During the afternoon and evening of May 7, 2019, the sky opened up and streets filled up. I counted one hundred and ninety-six homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest that flooded. This was by far the largest concentration anywhere in the Kingwood area. This is the story of one home among them.
I first met Keith Stewart online. He messaged me on FaceBook the night of May 3. He was offshore. His wife was panicking. He said, “A lot of flooding for the brief period of heavy rain in Elm Grove. Was almost as bad as Harvey on my block. What’s going on?”
“Something is Wrong!”
On May 7, he messaged me again. “Didn’t flood for 3 days of Harvey. Something is wrong…something has changed.” He sent this image that his wife had sent him.
Not even a black lab likes this kind of water.
This had to terrify Keith. His family was in danger and he was unable to help. He contacted me when he got onshore and we made arrangements to meet in person.
Stewart lives at the north end of Shady Maple Drive on the corner of Creek Manor. I interviewed him to get his impressions of why he flooded and where the water came from. Neighbors’ accounts confirm physical evidence.
The Wrong-Way Flood
Even though his lot backs up to Taylor Gulley, his home did not flood from there. Instead it flooded from the front. Water rushed down the street TOWARD the gulley and its force knocked over a street-facing fence anchored in concrete.
Stewart points to a broken fence post leaning toward Taylor Gulley in the background. The water came from the camera position and pushed the fence inward toward the gulley. Leaning fence posts show how the force of water from the front of the house (left) pushed the fence toward Taylor Gulley in the background (right). Camera is facing south.
As we talked, we stood on the east bank of Taylor Gulley looking toward the 260+ clear-cut acres to the north that comprise the soon-to-be Woodridge Village. We can see where constrictions in the flow of the gulley likely split runoff and forced it out of the creek.
The Woodridge Village area is in the background. Eyewitnesses, grass patterns, debris, and erosion suggest that these two outflow control devices, in the absence of detention ponds behind them which had yet to be built, split the runoff and diverted it into adjacent neighborhoods.
No More Wetlands
Rehak: Tell me what this property to the north looked like before it was clear cut.
Stewart: All that acreage that has been clearcut… When we moved here two years ago, I bought four wheelers for me and my son. That’s where we rode four wheelers. And no matter how dry, or how much of a drought, or how hot it was in the middle of the summers, back there, you could always find water. It was low. It was always swampy and stagnant water back there.
If we wanted to get wet and a little muddy, no matter how dry it was, we could ride the four wheelers back there.
Rehak: Now when you say back there, there are two sections: the northern and southern. Are you talking about one or both?
Stewart: There were four wheeler trails on both sides: the north AND the one closest to Elm Grove. But a lot of woods were torn down and there’s no standing water back there any more. So they’ve built everything up apparently. There are no swampy areas anymore.
Flood Did Not Come from Taylor Gully
Rehak: How high did the water in this ditch get relative to the top of the bank?
Stewart: I was offshore, but pictures show that it got to the top of the bank. I was comparing it to Harvey. My neighbors who have lived here for 30 years say the water has never even gotten Taylor Gulley three-quarters full. It was three-quarters full during Harvey at its peak…after three days of solid non-stop rain. My neighbor said that Taylor Gulley has never come close to overflowing in his experience. He said, “That’s not the direction water will come from if we get it.” He said, “It will come from a different direction.”
Never Flooded Before Despite Living Next to Taylor Gulley
Rehak: Was your wife home during the May 7 flood when you were offshore?
Stewart: She was at jury duty downtown. And when she got back to Kingwood, she had to pick up my high school kid. We had two dogs and two cats in the house. She thought, “As long as I can make it home, we’ll be OK. We don’t flood here. Never have. Never will … uh … until now. During Harvey, we watched it for three days and it never got close.”
Rehak: How are the dogs and cats?
Stewart: They’re physically OK, but a little distraught. We’re looking for a place to live and it’s hard to find someone that will take four animals. We don’t want to put them in kennels.
Rehak: Where are you living now? You mentioned something about going house to house. Staying with friends?
Stewart: Family members.
Rehak: What do you see as your future here? (Note: I’m thinking 5-10 years out. His answer surprises me. He’s still in shock and dealing with the crisis moment to moment.)
Stewart: I have ten days to see what I can get done here before I have to go back to work offshore. So I have to try to get everything set up for my family before I leave. And my high school kid is going through finals right now.
Rehak: Finals! What a rough ride for him!
Stewart: He’s in ROTC and his uniform got flooded. I just took that to the cleaners. But hopefully that will get straightened out for him.
Stewart worries about his insurance payout and has stacked damaged items he may be forced to salvage “if the numbers don’t work out.”
We walk toward his house from Taylor Gulley and I ask him about the furniture he has piled on his side deck. Pointing to the sinks and countertops, he says…
Stewart: We don’t know what the insurance numbers are going to be yet, so I’m keeping some damaged stuff in case we’re forced to salvage it.
What’s left of the Stewart living room.
Rehak: How much water did you get in the house?
Stewart: Nine inches. And the Friday rain before that … remember I messaged you and said somethings wrong … it came up higher than Harvey!
Remnants of a bedroom. Note how floor and walls on right are still wet.
The satellite image below shows the direction of flow described by Stewart. A neighbor told him the water flowed out of River Rose Drive and down Creek Manor toward his house. He did NOT flood from an overflow of the gulley.
As we were talking, two workers from City of Houston Public Works were checking street drains for blockages. They invited us to see what they saw on their camera. Mounted on the bottom of the pole, it sent a wireless image back up to the iPad that the woman was holding. Stewart is on the left.
The camera showed a trickle of water at the bottom of an otherwise clear drain. Conclusion: blocked drains did not cause the Stewart home to flood.Regardless of where the water came from, it could be weeks to months before Stewart’s home dries out enough to start replacing wallboard and insulation.
Crowdsourcing Some Detective Work
Stewart always thought that if he flooded, it would be from Taylor Gulley. But something changed. The flood came from the wrong direction. The same thing happened on the opposite side of the gulley. You can see Abel Vera’s home on Village Springs from Stewart’s back yard.
Did floodwater come from BEHIND the homes on Right Way and make its way down to River Rose? Please help fill in the gaps in our collective knowledge of this event. If you have any images or video that shed light on this subject one way or the other, please contact me through this web site. I will post the material and credit you.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/22/2019
631 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Victim_23.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-22 22:22:112019-05-22 22:50:35The Wrong-Way Flood: Keith Stewart Interview
Home on Shady Maple in Elm Grove destroyed by flood on May 7.So where do you find help?
Harris County has opened a temporary Disaster Recovery Center in Kingwood at the United Methodist Church, 1799 Woodland Hills Drive, Room K105. Hours will be from 9 to 6 weekdays and 9 to 1 this coming Saturday. The Center will close for Memorial Day on May 27.
Flyer prepared by Harris CountyCommunity Services Department
“Resource Navigators” Will Help Flood Victims Find Help They Need
Early May flooding, while tragic, was not widespread enough to meet the requirements for a disaster declaration. So in the absence of a federal declaration, Harris County Community Services Department is referring individuals to multiple local resources – primarily churches and non-profits – that can provide assistance.
Harris County’s Community Services Department will use their Resource Navigators who handle similar requests on a daily basis.
Save Time While Seeking Help
Red Cross still remains the primary responder in the absence of a federal declaration. Community Services is only trying to assemble and refer to local providers who have capacity to assist. The county will hook you up with the people they’ve found through this Disaster Recovery Center.
Eligibility will depend on individual providers for specific requirements. But the Resource Navigators should be able to help you with those. Think of them as a way to save time while seeking help.
For More Information about Disaster Recovery Center
Call Harris County Community Services Department at 832-927-4955. Or email hrc@csd.hctx.net.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 21, 2019
631 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Victim_01.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-22 10:58:202019-05-22 11:01:15Harris County Opens Temporary Disaster Recovery Center In Kingwood to Help Recent Flood Victims
This is like the judge in a case hiring the defendant to render expert opinions for the plaintiffs. This story speaks to an overly cozy relationship between developers, engineers, contractors and regulators that can harm the citizens that government agencies are supposed to protect.
Bill King, a candidate for mayor of Houston, called this story “unbelievable.” “This kind of stuff has to stop,” he said.
Tony Buzbee, another mayoral candidate, also running on a reform platform, felt the same way. Buzbee said he was aware of no law that prohibited such conflicts in Texas. However, he felt this was highly unethical.
TCEQ Letter Provided Red Flag That Led to Discovery
After the flood on May 7th, I submitted a complaint to the TCEQ. It alleged that lack of detention in the Woodbridge development contributed to flooding in Elm Grove; that the site lacked silt fences; and that no berms existed to deflect floodwater from surrounding neighborhoods. I also pointed out that Stormwater Pollution Prevention Permits were NOT posted at the entrances to the job site. However, the TCEQ boiled all of that down to a one word complaint: flooding.
When I opened up their response today, my jaw dropped so far, so fast, it almost required a trip to the dentist. First, it referenced flooding on May 20, two weeks after the actual flooding, and four days AFTER they mailed their letter to me. But let’s assume that’s an innocent typo.
The big concern: TCEQ said my “request for assistance can be more appropriately handled through LJA Engineering FOR Montgomery County.” (Emphasis added.) Regular readers will remember that LJA Engineering developed the plans for Woodridge Village. Now they’re investigating what went wrong with the plans???
To clarify what the TCEQ meant by “FOR Montgomery County,” I called Nicole Morris at the TCEQ. A co-worker, Mr. Weston, called me back a short while later. He said that, “Yes, Montgomery County hired LJA Engineering to investigate these complaints.”
TCEQ Refers Me to Company that Engineered Site
The TCEQ letter also suggested I call LJA and referred me to a Mr. John Concienne. So I called him. The conversation lasted about 15 minutes. Headline: He works for their environmental division, not the one that developed the plans, and felt that excused the conflict.
Mr. Concienne seemed open about some things, but guarded about others. He repeatedly emphasized that he could only comment about what he saw on May 15. He also mischaracterized the nature of my complaint. Here’s how the conversation went.
Rehak: Mr. Concienne, my name is Bob Rehak. I’m calling in regard to the Elm Grove flooding that happened a couple weeks ago. I got a letter from the TCEQ that said you were handling complaints for Montgomery County. Is that true?
Concienne: Yes, sir. That is true.
Rehak: What exactly is LJA’s role for Montgomery County. Help me understand that.
Concienne: So, we are their stormwater consultant. We manage their permits.
Rehak: But weren’t you also the engineers on that Woodridge Village development?
Concienne: Yeah…so…well…I do believe that we did the design on that, but … um … but I’m not in the engineering group so I don’t have a ton of details on that. But yes, I do believe that we did the design work on that.
Rehak: Is that a conflict of interest?
Concienne: No. So we’ve dealt with that before. We have both an engineering side of our firm as well as an environmental side of our firm.
Rehak: OK… (Long pause)
Blaming Bad Execution
Concienne: So the way that’s laid out, we just do the design work, but we’re not the operators. We don’t have operational control of the site. Actually, my understanding is that there are two operators out there right now. I believe one of them is Rebel Contractors.
Rehak: Yes?
Concienne: And I believe that the other one is Figure Four Partners.
Rehak: OK.
Concienne: And so whenever we do an inspection on behalf of Montgomery County, we work directly with the operators who have acquired their permit from the county. That’s who we deal with. So…when we did that inspection out there, we actually submitted that to Revel Contractors who was onsite that day.
Initial Investigation Focuses on Silt, Not Flood Issues
Rehak: And what were your findings regarding the flooding? Can you tell me?
Concienne: Our inspector found three long stretches of the property that needed additional perimeter control. Along the southern perimeter from Woodland Hills Drive east to Friarwood Trail. That all needed perimeter controls put up.
Rehak: Do you mean silt fences?
Concienne: Yes, sir. Also along the drainage ditch running north to south along Needham Road to Taylor Gully. And also along the drainage ditch of the west side of the northernmost area adjacent to Webb Street. We found one surface inlet that was on their site that did not have controls around it. And then also there were two entrances and exits around the site that needed to be restabilized with bull rock. There’s one at Fair Grove Drive and one at Webb Street.
Couldn’t Remember Missing Detention
Rehak: What about detention on the property? Did you find anything unusual there?
Concienne: At the time of our inspection, they had a pretty sizable detention pond that they had put up. At the time of our inspection…now I can’t speak to what was present prior to that, but at the time of our inspection, they did have a rock berm inside the detention structure. And so…that was in place. (Note: They also installed that the day before the inspection.) Now the detention structure was not vegetated. It was all bare ground. So obviously…ideally…that would be vegetated, but it looked like it had just been developed. I would say it was a foot and a half to two feet tall inside of a wire material. And so it looks like that was in place. They did have a linear detention structure built on site.
5/15/19 photo by Jeff Miller shows rock berm placed in front of culvert just before LJA inspection.
Same culvert on 5/11, 4 Days after Elm Grove, shows that silt protection was not in place before inspection.
Rehak: What was the date of your inspection?
Concienne: May 15th.
Rehak: Did you see any detention north of Village Springs Drive? That’s the big detention area at the far eastern end of the proposed subdivision.
Concienne: I would have to go back and review my photographs of the inspection. But I don’t recall whether there were any other detention structures other than that one large linear structure that went into some concrete culverts and then discharged downstream. That’s the only one I remember seeing when I went through the photographs.
5/16/19 photo by Jeff Miller shows contractor excavating detention pond AFTER 5/15 inspection. But inspector claims he could not remember whether pond was there at time of inspection.
Rehak: There was supposed to be a huge pond attached to that.
Concienne: (Referring to the missing detention pond that was supposed to hold 43 acre feet of water.) I don’t recall seeing that in the photographs.
Remedial Action Started 36 Hours before First Inspection
Note: On the two days before LJA inspected the site, Rebel Contractors installed the rock berm and silt fencing along the southern border. Later, Concienne tells me that the silt fencing should have been up before any clearing even took place…almost seven months ago. Rebel Contractors still has not installed silt fencing everywhere they should.
Rehak: So you did an inspection on the 15th, and I can promise you that that detention wasn’t there on the 15th, but it is there now. It took them about a day to dig it. I’m wondering why it took them six months to put it in if it only took a day to do.
Concienne: Well, uh, yeah. Well, I’m not sure. I know there was obviously some flooding issues there around that area…
Rehak: That’s an understatement!
Concienne: That’s what kind of triggered all this. But on the stormwater quality end of it, like I said, we’re just looking at whatever’s present when we do our inspection. And so we document what was there the first time. And we document what has changed when we go there on Thursday. We requested some pretty extensive work. I know there are some long stretches of perimeter fencing so…there’s a chance that they may not have done it. I’m not sure.
LJA Explanation Conflicts with TCEQ
Rehak: So the complaint I lodged with the TCEQ had to do with flooding. And they referred me to you for answers on that. Now you’re telling me that you … don’t have anything to do with the flooding part???!!!
Concienne: Well, so, the construction general permit that that complaint was placed under with the TCEQ, is purely a stormwater quality permit. This does not involve quantity of water in any way. I know there’s certainly the possibility that silt left the site and potentially impacted things downstream…and we try to make that determination when we’re in the field…but for the most part that’s a stormwater quality permit and the TCEQ will tell you that they don’t deal with capacity at all. Now if there’s anything beyond that in terms of flooding, what degree there was, why the flooding occurred, that sort of thing, that’s a capacity issue, generally speaking.
Rehak: Who’s investigating that?
Doesn’t Know Who Is Investigating Flooding
Concienne: I’m not sure. I have a copy of the complaint from the TCEQ and like I said, this was a stormwater quality complaint that the TCEQ deals with. So um…any complaint that’s registered with the TCEQ is going to deal with quality, not quantity at all. (See how the TCEQ characterized the complaint as flooding!)
Rehak: So you don’t know if anyone is investigating the quantity part?
Concienne: You mean like why people flooded?
Rehak: Yes.
Concienne: Like I said, I wouldn’t make that determination. I’m not a hydrology guy at all.
Contractor Did Things Out of Order
One other thing struck me as odd: the timing of the erection of silt fencing on May 13 and 14.
Rehak: This site has been cleared for over 6 months and it didn’t have those silt detention things in place. Residents were complaining about mud in the streets for months. How long does it normally take after clearing before they should put the silt fences up?
No silt fences and mud in the street six months after contractor finished clearing site. Photo taken on 5/8.
Concienne: It’s supposed to be up before it’s cleared. The permit requires those controls are in place before any grading takes place. So those controls definitely should have been in place. We actually cited them on four different counts when we were out there. Now what the TCEQ will ultimately do with them? There’s a strong possibility they will get some type of enforcement.
Huge Questions Remain for LJA Engineering and Montgomery County
If LJA was responsible for permit compliance, why did LJA not inspect the site to make sure silt fencing was in place before grading began?
Why does LJA repeatedly emphasize that they can’t speak to what was on site before their inspection?
Why did Rebel Contractors suddenly start complying with permit requirements one day before the inspection? Were they tipped off?
Why did TCEQ refer me to LJA to answer flooding questions, when LJA denied it had any responsibility for flooding questions?
Why is one arm of LJA investigating a project that another arm designed?
Can LJA really provide an unbiased investigation of Figure Four Partners, the developer that hired it?
Knowing the potential for ethical conflict, why did Montgomery County not hire some other company for this particular investigation?
If LJA has a blanket contract to review all permit applications for Montgomery County, why does it not recuse itself from investigations involving itself and its clients?
At this hour, silt fences and bull rock still have not been installed everywhere they should be. Why?
Obviously, none of these parties (LJA Engineers, Figure Four Partners, and Rebel Contractors) are afraid of consequences from TCEQ or Montgomery County. The biggest question of all is “Why?” I talked to several Porter residents who complained bitterly to Montgomery County about the practices on this construction site. They said their calls to the County and the Sheriff’s Office fell on deaf ears. “It was like all the communication was going into a black hole,” one told me. That family sold its home and moved back to Harris County four months before the flood.
Gretchen Dunlap-Smith took the pictures below on 5/21/19, six days after the LJA inspection. They show the area near the Webb Street entrance in Porter where Rebel Contractors was ordered to install silt fending. Note the continued failure to meet requirements.
No silt fences to the left.
No silt fences to the right
Northwest corner of development.
Looking south toward Taylor Gully, no silt fences.
Webb Street Entrance. Still no bull rock that would allow trucks to enter without running across neighbor’s lawn.
Damage to neighbor’s lawn and public street because of inadequate entrance.
So many questions, so many compliance failures, so few consequences…with only a week before the start of hurricane season!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/21/2019 with photos from Gretchen Dunlap-Smith and Jeff Miller
630 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP law of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/51siltfence052119.jpg?fit=1080%2C810&ssl=18101080adminadmin2019-05-21 23:23:302019-05-22 07:14:03Elm Grove Update: Montgomery County Hired Company that Designed Woodridge to Investigate Woodridge Permit Violations
Hundreds of residents in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest, south of the new Woodridge Village development, flooded last week. Everyone says they never flooded before the contractor started clearcutting and grading the property. So what changed? Clearcutting removed all the plants and ponds that slowed the water’s velocity. It also exposed a highly impervious clay soil base, so slick when wet, that it offered very little resistance to flow. That accelerated stormwaters toward Elm Grove, where detention ponds had yet to be built and, according to residents, the developer had filled in natural drainage features.
Geologist Finds Impervious Clay
I asked a retired top geologist from one of the world’s largest oil companies to describe the soil composition. The answer? At least 50% clay. “Because clay grains are very small (<2 microns), plate shaped and tightly bonded, water does not easily or quickly move through or into clay-dominant sediments without the help of plant roots.” Thus, there’s much more runoff than absorption, especially after clearcutting and grading.
To check that assumption, he dug a hole and filled it with water from a bucket.
The water took 15 minutes to go down one-half inch.
Absorption rate indicates low permeabilityand high runoff rates.Note the ponding water halfway up the stake, still sitting on the surface from week-old rains.
Still Had Standing Water Eight Days after Rain
He continued. “The presence of many puddles of standing water from week-old rains indicate that clay-dominant sediment like I sampled is wide spread across the site as it is throughout our fluvial flood plain setting – except locally where sandy channel fills are also present.”
Standing water remained on the site, days after the last rain, indicating a high clay content.
What a Photo Can Tell: Decoding Erosion Patterns
I also asked him to analyze this photo below and tell me whether it changed his opinion of soil composition. The photo was taken directly north of the box culvert installed by the developer near Taylor Gulley. The area was several blocks from where he sampled soil.
Several days after this photo was taken the contractor excavated this area to form a retention pond that should have been there before the flood.
When the geologist saw the photo above, he said:
The erosion itself indicates a high rate of water runoff and minimal absorption.
Steep edges imply cohesion typically associated with clay. Sand or less cohesive soils would slump.
Standing water proves low percolation rate. Only clay rich sediments would hold water like that for more than a few hours.
What Contractor Should Have Known
The contractor developing the site had to know the soil was impervious. They had worked it for a year or more and had to see standing water on numerous occasions that reportedly caused delays. Still, they did several things that increased flood risk for downstream residents – before they completed site detention. For instance, they:
Basically, they increased the slope of land, reduced the friction that vegetation provides, and accelerated runoff toward an area that they knew could flood, across soil that they knew was impervious…before finishing the detention work.
Photo by Jeff Miller on 5/16/2019, more than a week after the Elm Grove flood, shows developer starting to excavate the detention pond near the portion of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest that Flooded.
Had all the detention been installed before the storm hit, Elm Grove and surrounding areas should not have flooded.
Hydrologist’s Claims at Odds with Performance
The hydrologist’s conclusion (see page 3 of the 59 page report) states that on-site detention should hold up to a hundred-year rain. But the Harris County meteorologist estimates that on the day Elm Grove flooded, the area received at most a 50-year rain. Maybe everything wasn’t working as planned after all. Maybe the developer should have changed its approach too construction. Developing detention sooner could have reduced flood risk.
Posted by Bob Rehak with help from Jeff Miller on 5/20/2019
629 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/20190518_135415.jpeg?fit=622%2C1280&ssl=11280622adminadmin2019-05-20 21:34:252019-05-20 21:34:51Impervious Clay in Clear-Cut Area Accelerated Runoff Toward Elm Grove Before Detention Fully Developed
Coordinated, fast action by the City, Harris County Flood Control, and concerned citizens reduced flood risk for many homes earlier this month. Together, they eliminated many blockages in drains and ditches that likely prevented many homes from flooding during the storms from May 3 through May 10. Perhaps we can learn from the experience and organize neighborhood groups that spot and report developing situations before they get out of hand and cause floods. Here’s what happened.
Triple Whammy: Three Major Storms
On Friday, May 3, late in the afternoon, heavy rains combined with high winds and possible tornadoes downed trees throughout Kingwood. Tree debris littered the ground everywhere. The City worked throughout the weekend to clear streets and drains. But large amounts of debris remained in yards and along greenbelts.
Then on Tuesday, more intense rains hit and flushed much of that debris into drains and ditches.
The City again sprang into action; Public Works sent crews out to inspect the storm drains for blockages. Camera and clean up crews have been here ever since.
Harris County Flood Control also sent crews out to clear ditches. Due to erosion and high winds, many trees had fallen into the ditches and were creating blockages.
Sadly, many homes did flood on Tuesday. The vast majority of those were near a massive construction site that altered drainage.
But had it not been for fast, coordinated action by the City, County and Citizens, many more homes elsewhere might have flooded on Friday, May 10, when Round Three of heavy rains hit the Lake Houston Area.
Example of How Things Can Go Right
Jennifer Coulter, a Kings Forest resident, reported a small creek totally blocked behind her home. The Coulters flooded badly in Harvey and have been hyper vigilant ever since. Jennifer detected a blockage in the ditch behind her home AFTER Tuesday’s storm on May 7. Here’s what it looked like. Harris County Flood Control sent a team out to clear the blockage BEFORE the Friday storm.
This bridge over a small ditch/creek in Kings Forest had become totally blocked in the previous storms.
Another view of the same ditch showing extent of blockage.
Wide shot illustrates how water would have been forced out of the ditch during a storm because of the blockage.Once blocked, additional debris can quickly pile up, making things even worse.
When notified, HCFCD immediately dispatched a crew. They managed to clear the blockage before the next storm hit. It took about an hour. Here’s what the same ditch looked like when they left.
Free flowing on both sides
A Minor but Important Success
I emailed Coulter after the Friday storm to see how she did. Her response: “Dry here. Looked like the backyard drained well, too. Huge sigh of relief from this address!”
This wasn’t the only success story before Friday’s rains. I’m aware of at least five similar blockages removed before the storm. No homes flooded near those areas that I am aware of…at least as a result of reported blockages.
That’s not to say that no homes flooded anywhere. I am sure some did and that is tragic. But this example underscores the need for better identification of issues and coordination in communicating them.
Importance of the Right Five
Management consultants often talk about the “Right Five” as a key element of success. Success happens when the Right People, get the Right Information, at the Right Time, at the Right Place, in the Right Format.
In this case, residents knew:
The Right People to contact (Flood Control, not the City, and the right people AT Flood Control)
The Right Information to give them (description of problem so they could send crews with the right equipment, photos of what they would encounter, everything they needed to take immediate action).
The Right Place to send them (GPS coordinates, nearest street intersections, and nearest access points for greenbelts).
The Right Format (easy to read and understand; clear; concise; digital for easy transmission to crews in field).
The Right Time (before the storm)
While we are at it, we should also give ourselves a pat on the back. Residents helped clear drains and ditches before the storm, too. That’s not only our right; it’s our duty. The City needs our help. Their crews can’t be everywhere at once; Houston covers a lot of territory.
Organizing to Reduce Flood Risk
How can we learn from our failures and replicate our successes? Last week, the Kings Forest Board of Directors voted to establish a permanent Flood Committee with two objectives:
Raise awareness among residents of issues that contribute to flooding
Identify and communicate problems we can’t resolve on our own to the Right People at the City and County.
In essence, the idea is to create a group like Neighborhood Watch or Crime Stoppers, but focused on flooding: Clog Stoppers! People who can spot problems and report them before they cause flooding.
Major examples of things that contribute to flooding:
Yard waste swept into sewers or dumped on greenbelts
Dead or dying trees about to fall into ditches
Not cutting deadfall into small pieces [large ones block culverts; max 2′ pieces recommended]
Irresponsible construction practices
Sand mining in floodways behind inadequate dikes
People altering drainage illegally
I hope the other community, trail, and commercial associations can form similar committees. Working together through KSA or some other grass roots organization, we can reduce flood risk for everyone. We can also help improve government efficiency by getting the right people, the right information, in the right place, at the right time, in the right format.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/20/2019
629 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/image001.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=11024768adminadmin2019-05-19 22:25:252019-05-20 06:00:56Homes That Didn’t Flood Because of Quick Action: Example of How to Reduce Flood Risk
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin announced Saturday that Mayor Sylvester Turner has agreed to waive permit fees for the hundreds of residents affected by flooding during the heavy rains during the week of May 7. Details still need to be worked out. More news to follow soon. This is a pleasant development for people whose homes and possessions were destroyed. Every little bit helps! Permit fees are certainly more than the price of peanuts.
Storm damage in Elm Grove where at least 196 homes flooded.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 19, 2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ElmGroveFlood_12-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-19 00:32:372019-05-19 09:10:45City of Houston Intends to Waive Permit Fees for Homes Affected by Flooding May 7-9
At least four lawyers have discussed filing suits on behalf of neighbors against Figure Four Partners and Rebel Contractors. The Webster and Spurlock law firms alone initially filed suits earlier this week on behalf of approximately 100 plaintiffs and added approximately 80 more by the end of the week. So you would think the defendants would be on their best behavior. But never underestimate the chutzpah of men who drive bulldozers. Here’s what happened.
Though Shalt Not Dump, Especially When Being Sued
After interviewing a Porter flood victim, I was heading north on Webb Street past the entrance to the northern portion of the Woodridge job site, when suddenly, a large piece of earthmoving equipment shot out in front of me. The operator dumped a load of sticks and mulch into the ditch of a neighbor on the far side of the street. My jaw dropped! I grabbed my camera and photographed this sequence while waiting to get through. It shows him scraping mulch into the neighbor’s drainage ditch.
He held traffic up in both directions for several minutes.
When the operator saw my camera, he backed into the work site and ducked around the corner.
I drove forward and got this close up. There was one load of mulch when I left.Notice the deep truck ruts and broken asphalt being covered up.
Later that evening, one of the neighbors took the photo below at the same location. It shows that the operator dropped muchmore mulch into the neighbor’s ditch after I left.
Photo courtesy of Gretchen Dunlap Smith.
Property Owner Did Not Request Mulch
I returned Friday to talk to the owner of this property who wishes to remain anonymous. He says he did NOT ask the contractor to dump the mulch there, NOR did he give them permission to dump it. They just dumped it.
He theorized that it might be a feeble attempt to repair the road. However, to me, it looked more like an attempt to cover up road damage. But that didn’t work well either. As I photographed the pile the next morning…
…large construction trucks continued…
…to crack off large chunks of the street and push the material father into the ditch.Where a nice lawn once grew, there was an ugly, useless pile of mulch to clog drains and culverts down the street during the next rain.That’s how dumping worsens street flooding.
By Saturday, Even More Dumping on Neighbor
By Saturday morning, the pile had grown wider and deeper.It became clear that 18-wheelers where using the bed of mulch to……widen the turning radius into a driveway that was too narrow to accommodate large equipment.
Link Between Dumping and Street Flooding
During the next big rain, this mulch will likely wash away and block the neighbor’s culvert. When that happens, his property will flood AGAIN…on what will probably be a smaller rain.
The homeowner said that the contractor had “assured him” that they would fix the street before they left. However, he also assured me that they had not given him anything in writing.
You Can’t Put Lipstick on Bulldozers
In the meantime, Perry Homes (whose subsidiaries own this property and hired the contractor) has reportedly brought in a high-powered PR team to help shore up their image on this project, Jim McGrath and Chris Begala. Begala and McGrath have strong political ties that include former presidents! Interesting that Perry Homes thinks this is a PR problem and not a quality-control problem.
Suggestion: Just Widen Your Driveway
You don’t have to drive or dump on others’ property. You don’t have to destroy a public street. Just widen YOUR driveway. There’s plenty of room. You have 268 acres!
Here’s the location of the incident in case Begala, McGrath, Perry Homes, Figure Four or Rebel Contractors want to do the right thing. Neighbors in Elm Grove complained of these same problems and more.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/19/2019
628 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/NorthSection_12.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-18 23:09:132019-05-19 08:38:11Caught On Camera: Woodridge Contractor Dumping on Neighbor’s Property
Since Harvey, I’ve been talking about the dangers of sand mining too close to the river. Texas is the only state I can find that has no minimum setback for mines. Tony Buzbee, candidate for Mayor of Houston, asked to see what I was talking about. So a friend, Josh Alberson, took us on out his jet boat this afternoon.
Massive Breach in Mine Dike
As luck would have it, we went up Caney Creek. Just above where it enters the East Fork, we spotted a massive new breach in the dike of the Triple-P mine. Here’s what we saw.
Looking into the Triple-P Mine through a breach in its dike on Caney Creek
Note the exposed shoreline in the background indicating how much water the mine lost to the river.
Looking 180 degrees from the shots above. The tree leaning over at a ten degree angle from the river is on the far bank of Caney Creek.
This shows how wide the breach is in relation to the boat. The boat is 22 feet long.
This shot taken from the boat shows the mine’s cleaning, sorting and transportation equipment in the background. I could not see the dredge operating in the mine’s pit from this angle.
This Google Earth image shows the approximate location of the breach. The blue diagonal line is the Harris/Montgomery County Line. Caney Creek connects up with Lake Houston to the south (bottom part) of this image. Mmmmmmm. That water looks delicious, doesn’t it. If you get your water from Lake Houston, you’re drinking it!
Tony Buzbee, examining the sand bar at the bottom of the shot above (below the mine). The bar has grown in size, according to Alberson, a regular East Fork boater. This illustrates the danger of sand mining so close to the river. Buzbee also visited the mouth bar on the West Fork during his river tour today.
Mine Has History of Problems
I previously posted about breaches in this mine’s dikes and the loss of a major portion of its stockpile during Harvey. The stockpile is located in the confluence of two floodways (Caney Creek and White Oak Creek). Partially as a result of this mine, Kingwood’s East End Park just downstream was inundated with sand and gravel up to 15 feet deep after Harvey. Repairing damage to the trails in the park cost Kingwood residents almost $200,000. The wetlands have been lost forever.
Wetlands no more. Eagle Point in East End Park is drowned in sand from the Triple-P mine. It washed downstream during Harvey.Massive sediment deposits in the San Jacinto have also been linked to flooding by the Army Corps of Engineers.
If you are a sand miner, having Tony Buzbee witness this breach and the massive sedimentation it caused downstream is a nightmare scenario. Not only is Buzbee running for Mayor of Houston, he’s self-funding his campaign. That means he does not depend on TACA contributions. And worse (or better if you are a resident), he’s one of the top litigators in the world. In 2015, he was named Texas lawyer of the year. Kingwood residents can only hope he takes up this cause.
TCEQ Already Investigating
Upon returning home from the boat trip, I immediately notified Ramiro Garcia, head of Compliance and Enforcement for the TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) about the breach in the dike. Garcia says they have people already on the case. I hope they choose to yank this mine’s license and make it an example. At a minimum, I believe they should give the mine the maximum fine. My understanding is that the fine can run up to $25,000 per day. This kind of flagrant violation endangers the health of millions of people and deserves no less.
As a result of the problems created by sand mining in the San Jacinto River watershed, State Representative Dan Huberty sponsored a bill this year to establish best practices for the mines. HB 909 was referred to the Environmental Regulation Committee on 2/25. The committee heard testimony on 5/1. TACA testified AGAINST establishing and publishing best practices. HB909 has been bottled up in committee ever since.
Please use this breach to try to get the legislation out of committee. This is major. It affects the drinking water supply for 2 million people. I talked about the dangers of mining too close to rivers when I testified for HB909. These miners just don’t care. They think that their ability to make a profit is more important that your health. Please send a message to Austin. Refer the members of the Environmental Regulation Committee to this post and tell them this is what Rehak testified about on 5/1. Have them vote it out of committee. Let’s establish best practices for sand mining in Texas. While we still can.
Here are the members of the Environmental Regulation Committee.
J.M. Lozano (Chairman) (512) 463-0463
Ed Thompson (Vice Chair) (512) 463-0707
Cesar Blanco (512) 463-0622
Kyle Kacal (512) 463-0412
John Kuempel (512) 463-0602
Geanie Morrison (512) 463-0456
Ron Reynolds (512) 463-0494
John Turner (512) 463-0576
Erin Zwiener (512) 463-0647
Please call their office and ask them to vote HB 909 out of committee. Tell them this breach is the great example of why we need this bill. Breaches like this happen far too often. There are only ten days left in this session.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/18/19, with a big thank you to Josh Alberson and Tony Buzbee
627 Days since Hurricane Harvey
All thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy and 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/2019/05/Mine-Breech.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-05-17 21:23:342019-05-17 23:15:52Nailed: Triple-P Sand Mine Photographed Discharging Wastewater Directly into Lake Houston Tributary
Computer rendering showing proposed high-rises in an area soon to be reclassified as the floodway of the San Jacinto.
Record Number of Protest Letters
The number of protest letters set an Army Corps record. Due to the large number of responses, SWCA, Romerica’s environmental consultant, requested a suspension of the permit. Instead, the Army Corps withdrew the application without prejudice and invited Romerica to resubmit a new application at a later date.
Status: Start Over
SWCA expressed concern about starting the process over again. But according to Janet Botello, because of the large number of comments and the fact that much of the survey work will need to be redone, a new public notice and another public review are almost a certainty.
I finally received a return phone call from Leah Manlove Howard of Manlove Marketing and Communications. Ms. Howard acts as Romerica’s spokesperson. She said that Romerica and its team of consultants were meeting this week to determine whether they wanted to climb that mountain again. I do not yet have an answer to that question.
People familiar with Corps processes tell me that the Corps rarely rejects an application outright. However, regulations can and do occasionally make it so hard to receive approval that applicants give up. Romerica is the fourth or fifth developer to try to develop this land. It has been sold and resold numerous times, but never developed, in part, because of the history of flooding and difficulty of permitting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/16/2019
626 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/IMG_0134.jpg?fit=960%2C1280&ssl=11280960adminadmin2019-05-16 22:28:132019-05-16 22:33:23Full Text of SWCA’s Request for Romerica Extension and Army Corps’ Withdrawal of High-Rise Permit Application
Street flooding in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest…
… turned into home flooding when sheet flow from the Woodridge Village was added to the street flooding on May 7 flood
Taylor Gully near the peak. Shortly after this shot was taken it overflowed into the park on the opposite bank, upper right.
Scene along Village Springs in Elm Grove after the May 7 flood.At least 196 homes in the neighborhood flooded.Abel Vera now lives in a world without walls.
It May Be Time to Rethink That Assertion, LJA!
In the conclusion of the cover letter of the report dated 8/28/18, Phyllis Mbewe, the project manager of hydrology and hydraulics for LJA Engineering guarantees Dan Wild, Montgomery County’s assistant engineer, that there will be:
No downstream impacts to Taylor Gully water surface elevations
No adverse drainage impacts to neighboring communities (such as Elm Grove or North Kingwood Forest).
She says, “…the proposed development of the 268-acre tract creates no adverse drainage impacts for events up to and including the 100-year event.”
If you are an engineer or hydrologist, please help. Review these plans and give me your thoughts. You may remain anonymous if you wish. Please email me through the contact page of this web site. 196 families really need your help. The house you save may be your own…the next time around.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 16, 2019
625 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Rescue-Truck.jpg?fit=1500%2C729&ssl=17291500adminadmin2019-05-15 21:45:572019-05-16 08:28:36LJA Engineering Report Says “No Adverse Drainage Impacts” to Neighboring Developments or Taylor Gully
