On December 7, 2020 I flew up and down the East and West Forks of the river and took these photographs over sand mines. The neon water is “naturally” occurring. By that, I mean I did not “Photoshop” the color to create the intense neon hues. What you see is what I saw through the camera lens. Candy-colored, neon water. Just in time for Christmas.
Why the Neon Colors?
Various theories have been advanced to account for the neon water:
The cause in one location may differ that in another. A retired water-quality manger for the City of Houston tells me that the more subtle gradations seen in photos #3 and #4 above are usually the result of cyanobacteria. The intense solid blues are likely result from concentrated chemicals found in the sand.
Concentrated Color
Sand mines “wash” their sand to remove silt and salts from the finished product. They then dump the silt and salts into settling ponds which you see above. The entire Houston area was a sea bed at one time. The salt mixed in the sand, if left there, can rust steel rebar and girders embedded in concrete. That shortens the life of roadways and buildings.
And, of course, there’s plain old sediment: white, gray, red, brown. The shot below was taken after a sand mine’s dike breached releasing 56 million gallons of whitish silt into the West Fork.
Confluence of Spring Creek and West Fork. TCEQ alleged that Liberty Mines discharged 56 million gallons of white waste water into the West Fork.
While these pictures may be pretty to look at, be cautious. Some forms of contamination can sicken humans and kill pets.
So be careful when out and about on the rivers over the holidays.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/20/2020
1209 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_92.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-20 16:14:052020-12-20 16:23:40Neon Water: Just in Time for Christmas
Many floodplain regulations focus on not restricting the conveyance of rivers. But the high dikes of many sand mines literally wall off half their floodplains. This can increase the frequency, duration, and severity of flooding opposite the mines as well as erosion of river banks.
According to the computer models of engineers, that raises the height of floods on Shelbelbon’s property 3-4 feet above what they would otherwise be – especially in less than 100-year floods – when water can’t spread out on both sides of the river.
All that extra water concentrated in a smaller space also increases the velocity of flood waters and erosion. Shebelbon says he has lost 7 acres since the mines built their walls.
Schematic Diagrams Illustrate Principle
In principle, it looks like the series of diagrams below.
#1.Floodplains naturally spread out on both sides of river.#2. In a minor flood, water spreads out in both directions.#3. But after a mine walls off the floodplain, water can spread out in only one direction, raising the height of floods on the other side.#4. The extra volume of floodwater now forced into a smaller space increases the velocity of floodwater. That, in turn, increases erosion, too.
The last point may be the hardest to understand. Here’s an imperfect analogy that helps to illustrate it. Most of us have put our thumbs over nozzles of garden hoses to spray dirt off driveways. Decreasing the width of the opening forces water to go faster after it leaves the hose. That peels dirt off the driveway faster. While a hose is a closed system and a river is open, the increased velocity increases erosion regardless.
Photos Vividly Illustrate Danger
This first photo shows the height of the sand mine dike north of Shelbelbon’s property.
Looking NE from over West Fork San Jacinto. That white line in the background is I-45. Note how dikes are half the height of mature trees.Looking NW over part of Shebelbon’s motorsports complex towards mine. Note how Shebelbon’s property is at river level, but dikes around mines wall-off floodway.Looking West from over Shebelbon’s property at river level. Compare height of dikes on right.Looking ENE toward I-45 from over Shebelbon’s property, which is at river level. Note height of dikes on opposite shore.Shebelbon has lost 7 acres since the mines built their dikes.
The same problem exists on the San Jacinto East Fork.
Texas Concrete’s dike on left towers above homes on right. San Jacinto East Fork runs between them.
Perpetual Unintended Consequences
The dikes of these mines are intended to control stormwater within the mine and prevent the escape of sediment. Unfortunately for the people near them, they can have unintended side effects. And those side effects can impact neighbors long after miners abandon mines.
Texas regulations do not require restoring the natural contours of a floodplain when mines are done mining. So miners typically leave dikes in place…along with debris they’d rather not clean up.
Looking SW toward Shebelbon property from over I-45 across abandoned mine (bottom left). Google Earth shows activity on this site before Harvey but not after.
The Montgomery County Appraisal District (MCAD) values the 31-acre abandoned mine at $15,570 despite the fact that it’s right next to I-45 in the fast growing corridor between The Woodlands and Conroe.
A company named 45 SRL INC owns this property. The Texas Secretary of State shows that Williams Brothers Construction Company Inc. owns 100% of 45 SRL INC.
Reclamation of this site would cost far more than the value of the land which likely explains why:
The property has been abandoned without reclamation for more than 3 years
Why we need performance bonds to ensure the reclamation of mines
Why Shebelbon will continue to flood in minor events.
If it can happen to a man with a thriving business, it can happen to you, too.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/19/2020
1208 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.
Last year, New York State produced a series of model local laws to increase resilience. The 468-page document is a catalog of ideas for cities and counties to choose from. It covers everything from building in flood-prone areas to maximum lot coverage, land-clearing practices for new developments, stormwater controls, zoning, building elevation and more.
For those who can get past the not-invented-here syndrome, it could provide a valuable resource. As I read it, I found dozens of ideas that could reduce flooding in Houston.
Will New York Approaches Fly in Houston?
While some of the concepts, such as zoning, may seem radical to Houstonians, others have actually already been adopted by Houston. For instance, one of the suggestions was to record the extent of flood-plains on plats, a project the Houston Planning Commission recently adopted. Another is to require elevation of homes that flood repetitively to avoid substantial damage in the future. Houston adopted that one, too, after Harvey.
Another recommendation: prohibit land clearing by developers until AFTER plats are approved. This could likely have helped prevent a lot of flooding on the San Jacinto East Fork where Colony Ridge cleared thousands of acres before even getting plats approved.
The real target for this document is local government officials interested in addressing resiliency issues in their municipal codes. However, the discussions around each proposal also provide interesting background for flood advocates who are lobbying their elected officials.
Best Practices Codified into Local Regulations
The ideas provide of menu of what has worked elsewhere and why.
For greater resiliency, it is a wise best management practice, claim the authors, to ensure that developers design subdivision layouts in a manner that:
Minimizes land disturbance (tree clearing, land grading, soil compaction);
Avoids steep slopes, flood-prone areas and wetlands;
Protects important natural areas and habitats; Limits impervious surfaces;
Does not negatively impact public infrastructure;
Does not overload the roadway system, and
Provides effective stormwater control.
Other Major Areas of Focus
Other major sections deal with protection alternatives for:
The ideas presented here do not represent a complete program that must be adopted from start to finish. They are more like an à la carte menu. Take a little of this. A little of that. Whatever you need. Wherever you need it.
Once local officials identify ideas they could use, the document even provides templates for the wording of resolutions.
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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_836.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-18 15:32:152020-12-18 15:36:14Model Local Laws to Increase Resilience
The Liberty County Hazard Mitigation Plan contains no mention of Colony Ridge, the largest and most vulnerable community in the entire county. Like Liberty County’s Strategic Plan, this is another example of shoot-yourself-in-the-foot planning. It, too, has Grand-Canyon-sized disconnects between intention and execution that could jeopardize thousands of lives.
Overlooked or Ignored?
Liberty County last updated its Hazard Mitigation Plan in 2017. Yet it contains no specific mention of Colony Ridge, a 12-13,000 acre development. At buildout, Colony Ridge projects it will cover 22,000 acres. By comparison, Kingwood occupies 14,000 acres.
The former Mayor of Plum Grove estimates more than 20,000 people currently call Colony Ridge home. Exact counts are difficult since many people are undocumented. But if the Mayor was correct, it would make Colony Ridge two timeslarger than the largest cities in the county. Plus…
Colony Ridge has extreme vulnerabilities caused by sub-standard drainage; poverty; language barriers; lack of street lighting and fire hydrants; poor electrical and communications infrastructure; a high percentage of mobil and self-built homes; poor access through flood-prone roads; and leaky sewage systems.
Such risk factors make residents especially vulnerable to floods, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, and extreme temperatures. Moreover, poverty makes it harder for people to recover from such disasters.
Yet the plan does not contain one recommendation to address this high concentration of vulnerabilities in Colony Ridge. Even though the plan addresses vulnerabilities in much smaller areas, “the largest vulnerable population in the county” receives only one mention. That was as an unnamed area near Plum Grove. Plum Grove has a population of approximately 400-500 people compared to Colony Ridge’s 20,000.
It’s as though the people who live in Colony Ridge are invisible. For instance, the plan addresses two mobile homes in Dayton Lakes, but not the thousands in Colony Ridge.
Purpose of Plan
The purpose of Liberty County’s Hazard Mitigation Plan is to “reduce the loss of life and property within the county and lessen the negative impacts of natural disasters.” The plan addresses specific vulnerabilities in a dozen communities, but never the largest.
Educational Programs Targeted to Government Officials
This section starts with the need to develop and implement educational programs for residents and government officials, that address, among other things, the need to improve existing local ordinances. That was a familiar theme from the Liberty County Strategic Plan (which also failed to mention Colony Ridge). The idea: better building codes can enhance survivability of structures during threats such as tornadoes, fires, hurricanes and floods.
But that idea hasn’t yet filtered down to Colony Ridge where the developer caters to a do-your-own-thing, follow-your-American-dream, build-it-yourself-on-weekends crowd. The results are predictably creative and eclectic. See below.
Colony Ridge D-I-Y housing. Photo taken 12/7/2020.Typical neighborhood in Colony Ridge. Photo taken 12/7/2020.Note how cream-colored home (bottom left) has apparently fallen off its base.
Public/Private Collaboration to Minimize Hazards
A similar objective to the one above: Foster collaboration between public and private partners throughout the county to create and implement local ordinances and county-level programs that minimize hazards. Here are several common problems:
No evacuation routes marked.
No traffic-control signals along what would be evacuation routes.
Unlit streets at night
People walk on streets because there are no sidewalks.
Only a handful of fire hydrants in 13,000 acres where residents commonly start brush fires and overwhelm the volunteer Plum Grove fire department.
No school-zone warning lights or signs
No grocery stores for emergency supplies.
Missing street signs make emergency response difficult in many areas.
On a special note, as of 9PM tonight, the temperature has dropped into the 30s and reports of widespread power outages are pouring in from Colony Ridge due to poor electrical infrastructure that has not kept pace with the area’s growth.
Improve Drainage to Reduce Flooding and Erosion
Another goal: improve drainage throughout the county to reduce the impact of flooding and erosion on residents and structures.
FM1010 at Rocky Branchhas gone un-repaired for the 3.5 years since Harvey. This road would be the major evacuation route for 20,000.
The Mitigation Plan was developed after Harvey and adopted by Liberty County Commissioner’s Court on October 9, 2018. But the Plan makes no mention of the repairing the washout above.
Create Drainage Ponds Throughout County
The plan calls for widening existing culverts and creating drainage ponds throughout the county. Yet for the entire 13,000 acres, Colony Ridge apparently has one functioning detention pond. A second pond seems to have largely silted in.
One of the few, if not the only functioning detention ponds in Colony Ridge. This is in Sante Fe Section 3 in the extreme southwestern corner of the development.Colony Ridge engineers claim such ponds would make flooding worse. See below.
Beat-The-Peak Analysis Applied to 22,000 Acres
LandPlan Engineering’s Hydraulic Analysis from March 2020 concludes on page 8 that “…detention would increase the overall peak release from [Sante Fe] Section 6 as well as those portions of upcoming Sections 7 and 8 discharging to the Luce Bayou.”
It’s hard to understand how detention ponds would increase the peak flow. The conclusion refers readers to two graphs in Appendix D. But neither mentions anything about detention assumptions such as volume or rate of release. This is yet another “beat the peak” claim which Liberty County Drainage Regulations don’t explicitly bar.
So the Hazard Mitigation Plan encourages detention ponds and the drainage regulations give developers financial incentives NOT to build them. Again, the Grand-Canyon-sized gap between intentions and execution.
As we have seen in Montgomery County, beat-the-peak claims don’t consider changes to upstream or downstream conditions. They rely on infrequently updated data that becomes increasingly out of date with the development of each new subdivision. And they encourage all developers to get their water to rivers ASAP in heavy rains, which is exactly the opposite of what you want people to do in floods.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/16/2020
1205 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 454 since Imelda
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/2020/10/20201025-DJI_0919.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-12-16 21:09:122020-12-16 21:46:46Liberty County Hazard Mitigation Plan Contains No Mention of Largest, Most Vulnerable Community in County
Today, Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved an interlocal agreement with the City of Houston concerning the purchase of Woodridge Village from Perry Homes. On December 9, the City of Houston approved the same interlocal agreement. Today’s approval by the County brings both sides closer to a deal. But several details still remain to be worked out before closing the sale.
Remaining Details to Work Out Before Closing
Approval by both the City and County does NOT mean the purchase is automatically a done deal. Multiple surveys and appraisals must still be completed.
Any real-estate purchase is complicated, but this one is especially so because it involves three parties. Two of them want to split up the property and use it in different ways. They also want to pay for it in different ways.
As part of the deal, the City wants to purchase 77 acres out of the total 268 acres for itself to use as a wastewater treatment facility. The City wants to pay cash for that.
The remainder of the property, 191 acres, will be jointly owned, developed, operated and maintained by the City and Flood Control.
Flood Control’s agreement with the City says that the City will pay for its half of jointly owned acreage by donating other property that Flood Control can use to reduce the cost of other mitigation projects.
The City and County must now get surveys and appraisals of all assets involved and agree on how to transfer them before closing. The clock is ticking.
The County’s separate purchase agreement with Figure Four gives the County until approximately March 1 to close the deal.
At Stake: Future of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest
Car submerged during Imelda at the end of Village Springs adjacent to Woodridge. Note the sediment laden water from the development. Photo courtesy of Allyssa Harris.
County Judge Lina Hidalgo kicked off the discussion by stating she favored the proposal. Among her reasons:
Flood reduction in the Kingwood Area
Land that the County would get for other flood mitigation projects, especially along Halls and Greens Bayous.
Updating of the City’s drainage regulations to meet Atlas 14 requirements, even in the City’s ETJ
Russ Poppe, executive director of HCFCD noted that Perry had sunk $24 million into buying and clearing the property, and excavating detention ponds on it. He also said the property appraised at $19 million and that the County’s share of acquisition would be $5 million.
Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia said that he initially had “grave concerns” about the acquisition but that Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s work had allayed them.
Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis raised concerns about the County getting stuck with the land if the City backed out of the deal.
But Robert Soard of the County Attorney’s office reassured him that if the City did not deliver, the deal was off BEFORE the County had to write a check.
Russ Poppe reassured everyone that when all conditions of the interlocal agreement were met, the commissioners would get a chance to approve the money before the deal was final.
In the end, the four commissioners and Judge Hidalgo all voted FOR the interlocal agreement. Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle thanked them all on behalf of 600 flood victims.
Video of the debate has not yet been posted.
Posted by Bob Rehak on December 15, 2020
1204 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 453 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/VillageSprings1.jpg?fit=900%2C1200&ssl=11200900adminadmin2020-12-15 15:28:302020-12-15 15:49:55Harris County Approves Interlocal Agreement with City Concerning Woodridge Village
In August 2016, Liberty County released a Strategic Plan. Officials intended it to be the official policy guide for the county’s growth. However, most of the growth experienced by the county since then contrasts sharply with the vision, strategies and goals outlined in the plan. The contrast is so great, it’s tragicomic.
Colony Ridge V. Liberty County Goals
The massive 12-13,000 acre Colony Ridge development has provided most of the county’s growth since the plan’s inception. The development was not even mentioned in the plan but is now larger than the largest cities in the county (Liberty, Cleveland and Dayton).
Below are quotes from the Strategic Plan paired with pictures from Colony Ridge. You be the judge. Is Liberty County delivering on its mission, vision and values? Or mortgaging its future?
Vision Statement
“Liberty County supports a high quality of life by nurturing a family-friendly, resilient, and equitable community, and welcomes sustainable growth while conserving natural assets” – County Vision Statement
High-Level Goals
Development Goals include “Developing in a safe and resilient way that will last for generations to come.”Environmental Goals include promotion of ecotourism, expansion of parks, and wetland preservation.Housing Goals include improving the quality of housing.Transportation Goals include expanding connectivity throughout the county. “The mobility of both people and goods is vital to the region’s success and its citizens’ quality of life.” Shown above: FM1010, washed out since Harvey, has traffic backed up for hours during morning and evening commutes.
Drainage/Water Concerns
Planners are concerned about “fast growth that will change the nature of the community, and place more pressure on existing services and storm water infrastructure.”
Building and Development Guidelines
“Strengthening building codes is an effective way to lessen damage from disasters...For example, there would have been 40% less damage in Hurricane Andrew had building codes been enforced.”“Encourage an intense tree canopy as a tool for reducing energy consumption and thermal pollution while also increasing value.”“Establish development regulations to reduce hazard exposure within the County.”“We envision a county abundant in natural, environmental, and wildlife resources that are protected and carefully managed to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem as the county grows.”
Promote an Overall Increase In Quality of Life
“…ensure that there is equitable access to resilient, high-quality housing to promote an overall increase in the quality of life.”
Such plans are always aspirational. They provide both direction and guideposts to measure success. People always make concessions to reality along the way.
However, what strikes me about thisparticular plan is that Liberty County gleefully accepted the first growth that fell into its lap. Judging by the pictures and statements above, and Wayne Dolcefino’s interviews, county officials were too busy licking their lips to say, “Hey now!”
They apparently made no attempt to influence the developer to follow even the most basic tenets of their plan.
From the Liberty County Strategic Plan.
It’s almost as if Colony Ridge exists in a parallel universe. I wonder how the structures above will hold up in a tornado, Toto?
An immutable law of biology states that “If you’re not growing, you’re going.” But I hope people down at the county courthouse remember that not all growth is good.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/14/2020
1203 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 452 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_734.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-14 09:00:262020-12-14 09:00:31Liberty County Strategic Plan … Dead On Arrival
Wayne Dolcefino, one of the country’s great investigative journalists, has been digging into Colony Ridge, as I have. So when he asked me last week if his videographer could hitch a ride on my helicopter, I said “sure.”
New Dolcefino Video Covers More Dimensions of Flooding Problem
While I shot hundreds of stills over Colony Ridge, his videographer shot 90 minutes of video. Dolcefino edited it together with other footage. His 8-minute video includes:
The most recent Liberty County Commissioner’s meeting
Attempted interviews with Trey Harris, the Colony Ridge developer
Some mind-boggling political donations made by Harris
An interview with a Harris County flood official
Articles from ReduceFlooding.com, including my recent Colony Ridge post, Rivers of Mud.
Wayne Dolcefino begs Liberty County Judge Jay Knight and commissioners to watch video of drainage violations at Colony Ridge before voting on new plats for the developer. They approved the plats without watching his video.
While I have focused primarily on the physical issues involved in flooding, Dolcefino has also focused on political issues. He literally digs deeper into the problem.
From Colony Ridge to the Liberty County Courthouse
The background for Dolcefino’s latest video is a Liberty County Commissioner’s Court meeting in which he attempted to show Commissioners video of drainage violations in Colony Ridge before they voted on additional plats for the developer.
Commissioners approved the plats after refusing to watch the video. Then, incredibly, one said he didn’t see any proof of violations.
And that – in one brief soundbite – explains why flooding is such a difficult problem to solve.
Colony Ridge violates Liberty County drainage standards because ditches have no backslope interceptor swales to reduce erosion.Most also lack grass.
I highly recommend Dolcefino’s video if you want to understand – in your gut – how politics can affect local flooding.
Out-Scrooging Scrooge
You may also find Trey Harris’ refusal to answer questions about deplorable living conditions in Colony Ridge, coupled with interest rates up to 13% on land purchases, quite interesting. It only took 177 years for someone to out-Scrooge Ebenezer Scrooge, the protagonist from Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. But, in my opinion, the Colony Ridge developer now sets the standard.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/13/2020 based on reporting by Wayne Dolcefino
1202 Days since Hurricane Harveyand 451 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20201213-Screen-Shot-2020-12-13-at-5.14.33-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C680&ssl=16801200adminadmin2020-12-13 18:08:472020-12-13 18:22:09Rivers of Mud, Part Dos: Wayne Dolcefino Uncovers More Liberty County Dirt
Two new developments in Montgomery County, Audubon in Magnolia and Country Colony in Porter, will have no detention ponds. The two developments total almost 3,400 acres. During heavy rainfalls, they will dump their floodwater directly into local streams.
The commissioners expressed concern in their 2019 meeting about placing economic hardships on developers. Residents complained about the economic hardships caused by flooding. The developers won.
Theory and Problems with Flood Routing Studies
The idea behind flood routing is simple. If you can show you can get your floodwater to the river faster than a flood’s peak arrives, theoretically, you’re not adding to the peak. Therefore, theoretically, you’re not making flooding worse.
However, engineers and hydrologists point out several flaws with this “beat the peak” theory.
Flood-routing studies don’t consider the cumulative effects of other developments.
They are almost always based on outdated hydrologic models.
They assume “ideal” storm conditions.
“If you start with a brand new hydrologic model,” said one county engineer, “the modeling a developer does could theoretically be accurate. But his/her runoff changes the model. That runoff rarely gets incorporated into the model that the next developer uses.”
And, of course, if everybody rushes floodwater to a river during a flood, that’s the exact opposite of what you want. Holding water back in detention and retention ponds is the best way to reduce flooding.
The two new developments in MoCo exploit this routing-study loophole to avoid the cost of building detention ponds.
Audubon in Magnolia
The first, called Audubon Magnolia will contain 5,000 homes at buildout. It occupies 3,300 acres that drain into Mill Creek, Spring Creek and then the West Fork San Jacinto.
From Audubon’s drainage impact analysis. Note school being placed at edge of floodplain…before new floodplain maps are redrawn based on Atlas-14.
Section 3.1 of the Impact Analysis includes a description of the flood routing study and concludes, “Therefore, the increased flows are able to exit into Mill Creek before the flow from the bulk of the upper drainage basin arrives at the mouth of the stream.”
Correspondence with Montgomery County officials at the front of the document shows their concerns: use of pre-Atlas 14 data; impact on wetlands; building in floodplain; roughness co-efficients used to model speed of water over various terrains; and impact on water surface elevations.
Clearly, the floodplain administrator had major concerns about use of pre-Atlas 14 rainfall data. However, the developer was grandfathered based on the date of the original permit application.
Montgomery County’s new Atlas 14 standards increased the total for a 24-hour, hundred-year rain by 4 inches. The Flood Plain administrator encouraged the developer to model the higher rainfall totals and build to higher elevations. Why? To ensure the likelihood of compliance for those homes in the future.
These documents, dated 2019, are the latest available from Montgomery County. The county engineer’s office indicated that no detention ponds are being planned by the developer or demanded by the County.
Country Colony in Porter
The second development, Country Colony, lies just north of the Harris County/Montgomery County line at the end of West Lake Houston Parkway. Country Colony occupies approximately 80 acres immediately west of the Triple PG sand mine.
Note county line at southern edge of development. Also note how some of the lots are actually in the floodplain of White Oak Creek.Country Colony. Taken December 7, 2020, looking east toward Triple PG Sand Mine in background.
No detention ponds here either! A big heads up to the people downstream in Walden Woods, Woodstream Forest and beyond.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/12/2020
1201 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_446.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-12 20:51:402020-12-12 20:53:04Two New MoCo Developments Will Total Almost 3,400 Acres, Have No Detention Ponds
Two daredevil sand mining companies, Triple PG Sand Development, LLC and Texas Concrete, have stepped up their efforts to mine sand between pipelines that carry natural gas and highly volatile liquids.
AG Lawsuit Filed in 2019
In October of last year, the Texas Attorney General sued the Triple PG mine in Porter for up to $1 million on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). The original petition in the case cited repeated breaches in the mine’s dikes over a period of several years that let process water and sediment from the mine escape into the headwaters of Lake Houston. Lake Houston supplies drinking water for approximately two million people.
Days after the AG filed the suit, the mine’s owner, Dr. Prabhakar R. Guniganti, a cardiologist from Nacogdoches, tried to shuffle ownership of the mine through a series of trusts controlled by his family. In June of this year, the AG filed an amended petition, naming all the trusts and their officers (both individually and as directors) as additional defendants.
Both the TCEQ and AG’s office have declined to comment on ongoing legal matters relating to the Triple PG operation. However, while flying over the mine on Monday this week, I saw something very disturbing.
Mining Between Pipeline Corridors
Kinder Morgan has an easement for a natural gas pipeline through the mine. You can see the pipeline path on the left in the photo below. Their pipeline was exposed during Harvey by erosion and had to be buried deeper. Luckily, no explosions or fires resulted.
Looking NW. Mining between pipelines at the Triple PG mine in Porter.Natural gas line on left; HVL lines in utility corridor at top of frame.
Now, Triple PG and Texas Concrete are mining sand from between the pipelines. This will increase the potential for erosion in future storms. That could expose pipelines and potentially lead to pipeline ruptures, spills, and/or explosions.
Looking west. Removing additional ground cover makes the pipelines on either side more susceptible to erosion and exposure during floods.Looking south. Notice on right how mine has run heavy equipment across both pipeline corridors, a dangerous practice according to pipeline engineers.
To adapt a phrase about pilots from the aviation industry, “There are old miners and bold miners.” Those daredevils at Triple PG sure are Bold. With a capital B. As in Boom.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/11/2020
1200 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_552.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-11 18:29:482020-12-11 18:35:41Daredevils at Triple PG Mine Continue to Push Safety Envelope
But aerial photos taken this week show that drainage ditches in the massive Colony Ridge development rarely have grass on their banks. And while criss-crossing the development in a helicopter on Monday, December 7, 2020, I did not see one backslope interceptor swale. This, DESPITE Colony Ridge being the largest development in Liberty County. Or maybe it’s BECAUSE Colony Ridge is the largest development in the county. Perhaps they think they can flaunt regulations.
Colony Ridge is even larger than any of the cities in Liberty County – by far. You would think that would make violations more visible. But apparently, it makes them less so. Much to the detriment of downstream communities.
What Ditches Should Look Like If Regulations Were Followed
Regs in Liberty County are similar to those in Harris County. Here’s a photo of a drainage ditch in Harris. It shows both grass and interceptor swales in use and how they help prevent erosion. Note the swales behind the shoulders of the ditch. Also notice the concrete structures that help pipe rainwater from the swales to the bottom of the ditch. They prevent water from washing down the ditch slopes and causing erosion. Had the developer followed the regs, which represent best practices, his ditches should look like the one below.
Backslope interceptor swales with drain pipes leading to bottom of ditch help prevent erosion. Photographed in Humble in Harris County.
Erosion Control as Practiced in Colony Ridge/Liberty County
Now, compare that to the following 18 photos. I took all of them over Colony Ridge on Monday. Some show newly developing areas subject to the latest regulations adopted in 2019. Others show areas already developed under regulations from 2004. The older regs required grass, but no interceptor swales. The newer regs require both. No attempt has been made to bring the older ditches up to newer standards despite obvious erosion problems.
Note how the developer has a habit of piling dirt next to the ditches. The TCEQ cited the developer for that practice earlier this year because dirt could wash back into ditches during rains. However, the developer obviously doesn’t fear the TCEQ. He’s still doing it. On a grand scale.
Ditch on right has grass on banks but no backslope interceptor swales.Note dirt piled on banks and how it’s already eroding into ditch. No grass. No swales. Piles of dirton the ditch’s shoulders.Again. No grass. No swales. More dirt on shoulders.Some weeds, but no grass. No swales. And a river of mud.Another river of mud.Rio de Lodo. “Lodo” translates to mud, sludge or mire in English.This ditch has more corrugations than a cardboard factory thanks to the total absence of erosion-control measures.Ditch in new area without erosion control measures near Highway 99 extension (in upper left of frame). Note eroded sediment already moving down the ditch.See close-up detail below.Regulations say that grass should be planted on ditch shoulders immediately after ditch construction.Detail from upper right of previous photo.Note erosion in ditch in foreground and other ditch T-ing into it.Pipe from resident’s home enters ditch at top, accelerating erosion. Enlargement shows brownish liquid dripping from pipe.Even newer stick-built homes on left don’t get erosion protection.Note a wheelbarrow next to the man. Perhaps he’s trying to excavate blockages in the ditchbehind his house.Note how erosion has taken dirt from under fences.Better keep the dog on a leash!The mud in ditches has made them playgrounds for ATVs, further contributing to erosion.The mother of all eroding ditches in Colony Ridge.(BTW, note the absence of fire hydrants on the long street left of ditch.)Baby ditch with another river of mud.Erosion has created a training ground for mountain goats in Colony Ridge.
Externalizing Development Costs
All this erosion (from approximately 12-13,000 acres) eventually winds up in the East Fork of the San Jacinto and Lake Houston. There, taxpayers must pay to have it dredged and filtered out of the water supply.
Meanwhile, the developers cheaping it out are counting their change all the way to the bank.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/10/2020
1199 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 448 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_1103.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-10 14:12:222020-12-11 13:16:11Rivers of Mud: Largest Development in Liberty County Openly Flaunts Drainage Regulations
