Texas Water Development Board Launches New Web Site

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) has launched a new website called the Texas Water Newsroom.

A new site by the TWDB

Water Supply and Flood Planning

TWDB is the state agency responsible for water supply and flood planning, financing, and research. The agency helps ensure Texans plan and prepare for the perpetual threat of water scarcity and water surplus in Texas.

Water Newsroom Emphasizes Newsworthy Issues

The new website emphasizes news and timely topics. It bridges the gap between water professionals and consumers. It is a filtered, scaled-down, simplified version of the Board’s existing website, which can best be described as voluminous.

The Texas Water Newsroom was created to tell the stories of Texas water—the people, places, issues, and efforts. It contains videos, articles, press releases, and more. TWDB updates the stories regularly. All content is available for public use and reproduction for informational purposes. However, TWDB discourages promotional use.

Currently featured articles include:

A Layer Cake of Information

The story on regional water plans in the Water Newsroom caught my eye. It talked about how sixteen regional water planning groups are putting the finishing touches on their plans to ensure their areas have enough water to survive a drought. It contained a link to the current drafts of the plans by region. Houston is in Region H.

The Region H plan consists of two parts: the 326 page plan and 1576 pages of appendices.

I won’t pretend that I’ve read the whole thing. But I did skim it. And I found buried nuggets of information that revealed political/legal/private agendas in play.

That in itself is inevitable. But some are shocking. One in particular caught my eye: “Flood Liability of Water Supply Reservoirs.” It contains a legislative recommendation that has the potential to take away some of your rights.

More on that in a separate post. Suffice it for now to say that the TWDB really does need public input on these recommendations. And I probably would not have found that recommendation had it not been for the new website. Check it out. Bookmark it. And visit often.

For future reference, I’ve posted it on the LINKS page of this web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/9/2020

1015 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Why Does the State that Leads the Nation in Billion-Dollar Weather Disasters Resist Minimum Drainage Standards?

Every once in a while, thoughts collide in a way that makes you see the world more clearly. Such a collision happened today. I suddenly realized that Texas, the state that leads the nation in billion-dollar, weather-and-climate related disasters, also has many developers plus city and county officials pushing back against higher minimum drainage standards that would reduce flooding. At a time when those disasters are increasing in frequency!

How Proposed Drainage Standards Will Affect Developers

My last post talked about “Minimum Drainage Standard Recommendations for Communities In or Draining Into Harris County.” A reader asked how the proposed changes would affect developers.

I replied, “The proposed changes would force developers in the future to install detention ponds and storm drains large enough to help reduce flooding. It would also prohibit them from reducing the floodwater storage capacity of the 500 year floodplain. Finally, it would force them to raise the level of homes above the 500-year floodplain or flood-proof them.”

Then I added, “From a flood prevention point of view, these are all good things. But from a developer’s point of view, they add expense. If you buy a home in an area that complies with these standards, it will probably mean a higher-priced, but much safer home. I hear that developers and some civic officials are already pushing back against these proposed changes.”

Natural Disaster Costs, Frequencies

After sending the reply, I went to the NOAA site to find information about natural disasters, their costs, their frequency and their primary locations.

I found this fascinating story about the increasing frequency of billion-dollar weather disasters. I pulled the three charts below from it.

Source: NOAA.

The last decade had twice as many billion-dollar weather disasters as the previous decade and four times more than the decade of the 1980s. The last five years had 69% of all such disasters in the entire 40 year period.

Tropical Cyclones and flooding comprised 29.5% all these billion-dollar disasters.

Source: NOAA.

Reason for Increasing Costs, Even After Adjusting for Inflation

In explaining these rising costs, NOAA says, “These trends are … complicated by the fact that much of the growth has taken place in vulnerable areas like coasts and river floodplains. Vulnerability is especially high where building codes are insufficient for reducing damage from extreme events.”

Texas Leads Nation

And who leads the nation in billion-dollar, weather-and-climate-related disasters? Texas.

Connecting Some Tragic Dots

So there you have it.

The state with the most billion-dollar disasters has many developers and civic leaders pushing back against higher minimum drainage standards at a time when major weather disasters are increasing.

Food for thought as this debate begins. Kind of makes you wonder about the wisdom of permitting starter homes in flood plains next to raging rivers, building 2200 acre developments without any detention ponds, and encouraging developers to get their water to rivers faster in floods.

New Northpark Woods development in Montgomery County next to San Jacinto West Fork and its sand pits.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/8/2020

1014 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 263 after Imelda

Minimum Drainage Standard Recommendations for Communities In or Draining Into Harris County

In April, Harris County Commissioners directed the County Engineer and Executive Director of the Flood Control District to recommend minimum drainage standards for all communities in Harris County. The idea: to protect the County’s $2.5 billion flood bond investment. Lax standards in one place could undermine mitigation projects in another.

High-Level Recommendations

In May, the two executives came back to Commissioners Court. Here is what they recommended. These ideas apply to all cities within Harris County as well as those outside the county, but which drain into Harris County.

The recommendations must be adopted within municipal boundaries AND extraterritorial jurisdictions by December 31, 2020, IF the municipalities in question wish to partner with the county on any flood bond projects. That’s a $2.5 billion stick the county wields and that’s a powerful incentive.

Here are the recommendations:

  • Use Atlas 14 rainfall rates for sizing storm water conveyance and detention systems.
  • Require a minimum detention rate of 0.55 acre feet per acre of detention for any new development on tracts one acre or larger in size. However a single family residential structure and accessory buildings proposed on an existing lot is except from providing detention.
  • Prohibit the use of hydrographic timing as a substitution for detention on any project, unless it directly outfalls into Galveston Bay.
  • Require no net fill in the current mapped 500-year flood plain, except in areas identified as coastal zones only.
  • Require the minimum Finished Floor Elevation (FFE) of new habitable structures be established at or waterproofed to the 500-year flood elevation as shown on the effective Flood Insurance Study.

County Has Hired Engineering Firm to Identify Specific Changes

These are higher-level recommendations than those the County asked the City of Houston to make as a condition for the purchase of the Woodridge Village property in Montgomery County. The reason: The list provided to the City pertained to actual regulations that needed to change as a result of these high-level directives.

The County has hired an engineering firm, EHRA Engineering, to assist communities in evaluating and updating their policies and ordinances at no cost to the community.

End-of-Year Deadline

To help ensure participation, no partnership projects, including flood control or county roadway projects, will be constructed after December 31, 2020, in communities that have failed to implement these minimum standards. Projects started before that date may be continued only if communities are actively working to update their criteria.

Fix Flooding First Initiative About to Be Unveiled

The letter, signed by John Blount, Harris County Engineer, and Russ Poppe, Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, also hints at something called a “Fix Flooding First” Initiative scheduled for roll out later this month. A Google search for “Fix Flooding First” turned up an initiative in Charleston, SC, but nothing in Harris County yet. Stay tuned.

Exact Text of Language Approved by Commissioners

Below is the exact text of the language in the two page letter unanimously approved by Commissioners and the County Judge.

Page 1
Page 2

For a printable PDF, click here.

Reference to Hydrograph Timing Explained

The reference to hydrograph timing in the letter above refers to the Beat-the-Peak exemptions that Montgomery County offers to developers as an alternative to detention ponds. If developers can prove that their runoff will reach a river or stream BEFORE the peak of a flood, they can avoid building detention. The theory is that they aren’t adding to the peak.

The Artavia Development near FM1314 and the West Fork covers 2200 acres without having one detention pond. Ditches are designed to get water to the river ASAP.

Of course, that only encourages developers to get water to a river faster in a flood. That reduces the time of accumulation and adds to flooding downstream. It’s the exact opposite of what should happen to reduce flooding.

Using Beat the Peak, the 2200-acre Artavia development near the West Fork San Jacinto got away without building any detention ponds. Look out below!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/8/2020

1014 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Contractors Now Working Seven Days Per Week, Dawn to Dusk, on Woodridge Village Detention Ponds

Sunday morning at 8 a.m., Perry contractors we’re busy working on Woodridge Village detention ponds. This came after a Saturday when they stopped working after 6 p.m. Surprisingly, this came even as the threat from Tropical Storm Cristobal moved farther east.

Woodridge Village was implicated in flooding Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest twice last year. Lack of functional detention ponds was one of the key contributors.

Before/After Shots of N2 Channel

After months of relative inactivity, construction has kicked into high gear. Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller took the two shots below from near Mace Street in Porter.

N2 Channel as of 6/4/2020 in afternoon around 5 p.m.
Same channel on 6/6 around 10 a.m.

That’s a lot of dirt to move in a little more than a day! Below is how the same channel looked from the air on Sunday morning.

Looking north along western perimeter of Woodridge Village at channel that connects detention pond N1 with N2.

Below, you can see the general layout of Woodridge Village detention ponds.

Other Sunday Morning Photos

Since the last update, the focus of most construction activity seems to be on two detention ponds along the development’s western border – N1 and N2. As the photos below show, contractors have expanded both ponds as well as the ditches connecting them.

Expansion of the Woodridge Village N1 Pond
Workers are also deepening and widening N2 toward the left above.

Contractors use dirt from the ponds to raise the areas where homes may be built some day.

Dirt from N1 is moving east toward the new Ford Road entrance.

See new Ford Road Entrance through trees at upper right.
Dirt excavated from N2 in the background is also moving east toward the foreground, which is the base of N3. Note also how the grass planted last winter in the souther section (upper left) has all turned brown. This could present an erosion problem in the future.
Grass in the overflow spillway between the concrete-lined portion of Taylor Gully (left) and detention pond S2 has also died.
Looking NE from over S2. Taylor Gully cuts diagonally through the frame from upper left to lower right. Note the vast expanse of treeless, grassless development on the southwest half of the northern section.

End Game Still Not Settled

The fate of Woodridge Village, which is still mired in lawsuits, has not been settled. Practically speaking, Perry Homes has said it could/would:

  1. Sell the land to Harris County Flood Control District to create a regional floodwater detention facility
  2. Develop the property itself
  3. Sell the property to another developer
Regarding Option 1

At the last Harris County Commissioner’s Court meeting, commissioners heaped new demands on the City of Houston. They want the City to actually implement a series of changes related to Atlas-14 in its building codes and ETJ (extra territorial jurisdiction. A mere promise to implement them via an inter-local agreement seems insufficient for the commissioners.

The City must also come up with cash (or land in lieu of cash) to cover half of the construction costs of developing the regional detention basin (not just half of the purchase price of the land). Russ Poppe, Director of Harris County Flood Control estimated the construction costs could total $20 to $30 million, although flood control has reportedly not yet started planning the project.

Regarding Option 2

A web search this morning turned up no new bidding documents for any construction beyond the detention ponds. Previously, Perry Homes and LJA have advertised bid opportunities.

Regarding Option 3

Perry still has a for-sale sign at the Woodland Hills entrance to the property. However, the chances of a third party purchase while lawsuits are pending is remote. Still, the completion of detention ponds makes the property more attractive to another developer with an appetite for risk.

The big problem with Options 2 and 3: Perry Homes rushed to get the plans permitted before Atlas-14. That means, even with detention ponds completed, the detention may not be adequate. Estimates of the shortfall range from 30% to 40%.

As a result, Option 1 provides, by far, the highest margin of safety for flood-weary residents.

Unfortunately, the wheels of government move slowly. Neither the County, nor the City has made a public comment about a possible purchase deal since the last commissioner’s court meeting on May 19. The purchase is not listed on the agenda for the June 9, 2020, meeting.

Posted by Bob Rehak with with thanks to Jeff Miller for photos

1013 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 262 since Imelda

River Grove Riviera: Park Adds New Feature

I always associated the word “Riviera” with a coastal region in France and Italy on the Mediterranean. But being a student of language, I frequently look up words that I think I know. Much to my surprise, I learned that the word has a second meaning. It also applies to any coastal region with a subtropical climate and vegetation. The origin of the word stems from 18th century Italian. It literally meant “seashore.”

History and Meanings of Riviera

The 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which is really a history book of the language, indicates that railroad barons frequently used the word in the 1900s to lure vacationers to coastal areas around the world. OED’s last entry is from the October 19, 1943 edition of the Saturday Review, an influential magazine at the time. The OED quoted the Saturday Review as saying, “Every properly equipped nation must have a Riviera.”

Getting From There to Here

The term occurred to me when I saw the scene below while flying up the San Jacinto West Fork last Sunday near River Grove Park. So it is with tongue in cheek and humor in my heart that I apply the term to River Grove.

Looking NW. Partying on the sand dune outside Kingwood’s River Grove Park on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

This giant sand dune is the remnant of an even larger quarter-mile-long dune left by Hurricane Harvey. It took the Army Corps of Engineers to cut through it so that the Kingwood Diversion Ditch could empty into the San Jacinto West Fork. Then KSA still had dredge the area near the boat dock before the area became accessible.

Looking northeast at the same sand bar two weeks after Harvey. At this point, the River Grove parking lot was still covered with 4-5 feet of sand.

No Burger Barns or Tatoo Parlors, But…

Now the sand bar seems to be a popular stopping off point for people running the river and trying to squeeze a little more sunshine out of the day.

It may not be the French/Italian Riviera. Nor is it the Redneck Riviera. You won’t find people here for spring breaks, water parks, tattoo parlors, beer joints, crab shacks, burger barns or t-shirts.

But the sunshine is warm, the water cool, and it doesn’t require a trans-Atlantic flight or a 14-hour drive.

Enjoy it, but watch out for alligators and drop offs. The Corps dredged a 15-foot deep channel through the sand bar. Wading across is not safe.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/7/2020

1013 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Buyouts of Forest Cove Townhomes Progressing, But Slowly

One thousand and twelve days ago, Hurricane Harvey destroyed the Forest Cove townhomes between Hamblen and the West Fork San Jacinto. Yet most still stand – mute reminders of Harvey’s fury and mankind’s folly. They illustrate: a) the need to re-engineer business processes surrounding buyouts and b) rethink multi-family housing in flood-prone areas.

The Love It/Leave It Relationship With Rivers

Jennifer Parks, who lived there for five years and had her wedding ceremony by the river. She and her neighbors loved the area for its quiet, natural beauty and the tightly knit community. People cared for each other. But her family flooded eight times in five years.

During Harvey, her 4-story townhome took on 20 feet of water, a measurement documented by FEMA.

The Parks’ townhome is the 4-story unit behind the one in the foreground.

Three other units in this same building were totally lost to the flood. They extended south (toward the right) in the photo above.

Since the flood, the units have become a magnet for arsonists, looters, squatters, drug dealers, illegal dumpers, and graffiti artists. An arsonist torched the building next to Parks’ last July. See below.

Arson damage last July to a six-unit building on Timberline Drive.
Illegal dumping near another unit
More illegal dumping.

Current Status of Buyouts and Demos

So where do buyouts stand? Harris County Flood Control provided the slightly dated map below.

  • Xs represent buildings that have already been torn down.
  • Green rectangles represent units that have already been purchased.
  • Purple rectangles represent units that are in the process of being purchased.

Four white rectangles with red arrows pointing to them are in a special category. They appear to be units that were swept away in the flood. HCFCD says, “We’re working with the State on approval for these 4 in the first alternate request we submitted in our HMGP grant. (Hazard Mitigation Grant Program).”

A Flood Control spokesperson said, “As soon as entire buildings are purchased, we’re requesting demolition. We’ve demolished six (red x’s) already.”

The two (red circles) are scheduled for demolition. The district says it is still working on five remaining buildings (numbered). However, Building Number Five appears to be torn down already. (That’s why I say the map is slightly dated. See below.) The flood swept away many of those units. At this point, they may be just land purchases.

Usually, until every unit in a building is purchased, nothing can be torn down.

It’s a complex process made more complex by the facts that owners have all moved and Harvey swept away some units.

Picture of building #5 (nearest river) taken two weeks after Harvey shows only two of seven units left standing. The rest were in pieces and mostly downstream. Residents say they were lucky to escape with their lives when the massive SJRA release arrived in the middle of the night without warning.
By March of this year, the rest of Building #5 was just a pile of rubble waiting for a dump truck.

Is It Wise To Build Multi-Family Homes in Floodway?

The length of time it has taken to negotiate these buyouts and the blight that looters have created during the process raise a question.

Should construction of multi-family housing be allowed in a floodway? Or even a floodplain?

It’s difficult enough to buy out single-family homes. The process stretches through three levels of government. From Houston to Austin to Washington D.C. One of these buildings had twelve units. Aligning all those dominos takes time. And as we have seen, during that time, criminals have turned this neighborhood into a cancer infecting surrounding areas. In fact, the twelve unit building was burned to the ground. And that was just one of three fires.

Unfortunately, developers like the cheap land in floodways. And young people with little life experience like the romantic views. It’s a marriage made in hell and a recipe for disaster. Greedy sellers meet eager, unknowledgeable buyers.

I raise this question because last year, about a mile downriver from these townhomes, Romerica applied for permits to build 5,000 condos and 50-story high-rises in an equally flood-prone area.

Nationalized, taxpayer-subsidized flood insurance which is losing billions of dollars would have created the illusion of safety for buyers of those units.

My opinion: The best, cheapest way to avoid these subsidized cycles of building, destruction, buyouts and decay is to avoid building in flood-prone areas in the first place.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/6/2020

1012 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.

Cleanup of Forest Cove Oil Wells, Tanks Scheduled for Fall

Within the Forest Cove Townhome complex, currently being bought out by Harris County Flood Control, two wells, and three oil and gas storage tanks have been abandoned. The operator, Noxxe Oil and Gas, LLC went out of business in February this year for failure to pay franchise taxes. At least one of the wells has a history of a recent leak that affected the West Fork San Jacinto. The tanks sit rusting and leaning at odd angles. And the pipes connecting them are broken and twisted.

The Texas Railroad Commission has investigated the site numerous times since Harvey and required cleanup and remediation by the operator until the company went out of business. 

Because the operator is now defunct, the Railroad Commission plans to step in and complete the cleanup process once additional funds become available in the next fiscal year starting September 2020.

According to Harris County Flood Control, the Railroad Commission does not believe there is an imminent danger at this time from the existing tank battery and facilities.

However, the Commission says it will likely be an expensive cleanup. At public expense.

Old Oil Field, Old Equipment

These tanks and wells represent a common problem around Lake Houston and the old Humble Oil Field. The Humble field was discovered in 1905 and, to date, has yielded more than 150 million barrels of oil.

However, as fields and wells near the end of their producing life, the economics of production become marginal. Near the end, stripper wells may produce only 10-15 barrels per day – or less. Only operators on shoestring budgets can afford to keep such wells producing at that point. They become hand-me-down wells from operators with deep pockets and big costs to smaller companies with less capital and lower costs.

In theory, that’s how to maximize recovery from a well. However, when problems develop, the smaller companies are sometimes ill-equipped to handle them.

Noxxe Problems Started Early and Persisted

Shortly after incorporation in 2009, Noxxe ran into legal troubles when the company’s own lawyers sued it for non-payment. Noxxe lost the case. Then Noxxe appealed, but the company’s owner failed to appear for a deposition. Eventually, Noxxe’s appeal was denied because it failed to pay court costs.

Other Noxxe problems blew up into headlines after the Memorial Day flood in 2016 when oil slicks were photographed floating from its storage tanks. Another problem surfaced in 2017 when a pipeline from one of their wells on Marina Drive started leaking into the West Fork.

Texas Railroad Commission (TRRC) regulates oil and gas production. Its documents show that Noxxe ignored state regulators on more than one occasion.

The company’s problems with TRRC became visible on April 4, 2017. The Railroad Commission ordered certificates of compliance for the operator cancelled and all pipeline/carrier connections severed.

Then, during Harvey, Noxxe’s operations near the Forest Cove Townhomes and elsewhere on the West Fork became inundated. Again!

Noxxe tanks under water during Harvey in 2017 amidst the Forest Cove Townhomes.

One month after Harvey, Steve Shaffer, the company’s president, took over as his own registered agent.

Days after that, Noxxe moved from 324 Forest Cove Drive to 1120 NASA Parkway.

On October 16, 2018, the Railroad Commission found that Noxxe failed to appear or respond to charges which included:

  • Unpermitted discharges of oil and gas waste
  • Uncontrolled wells left open to the atmosphere
  • Spills from flow lines that impacted surface waters
  • Unreported discharges and spills
  • Fire hazards
  • Improper construction of a firewall around a tank battery
  • Failing to take protective measures re: open-top tanks, skimming pits and collecting pits

Finally, on February 28, 2020, the company forfeited its right to do business in Texas for failure to pay franchise taxes. (However, it still has until this June 28th to get its accounts in order and have its charter reinstated.)

Part of Noxxe’s Legacy in Forest Cove

These pictures below show part of the legacy Noxxe left behind.

Some of the equipment left behind by Noxxe in Forest Cove: tanks and pump-jacks.
This tank seems to lean at about a ten degree angle.
These lean even more.
The plumbing connecting the tanks is disconnected and in disarray.
Tanks are rusted, dented, overgrown and covered with graffiti.

The collapse of oil prices in response to COVID restrictions earlier this year hurt small producers more than large ones. It will be interesting to see how many other stories like this emerge in coming days.

Where to Report Similar Problems

While the abandoned equipment shown above may not represent an imminent threat, it still represents a threat that must be remediated by the state. It is adjacent to the drinking water supply for 2 million people and subject to frequent flooding. Jennifer Parks who used to live in one of the townhomes on Timberline Drive flooded eight times in five years.

If you see similar problems, reach out to the local office of the TRRC at 713-869-5001. 

Posted by Bob Rehak on June 6, 2020

1012 Days After 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.

Kingwood Storm Line Inspections Complete

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin announced today that the City of Houston has completed Kingwood Storm Line Inspections. Only a few spots needed debris removal. The rest were clear, according to Martin.

City storm line inspection in May 2019 with Elm Grove flood-victim Keith Jennings looking on.

30 Miles of Stormwater Drains Now Clear

When the City encountered debris, crews removed it with specialized equipment and personnel trained to work in confined spaces, says Martin. Public Works inspected approximately 150,000 linear feet or about 30 miles of storm water lines.

Subdivisions Inspected

The communities inspected include:

  • Elm Grove
  • Hunter’s Ridge
  • North & South Woodland Hills
  • Bear Branch
  • Forest Cove
  • Greentree Village
  • Kings Crossing
  • Kings Forest
  • Kings Point
  • Kingwood Lakes
  • Kingwood Place Village
  • Lakeshore
  • Magnolia Point (Huffman)
  • Mills Branch
  • North Kingwood Forest
  • Riverchase
  • Sand Creek Village
  • Sherwood Trails
  • Woodspring Village
  • Woodstream Village
  • Trailwood Village.

Public Works inspected Kingwood villages impacted by Tropical Storm Imelda and others based on the number of reports made to 3-1-1.

Storm Drain Photos Available for Inspection

Martin has posted every community’s storm-line inspection photos in his Facebook Photo Albums. 

How and Why to Report Storm Line Problems

It is critically important that if you identify areas with drainage issues that you report them to 3-1-1.

The City determines larger drainage (or other infrastructure) projects from 3-1-1 reports. The more calls about an issue, the higher the project’s priority.

Join Adopt-A-Drain Program

Martin encourages neighborhoods to Adopt-A-Drain. He gave a shout out to those who have already adopted and named their drains in the Kingwood Area. They include: Big Bertha, Maleficent, Shrader’s Drain, A1 Signs, Lil Bandingo’s Drain, Botta Boom Drain and many more!

“Residents, businesses, and community groups can take advantage of lots of drains and naming opportunities while helping decrease debris in our drainage system,” said Martin. 

Other Ways to Help Ensure Free-Flowing Storm Lines

Here’s how residents can help:

  • Make sure trash cans don’t tip before they are picked up
  • Ensure yard clippings and leaves stay out of gutters
  • Make sure yard crews don’t blow clippings down storm drains
  • Clear gutters before bad weather
  • Never throw trash or other items down drains or inlets.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/5/2020

1011 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 260 since Imelda

HCFCD Begins Kingwood Diversion Ditch Repairs

Last week, while driving through Forest Cove, I noticed construction activity and Harris County Flood Control District signs at the Kingwood Diversion Ditch near Walnut Lane. The area downstream from the bridge has some of the worst erosion of any ditch in Kingwood.

Area Now Under Repair As It Looked in 2009

Kingwood Diversion Ditch in 2009. Looking south from Walnut Lane. Forest Cove on right.

Erosion was bad for years and only got worse during major storms in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Massive slabs of the banks broke off in chunks, threatening trails and adjacent homes.

Since the picture above in 2009, the ditch has eroded both down and outward to increase its conveyance as new subdivisions upstream scabbed off of Kingwood’s infrastructure.

Pictures of Work in Progress Today

Oh, what a difference a decade makes! Note the exposed storm drains in the pictures below that you cannot see in the picture above.

Looking south from Walnut Lane Bridge. Exposed, elevated and crushed storm drains due to erosion.

The erosion left storm drains elevated and exposed to the ravages of floodwaters. Some were crushed, causing water to back up into streets and drainage ditches during heavy rains.

The area that collapsed circa 2009 above is the same area shown under construction today.

The velocity of water through this ditch during floods has earned it the nickname “Kingwood Rapids” from white-water enthusiasts.

Storm drains left exposed and elevated as the ditch widened and deepened itself to accommodate upstream development such as Woodridge Forest.
HCFCD works to restore and stabilize banks, and repair damaged storm drains.
Crumpled drains being removed by excavator.

How the Diversion Ditch Got Its Name

The Kingwood Diversion Ditch got its name when Friendswood realized that Ben’s Branch could not hold all the water being brought to it by adjacent subdivisions.

So Friendswood literally built a ditch that diverts a portion of the water coming down Ben’s Branch from Montgomery County just above Northpark Drive.

The point of diversion. Believe it or not, that’s Ben’s Branch flowing from bottom to top. As Ben’s Branch squeezes down, it forces water into the diversion ditch, which splits off to the right, just south of the new St. Martha’s Catholic Church.
From there, the ditch goes under Northpark Drive, past Woodland Hills, and south to the river.

Luckily, Friendswood designed the bridges over the Diversion Ditch to accommodate expansion of the ditch. HCFCD is studying that possibility now as part of the Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis. Results of the study should be published this fall.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/5/2020

1011 Days after Harvey

Cristobal Likely to Reach U.S. Gulf Coast Sunday into Monday

The latest report from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) as of 10 a.m. 6/4/2020 indicates that Tropical Storm Cristobal has moved inland in southern Mexico and has weakened to a tropical depression. All coastal watches and warnings in Mexico have been lifted. Maximum sustained winds are now at 35 mph with higher gusts. However, the NHC also predicts that the storm will move back over water by Friday afternoon and then re-intensify into a tropical storm as it moves north into the central Gulf Saturday and Sunday.

Arrival time along the U.S. Gulf Coast should be sometime Sunday evening, according to current predictions.

Impacts to U.S.

Strong winds and high seas are expected east of the storm center.

Risks to the US mainland include storm surge, heavy rainfall, and high winds beginning this weekend from Texas to the Florida Panhandle.

NHC emphasizes that it is still to soon to determine the exact location, timing and magnitude of these impacts. The best plan: monitor progress of the storm and make sure you are prepared.

Houston Likely To Be On Clean Side

Current projections take the storm up Central Louisiana. So Houston will likely be on the “clean” side of the storm. Because rotation around a low is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere, the storm is likely to dump the most rain east of the center.

5-day forecast as of 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday from NHC. Note how cone has shifted east of Galveston Bay.

10% Chance of Tropical-Storm-Force Winds in Houston

Forecasters currently give Houston a 10% chance of experiencing tropical storm force winds.

However, Houston still has a 10% chance of experiencing tropical-storm-force winds because of the width of the storm.

Arrival of Winds Saturday Night into Sunday Morning

Earliest arrival time of tropical storm force winds will likely be Saturday night into Sunday morning.

Winds should arrive Saturday night or Sunday.

Impacts Far Wider than Cone of Uncertainty

Storm impacts can be felt far beyond the center of the storm as the satellite image below shows. Heavy rainfall will arrive well in advance of and extend well east of Cristobal’s center.

Tropical storm and storm-surge watches could be issued tonight or Friday.

As you prepare for Cristobal, remember how wide the feeder bands are.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/4/2020

1010 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 259 after Imelda