Ever drive down a road, see someone clearing land, and wonder what was going in? Every wonder what the boundaries of your Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ) were? Do you know where the boundaries of your City, Council district, and the City’s Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) are?
Plat Tracker is Gateway to Understanding Developments Around You
Here’s a quick and easy way to find the answers to all those questions and more. It’s the Houston Plat Tracker website.
The colored parcels represent land being developed.
Clicking on any one of the colored parcels in the mappulls up information about it.
Clicking on the parcel shows plat application number, name and when it is being reviewed.
Turn layers on and off to see the boundaries of City Council Districts, the City limits, the ETJ, TIRZ districts, management districts, historical districts and more.
Plat Tracker also contains powerful measuring and drawing tools.
Zooming into that big purple area north of Huffman in the maps above and then outlining it, showed that the two developments, called Timbers and Los Pinos, comprise more than 6,000 acres!
Plat Tracker has a gallery of 29 different base maps. They include road maps, satellite images, and more. The possibilities are almost endless.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screen-Shot-2021-06-20-at-7.58.15-AM.png?fit=2610%2C1342&ssl=113422610adminadmin2021-06-20 09:28:472021-06-20 09:31:13What’s Going On in Your Neighborhood?
Every once in a while you see something that distills the essence of a problem…and perhaps a solution. This map hit me between the eyes with the force of a 2×4. It shows the physical and political boundaries of every Harris County Watershed.
Flood Control Out of Bounds
Notice how three watersheds on the northern side of Harris county extend far outside it: Spring, San Jacinto and Luce. The vast majority of each watershed lies in upstream counties such as Montgomery and Liberty. I visually guesstimate about three quarters of each lies outside Harris County.
Watershed map of Harris County shows physical boundaries of Spring, San Jacinto and Luce extend far outside county lines. The same is true for other watersheds on the Harris County periphery.
These watersheds have physical problems that only political solutions will help.
Without the cooperation of county engineers, floodplain managers and commissioners in those upstream counties, there will be no permanent solutions to flooding problems downstream. New developments without enough detention pond capacity can send water downstream faster than we can expand ditches and streams here.
If every new development built enough detention capacity to hold back large rains, no one downstream would face increased flooding risk. The mantra of floodplain managers everywhere is “retain your rain.” It’s a good motto to live by. Those who live upstream today will fight these battles thirty years from now when development extends beyond them. Eventually, everyone is downstream from someone else. We all need to learn to live together.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/17/2021
1388 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SanJacSpringLuce.jpg?fit=1200%2C1553&ssl=115531200adminadmin2021-06-17 10:04:352021-06-17 10:07:56Why Harris County’s Northern Watersheds Are Different
Two letters from Texas General Land Office (GLO) – one to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the other to US Representatives Al Green and Sylvia Garcia – explain the GLO’s awards in a recent competition for $1.1 billion in Harvey mitigation funding.
GLO Commissioner George P. Bush sent the first letter to HUD on May 27, shortly after the GLO “snubbed” (according to Mayor Sylvester Turner) Houston and Harris County. Outraged politicians at City Hall and the County Courthouse organized a protest campaign targeted at the HUD and the GLO. These two letters lay out a slightly different mitigation funding story than the one peddled to Houston media outlets by the City and County. Most media coverage trumpeted how Houston and Harris County got “zero” out of competition because of political warfare between Republicans in Austin and Democrats here.
The facts in these two letters got very little play in Houston media.
Bush Letter to HUD Requests $750 Million Direct Allocation for Harris County
Bush’s letter explains to HUD how the GLO organized and scored grant applications in the competition. The letter also explains how:
GLO received more than $6.5 billion in grant requests for $1.1 billion during floods in 2015, 2016, and 2017.
Money was awarded based on a numeric scoring system approved by HUD
Harris County was one of dozens of counties affected by the three storms
Harris County and Harris County communities were awarded $90.4 million and $26.7 million for a total of $117,213,863.96 in the first round of mitigation competition.
He (Bush) is submitting a “new action plan amendment” to that will direct $750 million to Harris County.
GLO recognizes the great need for mitigation funding in Harris County.
GLO supports a direct allocation to Harris County (non-competitive)
He (Bush) requests speedy approval of the action plan amendment/direct allocation.
Hmmmmm. $117 million is a little more than zero. However, the point to remember here is that Harris County Flood Control got zero. The $117 went to cities within Harris County to improve resilience.
Havens’ Letter Cites HUD Restrictions, Slow Rate of Drawdown for Previous Programs
HUD did not allow damage from Hurricane Harvey to be used as a metric for allocating CDBG-MIT (Community Development Block Grant Mitigation) funding!
Mark Havens, Deputy land commissioner
Deputy Commissioner Havens also points out that:
The previous HUD secretary was adamant that a direct allocation didn’t go to Houston and Harris County, and that all counties should be eligible for funds.
If you add the $117 million mentioned above to the $750 million direct allocation requested by Bush, Harris County would actually get $867 million which the County could then share with the City of Houston as it saw fit.
Harris County also set aside $120 million in infrastructure funding out of the original $2.5 billion allocated to the County and City in the first round of Hurricane Harvey funding.
The City also received a direct allocation of $61,884,000 in mitigation funding out of the original $2.5 billion.
Out of the $2.5 billion, only $91,225,206 – or 3.6% of the total has been drawn down to date.
If the City and County don’t dramatically speed up the distribution of these funds, the funds will be returned to HUD.
HUD not yet responded to the request for the $750 million direct allocation.
Flood mitigation should be non-partisan. This is about helping people whose lives were destroyed by flooding, not finger pointing. I’m not taking sides. I’m just trying to help give you the information you need about mitigation funding to intelligently question the officials you elected to serve you.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/15/2021
1386 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TS-Harvey-8-30-17-209.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=17681024adminadmin2021-06-15 20:07:292021-06-15 20:10:31GLO Letters to HUD, Green, Garcia Tell Another Side of Mitigation Funding Story
The Houston Chronicle reported this afternoon that Russ Poppe, the Executive Director of the Harris County Flood Control District, submitted a letter of resignation and plans to leave his office on July 2.
Poppe helped former County Judge Ed Emmett sell the historic $2.5 Billion Harris County Flood Bond in 2018 with a whirlwind, barnstorming tour of all 23 watersheds. After voters approved the bond, Poppe, in essence, became the head of multi-billion enterprise overnight.
Russ Poppe
Summary of Work to Date on Flood Bond Projects
His focus immediately turned to hiring staff and contractors to begin hundreds of projects identified in the watershed meetings. In April, he provided an update on the projects’ progress through the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Accepting 25 grants totaling approximately $960 million with Bond funds providing around $259 million in local matching funds
Executing 326 engineering agreements totaling $241 million
Awarding 39 construction agreements totaling $296 million
Procuring 19 staff augmentation agreements providing 113 contract staff members
Acquiring nearly 340 properties at a value over $208 million for construction projects, floodplain preservation, and wetland mitigation banks
Making $115 million available to the Office of the County Engineer to manage and construct drainage improvements in nearly 100 subdivisions across Harris County
Conducting 140 community engagement meetings with over 11,413 attendees
Completing nearly 630 home buyouts at a value over $130 million with over 680 additional in process for a buyout (since Hurricane Harvey)
Completing a repair program worth more than $125 million to address damages to District infrastructure causedby Harvey
At the end of March, only 21 bond projects had not yet been initiated. All in all, a pretty amazing record in less than three years.
In addition, Poppe made countless trips to Austin and Washington to lobby for funding. He reportedly had strong relationships in both places and helped attract $495 million in US Army Corps funding for Harris County projects currently being deployed. He also helped attract $260 million in funding for projects on Clear Creek and was head of the San Jacinto River Planning Group.
Navigating the Political Process
Most who watched Poppe in action at Harris County Commissioner’s court meetings were impressed by his calm, steady demeanor in a tumultuous political environment.
Shortly after the flood bond was sold to the public, Lina Hidalgo was elected County Judge in a blue wave of straight-ticket voting. That gave Democrats a majority in Commissioners Court and they systematically started replacing the heads of departments.
Despite his successes, Poppe came under fire from Democrats for not attracting partnership funds fast enough. That supposedly threatened projects in low-to-moderate income areas. Anyone who watched Commissioners Court regularly witnessed constant backbiting in recent months.
In March, it reached a crescendo. Democrats demanded that Poppe identify the next seven years of partnership funding in 90 days. Commissioner Rodney Ellis threatened “we’ll all have blood on our hands” if those projects in Halls and Greens Bayous don’t get completed. The implication was that Poppe was dragging his feet in adopting the Democrats “equity” plan.
FOIA Request Shows Poor Watersheds Already Far Ahead
To see if that last point was true, I started investigating those watersheds. I also submitted a FOIA request for HCFCD spending by watershed over several different time periods, including since Harvey and since 2000. I have now correlated that with other information and have spent months analyzing it. (It will soon turn into a series of articles.)
Suffice it to say that Poppe and his team were not dragging their feet.
A quartile analysis showed that the poorest watersheds were already getting twice as much flood-mitigation funding compared to the richest.
You’d think that would make Lina Hidalgo, Rodney Ellis, Adrian Garcia, Shiela Jackson Lee and Al Green happy. However, it appears to this observer that the Democrats have driven out a tremendous asset who was working hard to please his political bosses. In my opinion, they should have just declared victory and let Poppe do his work.
It will be hard to find a replacement as qualified as he is. At their June 29 meeting, Commissioners will have three options:
Take no action
Name an interim director
Appoint a new director
Make sure you watch that meeting. The fate of the flood-mitigation in Harris County is at stake. Poppe was highly respected according to multiple sources and will make a tremendous asset to some organization. People of Poppe’s calibre rarely make moves like this without having a plan in mind. I hope he decides to stay in the region.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/12/2021
1383 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Headshot_Russ_Poppe.jpg?fit=824%2C960&ssl=1960824adminadmin2021-06-12 15:49:242021-06-14 14:52:34Russ Poppe, Head of Flood Control District, Resigns
According to the National Hurricane Center, an area of cloudiness and showers has developed over the Bay of Campeche and adjacent land areas. Slow development of this system is possible over the next several days as it moves slowly and erratically.
A tropical depression could form by the middle of next week.
NHC
Due to the slow motion, regardless of development, heavy rainfall is possible over portions of Central America and southern Mexico. So keep your eye on the Bay of Campeche next week.
Formation chance through 48 hours…low…10 percent.
Chance of formation through 5 days has increased to medium…40 percent.
Beyond that, no one is predicting at this point. If nothing else, this should be a good reminder to think about preparedness.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/12/21
1283 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/two_atl_5d1.png?fit=900%2C665&ssl=1665900adminadmin2021-06-12 09:46:422021-06-12 09:48:53Brewing in Bay of Campeche
Wetlands are nature’s way of slowing water down after a rain. They also filter runoff before it reaches streams, reducing the amount of sediment pollution.
Looking north from a helicopter. Notice how ditch and roads are beginning to push into woods at top of frame.As with previous sections recently developed, Colony Ridge is not too picky about piling dirt next to ditches where sediment can wash back in.Piling dirt next to the ditches seems to be a standard practice.Note how it’s already washing back into the ditch in the lower left of this photo.
If the developer were following best management practices, according to the TCEQ and Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan recommendations, you would expect to see temporary grass, rock gabions, silt fences, and hay bales in these photos. All check the flow of sediment into ditches.
Draining the swampLooking SE toward the east part of Sante Fe (Sections 6-11) already cleared. Note swampy areas at bottom left.
Biden Trying to Restore Clean Water Act Protections
Ironically, all this development comes as the EPA under the Biden administration seeks to put teeth back into the Clean Water Act. The administration is trying to restore the definition of “Waters of the United States” that Trump restricted. Yesterday, the Justice Department submitted a legal filing that begins that process.
The EPA and Department of the Army have formally requested repeal of the Trump-era rule. That rule exempted many developments near upstream tributaries such as Luce and Tarkington Bayous from the need to obtain permits under the Clean Water Act. It basically removed large swaths of land from regulation by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
According to this Associated Press article by Matthew Daly on 6/9/2021, environmental groups and public health advocates said Trump’s interpretation of Waters of the US “allowed businesses to dump pollutants into unprotected waterways and fill in some wetlands, threatening public water supplies downstream and harming wildlife and habitat.”
Daly quotes Jaime Pinkham, acting assistant Army secretary for civil works as saying, “The Trump-era rule resulted in a 25% reduction in the number of streams and wetlands that are afforded federal protection.”
It’s unclear at this time whether rollback of Trump regulations will affect Colony Ridge. Even if the changes survive legal and legislative challenges, it could be years before they take affect.
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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/RJR_8410.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-06-10 17:39:512021-06-10 17:56:09Colony Ridge Expanding North Into More Wetlands
Below are several follow-ups in “capsule” form to 11 news items recently featured on ReduceFlooding.com.
Subsidence
Everyone of the people who made public comments at the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) meeting on Monday favored including a subsidence metric. Except for one. The person who stands to benefit the most from pumping more groundwater. There’s still time for you to register your opinion. Email:info@lonestargcd.org with the subject line “DFC Comments” no later than 11:59 p.m. on Jul. 19, 2021. See the post above for more information about the dangers of subsidence.
Forest Cove Townhomes
On May 26, I photographed Harris County Flood Control contractors starting to demolish one of the Forest Cove Townhome complexes on Marina Drive.
Complex at 960 Marina Drive as demolition began.Photo on June 1, 2021 of where 960 Marina Drive used to be.
A week later…down to the dirt. Three more townhome complexes to go – all on Marina Drive – and soon this whole area can revert to nature. The lesson of Forest Cove: Buyouts can take years before flood mitigation can even begin. Had developers never built here, much misery and cost could have been avoided.
But the amazing thing about erosion and entropy is that they never stop. Having completed the two sections between Woodland Hills and Kingwood Drive, HCFCD is already back working on maintenance. Local flood-fighter Chris Block alerted HCFCD to issues created by heavy rains in May. Crews are already out removing trees that fell into the natural portion of Bens Branch due to bank erosion. And HCFCD will meet local leaders Monday to review erosion in the just-completed channel south of Rocky Woods.
Bens Branch Bank Erosion and Tree Down have heavy rains in May 2021. Such trees can catch other debris being swept downstream and create “beaver dams” that back water up and flood homes.HCFCD Maintenance crews on Bens Branch on 6/06/21.Both photos courtesy of Richard Kahl.
Happy Anniversary…Tropical Storm Allison!
Twenty years ago today, Tropical Storm Allison dumped so much water on the Houston Area, flood maps were redrawn and the Tropical Storm Allison Recovery Project started. The storm hit the northeast quadrant of the the area inside Beltway 8 the hardest. It dumped 25 inches of rain in 12 hours over portions of Greens Bayou. Some neighborhoods there still have not recovered, according to Bob Robertson of Radio KAIR. He lived there at the time and recently returned.
NOAA rainfall map of Tropical Storm Allison in Harris County for 12 hours starting the evening of June 8 and the morning of June 9, 2001.The highest recorded total in the county was 28.3 inches.
Feasibility Study for Flood Control Dams on Spring Creek Tributaries
On Monday, I posted about an item on the Harris County Commissioner’s Court Agenda for Tuesday. The proposal was for a feasibility study for two flood control dams along Birch and Walnut Creeks. Both are tributaries of Spring Creek. Harris County Commissioners approved the inter-local agreement unanimously yesterday. Five municipal utility districts, the City of Humble, and the Texas Water Development board are also involved in this project. So…lots of dominoes to align. But yesterday was a step in the right direction.
Additional Floodgates for Lake Houston Dam
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin will hold a meeting at the Kingwood Community Center on July 8 at 6PM to discuss the status of the project. After a brief presentation, you’ll be able to meet with the engineers at small “breakout” stations to ask questions. Mark your calendar.
Woodridge Village and Taylor Gully
Harris County Flood Control District is reportedly looking at these two areas as one problem. Engineers will study combinations of a) adding floodwater detention capacity to Woodridge Village and b) additional widening or deepening Taylor Gully. Improvements in one area might be able to offset costs in another. They will look at the area from Porter all the way down to Caney Creek. Drainage from the rapidly growing White Oak Creek watershed affects part of the area, too. No date yet on recommendations.
HB2525: Dredging District
As predicted, HB2525, the bill that would have created a dredging and maintenance district for the Lake Houston Area has officially died. It passed the House. But died in the Senate’s Local Government Committee, as did the companion bill – SB 1892. File this one under “better luck next time.” The problem now is how to keep up dredging when sand mines and developments like Colony Ridge seem to send ever increasing amounts of sediment downstream.
Month after month, the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring and Cypress Creeks looks like this. Guess which way the sand mines are.
Best Management Practices for Sand Mining
Last November, the TCEQ held a public hearing on best management practices for sand mining in the San Jacinto Watershed. Bill McCabe of the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiative and the Bayou Land Conservancy have spearheaded this issue for the area. Today, the TCEQ is holding a hearing on the rule-making. They will publish results in the Texas Register on June 25. From June 25 to July 27, TCEQ will accept public comments on the new rules. In addition, the TCEQ may also hold another public hearing on July 22.
Shortfall in Partner Contributions for Flood-Bond Projects
About $872 million in the 2018 flood bond was allocated as seed money to hopefully attract roughly $2.4 billion in partnership funds from other government agencies such as HUD, FEMA, City of Houston, and the Texas Water Development Board.
However, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) recently announced grant winners for $1.1 billion of HUD funds. Harris County Flood Control received none of that. As a result, Harris County Commissioners, HCFCD, and Harris County Budget Management have scrambled, trying to identify alternative funding sources.
The good news:
They have located alternative sources for most all of the $750 million initially projected shortfall.
No flood-bond projects have been cancelled because of funding.
We’re only three years into a ten year bond fund. So there’s still plenty of time to work things out.
Patterns of Actual Flood-Mitigation Spending in Harris County
Many special interests have alleged bias in flood-mitigation spending that just don’t seem to fit what I see on the ground. So, for the past six months, I have made multiple FOIA requests, dug through HCFCD archives, and made flights over several bayous. I’m learning the facts re: actual historical spending on capital improvement projects. Where has the money actually gone? I have published five posts so far on Halls, Greens and Brays Bayou.
Those three watersheds alone have received 43% of all capital spending since 2000 – even though they comprise just 18% of the county’s square miles and 30% of the population. That’s a far cry from the “nothing” alleged by some special-interest groups. Stay tuned for more posts on this subject. Rhetoric just doesn’t fit reality.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/9/2021
1370 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/20210526-RJR_7588.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-06-09 12:22:502021-07-16 14:25:04Follow-ups: Whatever became of…?
Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced a meeting Thursday, July 8, 2021, at the Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods) to provide updates on adding more floodgates to Lake Houston. The program to discuss the Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project will start at 6:00 p.m. The event will conclude at 7:45 p.m.
Floodgate enhancement was one of the three essential elements of the flood reduction strategy after Harvey. The other two were dredging and additional upstream detention.
At the CWA March meeting, directors also approved $4.4 million to begin Phase II of the project. Phase II calls for Black & Veatch to proceed to final engineering of the floodgates and a coffer dam to protect the work area during construction.
Lake Houston Spillway current conditionsPreliminary engineering called for crest gates to be added to the first 1000 feet of this spillway.
Additional Protection for 5,000 Structures, 35,000 Residents
The spillway improvement project will increase outflow capacity of the Lake Houston Dam, bringing it closer to that of the Lake Conroe Dam. Faster releases from Lake Houston floodgates in advance of storms will prevent or reduce upstream flooding, protecting about 35,000 residents and 5,000 structures.
This project is part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. A FEMA grant provides $4.3 million for the initial phase and positions the city to receive $42.7 million for construction.
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, Houston Public Works, and Coastal Water Authority have been working together under the direction of Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello to plan this public forum to discuss the progress of the floodgates.
Format of Meeting
Black & Veatch, the project engineers, will make a brief presentation followed by a short Q&A session and breakout sessions. The breakout session will let the community engage directly with project management staff and engineers in small groups to ask more detailed questions.
For more information, please contact the District E office at (832) 393-3008 or districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/8/2021 based on information from Dave Martin
1379 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/LakeHoustonDam-e1775832315715.jpg?fit=1100%2C593&ssl=15931100adminadmin2021-06-08 12:55:092021-06-08 13:04:28Save the Date: Floodgate Meeting on July 8, 6 PM at Kingwood Community Center
The conceptual feasibility study includes the design of two dams with three alternatives for each. One potential site will be along Birch Creek and another along Walnut Creek.
Spring Creek forms the Harris/Montgomery County Line for most of its length. It also bridges precincts 3 and 4 in Harris County.
Dry Dams with Fixed Height Spillways and Low-Flow Culverts
The San Jacinto River Basin Master Drainage Plan originally identified both sites. And both would feature “dry dams.” That means, they would contain no permanent water. Specs call for building the dams high enough to hold back a hundred year flood.
Each would contain a permanent fixed-height spillway. Water would flow over the spillway when it reaches 100-year level as defined in Atlas 14. The dams would also contain low-flow culverts allowing water lower than the spillway to drain slowly after a flood, as it would from a detention pond. None of the potential designs will consider gated structures.
Initial estimates in the SJR Master Drainage Plan released last year suggest that:
A 41-foot-high, 0.7 mile long dam on Birch Creek could contain 7,731 acre-feet of water in a hundred-year storm. That’s a foot of rain falling over a 12-square-mile area.
Likewise, a 46-foot-high, 1.2 mile long dam on Walnut Creek could contain 12,159 acre-feet. That’s a foot of rain falling over a 19-square-mile area.
Identifying ways to minimize or avoid environmental impacts
Soil surveys with borings up to 75 feet deep
Spillway design
Conceptual recommendations for dam design at each site
Estimating probable construction costs
Estimating land needs and costs
Identification of potential utility issues, such as pipeline crossings
Plans for raising or relocating roads, cemeteries and utilities outside the Atlas-14, 100-year floodplain
Estimating total project costs, financing costs, annual operations and maintenance costs
Developing a benefit/cost ratio based on reductions in flood damages over a 50-year period.
SJRA would lead the Spring Creek feasibility study. The local partners are seeking up to $1 million in matching funds from the Texas Water Development Board’s Flood Infrastructure Fund.
One Part of an Upstream Detention Solution
The big question is: How much benefit would people downstream in the Lake Houston Area get from Spring Creek dams? The answer is “some, but not as much as you might think.” That’s because, as you move farther downstream, the dam blocks a smaller percentage of the watershed. Think about it. Right below the dam, everything less than a 100-year storm would be intercepted. But by the time you get down to US59, you’re also getting water from Cypress Creek, Lake Creek, the West Fork and dozens of smaller streams and ditches.
So while the Spring Creek Dams could be part of a solution to offset future releases from the Lake Conroe Dam, it’s not the total solution for the Lake Houston Area. Regardless, it still would help many homes and businesses upstream along Spring Creek. Exactly how many? We’ll have to wait to see until we get the study results.
For the full text of the proposed interlocal agreement that Commissioners will vote on Tuesday, click here.
Cost of the study to local partners will depend on the match supplied by TWDB, which has not yet been finalized.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/7/2021 based on draft of a proposed Interlocal Agreement and the SJR Master Drainage Plan
1378 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20210607-Screen-Shot-2021-06-07-at-1.39.44-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C693&ssl=16931200adminadmin2021-06-07 17:32:092021-06-07 17:38:10Harris County Commissioners Vote Tuesday on Feasibility Study of 2 Dams on Spring Creek Tributaries
The time for sitting on the sidelines of the subsidence debate is over. Groundwater Management Area 14 (GMA-14) has finalized its proposed desired future conditions (DFCs). Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGCD) is fighting them. It wants to exclude any mention of subsidence. So if you disagree with that point of view, speak up now or live with the consequences. LSGCD will hold a board meeting Monday at 2 pm to hear public comments. You can also register your opinions in writing until July 19, 2021.
See more below about the background of this crucial debate including a discussion of the issues; pros and cons; how you can make your voice heard and where you can get more information.
How GMAs Set Goals
GMA-14 comprises most of southeast Texas. See map below. It includes five groundwater conservation districts and two subsidence districts and four counties that have neither.
Every county in Texas belongs to a Groundwater Management Area. SE Texas belongs to GMA-14.
One purpose of a GMA is to bind the people of a region together to meet common goals. Significantly, if one county wants to abandon surface water and pump unlimited amounts of cheaper groundwater, it must first get permission from the other members of the GMA. That’s because pumping groundwater has consequences. It can cause neighboring wells to go dry, leaving rural ranchers without options.
It can also cause subsidence, in which one area sinks relative to surrounding areas. That can alter the gradient of rivers, causing water to move slower and back up more. Subsidence can also trigger geologic fault movement, disrupt pipelines, damage homes, and crack pavement.
In setting goals, GMAs also consider factors such as economic development and population growth. They typically plan 50 years or more ahead to ensure adequate water supplies.
Proposed Desired Future Conditions for GMA-14
GMA-14 has debated its next set of desired future conditions (DFCs) since 2016. At its last meeting, members finally adopted the following statement.
In each county in GMA 14, no less than 70 percent median available drawdown remaining in 2080 and no more than an average of 1.0 additional foot of subsidence between 2009 and 2080.
“In each county” means the numbers below represent county-wide averages or medians.
“70% median available drawdown remaining in 2080” means counties cannot draw down their aquifer(s) more than 30%. Seventy percent must remain at the end of the period – 2080. Each district controls this by monitoring aquifer levels and adjusting annual well permits to meet the goal.
“No more than an average of 1.0 additional foot of subsidence between 2009 and 2080” defines 2009 as the starting point for measuring subsidence and 2080 as the end.
Lone Star GCD Tries to Break Away
LSGCD has used a variety of arguments to fight the subsidence metric in DFCs. All failed to convince other GMA-14 members. Now LSGCD claims it will reach the drawdown limit before it reaches the subsidence limit, so subsidence should not be included in the limits.
Many observers have repeatedly commented on this position. “If it’s not a limiting factor, why fight it so hard?” they ask. LSGCD keeps repeating the argument without offering a satisfactory answer or showing proof. That raises even more suspicions. It’s like when your kid comes home and brags how well (s)he did in one class and refuses to discuss grades in others.
Pros and Cons
Surface water costs more than groundwater for several reasons. In this part of the world, surface water must be trapped in man-made lakes, treated extensively, and then shipped to users via canals or a pipeline network. In contrast, wells can be drilled near users on very little land.
But if everyone used well-water exclusively, aquifers would deplete rapidly, wells would run dry, and subsidence would kick in.
Aquifers can eventually recharge if you leave them alone long enough. But subsidence is forever. It occurs when “clay lenses” get smashed due to dehydration. Rehydrating them is impossible. One water professional used this analogy: Imagine smashing a brownie and then pouring water on it. It won’t return to its original state.
Also consider that the proposed subsidence limit is an average. In its sparsely populated northern reaches in the Sam Houston National Forest, MoCo has little water demand. However, in southern MoCo is growing by leaps and bounds.
Subsidence has already proven to be an issue there. It has triggered faults and cracked home slabs. Many feel they are now more susceptible to flooding because their homes sit in bowls between faults.
Critics of LSGCD’s move to eliminate a subsidence metric point out that without it, groundwater pumpers could exceed the drawdown limit and simply claim that aquifers would magically recharge in the last few years of the plan.
When The Woodlands began using more surface water in 2016 after completion of a surface water pipeline from Lake Conroe, the rate of subsidence dropped 75%.
Some neighborhoods in The Woodlands ALREADY SUBSIDED BY ALMOST A HALF FOOT BETWEEN 2009 and 2019. And four of those years followed a conversion to surface water that reduced the rate of subsidence 75%. So it’s real.
A return to the old rate of subsidence in The Woodlands would result in another 4-foot of drop by 2080.
Modeling also shows that Kingwood and Humble could subside 3 feet because of excessive groundwater pumping in MoCo while the Lake Houston Dam subsides only one foot. That could raise water floodwaters at the top of Lake Houston another 2 feet relative to the spillway at the dam.
Projected subsidence in MoCo with 70% of water in aquifers remaining.
Projected subsidence in Harris County with 70% remaining in aquifers by 2080
What Happens Is Up to You
Some people may prefer cheap water today and not care about the future or downstream neighbors.
The irony is that SJRA already built a surface water treatment plant, which some now advocate abandoning.
What’s more important to you? Short- or long-term savings? Leveling a foundation; repaving your driveway; repairing cracked walls and ceilings; and recovering from a flood cost far more than a few dollars a month on your water bill.
How To Register Your Concerns
Submit comments to LSGCD by:
Email:info@lonestargcd.org with the subject line “DFC Comments” no later than 11:59 p.m. on Jul. 19, 2021.
In Person: 2PM AT THE LONE STAR GCD OFFICE IN THE JAMES B. “JIM” WESLEY BOARD ROOM, 655 CONROE PARK NORTH DRIVE, CONROE, TEXAS 77303.
If you pre-register via the URL meeting link above, a password will be emailed to you in advance of the webinar. If you use the password to log, you WILL have the opportunity to provide live comments during the meeting. Use Webinar ID: 861 0914 6147 Password: Received via pre-registration.
You can also find several articles on this website. The easiest way to find them is by going to the index page and searching for GMA-14, Groundwater Management Area 14, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, LSGCD, or subsidence.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/6/2021
1377 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.
00adminadmin2021-06-06 18:32:062021-06-06 18:39:32LSGCD Hearing Public Comments 2 PM Monday on Desired Future Conditions, Subsidence
