News Archives - Page 24 of 277

Major Northpark Traffic Change Coming Next Week

7/31/2025 – According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website, contractors will soon move all eastbound traffic on Northpark Drive between Italiano’s and GS Tire & Auto to newly constructed lanes on the south side of the thoroughfare. This will eliminate two major swerves within 3,000 feet and straighten out inbound traffic east of Loop 494.

The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website indicates the change will happen on the night of 8/5/2025. However, I have been unable to confirm that.

Photos of Lane-Change Areas Taken Today

All photos below were taken today starting from the east and moving west.

*Looking West from G&S.* *Inbound traffic will move to the south (left).*

The shift to the south will go past Russell Palmer … all the way to Italiano’s.

*Looking west from Russell Palmer (lower left). From this point, traffic in BOTH directions will shift south and demo of old outbound lanes will begin.*

*Still looking west. This detour will also straighten out. Italiano’s is out of frame in upper left. Through this stretch, traffic in both directions will shift left (south)*

After contractors open up the new eastbound lanes, they will shift westbound traffic to the south from NextCare Urgent Care to Russel Palmer. They will then begin demolition of the old westbound lanes between those two points.

Use extra caution as people get used to the changes and as traffic increases with people returning from vacation.

Bore Under Railroad Tracks Still Stalled

For several weeks now, boring for the twin 60″ pipes underneath the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks has been stalled due to the discovery of utility conflicts. The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website simply says, “All work on UPRR ROW has been halted due to further unknown conditions found in the field on 7/25/2025.”

*The originating pit for the bores east of the UnionPacific tracks.*

*A few feet west of the tracks, the bores have not yet reached the receiving pit.*

The project planners intended to convey excess stormwater west of the tracks under them to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch. But contractors must resolve the utility conflicts (shown above) and place junction boxes for the drainage in both pits before they can connect the drainage on each side of the tracks.

*So close and yet so far. Only a few feet separate the two pits. But the utility conflicts are holding up a major part of the job.*

Loop 494 Progress

Meanwhile contractors have made good progress on Loop 494 both north and south of Northpark.

*Looking S across Northpark at new northbound lanes (left) one of which is mostly finished..*

Looking north from the other side of Northpark…

*Contractors have begun placing rebar to expand the roadbed.*

After crews finish paving the northbound lanes of Loop 494, they will begin the eastbound lanes of Northpark west of Loop 494.

Between 59 and Loop 494

Between Loop 494 and 59, contractors are currently placing junction boxes for drainage underneath where the inbound surface lanes will go. Today, you could see them placing one of the boxes in front of Whataburger.

*Drainage junction box in front of Whataburger on right.*

According to the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, “They will then move into the center median of Northpark west of LP 494, to begin work on the storm laterals and structures, which include the detention-pond equalizer pipe.” See below.

*Recently demolished center section of Northpark will be focus of next phase of drainage work.*

To see progress since the last update, compare photos in this post from 7/21/2025.

In Other Northpark News

Crews have started preparing the base for what will become new inbound surface lanes just east of the UP Railroad Tracks.

*Looking E across from Public Storage and Dunkin’ Donuts*

It’s not easy to see how the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle come together when you’re driving. Keep your eyes on the road and check back here periodically for progress reports.

Yesterday, as I came in on Northpark from 59, it took almost a half hour to get the one block from 59 to Loop 494. Because of the construction near Whataburger, inbound traffic was down to one lane for a short while. But it was back open this morning.

Such closures can be hard to predict and frustrating. To the degree you can, I would try to avoid Northpark during construction hours. But also be sensitive to the hardships placed on local merchants. Go out of your way to patronize them when you can.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/31/2025

2893 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Diversion Ditch Study Did Not Consider Obvious Opportunities that Might Have Reduced Costs, Flood Risk

7/30/25 – The Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) of Kingwood Diversion Ditch Conveyance Improvements makes no reference to three obvious detention opportunities that could potentially reduce project costs and help protect people in Kingwood from flooding. Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) commissioned the PER in 2021 after the Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis identified fixing Diversion Ditch issues as one of the top priorities in Kingwood.

Chris Bloch, a local engineer and flood activist says he showed the detention opportunities to HCFCD. However, Neel-Schaffer did not consider them in its report for unknown reasons.

Detention South of River Will Not Help Flooding Along Diversion Ditch

The Neel-Schaffer PER recommended building 405 acre-feet of detention south of the San Jacinto West Fork.

The location south of the river may help people downstream, but it will do nothing to reduce the volume of water flowing down the Diversion Ditch during a major storm.

Detention south of the river will help people farther down the West Fork. But Bloch points out that locating detention along the Diversion Ditch would help both Kingwood residents and others downstream.

Overview: Three Stormwater Detention Opportunities Inside Kingwood

Bloch consulted with Stan Sarman before Sarman’s untimely death several years ago. Sarman was one of the consulting engineers who designed Kingwood’s original drainage for Friendswood. Bloch says that he and Sarman identified several recommendations to improve Kingwood drainage. From north to south, they include:

Adding detention between Northpark Drive and St. Martha Catholic Church
Removing a berm between Kings Manor and Kings Mill detention ditches, then increasing the width and depth of the combined ditches
Creating extra capacity near the proposed new San Jacinto River outfall of the Diversion Ditch.

According to Bloch, these alternatives could provide far more capacity than the 405-acre feet that Neel-Schaffer says it needs – especially if combined with some channel-widening opportunities. I will discuss channel widening in a future post. But first, let’s look closer at these three.

Opportunity #1

Neel-Schaffer evidently didn’t look at anything north of the Harris/Montgomery County line. Since Neel-Schaffer released its PER, the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority announced plans to build 100 acre-feet of detention in the area where the Diversion Ditch splits off from Bens Branch just north of Northpark. That’s a quarter of the needed 405 acre-feet right there.

Opportunity #2

Removing the berm between the Kings Mill and Kings Manor ditches and increasing the width and depth of the combined ditches would provide another 100 acre-feet of detention capacity. Both ditches are owned by Montgomery County Municipal Utility Districts.

Kings Mill is under fire to reduce runoff due to the new high-density Northpark Enclave development. Construction plans show runoff entering the Northpark evacuation route during extreme high-water events.

Plus, additional Enclave runoff will further reduce Diversion-Ditch capacity. Parts of the Diversion Ditch have a 50% chance of flooding every year.

Opportunity #2 could help mitigate both Enclave and Diversion-Ditch capacity issues.

Dual drainage ditches separated by needless berm could provide another $100 acre feet of storage. — Looking East toward Russell Palmer Road. Eliminating the berm between Kings Mill and Kings Manor Drainage could provide an estimated 100 acre-feet of additional stormwater detention benefitting Kingwood residents.

Opportunity #3

Neel-Schaffer recommends extending the Diversion Ditch from below Deer Ridge Park to the West Fork – without forcing it to make an S-turn through River Grove Park.

*New outfall for Diversion Ditch (red line) creates another opportunity for more detention (in red box).*

That coincides with one of the recommendations originally made by Sarman and Bloch. But Sarman and Bloch also called for construction of a large pond at the outfall location. This pond would slow water velocities exiting the Diversion Ditch and provide a sediment-settling area before the water enters the River.

Depending on the configuration, such a pond could provide another 80 to 100 acre-feet of inline detention.

High Cost of Detention South of River

Those three alternatives alone could provide approximately three quarters of the needed detention and reduce flood risk for more than 500 residents who flooded near the Diversion Ditch during Harvey.

Bloch and Sarman identified other opportunities within the ditch to expand capacity. They could easily bring the total to far more than the 405 acre-feet needed.

Neel-Schaffer makes a frank confession about its detention recommendation south of the West Fork on page 38 of its Preliminary Engineering Review. It says that…

“Although an offsite stormwater detention basin is feasible, the prospective benefits are negligible.”
Neel-Schaffer Kingwood Diversion Ditch Preliminary Engineering Review, Page 38

Yet the projected cost of the basin they proposed is between a quarter and a third of total project costs – almost $15 million out of $55 million. In fairness, Neel-Schaffer says on the same page, “Due to limited effectiveness and significant cost, the recommended detention basin should be further examined during final design.”

Final Design Getting Underway

On May 8, 2025, Harris County Commissioners Court approved a motion to advertise final design and construction of the diversion ditch project for bids. However, an engineering design firm has not yet been selected.

When they are, I hope they evaluate some of these recommendations.

A transmittal from HCFCD Executive Director Dr. Tina Petersen shows that the EPA and Texas Water Development Board have apparently pledged $7 million to the project. That won’t cover much construction. So, Petersen says HCFCD will continue to look for more grants. Her timeline shows construction starting in mid-2028…if she can find the money.

These recommendations may help make the project more affordable.

Posted by Bob Rehak 7/30/25

2892 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Explanation of Toth’s Negative Votes on Dredging Bills Not Supported by Evidence

7/28/2025 – State Representative Steve Toth has announced a bid to unseat U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw in next year’s Republican primary. While Crenshaw helped secure more than $120 million dollars for dredging in the Lake Houston Area after Harvey to reduce flood risk, Toth voted against bills to create a Lake Houston Dredging District THREE times in five years.

Toth claims that the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF), a powerful Republican think tank, was “also against the bill.” However, a search of the TPPF website turned up no mention of any of the three bills. They included:

HB 2525 in 2021 (by former State Rep. Dan Huberty)
HB 5341 in 2023 (by current State Rep. Charles Cunningham)
HB 1532 in 2025 (also by Cunningham)

I searched the TPPF website for each of the bill numbers (with and without spaces and hyphens). I also searched it for key words such as “dredging” and “Lake Houston.” None of the searches turned up any mention of any of the bills. Moreover, neither of the bills’ authors could recall TPPF taking a stance for or against the bill(s), nor could their chiefs of staff.

Likewise, neither Google, nor ChatGPT, found any public records indicating that TPPF adopted a position against the creation of a Lake Houston Dredging District.

Witness Lists Don’t Support Toth Claim Either

The list of witnesses who addressed the House Natural Resources Committee on HB 2525 in 2021 shows no one from the TPPF. Ditto for the Senate testimony.

I could find only two public comments in 2023 – both written and neither from TPPF.

The same holds true for HB 1532 in 2025. No comments from TPPF in the House, nor in the Senate!

The only people who ever testified against any of the three versions of the Dredging District bills represented water authorities, not TPPF.

Error-Ridden Defense of Negative Votes

A close examination of Rep. Toth’s defense of his negative votes shows other troubling issues, too. See below.

Five Issues in Six Sentences

In the six full sentences above, I quickly spotted five major issues.

#1 – I can find no public records of TPPF being against any of the dredging bills as discussed above.
#2 – “One more taxing agency.” The 2025 version of the bill (HB 1532) that became law states explicitly that the dredging district cannot levy taxes. Do you really want a representative who doesn’t read the legislation he’s voting on?
#3 – SJRA responsible for Kingwood flooding? It was a combination of factors. Lack of dredging for decades reduced the conveyance of the West Fork by up to 15 feet. That’s why we need regular dredging as the Army Corps recommended.
#4 – Even if TPPF was against the bill, who cares? Toth is running to represent tens of thousands of Lake Houston Area residents and business people that flooded – not the TPPF. Do you really want a representative who votes against the needs of constituents to curry favor with a think tank in Austin that doesn’t even list flooding as an issue it cares about?
#5 – If the TPPF was against the 2025 bill, why did so many Republicans vote for it? It passed the House by 114 to 19 and the Senate by 30 to 1.

Mr. Toth certainly doesn’t inspire my trust.

No Reply from Toth Yet

Johnna Wells, the lady who elicited the response above from Rep. Toth has invited him to come to Kingwood and address voters on these issues. He indicated a willingness to talk to her, but wouldn’t say when.

In the hall of mirrors that political discourse has become in recent years, it’s important to verify the claims you hear or see.

If Mr. Toth wishes to respond to the observations in this post, I will be happy to print his point of view. But he must start with who at TPPF came out against the bill. What did they say? When? And where? And how can it be verified?

What started out as unexplained votes has quickly morphed into a major trust issue.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/28/2025

2990 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.

West Fork Dredging Contract Complete, But Job Far from Over

7/27/25 – Callan Marine is done with its City of Houston West Fork dredging contract. The contract used the last of the FEMA money that U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw helped obtain for dredging the West Fork Mouth Bar and the surrounding area after Harvey.

The City hired Callan to dredge 800,000 cubic yards from the San Jacinto West Fork between Kings Point, Atascocita and FM1960. But even though that contract is now complete, the need for dredging is far from over. Let me explain.

Pictures Taken Today

The General Pershing, Callan’s dredge was docked today on the east side of Lake Houston, just south of FM1960.

*Miles of massive dredge pipe used in the operation were pulled onshore, waiting for removal.*

*The placement area next to the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Canal was vacant. Callan had removed all of its equipment.*

*The gates that let return-water out of the placement area had been removed (lower right).*

*The return-water channel from the placement area was filled in. Straw had been placed across the filled channel to retard erosion.*

*Callan filled the area inside the perimeter berms* *almost completely.*

But just upstream from from where the dredging took place, the West Fork is already filling in again near the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.

need for more dredging — *The area near Kings Harbor is only 1-2 feet deep.* *The Army Corps dredged this area just a few years ago.*

*Not many people will be tying their boats up here near Raffa’s.*

Dredging complete — *Farther upstream, it’s the same story. Boaters told me today the outfall of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (shown above) is only about 6″ to a 1′ deep at River Grove Park.*

Ironically, the Army Corps liberated River Grove from a giant sand build up just a few years ago. Remember what this area looked like then? See below.

River Grove Sand Bar — *Same area in 2018 before Army Corps dredging. An estimated 500+ homes above this point flooded during Harvey.*

Sediment buildups like these reduced the conveyance of both the East and West Forks by 15 feet in places.

*Another massive build up less than a half mile downstream from River Grove took the Corps months to dredge.*

The Would-Be Congressman Who Denies Need for Dredging

Reducing flood risk in the Lake Houston Area requires reducing sediment build ups like these. Before the Corps left the West Fork, it recommended setting up a maintenance dredging program to help prevent such massive buildups in the future.

Following the Corps’ lead, former State Rep. Dan Huberty tried to set up such a program in 2021. So did State Rep. Charles Cunningham in 2023. Cunningham finally succeeded this year when HB1532 became law.

And yet a person upstream who wants to represent the Lake Houston Area in Congress, State Representative Steve Toth, voted against Cunningham’s Dredging District bill. And now he’s challenging Crenshaw.

I have yet to hear a credible explanation as to why Toth voted against the dredging district bill and the needs of the people he hopes to represent. Perhaps he would care to go on the record.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/27/25

2889 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.

Take Regional Flood Survey Now, Deadline Fast Approaching

7/25/2025 – The San Jacinto Flood Planning Group is fielding a brief regional flood survey that will be used to help judge public priorities for the next round in the development of the State’s Flood Plan. Your last chance to take the survey is August 1, 2025.

But don’t wait. Take it now while this post and the link are in front of you. It will only take a few minutes and your suggestions could help reduce your flood risk.

About the State Flood Plan

In 2019, the Texas Legislature passed Senate Bill 8 directing the creation of the first-ever state flood plan for Texas. The state flood plan brings together the findings of the 15 river-basin-based regional flood plans and makes legislative and floodplain management recommendations to guide state, regional, and local flood control policy.

The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) adopted Texas’ inaugural State Flood Plan on August 15th, 2024. Now we’re into the next cycle of the plan, which will be updated every five years.

So here’s your chance to sound off about everything you’ve learned in the last five years. The San Jacinto Regional Flood Planning Group covers more than 5,000 square miles in 11 counties.

Here’s the start page to take the survey.

After some location and contact questions, the survey will ask you some pretty high level questions, i.e., “What do we need?”

I said, “We need river-basin-wide flood control districts. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to solve flooding that originates across county lines.”

Others knowledgeable about flooding problems in Texas said we need:

A guaranteed amount of funding for the plan – every year or at least every legislative session – to facilitate planning better.
A statewide program in every school to teach students about flood risk – before they buy their first home.

Whatever your suggestions, make sure you submit your regional flood survey by August 1, 2025. Better yet, do it now so you don’t forget.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/25/2025

2887 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Five Highly-Volatile-Liquid Pipelines Exposed at Triple PG Mine on Caney Creek

7/24/25 – Five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVLs) have become exposed and undermined by erosion associated with sand-mining activity near Caney Creek in Porter. Some of the pipelines have been shored up. Others hang suspended in mid-air. See below.

*Exposed pipelines at northern end of Triple PG property near Caney Creek*

*Reverse angle shows proximity to Caney Creek in foreground.*

*Side shot gives better view of utility-easement erosion at northern part of mine.*

This is not the miner’s first tangle with pipelines. In 2020, miners exposed a Kinder Morgan Natural Gas pipeline in the same general area. That forced Kinder Morgan to abandon its line and drill a new one 75 feet beneath the mine.

The Triple PG daredevils had been pushing the safety envelope by trying to mine sand between the pipelines.

From Railroad Commission website in August 2021. Note how miners had started mining past Kinder Morgan pipeline on bottom. Compare this with photos above taken today that show pipelines exposed where clustered green lines are.

The exposed HVL pipelines observed today are part of a pattern at this mine. But it’s not the only dangerous pattern, in my opinion.

Attorney General Lawsuit on Behalf of TCEQ

Back in 2019, breaches of two dikes at the same mine were left open for months. The mines released process wastewater through those breaches into the headwaters of Lake Houston for months. They also let White Oak Creek flow through the Triple PG sand mine (now operated by Texas Frac Sand Materials, Inc.) directly into Caney Creek.

Both White Oak and Caney Creeks flow into the San Jacinto East Fork and the headwaters of Lake Houston, which supplies drinking water for 2.2 million people.

The Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit on behalf of the TCEQ. An injunction forced the miners to close the breaches and reinforce the dikes.

The lawsuit sought $1,000,000 in penalties plus $25,000 for each day violations continued.

The dikes were originally repaired. But in August 2024, I photographed the same dikes…ruptured again in the same places. They still haven’t been fixed. Here’s how they looked today.

*Looking N. from over Hueni Road. White Oak Creek (left) flows into and through Triple PG property.*

*Still looking N but farther east, water flows out of the mine into Caney Creek* *(right of mine).* *Lake Houston is behind camera position.*

Original Case Delayed Six Years

Legal maneuverings and a change in ownership of the mine through a series of shell companies and trust funds have delayed the original lawsuit for six years in Travis County courts. See Case No. D-1-GN-19-007086.

Texas Frac Sand Materials now operates the mine even though Dr. Prabhakar R. Guniganti and his family still own the property. See the Montgomery County Appraisal District record below for the part of the mine with the five exposed HVL pipelines.

*MoCo Appraisal District record shows 1992 Guniganti Credit Shelter Trust owns the parcel outlined in blue where mining exposed pipelines.* *This one parcel is a small part of a much larger mine.*

Guniganti, a cardiologist from Nacogdoches, is one of the PG’s in the original Triple PG Mine.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has already opened an investigation into both the pipeline and breach issues reported above.

Posted by Bob Rehak one 7/24/2025

2886 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.

The Dirty Dozen: 12 Ways Harris County Makes It Hard to Track Your Tax Dollars

7/23/25 – Ever wonder how someone could lose track of billions of tax dollars? It takes a lot of effort. But Harris County’s current Democratic leadership has proven adept at the task. Here are some of tricks of their trade.

1. Moving money around

That makes it more difficult to trace. Put Toll Road money into Flood Control. Put Flood Control money into Engineering. Then move it back again. And again. Establish a Flood Resilience Trust to supplement flood-bond funds. Then dissolve it. Never provide a full accounting. Whew. Even the county administrator couldn’t explain it clearly. Maybe that was the point.

2. Changing department heads and group managers

Replace professional hires with political hires. In Flood Control, Engineering, IT, Community Services. And 16 other departments. Then gut the management structure three or four levels beneath them. Lose institutional knowledge, project momentum and oversight capabilities.

3. Making the new department heads accountable to a new department

The County Administrator’s Office, for instance. It has had three heads in four years (David Berry, Diana Ramirez and Jesse Dickerman) and is searching for a fourth to replace Dickerman whose title is Interim Administrator. All within four years.

4. Replacing experienced professionals with political hires

Force remaining experienced professionals to do the work of the political hires…without a pay increase. One veteran professional, who needs to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, told me, they’re “doing their best to drive off remaining staff, and not even bothering to find replacements. I am pretty sure it is well past the tipping point and the county is one disaster away from dysfunctional.”

5. Appealing routine Public Information Requests to the Texas Attorney General

Then if the AG upholds the request, charge thousands of dollars to email (months later) a PDF that was already sitting on someone’s computer.

6. Not updating websites

That makes it easier for Rodney Ellis to claim “Kingwood is getting all the money.” Parts of the HCFCD district website haven’t been updated for five years. See below.

*Screen capture from Downloads page on 7/23/25 shows last update was November 2020.*

7. Removing lists of Active Projects from your web site

That might enable people to quickly verify whether “Kingwood is getting all the money.” Make people dig for the information and pay for it instead.

8. Publishing spending updates annually that used to be monthly

The frequency of Flood Bond Updates has fallen off radically. That makes it difficult to track projects in near real time.

9. Hiring Consultants for $2 million to do the work of staff you lost

On the 7/10/25 commissioners court agenda, Item 250 was a contract extension with Berkeley Research Group, LLC for $1,995,000. The primary deliverable in this word salad seems to be a dashboard to help make projects’ status more visible. Of course, this could delay disclosure for additional months…as outsiders try to figure out what insiders can’t.

10. Not totaling columns of spreadsheets that stretch for dozens of pages

And don’t put headers on any pages past the first, either. Make people scroll back and forth until their eyeballs bleed or they give up. And make them perform complicated import/export procedures to total up columns that stretch to almost 40 pages.

11. Continually changing the way you allocate money to projects

At first it was on the basis of flood damage. But people could understand that. So, it changed. Over and over and over again. Until now, damage, flood risk and flood intensity have nothing to do with the formula for allocating flood bond money.

12. Not even telling people where bond money will go in the first place

Unlike the 2018 Flood Bond, Garcia’s 2022 $1.2 billion Bait-and-Switch Bond didn’t even tell people where money would be spent. Three years later, we still don’t know. So, no one can check on them.

Shortly before the vote on Garcia’s bond, commissioners agreed to give each precinct an equal share. That lasted until the day after the election. We’re still waiting to see where money is going. The County Engineer admits to spending $131 million in the last three years, but has published NO detail on what that money bought.

Is the current uproar over the flood bond an effort to deflect attention from more tax dollars that have gone MIA? We just don’t know.

Any one of these practices might be overlooked were it not for the presence of the others. But taken together, they feel like a concerted effort to “escape and evade” detection and accountability.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/23/25

2835 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.

Flood-Victim Video Brilliantly Lampoons Rep Who Consistently Voted against Flood Mitigation

7/22/25 – State Representative Steve Toth has announced that he will run for U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw’s seat in Congress. Yet Toth, who lives outside the District, has repeatedly voted against flood-mitigation measures vitally needed by the people inside the district that he now wants to represent.

That inspired a student, whose home flooded badly during Hurricane Harvey, to create this 2-minute, satirical video that brilliantly lampoons Toth. The student has asked to remain anonymous.

Click image to play. Two minute video about Toth’s vote against flood-mitigation measures vital to the people he now wants to represent.

Toth voted against bills to create a Lake Houston Dredging District three times – even when language was added the third time – in HB1532 this year – that would eliminate any tax impact. He also voted against HB13 designed to improve flood-warning systems.

Crenshaw Actions on Flood Mitigation

Crenshaw, on the other hand, has worked diligently to obtain flood-mitigation funding for projects in his district. He even helped muck out flooded homes in Elm Grove after Imelda.

Among other things, Crenshaw helped obtain funding for:

Emergency West Fork Dredging by the Army Corps of Engineers
TC Jester Detention Basin
Westador Detention Basin
Taylor Gully and Woodridge Village Drainage Improvements
Additional flood gates for Lake Houston
New bridge across the Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Harris County Flood Control District Channel Improvement projects
Kingwood High School Flood Gates
Home buyouts along West Fork
Home-elevation projects

I have known Dan Crenshaw since he first ran for office and have immense respect for him. He has worked hard to protect the people of this district by securing funding for numerous flood-mitigation projects. Steve Toth, on the other hand, has consistently voted against flood-mitigation measures. That tells me he’s out of touch with the needs of people in this congressional district. I plan on voting for Crenshaw.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/25

2884 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.

Flood-Victim Video Brilliantly Lampoons Rep Who Consistently Votes against Flood Mitigation

7/22/25 – State Representative Steve Toth has announced that he will run for U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw’s seat in Congress. Yet Toth, who lives outside the District, has repeatedly voted against flood-mitigation measures vitally needed by the people inside the district that he now wants to represent.

That inspired a student, whose home flooded badly during Hurricane Harvey, to create this 2-minute, satirical video that brilliantly lampoons Toth. The student has asked to remain anonymous.

Two minute video about Toth’s vote against flood-mitigation measures vital to the people he now wants to represent.

Toth voted against bills to create a Lake Houston Dredging District three times – even when language was added the third time in HB1532 that would eliminate any tax impact. He also voted against HB13 designed to improve flood-warning systems.

Crenshaw Actions on Flood Mitigation

Crenshaw, on the other hand, has worked diligently to obtain flood-mitigation funding for projects in his district. He even helped muck out flooded homes in Elm Grove after Imelda.

Among other things, Crenshaw helped obtain funding for:

Emergency West Fork Dredging by the Army Corps of Engineers
TC Jester Detention Basin
Westador Detention Basin
Taylor Gully and Woodridge Village Drainage Improvements
Additional flood gates for Lake Houston
New bridge across the Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Harris County Flood Control District Channel Improvement projects
Kingwood High School Flood Gates
Home buyouts along West Fork
Home-elevation projects

I have known Dan Crenshaw since he first ran for office and have immense respect for him. He has worked hard to protect the people of this district by securing funding for numerous flood-mitigation projects. Steve Toth, on the other hand, voted against flood-mitigation measures. That tells me he’s out of touch with the needs of people in this congressional district. I plan on voting for Crenshaw.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/25

2884 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.

Utility Conflict Still Forcing Hopscotch Construction on Northpark

7/21/25 – One remaining utility conflict in the receiving pit of a bore under UnionPacific Railroad Tracks is still forcing the Northpark expansion contractor to play hopscotch construction. This morning, crews worked all around the two bore pits but not in them or on them.

The bore is necessary to connect drainage on both sides of the tracks. And the bore must be completed before contractors can begin roadwork on top of the drainage. The pictures below, taken this morning, show where construction stands at the end of July 2025.

When complete, the Northpark expansion project will provide the first all-weather evacuation route from Kingwood. That’s important because during major flood events, such as Hurricane Harvey, Kingwood Drive can be cut off by high water. The expansion project includes a bridge over 494 and the railroad tracks, giving 78,000 a quick route to higher ground.

Bore Pits Under Tracks

This is the bore pit contractors are using to force two 5′ steel pipes under the tracks.

*East of tracks in front of Self U Storage*

And this is the receiving pit west of the tracks. Note the utility line bisecting the pit on a diagonal.

*Receiving Pit west of tracks where junction box will eventually go.*

According to Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, all work within UPRR right of way is currently on hold pending approval of a modified work plan needed to: a) address a recommended shoring method which is b) needed to remove a “previously unknown abandoned water line in conflict with the bore alignment.”

It’s always something in construction. Meanwhile…