HCFCD Closes on First Upstream Detention Property

In 2018, Lake Houston area leaders identified a three-pronged strategy to help mitigate flooding. They dubbed it the “Plea for DDG.” Additional dredging, detention, and gates. Since then, dredging and gates have garnered the most media attention. Yesterday, however, we received some good news regarding additional upstream detention.

HCFCD Buys First Part of Raveneaux Club

The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) closed on the purchase of the Raveneaux Country Club on January 30, 2020.  The final purchase price for 27.63 acres of land was $11,496,427.20 which is also the current appraised value for the property.

Cypress Creek runs through the Raveneaux Club before joining Spring Creek and the West Fork of the San Jacinto upstream from Lake Houston.

The final deal includes a leaseback allowing the Country Club to continue operating for up to one year.

The Flood Control District will begin discussions with the Cypress Forest Public Utility District in February regarding an agreement to acquire the remaining 206 acres that primarily make up the golf course. HCFCD intends to use the land for a future flood risk reduction project in the Cypress Creek watershed.

Benefit to Cypress Creek AND Lake Houston Area

That project could help the Champion Forest area where hundreds of homes flooded during Harvey and other recent storms. It could also help the Lake Houston Area. By reducing and delaying floodwaters coming down Cypress and Spring Creeks, it could help offset releases from the Lake Conroe Dam.

Funding for Acquisition

Funding for the Raveneaux acquisition will come from the 2018 HCFCD Bond. See Project F-20 Cypress Creek Right-of-Way Acquisition and Floodplain Preservation.

Community Input Sessions Planned

The Flood Control District realizes that community interest in this matter is very high. At this time, project specifics have not been determined. The Flood Control District will have community engagement meetings to solicit input and ideas about the future project.

Some feel the loss of the Club could adversely impact surrounding home values. However, the Club had reportedly been losing close to a million dollars per year for several years and was no longer financially viable.

In a special web page devoted to the acquisition, HCFCD says it cannot predict how property values will change as a result of this proposed project. However, HCFCD “knows that properties with a lower risk of flooding have a higher value than properties with a high risk of flooding.”

First Part of a Larger Solution

It is unlikely that HCFCD will find one undeveloped tract of land large enough to reduce flooding in the Lake Houston Area by itself. Acquiring a combination of smaller tracts such as Raveneaux will likely be necessary. Yesterday, HCFCD took the first step toward a larger solution.

For more details as they become available, see: https://www.hcfcd.org/Find-Your-Watershed/Cypress-Creek/Raveneaux-Acquisition-Information

Posted by Bob Rehak on January 31, 2020

885 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TCEQ Issues Notice of Violation to Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village Development

In response to complaints filed on October 23, 2019, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Houston Region Office issued a Notice of Violation to the developers of Woodridge Village. Figure Four Partners, LTD, a Perry Homes subsidiary, owns Woodridge Village, which contributed to the flooding of Elm Grove Village and North Kingwood Forest in May and September of 2019.

History of Uncorrected Violations by Perry Homes

The TCEQ originally investigated Woodridge Village in response to complaints filed after the May 7, 2019, flood. At that time, the Commission found that Perry Homes, et. al., had failed to implement and maintain effective Best Management Practices. They found that sediment-laden discharges had affected at least 2.5 miles of Taylor Gully. TCEQ sent that violation to its enforcement division.

Findings of a second investigation released today indicate that the violations continued after the first investigation.

Page 5 of the report states that pollution prevention measures implemented after the first investigation “did not appear sufficient to prevent sediment-laden discharge…”

The investigator observed tainted discharge 2.5 miles down Taylor Gully to the point where it disappears into woods and then joins White Oak Creek, Caney Creek, the East Fork, and Lake Houston. Said another way, the discharge appears to be polluting waters of the State of Texas and the drinking water for 2 million people.

Sediment laden water from Taylor Gulley where it joined the East Fork of the San Jacinto on January 11, 2020.

Investigations, such as the TCEQ’s, represent a snapshot in time. The investigator in this case visited the site on October 25, 2019. Unfortunately, observations by local residents indicate that the sediment-laden discharge continues.

TCEQ Requiring Structural Controls for Sediment

TCEQ is requiring Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors to install sediment controls on all areas under their operational control at Woodridge. “There must be adequate structural controls to minimize sediment discharges from the site,” says the TCEQ in “Recommended Corrective Action” on page 7 of the 77 page report.

Perry Contractors Also Investigated

The release of findings today indicates that four Perry contractors at this site were also investigated by the TCEQ: D&J Construction Inc., Rebel Contractors Inc, Texassite LLC, and Double Oak Construction Inc.

No New Structural Controls Appear To Be In Place Yet

No additional structural controls appear to have been installed since the last investigation on October 25th. Sediment-laden runoff from the area of wetlands on the northern section of property continues unabated, although grass planted in other areas may be helping slightly.

Looking SE toward Taylor Gully, Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest from the northwest corner of Woodridge Village. Everything slopes toward the detention pond in the upper left, but no structural controls to reduce runoff are in place. Photo taken 1/20/2020.

Unfortunately, grass planted last summer has been destroyed by new construction activity around the southern detention ponds – the area of highest concern, where water from the site enters Taylor Gully through the double culvert seen in the picture below.

Contractors have destroyed the grass and backslope interceptor swales previously constructed around the S2 detention pond.
Erosion continues to etch the walls of the S2 detention pond which should be covered with grass by now. It was substantially complete in August of last year.
Construction of the S2 pond continues months after Perry Homes promised the City of Houston construction would be complete. The pond should have been complete by the start of December.

What Next for Troubled Perry Homes and Woodridge Village?

A story in the Houston Chronicle earlier this week reported that Perry Homes was seeking a bailout for this “floodplain property” from Harris County, Montgomery County and the City of Houston. Harris County commissioners reportedly considered the proposition in executive session on Tuesday this week. However, no decision or action has yet been announced. It should also be noted that Perry Homes’ engineering company, LJA, denies a floodplain even exists on this property.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/2020

884 Days After Hurricane Harvey 133 After 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.

Camille Pagel’s Hurricane Harvey Experience and Plea to Continue Lowering Lake Conroe

Harvey and the 80,000 CFS SJRA release during the storm destroyed virtually everything Camille Muñoz Pagel and her family had. The SJRA is now considering whether to continue lowering Lake Conroe seasonally and temporarily until other flood mitigation measures can be implemented. Pagel wants to share her experience in the hope that the SJRA will continue the policy which provides extra safety against flooding for people downstream.

How the Pagel Family Lost Most Everything They Had

This morning I reached a boiling point. AJ Corso from Montgomery has been on my poop list since last week’s meeting in front of the SJRA. His poster asking to “restore my dream” with his red boat in the foreground makes me want to scream. It’s not helpful, I know, but it seems so outrageous that we should even have to argue about this issue of safety at all.

That people are upset because they can’t put their bloody boats in the water for a little bit, while we downstream literally put ALL of our prized belongings on our yard is unfathomable.

One of the SJRA board members lives across the street and I hope he remembers what this was like and can reason peacefully with Conroe residents. It’s not a forever solution and it can save lives.

Deerwood Country Club on Sunday August 27, 2017. “The water level is chest deep here – about 5 feet,” said Pagel. The SJRA issued a press release at noon on that day saying they were releasing record amounts of water. By next morning, you couldn’t even see the golf course and the release rate would more than double.
Water in the Pagel home reached 4.5 feet after the release. “Almost every belonging we had was below 4.5 feet,” said Pagel.
“My kids didn’t get to jet ski. They got to gut their kitchen instead of being in school.” — Camille Pagel.

“I can’t imagine a world,” said Pagel, “where you see families lose everything and can only think of the time you lost jet skiing or boating.” 

“If these pictures can help Conroe folks see that this is about more than pleasure boating, please share them,” said Pagel.

— Camille Muñoz Pagel 

Well, Camille, I can’t imagine going through what you went through. So here they are world.

Last SJRA Board Meeting Before Big Vote

The next SJRA board meeting on February 20 will be your last chance to comment on their policy of lowering Lake Conroe seasonally until other flood mitigation measures can be put in place. For more details about the meeting and the policy, see the Lake Lowering page on this web site.

Please come. At the last board meeting, Kingwood people were outnumbered at least 20 to 1 by red-shirted residents from Lake Conroe.

January SJRA board meeting. Lake Houston area people are wearing white shirts in the foreground. Lake Conroe people are wearing red shirts.

Other Ways to Register Your Support

If you can’t make the meeting in person, please consider emailing the SJRA board about your Harvey experience. Please consider also signing this petition.

If you would like to share your pictures and story with Lake Conroe residents, please also consider sending them to me for publication via the Submissions page of this web site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/2019 based on input from Camille Pagel

884 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Bayou City Initiative Presents “Houston Flooding: A Vision for 2020 and Beyond

Mark your calendar. On February 19, 2020, the Bayou City Initiative will hold its first meeting of 2020. The program is titled “Houston Flooding: A Vision for 2020 and Beyond.”

Bayou City Initiative Logo
Bayou City Initiative Logo

Featured Speaker Charles Irvine

The featured speaker will be Charles Irvine, Court-appointed Co-Lead Counsel of the Addicks/Barker “Upstream” flood case. He will discuss the historic win of the lawsuit led by homeowners who unknowingly bought homes in the flood pool of Addicks and Barkers reservoirs, and then flooded during Harvey.

Attendees will also hear from Bayou City Initiative’s Founder, Jim Blackburn, as he presents his State of the City address, “Two and a Half Years After Harvey.” Blackburn will present an overview  of what has been accomplished since Harvey in 2017 and what actions remain to reduce the threat of flooding in Houston and Harris County.

PLEASE NOTE: If you have attended previous meetings, there is a new location: The Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston. 
 

INFO: 

Houston Flooding: A Vision for 2020 and Beyond 

DATE: February 19, 2020,12:00 – 2:00pm – LUNCH PROVIDED

LOCATION – NEW: Evelyn Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston, 5601 Braeswood Blvd, 77096

REGISTER: HERE

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/2020

883 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Perry Homes Converting Woodridge Village to Scuba Center or Maybe a…

Woodridge Village after a one-inch rain.

From Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous

Kathy Perry Britton, CEO of Perry Homes, a titan of business and devotee of Zig “See You at the Top” Ziglar, has reportedly given up on her dream of building swamp homes in Woodridge Village. She has new ideas to turn mud into money.

Her confidante and hairdresser hints Britton has toyed with several options. The leading one at the moment: Turning the land into a world-class scuba center called “That Sinking Feeling.” She plans to market it to people who are underwater on their homes.

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Boil ‘Em

“Perry Homes stands for quality,” she supposedly said. “And always will. If the scuba center doesn’t work, there’s no shortage of mud bugs out there. We’ll turn this into the Crawfish Capital of the Gulf Coast.” And then in a comment that reportedly angered crustacean-rights activists, she added, “If you can’t beat ’em, boil ’em!”

The irrepressible, unstoppable Britton reportedly has other backup options, too. “If that doesn’t work, Vince McMahon has approached us about turning this into the WWE Female Mud Wrestling Capital of the World,” Britton’s chambermaid reported. “He has plenty of stars lined up to turn this into a fairy-tale success. Vince has already received letters of intent from Misty Raine, Muddie Waters, and Hurrie Spitball Caine.”

Ms. Britton, paraphrasing Mark Twain, reportedly told her bootlicker, “The rumors of our bankruptcy have been greatly exaggerated. We have plenty of options to make a buck out there if suing the flood victims doesn’t work.”

According to unnamed insiders, Christian Louboutin has also supposedly brainstormed with Britton about brand extensions. Britton is confident there’s a market for stiletto hip-waders in Houston. “It’s a natural in places like Elm Grove. How else would women get to their cars in the rain?”

MoCo Offers Tax Incentives

The rumor mill also says that Wham-O has approached Perry Homes about turning Woodridge Village into the world’s largest Slip ‘N Slide. The irrepressible Britton told her fingernail artist, “Montgomery County even offered us tax breaks, finder’s fees, and margaritas. They’re so accommodating up there.”

In a rare moment of candor, Britton reportedly complained to her lawyer extraordinaire, J. Carey “Promise Them Anything” Gray. “I’m tired of all the mud slinging by these so-called flood victims in Elm Grove. It’s their fault they flooded. They built downstream from us. Duh! What were they thinking?”

“If worse comes to bratwurst,” Britton supposedly bragged to her chauffeur, “Home Depot and Lowes have both expressed interest in building mega repair centers on the property. They have raved to us about the possibilities. Repeat flooding. Hundreds of homes each time. Think about the potential synergies. My God, we could go public on the rumors alone and make a killing.”

The Right to Make a Profit

“I don’t know what these Elm Grove people are complaining about,” Britton reportedly grumbled to her masseuse. “I have to fly to Paris for a good mud bath. They get it for free.”

“These Elm Grove people are so hurtful. Always slinging mud. I have feelings, too. I just wish they could be positive for a change and see the marketing potential in all of this. We have a right to make a profit. This IS Texas after all.”

With that, Britton reportedly hurried off to discuss a separate deal with Monster MudTruck Rodeo organizers.

In Loving Memory of Robin Leach, A Parody Roast Post by Bob Rehak on 1/28/2020

882 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 131 since Imelda

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance between characters in this post and executives of Perry Homes is strictly coincidental.

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.

Pipeline Bed Repairs Now Underway at Liberty Mine; At Triple PG Mine, No Progress

In December, I reported on how sand mining on both sides of pipelines contributed to erosion underneath them. Such erosion exposed five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL) through one of the Liberty Materials mines in Conroe. The pipelines sagged across the gap like clotheslines. See below.

Erosion exposed five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids through the Liberty Materials mine in Conroe. Photo from December 3, 2019.

Repairs Now Underway

Several local engineers who saw the problem leaped into action and immediately reported the issue to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission. Four of the five pipelines were interstate and therefore regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. TRRC forwarded the complaints to them.

When I flew over the same mine on January 20, 2020, workers were busy shoring up the pipelines to protect the public.

Pictures from January 20, 2020, Flyover

From the materials stockpiled on the site, it appears that large drain pipes under the HVL pipelines will be part of the fix. These drain pipes appear to be as tall as the pickup truck parked next to them.

Looking south, you can see drain pipes and riprap stockpiled on the left.
Looking south again. Workers appear to be creating an even deeper trench under the pipelines and pumping out groundwater.
Reverse angle, looking north. Water drains down from the northern portion on the mine through wetlands, under the pipelines, and then into the main southern part of the mine. From there, it makes its way to the San Jacinto River, out of frame behind the camera position.
Looking southwest. You can see wetlands draining from the northern portion of the site to the problem area in the upper left.
Looking north, you can see the scale of the drain pipes relative to the vehicles parked next to them.
The pipelines look less bowed than in the first shot from last December. However, there is still a pronounced dip between the left and right sides of at least two pipelines in the photo.

Situation at Triple PG Mine in Porter

These same pipelines run through the Triple PG mine in Porter to the southwest. See the utility corridor under the electric lines in the photo below. I reported on them in December also. The pipelines have not yet been exposed at this point, but no effort has been made to stop the erosion before it creates another safety issue.

Looking NW. The same pipelines cut through the Triple PG mine in Porter. Erosion from Harvey and Imelda has eaten away the ground on either side of the pipelines. They could be exposed in the next large storm. Photo taken 1/20/2020.

During Harvey and Imelda, Caney Creek rerouted itself through this mine in a process called pit or river capture. Floodwater eroded a new path from the top of the photo above to the bottom. The pipelines have not yet been exposed, but easily could be by the next large storm. The inverted v-shaped cut you see in the photo above grew by almost 1000 feet since 2017.

This reverse angle shot shows the proximity of erosion from the north to the utility corridor with the 5 HVL pipelines. The pond at the right now actually touches the utility easement.
This satellite image in Google Earth also shows erosion at the edge the utility/pipeline corridor. The streaks of sand across the corridor show the direction of water flow during Imelda.

Because of the Triple PG Mine’s proximity to the source of drinking water for 2 million people, this erosion probably represents an even greater threat than erosion at the Liberty Mine in Conroe. Caney Creek flows through this mine during floods. And Caney Creek empties directly into the East Fork and Lake Houston.

This pipeline used to carry natural gas for Kinder Morgan. Triple PG mined too close to it also. Then erosion during Harvey and Imelda exposed it – twice. KM abandoned this line and filled it with inert gas. They then drilled a new line 75 feet under the mine. But this exposed pipeline stands as a mute reminder to the safety hazard.

It all comes down to sand vs. safety. It’s their sand. Your safety.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/27/2020

881 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 130 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.

Mouth Bar Dredging: First Pictures of Next Phase

Earlier this month, the State, Harris County and City of Houston announced the next phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging. Late last week, it got underway in earnest.

West Fork mouth bar on Monday 1.20.2020 before mechanical dredging started.

How Mechanical Dredging Works

Rachel Taylor took the ground-level pictures below earlier today from her back yard in Atascocita Point. They show mechanical excavators eating away at the mouth bar and loading the spoils on barges.

Sunday afternoon, 1.26.2020, two mechanical excavators worked the western end of the mouth bar. They loaded the spoils on waiting barges (right). Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor.
Service boats then pushed the barges upriver. Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor.
Barge loaded with spoils passes the Deerwood Country Club. Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor.
Barges then anchor at Berry Madden’s property on the south side of the West Fork opposite River Grove Park. That black object jutting into the photo from the lower left is the skid of the helicopter. Photo taken 1.20.2020.
From there, other trucks move the spoils inland. For orientation, that water tower in the upper left is south of Kings Lake Estates. Photo taken 1.20.2020.

Mechanical dredging is slower and more labor intensive than hydraulic dredging, but can mobilize faster. In hydraulic dredging, dredgers pump the spoils to a placement area via pipelines. That is faster, but has higher overhead. It also creates more noise.

Hydraulic Dredging Options

The hydraulic pipelines can stretch miles. In the case of the first phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging, they stretched 10 miles upstream. It took five booster pumps to get the material all that way to a sand mine on Sorters just south of Kingwood Drive.

Luckily for us, the pipe from the first phase of mouth bar dredging is still at the Army Corps dock opposite Forest Cove.

Pipe from the first phase of mouth bar dredging still sits at the former Army Corps command post and could be rewelded into longer sections if needed.
The Great Lakes Dredge also remains at the dock. Here you see the pieces below and behind the crane.

At some point in this project, dredging may switch from mechanical to hydraulic. The fact that the Great Lakes dredge remained here bodes well. It chewed through 500,000 cubic yards of debris at the West Fork mouth bar in less than three months. Officials expect mechanical dredging of 400,000 cubic yards to take 8 -12 months.

Additional Dredging Targets and Financing

Other targets reportedly include the East Fork Mouth Bar and several mouth bars that have formed at the mouths of ditches or streams leading into the lake.

State Representative Dan Huberty helped bring $30 million to this phase of dredging via an amendment to SB500 in the last legislature. That money will funnel through Harris County via the Texas Water Development Board. The County also included $10 million in the 2018 flood bond. And the City is applying $6 million left over from a FEMA/TDEM grant for debris removal from Harvey.

For more details on this next phase of dredging, see the previous post on this project.

Two Phase Project Outlined In Grant

Harris County’s proposal for the grant from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) calls for splitting the project into two phases. 

  • Phase One will focus on the West Fork Mouth Bar using the City’s $6 million and $10 million from the TWDB grant.
  • Phase Two will focus on the East Fork Mouth Bar using the remaining $20 million from the grant.
  • The $10 million from the County flood bond will fund surveys, formulation of specs, bidding, project management and more.

Progress Result of Pulling Together

All this is great news for the Lake Houston Area. The entire community worked since Harvey to make this happen through all levels of government.

As we look at other flooding problems in the area, it’s important not to get discouraged and to remember that we can make progress if we all pull together.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/26/2020 with photos from Rachel Lavin Taylor

880 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Perry Homes Still Not Finished with Detention Pond After 90 Days

On October 17th, a lawyer for Perry Homes’ subsidiaries and contractors promised the City of Houston that it would complete the Woodridge Village S2 detention pond in 30-45 days. Ninety days later, they still had not finished.

Perry Homes Far from Complete

Despite the fact that Perry had substantially completed S2 before Imelda, it has now taken the company 2X-3X more time than they said it would – with no end in sight.

I took all the ground-level photos below on January 25, 2020.

Looking north toward the southern edge of S2. Perry is elevating the lip of the pond which is now as high as this truck.
Looking NW. The elevated lip tapers down as you move west of Village Springs. This should effectively shift the locus of the next flood.
View looking west at construction work on southern lip of pond. Backslope swales were destroyed. Grass is gone.
Because of lack of grass, increased slope, and lack of compaction, knee-high mud is piling up against silt fence.
Edythe Cogdill, owner of the home in the background, is near tears over the lack of progress in Woodridge Village, out of frame to the right.
Every home on Cogdill’s block flooded twice. This was the scene today. Six of eight homes on the block have been sold or are up for sale.
S2 Pond still under construction. Photo taken 1.20.2020.

Perry Drives Families from Their Homes

I visited three Elm Grove families today. All have “snapped.” They have that 1000-yard stare.

  • One man kept shouting over and over again, “What are we to do?”
  • One woman broke down crying.
  • Another family is getting ready to walk away from their home.

They are not alone.

  • On one block I saw 25 homes for sale.
  • At the end of Village Springs, six of eight owners had put their homes up for sale.
  • On Shady Gardens Drive, a resident told me 22 neighbors had moved out.

This neighborhood has already been destroyed by Perry Homes’ broken promises. Fear paralyzes the few families remaining. Fear every time it rains. Fear for their safety. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of renovating their homes only to be flooded a third time.

Perry Homes’ Actions Mock City of Houston Leaders

Perry Homes’s inexplicable and inexcusable delays mock the City of Houston, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem and City Attorney. Their actions say with impunity, “We have nothing to fear from you. We are more powerful.”

The BBB has found that Perry Homes treats its customers with the same disdain.

Perhaps the City should start slow-walking Perry Homes’ permit applications until they live up to their promises.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2020

879 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 128 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.

Harvey Remembered

“For a couple of weeks, I wasn’t able to work due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Kingwood resident Mike Combat Willcox. “So I documented the storm the best I could. I was thinking years into the future that we would need to remember how it happened and have something to show to our kids.”

He was right. We need this NOW as Lake Conroe residents fight to keep their lake full to the brim during rainy seasons.

A former TV producer-editor-photographer at ConocoPhillips, Willcox now runs his own real-estate photography business. Mike is also a world champion aeromodelling pilot, a skill he puts to good use in this video of Harvey.

8-Minute YouTube video courtesy of Mike Combat Willcox

I still have yet to see any comparable pictures of the damage to Lake Conroe homes and businesses caused by lowering the lake an average six inches beyond the normal amount lost due to evaporation.

Suggestion for Next SJRA Board Meeting

I wish the SJRA would play THIS before its next board meeting so that Lake Conroe residents could see why Kingwood residents are so eager to continue the temporary, seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Then maybe we could see a video from the Lake Conroe Association about all the damage caused by the lake lowering. That might help the two sides understand each other better.

Just sayin’.

Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mike Combat Willcox for sharing his video

878 Days since Hurricane Harvey

By Itself, Lake Conroe Discharge During Harvey Among Top Ten West Fork Floods of All Time

The roughly 80,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Lake Conroe discharged at the peak of Harvey would have created the ninth largest flood in West Fork History – all by itself. Only eight floods ever had higher “discharge” rates AND those all included floodwaters from other tributaries, such as Lake Creek, Spring Creek, Cypress Creek and numerous drainage ditches.

Discharge is the volume of water flowing past a point on a stream. Discharge from a dam would be the volume flowing past the gates.

The discharge during Harvey is important because residents fighting the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe claim the impact of the release on Humble and Kingwood was insignificant.

Question I Asked Flood Control

So I asked Jeff Lindner, Harris County Flood Control meteorologist, this simple question. “Assuming not a drop of rain fell in any other of the West Fork tributaries, where would that 80,000 CFS have ranked among the history of West Fork floods?” I then asked him to base his analysis on the West Fork gage at US59. It combines water from ALL upstream West Fork tributaries. It’s also the closest gage in continuous operation to the highly populated Humble/Kingwood corridor. That’s where the vast majority of Lake Houston Area damage occurred during Harvey.

Only eight floods have ever exceeded 80,000 CFS at US59.

They occurred on:

  • 8/28/17 (Harvey)
  • 10/18/94 (Previous Record Flood)
  • 11/26/40
  • 5/31/29
  • 5/29/16 (Memorial Day)
  • 11/15/98
  • 5/7/35
  • 4/21/16 (Tax Day)

Note: three of these events happened before the construction of Lake Conroe in 1973. All since the advent of Lake Conroe flooded West Fork structures.

One Statistic Addresses Host of Issues

This observation (ninth largest flood by itself) addresses a host of issues raised by Lake Conroe people about lowering the lake seasonally to create a buffer against downstream flooding. They contend that:

  • In the grand scheme of things, the Lake Conroe release during Harvey had an insignificant impact on flooding in the Humble/Kingwood area.
  • Kingwood always floods.
  • Imelda proves that Kingwood will flood even when Conroe is not releasing water.
  • There’s no need to create extra storage capacity to offset future floods.

What Records Really Show

On the contrary:

Will Two Feet Matter?

Lowering Lake Conroe two feet in advance of another Harvey will probably not make much of a difference. Likewise, lowering it two feet in advance of 1-inch rain would be unnecessary. The real value happens somewhere between those extremes in a 10-, 25-, 50- or perhaps even a 100-year storm. Somewhere along that spectrum, we will get enough rain to perhaps flood homes, but we’ll also have enough extra lake capacity to avoid actually flooding them.

We just don’t know where that point is right now. Jing Chen, the engineer with Harris County Flood Control managing the San Jacinto River Basin Study says that project will not be far enough along to model those scenarios until August of this year.

However, the SJRA feels the lower lake levels did help avoid flooding between Humble and Kingwood in May of last year. I concur. It’s also possible that the two foot lowering might create enough of a buffer to have avoided flooding many homes along the West Fork during the Tax and Memorial Day floods in 2016. Perhaps it wouldn’t have saved them all. But it might have avoided flooding many at the periphery of a flood.

Increasing Upstream Detention Capacity: A Proven Flood Mitigation Strategy

According to Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control, holding water upstream is a proven flood mitigation strategy. Engineers in the Houston area created upstream detention more than 80 years ago with the Barker and Addicks reservoirs. Braes Bayou now has five different detention areas; White Oak Bayou has five with another under construction.

Such detention areas collect water during a storm and then release it slowly after a flood passes.

The extra storage capacity created by lowering Lake Conroe 1-2 feet works the same way. The idea: to reduce the amount and/or rate of water released during a flood to help avoid downstream property damage.

SJRA Mission and Lake Conroe History Includes Flood Prevention

The enabling legislation of the SJRA mentions flood prevention three times. Moreover, the area now occupied by Lake Conroe was considered for floodwater detention as early as 1957, as this Master Plan for the SJRA that year shows – i.e., on the map below. Many of these proposed lakes/reservoirs serve a dual purpose according to Zeve. They help prevent floods AND supply water.

Page 29 of SJRA Master Plan from 1957

This map puts to rest another rumor spread by the Lake Conroe Association. They claim Lake Conroe was never conceived as a flood control reservoir; it is strictly a water supply reservoir. See the discussion of flood control starting on page 16 of the 1957 Master Plan. Then on page 27, see Exhibit A.

It shows the SJRA considered building 20 dams that year.

So far it has built only one: Lake Conroe.

Therefore, Lake Conroe is currently the only way we have to mitigate flooding until we put other mitigation measures in place.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/23/2020

877 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Note: A reader’s question on Facebook prompted this post. But I can’t find his name now. My apologies. No offense intended.