevation above the flood plain and more.

The most interesting aspect of MAAPnext is that it will eventually incorporate all of these factors and give you an individual risk rating for your property or one that you are considering buying.

If knowledge is power, this is power cubed, because it let’s you look at flood risk in multiple dimensions.

Be Patient

I can’t wait until the project is fully finished. Check back often and click around this site as new features seem to be bolted on periodically. The bolted-on comment relates to my only complaint. All information (and there’s a lot of it) is grouped under five pages in ways that are rarely intuitive and often invisible from the highest levels. For instance, to get to the historical flood loss maps, you have to:

Click on the home page
Click on a link embedded in one of the visuals called “Flooding is Our #1 Disaster.”
It will take you to a page called (strangely enough) “Understand Your Flood Risk.”
Scroll down past 7 other topics to the bottom of page to find the interactive maps.

Presumably, helping people understand their flood risk is the most important objective of this site, but the page by that name appears nowhere in navigation. That said, have fun exploring. You’ll find many other hidden gems on this site.

And remember that all flood insurance policies renewing on or after April 1, 2022, will be subject to FEMA’s new Risk Rating 2.0 methodology.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2022

1656 Days since Hurricane Harvey

How Blocked Up Is Rogers Gully?

On March 1, I posted about how dredgers had moved from the East Fork to Rogers Gully. Rogers Gully enters Lake Houston at the Walden Country Club. In my opinion, it has the worst mouth bar of all the channels that enter Lake Houston, with the exception of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto. Harris County Flood Control finished dredging the channel itself almost two years ago. But the mouth bar is the City’s responsibility.

I went back to see how much of the mouth bar remained this morning and was shocked. The two dredges are still sitting far offshore, approximately where they were on March 1.

Here are several pictures that show their position this morning, 3/11/22.

*Looking west from the mouth of Rogers Gully toward the dredges about a quarter mile away and the eastern shore of Lake Houston in the background.*

*Reverse angle. Looking over one of the two dredges toward the mouth of Rogers Gully.*

Curious about why the dredges were working so far out, I asked State Representative Dan Huberty “Why?” Huberty, who secured money for the dredging, texted back a one-line answer.

“Can’t get into Rogers Gulley without dredging their way in.”
State representative dan huberty

Wow. I knew Rogers Gully was bad. But I had no idea it was that bad. This could be like getting to the East Fork from the West Fork. It took crews three months to dredge their way through the channel south of Royal Shores that connects the two forks.

It’s been almost two weeks since they started working here. And this area is far wider than the Royal Shores channel. Rogers Gully has apparently formed a wide and long “underwater” delta that extends far beyond the above-water portion.

So in answer to the question in the headline, “How blocked up is Rogers Gully?” It’s baaaad.

This underscores the need to establish a perpetual maintenance dredging program for Lake Houston, something the Army Corps recommended back in 2018 and that Brown and Root recommended in 2000. It’s not just about recreation. It’s about ensuring long-term water-supply capacity in the lake.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/11/22

1655 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Pass the Ketchup Please!

The mini homes at the Preserve at Woodridge are going up mighty fast. These homes are so close together that you could literally pass the ketchup from the window of one to another.

Construction Update as of 3/10/22

*While most new occupants fret over wall colors, these occupants will get their choice of roof colors*: *gray, reddish gray or bluish gray.*

Life here will have some other advantages for renters, too. You’ll certainly get to know your neighbors faster than you would in a development with massive quarter-acre lots.

Plus, these quaint-as-dorm-room rental homes certainly make efficient use of land. Mowing the lawns will take even less time than vacuuming. And with on street parking, you’ll never have to worry about cleaning out the garage.

*Have a habit of rolling out of bed late? You could be three steps from your car door.*

*The sign at the bottom of the frame says, “Individual homes for lease. PreserveAtWoodridge.com. Opening Summer 2022.” However, the website says Spring.* *Looking east toward Kingwood Park High School.*

Dogs Welcome, but Tree Space Limited

I’m told they plan to have at least six trees scattered throughout the 131 homes that will be built on roughly 12 acres. Pets are welcome according to the website, but the marketing director reportedly worries about “the male dog-to-tree” ratio. They don’t have extra trees in the budget. So they’re planning on putting in plenty of fire hydrants.

*Looking west toward St. Martha Catholic Church.*

All the Modern Amenities, Including Concrete

These lilliputian homes reportedly come with all the modern amenities, including indoor plumbing. The decorating allowance even covers a daisy near the front door.

While many people look for green solutions to flooding these days, the Preserve at Woodridge is unashamedly gray. “Who needs green space when you have all this beautiful low-maintenance concrete?” quipped one contractor who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It’s very consistent with today’s busy lifestyles.” He does have a point!

But I worry there won’t be enough counter space for residents to put their jewelry boxes and laptops on in the event of a 100-year flood, which seems to happen every other year around here.

Those new post-Harvey flood maps will come out soon. And many of the assumptions behind the engineering for the Preserve at Woodridge could be invalidated. Stay tuned for the next exciting update.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/10/2022

1654 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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.”

*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