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County Suggesting New Way to Prioritize Flood-Bond Projects

Harris County Flood Control has developed a new way to prioritize bond projects after a trial ballon turned into a lead balloon. Initially the county ranked projects based, in part, on readily available income statistics to achieve its equity goal in ranking projects.

However, giving low-to-moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods higher priority than affluent neighborhoods facing greater flood threats hardly seemed fair. It sparked a tsunami of criticism.

When flood control shared its initial formula for ranking projects with small groups of community leaders, they pushed back immediately. They argued that the worst flooding problems should be tackled first. As a result, the county developed an alternative formula that didn’t rely on income.

*Homes in Barrington in 500-year flood plain during Harvey. Photo courtesy of Julie Yandell. She was forced to flee with her husband and 81-year-old neighbor when waters rose without warning.*

Factors in Initial Proposal

Version 1.0 of the prioritization attempted to rank-order projects based on seven factors, each given different weights.

Existing Conditions – Drainage Level of Service (How Bad Things Currently Are) – 20%
Equity (LMI) – 20%
Flood Risk Reduction (Looking only at # of Structures, not their Value) – 20%
Long-Term Maintenance Costs – 5%
Minimizes Environment Impacts (To reduce Permitting Delays) – 5%
Potential for Multiple Benefits – 5%
Project Efficiency (Cost of project/# of Structures Benefitted) – 15%

Problems with Version 1.0

Scoring projects using these criteria pushed Kingwood – one of the hardest hit areas in the city – farther down the list in most cases. Therefore the leaders of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative sent a letter to the new County Judge listing these concerns.

Failure to appropriately recognize benefits from multi-million dollar partnership matching grants
Failure to capture full flooding impacts and full project benefits by not considering commercial property, schools, hospitals, and senior-care facilities
Not recognizing benefits to LMI areas received from projects executed in non-LMI areas
Not considering Costs/benefits of pre-Harvey Capital Improvement Projects
Lack of inclusion of URGENT NEED criteria in the matrix

To see the entire letter, click here.

Version 2.0 Already Published

Based on initial feedback, Harris County Flood Control has already posted version 2.0 of the ranking formula. The goal: to provide a defensible methodology for determining when one project will start versus another.

Differences in Version 2.0

Version 2.0 of the formula:

Takes LMI consideration out
Adds an eighth criteria, “Do we have a funding partner for a project? Yes/No?”
Changes weighting to give more urgency to parts of town that historically have had a lower level of service.
Looks at some old criteria in new ways.

Here are the new weights and criteria:

Flood Risk Reduction – 25%
Existing Conditions Drainage Level of Service – 20%
Lack of Service – 15%
Project Efficiency Weighting Factor – 15%
Partnership Funding – 10%
Long Term Maintenance Costs – 5%
Minimizes Environmental Impacts – 5%
Potential for Multiple Benefits – 5%

“You Have to Start Somewhere”

“You have to start somewhere,” said Zeve. “We’re trying to be as transparent as possible so people understand the order in which we attack projects.”

Harris County Flood Control posted a new web page to address misconceptions surrounding the prioritization process.

To see the thinking process behind how the new formula works, click here.

Revised Project List To Be Posted Soon

The revised project-priority list has not yet been posted. That should happen tonight or this weekend according to Zeve. They need to score and calculate many factors for hundreds of projects. I can’t wait to see the outcome. More news to follow tomorrow.

How to Be Heard

If you would like to participate in this process, or send written comments, please email Gabe Baker at gabe.baker@cjo.hctx.net.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/1/2019

549 Days since Hurricane Harvey

SJRA Board Votes to Maintain Lake-Lowering Policy for Another Year

At its February 28th meeting, the San Jacinto River Authority voted to maintain its lake-lowering policy for another year. The policy calls for lowering Lake Conroe one foot below normal pool level (from 201 feet to 200) during the wettest months in Spring and two feet during the peak of hurricane season.

Extra Safety from Flooding

Until other mitigation measures can be put in place, the plan gives downstream residents an extra measure of safety from massive releases like those experienced during Hurricane Harvey. Those include dredging and additional flood gates for Lake Houston.

This is good news for the Lake Houston Area where Harvey made approximately 11,000 people homeless overnight.

Complaints from Lake Conroe Association in January Meeting

The Lake Conroe Association set the stage for conflict last month. The Association testified that last year’s lowering had a negative impact on business and home values in the area. They also maintained that the Board had acted unilaterally – without consultation – and that the project was only supposed to last through the end of dredging.

Having been at last year’s meeting where the proposal was discussed, I would disagree with these statements. The board considered dredging and gates for Lake Houston. The board also acted on the report of a consultant hired to review the proposal.

Mark Micheletti, a SJRA board member, said the board had received no complaints from businesses on the lake and that a check with realtors found no negative effect on home prices.

Reportedly, the Lake Conroe Association had also collected signatures on a petition asking for the policy to be reversed. At today’s meeting, the room was crowded with spectators, but I did not see the Association’s president, Mike Bleier. The association presented no petition.

The cataclysmic impacts on Lake Conroe’s economy did not materialize. Because of evaporation, the lowering really only amounted a little more than a foot in the fall.

Speaking for Kingwood

During the public comment section of the meeting, three Kingwood residents, Bill Fowler, Amy Slaughter and I, spoke FOR continuing to lower the lake. So did one Lake Conroe resident who flooded during Harvey.

I pointed out the fact that dredging was NOT yet complete and that the river still had an exaggerated flooding response to moderate rainfalls because of sediment dams. Fowler talked about normal evaporation levels in the lake and how the lowering was not as great as the targets would imply. Slaughter mentioned the impact of flooding on her family and recent Supreme Court rulings on inverse condemnation.

The Lake Conroe resident said he wished the Lake were lowered year round. He flooded during Harvey and thought that the lower levels would actually help Lake Conroe home values.

“But what if there’s a drought?”

When it came time to speak AGAINST the lowering, one man spoke up. He used water conservation as his main argument and posed the specter of drought.

When the board began debating the measure, Jace Houston, SJRA’s general manager, pointed out that many people misunderstood the measure. He said that the SJRA was not going to lower the lake beyond the 1- and 2-foot levels in the policy. If the lake was already down a foot due to evaporation, for instance, the SJRA would release no additional water.

Chuck Gilman, Director or Water Resources and Flood Management, thenshowed a series of slides that led to discussions about:

Lake-lowering strategy
Progress of the current West Fork dredging and Lake Houston Gates projects
Rainfall averages and historical lake levels by month
How the lowering and subsequent raising of the lake worked last fall
Staff recommendations

*Graph presented by Chuck Gilman showed how gradual lowering and natural refilling of Lake Conroe worked last year.*

*Gilman also showed a slide discussing the status of additional gates for Lake Houston.*

To see all the slides in the original high-resolution PDF format, click here.

Brenda Cooper, a new SJRA Board Member, then mentioned that some Lake Conroe residents had approached her to voice their disapproval of the project.

Motion Passes Unanimously

Board President Lloyd Tisdale finally called for a voice vote. “All members present voted FOR the lowering,” said Mark Micheletti, one of the Lake Houston Area’s two members on the SJRA board. “The vote could not have gone better from the Lake Houston area’s perspective.”

The SJRA will continue to lower Lake Conroe seasonally. The measure will come up for discussion again next February.

Community Reaction

Bill Fowler, Vice Chair of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiation, said, “I was impressed by the Board’s firm grasp of the importance of lowering Lake Conroe on a seasonal basis for downstream residents. Their willingness to help until permanent solutions can be implemented impressed me.”

Kaaren Cambio, another SJRA board director from the Lake Houston area, said, “I’m happy that the board is balancing the needs of both upstream and downstream communities.

Amy Slaughter, the Kingwood lawyer whose home flooded badly, said, “They did the right thing.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 28, 2019

548 Days After Hurricane Harvey

The Night that 11,000 Lake Houston Area People Became Homeless

Eighteen months ago, approximately 11,000 Kingwood, Humble and Atascocita residents went to bed thinking they had escaped the worst of Harvey’s wrath. Hours later, they woke up to find water seeping through their windows, doors and walls in the dark of night. Without any warning. Thanks in part to the release of 80,000 cfs from the Lake Conroe dam.

The Harris County Flood Control Damage Map shows that on the West Fork:

3652 Homes were damaged in Kingwood
366 in Atascocita
466 in Humble
Total: 4184 homes flooded in this area partly because of the release of 80,000 cfs from the Lake Conroe dam.

With an average household density of 2.71, that means roughly 11,000 people became homeless that night.

Ironically, Thursday, February 28, the San Jacinto River Authority will vote on whether to continue lowering the level of Lake Conroe seasonally. The measure was designed to help reduce downstream flood risk until mitigation measures can be put in place.

However, rumor has it that one or more members of the board want to present a petition by Lake Conroe boaters to NOT lower the lake level this year. To everyone who signed that petition, I dedicate this photo essay.

Water Sculptures by Julie Yandell. Taken during Harvey. — *Water Sculptures by Julie Yandell. Taken during evacuation. Yard decorations take on an ominous feeling in the flood.*

Woodland Hills Drive During Harvey by Julie Yandell — *The flood cut off Woodland Hills Drive, a major escape route for people in Kingwood Lakes, the Barrington and Kings Cove.*

*Trash Day in the Barrington after Harvey. Photo by Joy Dominique.*

*Siding from home washed downstream during Harvey. Photo by Dan Monks.*

*Water skiing, anyone? Photo by Sidney Nice of Atascocita Point after Harvey.*

Sidney Nice's kitchen after Harvey flooded the house to a depth of 63". — *Sidney Nice’s kitchen after Harvey flooded the house to a depth of 63″.*

Sidney Nice's house in Atascocita Point during Harvey. — *Sidney Nice’s house in Atascocita Point during Harvey.*

Her home flooded 40 inches above the slab. — *Rebecca Johansen’s front door shows how deep flood waters got in her home … 40 inches.*

*Townhomes on Marina Drive in Forest Cove. Concrete and steel were less effective at preventing erosion than blades of grass.*

Residents trying to escape as Harvey's floodwaters rose — Elderly residents of Kingwood Village Estates trying to escape as Harvey’s floodwaters rose. Twelve residents later died: six as a result of injuries sustained during evacuation and another rise as a result of stress from losing their homes.

*Marilyn Davenport: Home Damaged During Harvey*

From Ann Crane: "We had over 70 people helping to clear and clean our house. The Kingwood community coming together." — *From Ann Crane: “We had over 70 people helping to clear and clean our house. The Kingwood community coming together.”*

Jennifer Manning: "What 18 inches of floodwater can do to your home." From Walden on Lake Houston. — *Jennifer Manning: “What 18 inches of floodwater can do to your home.” From Walden on Lake Houston.*

Jennifer Manning: "We lived in Kingwood from 1992-2012 before buying a house in Walden that was 'built above the '94 flood.' We finished our rehab in June." Ten months! — *Jennifer Manning: “We lived in Kingwood from 1992-2012 before buying a house in Walden that was ‘built above the ’94 flood.’ We finished our rehab in June.” Ten months!*

*The Kelsey Seybold Clinic has also been vacant since Harvey. 44% of all businesses in the Lake Houston Area Chamber were damaged. Some will never return.*

Picture by June Ledet of Harvey flooding in Kingwood corner of Kingwood Drive and Forest Garden — *Picture by June Ledet of Harvey flooding in Kingwood. Corner of Kingwood Drive and Forest Garden. Flooding here cut off escape routes for thousands more.*

Classroom building at Lone Star College/Kingwood flooded during Harvey after SJRA release. Six of nine buildings flooded causing more than $60 million in damage. The College just fully reopened this month.

Milan saunders — *Milan Saunders home in Kingwood Lakes*

*That’s all, folks! Harvey flipped the baby grand piano and broke to legs off the heirloom.*

*Repairs to IH-69 took about 10 months and $20 million, disrupting all traffic into and out of the City for hours each day.*

*The mother of all walk in closets…Amy Slaughter’s garage.*

*Home of a single mother who had just lost her job.*

*When sewage treatment plants flooded, toilets began flowing in reverse.*

So please, Lake Conroe boaters. Let’s keep this in perspective. We understand your inconvenience. Please try to understand ours. Help us recover our lives.

To see more examples of how Harvey affected the lives of Lake Houston Area residents, please see the Submissions Page of this web site. It contains images submitted by residents affected by Harvey. If you have images you would like to share, please send them in via the Submissions Page.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 28, 2019

548 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Video of Barrington Evacuation During Harvey Makes Case for Lowering Lake Conroe, Nixing High-Rise Development

With barely a spoken word, this video makes an eloquent case for lowering Lake Conroe again this year. It also makes a powerful argument for denying the permit to build 5000 condos and high rises in the surrounding wetlands.

Evacuation from the Barrington during Harvey. Video courtesy of Kenneth and Colleen Ulrich. They moved to Kingwood from New Orleans after Katrina.

Surprise Evacuation

Kenneth Ulrich Jr. shot this video as he and his wife Colleen were forced to evacuate without warning from the Barrington during Harvey.

They share this video on the eve of a key San Jacinto River Authority board meeting. Tomorrow, the board will take up the question of whether to seasonally lower Lake Conroe again this year. The lowering would help provide a margin of safety against flooding like this until other flood mitigation measures can be put in place.

Lake Conroe boaters have complained about the inconvenience of the lower lake levels. The video shows what boating in Kingwood looked like 18 months ago as Harvey’s floodwaters rose.

Many residents escaped with little more than the clothes they wore.

Imagine Evacuating 15,000 People Like This

The video makes another powerful argument. Against the high-rise development proposed for Kingwood. Developers hope to build it around the Barrington which you see here. They want to build 5,000 condos immediately to the north and a string of high rises, including a 50 story hotel, immediately to the south. Kingwood has an average household population density of 2.71. That means this development could add 15,000 people to the area.

Every one of the 283 homes in the Barrington flooded. Imagine trying to evacuate another 15,000 people by boat during the next Harvey.

The developers have planned only one way in and out of this project – Woodland Hills Drive – which will be under water when the next big flood hits.

Clearly, they did not consider evacuation when they planned this development.

How to Register Your Concerns

If you have concerns about the high-rise project, email the US Army Corps of Engineers at: swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil . Make sure you put the project number in the title of the email: SWG-2016-00384 .

To voice your concerns to the SJRA board, attend the board meeting Thursday, Feb. 28 at:

1577 Dam Site Road
Conroe, Texas 77304
936.588.3111

Speakers are limited to three minutes each. Business attire is recommended. To reserve time to speak you must sign in by 7:45. The meeting will be in the tall building.

Allow an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half to get there in rush hour traffic from the Humble/Kingwood area.

As always, these are my opinions on matters of public policy. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the Great State of Texas.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2019

547 Days after Hurricane Harvey

SJRA to Reconsider Lowering of Lake Conroe This Thursday Morning

At its Thursday board meeting, the SJRA will reconsider whether to seasonally lower Lake Conroe again this year. Last year, the board lowered the lake as a way to provide an additional buffer against flooding until flood mitigation projects could be put in place. As part of the motion it approved last year, the board said it would revisit the decision each year. That time is now.

Even though Lake Houston area dredging continues and additional gates for the Lake Houston Dam have not yet been funded, re-approval of the lowering this year is far from automatic. Rumor has it that the Lake Conroe Association may present a petition urging the board to keep the lake at its usual height.

Details of Original Plan

What exactly was the temporary, seasonal lake lowering proposal? SJRA General Manager Jace Houston spelled out the details for the public in Dockline Magazine last year. I pulled these figures from there.As a point of reference, the normal pool level of Lake Conroe is 201’ msl (mean feet above sea level).

During the Spring season – April 1 through May 31 – the SJRA voted to start lowering the lake gradually on April 1 until it reached a level of 200 msl, i.e., one foot below normal. This is the rainiest part of Spring.

Then starting on June 1, the SJRA would begin to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation for June and July.

For the Fall season – August 1 through September 30 – which includes the peak of hurricane season, the SJRA would again reduce the lake gradually. Their target: 200 msl by August 15. That’s when most local schools resume and the summer vacation season starts to tape off.

After August 15, SJRA would continue gradually lowering the level of Lake Conroe until it reached 199 feet msl or two feet below normal pool by August 31.

Starting October 1, SJRA would again begin to capture flows to restore normal lake elevation.

If the lake level has already dropped to the target elevation just due to evaporation, no additional releases would be made.

If a storm enters the forecast while seasonal releases are being made to lower the lake level, such releases would be stopped and the river allowed to drain out until rainfall is out of the forecast.

Purpose for Season Lowering

Jace Houston cited three reasons for seasonal lowering as opposed to pre-releasing water immediately before storms.

Release of water from Lake Conroe prior to a storm would put flows into the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston potentially exacerbating flooding.
Staff from the City of Houston, the Coastal Water Authority, and the Harris County Flood Control District have expressed their desire to not pre-fill the river and Lake Houston prior to a storm with water released from Lake Conroe.
Lake Conroe is located in the upper basin where it makes sense to retain flood waters to the extent possible.

Success of Last Year’s Plan Needs to Be Repeated

The seasonal lowering started last Fall. While we didn’t have any repeats of the monster storms we experienced in 2015, 2016, and 2017, we were reminded by three back to back storms between December 7 last year and January 7 this year how vulnerable we still are to flooding. Minor rains produced out-of-bank floods that left low-lying Forest Cove and Kingwood areas underwater for a nearly a month.

Until dredging is complete, we still need the buffer that lowering Lake Conroe provides.

Speak at Board Meeting

Residents have an opportunity to speak out for and against the seasonal lowering this Thursday morning, Feb. 28, 2019. Speakers are limited to three minutes each. Business attire is recommended. To reserve time to speak you must sign in by 7:45. The meeting will be in the tall building at:

1577 Dam Site Road
Conroe, Texas 77304
936.588.3111

Allow an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half to get there in rush hour traffic.

Hope to see lots of Humble and Kingwood people there. This is very important until we get mitigation measures in place.

If You Can’t Come, But Still Want to Help

Consider sending ReduceFlooding.com some of your most dramatic shots from the flood. See the Submissions page. We need to show the SJRA board how dramatic the flooding really was here. There are new faces on the board this year.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 26, 2019

546 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Despite new Chief Resiliency Officer, Costello Still Heading Up Flood Recovery Efforts

Yesterday’s surprise announcement about Marissa Aho, the City of Houston’s new chief resilience officer, left me wondering about Stephen Costello. Costello formerly held that title. In November of last year, Costello also took on the responsibilities of Marvin Odum.

Odum previously served as the President of Shell Oil Company. He volunteered to work for the City as the Mayor’s “Flood Czar” for 15 months on a pro bono basis.

The press release announcing Aho’s appointment did not mention Costello. The Chronicle story mentioned Costello only in the past tense. That left me wondering about his fate. Was this a shake-up? Was he on the outs?

*Stephen Costello, the City of Houston’s Chief Recovery Officer in charge of Harvey efforts and the Mayor’s Flood Czar.*

So I emailed Costello and heard back this morning. He replied, “I am the Chief Recovery Officer focused on Harvey recovery. Still doing the flood czar stuff as well.”

Evidently, the title of one of Costello’s jobs changed and he’s still picking up where Odum left off. Hopefully, Aho’s appointment will allow Costello more time to focus on flood mitigation.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 26, 2019

546 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Mayor Turner Appoints Aho as new Chief Resilience Officer for City of Houston

The Houston Chronicle reported at noon today that Mayor Sylvester Turner appointed a new Chief Resilience Officer, a job formerly held by Stephen Costello. The story makes only a brief reference to Costello in the last paragraph. It says, “Stephen Costello, Houston’s former chief resilience officer, began overseeing the city’s Harvey recovery efforts in November 2018. He took over as “recovery czar” from Marvin Odum, the former president of Shell.”

Definition of Resilience Broadened to Include Economic Equity

The press release issued by City Hall mentions nothing of Costello and mentions flooding only once. It appears to broaden the scope of resilience and places major emphasis on “social and economic equity” in resilience planning.

*Marissa Aho, City of Houston’s new Chief Resilience Officer. Photo Courtesy of Mayor’s office.*

It says, “Mayor Sylvester Turner has appointed Marissa Aho, AICP, as chief resilience officer for the City of Houston… The position will play an essential role in leading city-wide resilience-building efforts to help Houston prepare for, withstand, and bounce back from the ‘’shocks’’ – catastrophic events like hurricanes, floods, and cyberattacks – and “stresses” – slow-moving disasters like aging infrastructure, homelessness, and economic inequality, which are increasingly part of 21st century life.”

As chief resilience officer, Aho will report directly to Mayor Turner. She will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive Resilience Strategy for the city. Aho comes to Houston from the City of Los Angeles. There she served as Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) for the past four years.

“The CRO,” says the press release, “…will address the resilience vulnerabilities of all city residents, with a particular focus on low-income and vulnerable populations.”

Bringing LA Experience to Houston

“While serving as CRO in Los Angeles, Aho paved the way for Los Angeles to embed resilience as a value that guides municipal planning, culminating in the appointment of more than 30 departmental chief resilience officers (DCROs) who form an in-city network in each branch of city government.

“Other innovative initiatives in Resilient Los Angeles,” says the press release, “include developing an urban heat vulnerability index and mitigation plan, placing an equity lens over the city’s response to increasing extreme heat.”

According to the City, Houston remains vulnerable to less-familiar shocks and stresses, such as environmental degradation and access to economic opportunity.

It’s not clear from either the news release or the Chronicle story what role Costello will play vis-a-vis Aho, if any.

About New Houston CRO Marissa Aho, AICP

Prior to serving as the Los Angeles CRO, she held senior staff positions at two Los Angeles planning and land use consulting firms. Aho has 15 years of policy, planning, and project management experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors where she has worked with interdisciplinary teams to find creative solutions to complex problems. She has a BA in political science from American University and a master of planning from the University of Southern California Price School of Public Policy. She is the Region VI commissioner for the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), section director of the Los Angeles Section of the American Planning Association (APA LA), and is a member of the USC Price Alumni Association board of directors.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 26, 2019

546 Days after Hurricane Harvey

High-Rise Developer May Violate Tanglewood Deed Restrictions, Too

Fabio M. Covarrubias Piffer is one of the two men applying for a permit to develop high rises near the floodway of the San Jacinto West Fork. A title search revealed that Friendswood deed restrictions seemingly limit development to “single-family residential. Mr. Covarrubias-Piffer has refused to meet publicly with the Kingwood community to explain how he plans to get around the deed restrictions.

Business Headquartered in Deed-Restricted Residential Property

Meanwhile, a search of the Texas Secretary of State’s business registration database reveals that Mr. Covarrubias-Piffer lists 5651 Doliver Drive in Tanglewood as the headquarters of one of his companies, Cova Capital Inc.

*Secretary of State shows that Cova Capital Inc. is headquartered at 5651 Doliver Drive in Tanglewood.*

However, Tanglewood deed restrictions prohibit the operation of businesses in homes, too. Page 21 of the policy manual clearly states that:

“Tanglewood properties may only be used for single-family residential purposes.”
“Business or commercial use of any Tanglewood property is prohibited.”

There is nothing inherently wrong with a business owning residential property.

The issue in this case is that one of Mr. Covarrubias Piffer’s 30+ companies headquarters in the house; deed restrictions prohibit that.

Legal filings in an investor-fraud case against Mr. Covarrubias Piffer in Houston establish the Doliver Drive property as his Houston address. However, depositions also reveal that he and his partner claim they visit Houston only one day per week on business. (See MARIA DEL CARMEN BORBOLLA AND MARIA DEL CARMEN GOMEZ, CAUSE NO. 2018 – 07276, 157th Judicial Court, Harris County, Tx.)

Expensive Office

Harris County Appraisal District records show that the property actually belongs to another company controlled by Mr. Covarrubias Piffer, FAMA Properties LTD Ptnrshp.

*One of Covarrubias’ companies owns a home being used by another of his companies as an office. The $3.2 million Tanglewood home is deed restricted to residential use only.*

The Kingwood Connection

Regular readers of this blog may recognize FAMA Properties LTD Partnership as the Alberta, Canada partnership that bought the proposed Kingwood high-rise land in 2012. FAMA bought it from HS Tejas LTD, a Texas Limited Partnership, settled the transaction in Walton County, Florida and Chicago Title recorded it.

Five years later, Fabio Covarrubias Piffer, acting as the sole general partner of FAMA Properties Limited Partnership, sold the same property to Romerica Landco, LP, a Delaware Limited Liability Company, in 2017. Mr. Covarrubias Piffer also controls Romerica Landco, LP.

Mr. Covarrubias Piffer then sold the same land yet again to two other companies he controls, Romerica RMR 4 LLC and Romerica M 5 LLC. Both are Texas Limited Liability Companies.

Yet another company controlled by Mr. Covarrubias Piffer, Romerica Investments, applied for the Army Corps permit to develop the Kingwood property.

Seems like there’s a lot of business going on in that residence!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/15/2019

545 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Now or Never: Friday is Last Day to Protest High-Rise Development in Floodplain Near River Grove Park

Only five more days remain to protest the proposed high-rise development near River Grove Park. The deadline for public comments? Friday, March 1.

About the High-Rise Development

Two developers from Mexico have bought up land east of Woodland Hills between Kingwood Lakes and the San Jacinto River. They hope to build 5000 condos, a retail mail, parking for 8,800 vehicles (some below ground), commercial high-rises, residential high-rises, a 50-story hotel, and a marina for 640 boats and 200 jet-skis.

Altogether, they plan to build more than 3 million square feet of residential, commercial and retail space around the Barrington. To put that in perspective, it’s roughly three times the size of Deerbrook Mall … at the end of a dead end street … four miles from the nearest highway. On the edge of the floodway. In an old meander of the San Jacinto. Without any consideration for the traffic it would add to Kingwood Drive. Or dedicating any land for additional school facilities.

What Corps and TCEQ are Considering

The Army Corps of Engineers and TCEQ are currently reviewing the developer’s proposal. The Corps is evaluating the impact of adding up to 12 feet of fill to wetlands and streams in the area against the need for the project. They also review more than a dozen other “public interest” factors, such as safety, environmental impact, navigation on the San Jacinto, sedimentation, and potential to worsen flooding. The TCEQ is evaluating water-quality issues only.

For More Information

To read more about the controversy swirling around this project, review the “High-Rises” Page of this web site. On it, you will find links to the Army Corps’ Public Notice describing the project as well as sample letters that other groups and individuals have already written. You will also find a series of posts that I have written to give you more background about the proposal and the people behind it.

The developers refused multiple requests for a public meeting to answer questions about the project, such as how they intended to get around “single family residential” deed restrictions and height requirements in Kingwood’s commercial development guidelines.

Instead, to communicate their vision, they are relying on a series of promotional websites with information that often conflicts with the Public Notice and ignore the public’s concerns. (See VTRUSA.com, RomericaGroup.com, AmericanVisionEB5.com, Torrisi-Procopio.com, YouTube, and TheHeronsKingwood.com).

If you have concerns about this development, please register them NOW with the TCEQ and Army Corps.

It May Be Now or Never!

Dave Martin, Houston City Council Member for District E, has stated that the City has no power to stop this development. In fact, the City has already issued a permit to begin excavation of the marina. So the Army Corps may be your best hope to stop this project.

Please send this post to all your friends, neighbors, relatives, kids, etc. Have them write letters, too. If you have already submitted a letter and have thought of new concerns, you may submit an additional letter.

Email Preferred to Snail Mail

Make sure you include the project number in the subject line of your email. It’s the same for either group: SWG-2016-00384.

Army Corps

swg_public_notice@usace.army.mil

TCEQ

401certs@tceq.texas.gov

As always, the thoughts in these posts represent my opinions on matters of public policy. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the great State of Texas.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 25, 2019

545 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Local Geologists Develop Way to Estimate Volume of Sediment in Mouth Bar Due to Harvey

Two top geologists, now retired from one of the world’s leading oil companies, have developed a reliable and repeatable way to estimate the volume of sediment deposited in the West Fork mouth bar by Hurricane Harvey. They calculate that Harvey deposited at least 268,000 cubic yards of sediment in that area alone.

Stream mouth bar where the West Fork of the San Jacinto meets Lake Houston creates a sediment dam. It backs water up throughout the entire Hunble/Kingwood area during floods. Water must flow uphill approximately 40 feet to get over this hump.

No Pre-Harvey Measurements Hampered Dredging Program Approval

According to the Army Corps of Engineers and Stephen Costello, the City of Houston’s Chief Resiliency Officer, the lack of a reliable way to estimate the volume due to Harvey was a major stumbling block in funding the dredging effort. The City, FEMA and the Corps have reportedly been arguing about this for at least nine months. The issue has to do with the Stafford Act, FEMA’s enabling legislation. The Stafford Act prohibits FEMA from spending disaster relief funds on cleanup not related to the disaster in question.

Because the City of Houston had no reliable sedimentation survey taken immediately before Harvey, calculating the volume due to Harvey became problematic.

How a Mouth Bar Forms

A mouth bar forms at the mouth of a river where it meets still water (in our case, Lake Houston). As moving water encounters the still water, coarser sediment like sand is deposited. It begins building up and up until sand bars emerge above the surface.

The Insight that Led to a Reliable Way to Estimate Volume

Mainly sand comprises the mouth bar; sand moves only during major floods. The sand above water can only be deposited when floodwater is much higher than the top of the bar. That insight became the key to unlocking the mystery of how much sand Harvey deposited.

Everyone could see from satellite images how much the above-water portion of the bar had grown. But there was no way to tell how much the bar grew below water. Then in October of 2018, Costello presented a “difference map” that showed the sediment buildup between 2011 and 2018.

RD Kissling and Tim Garfield reasoned that if they could calculate the percentage of above-water growth during Harvey from satellite images, they could then apply that same percentage to the total volume of sand deposited below water between 2011 and 2018.

*Calculation for visible “above water” growth of the mouth bar during Harvey.*

But to determine the total volume added between 2011 and 2018, they first had to:

Digitize the difference map
Create polygons around the different colors
Calculate the area of the polygons
Multiply area times thickness for each
Add up the results.

*Digitized difference map shows boundaries between areas of different thickness.*

*Multiplying the area of the polygons times the thickness from the difference map yielded volumes for each area.*

Tetra Tech Delays May Push Project Past Deadline

According to Costello, the City hired a company called Tetra Tech in early January to calculate the Harvey volume. He said they would do that by harvesting and analyzing core samples. The City expected the results of their study by the end of January. But when I talked to Costello in mid-February, he said Tetra Tech still had not finished harvesting core samples and that he wasn’t expecting results of their analysis until the end of February or early March.

Pro Bono Effort Might Save Taxpayers $18 Million

Kissling and Garfield developed their methodology and donated their time to help save money and to get the mouth bar removed before the start of the next hurricane season. If the current dredging program can be extended before the end of April, taxpayers could save the cost of recommissioning all the equipment. That could total $18 million.

The two geologists reasoned that their methodology would give all parties a basis for allowing the dredging to continue. Then, if Tetra Tech came back later with a different figure, the contract could be adjusted up or down.

Kissling and Garfield emphasize that their methods are conservative, reliable and repeatable. For peer review and public comment, this presentation shows how they arrived at their estimates in a step by step fashion.

I am presenting it here to start a dialog that leads to additional dredging without incurring the cost of remobilizing the massive amount of equipment now on the river.

Estimate is Only a Fraction of What Needs to Be Removed

Kissling and Garfield emphasize that this is just a start. Even if all 268,000 cubic yards were removed, the river would still be up to 20 feet shallower than at the time of impoundment. They hope this leads to a broader discussion of additional dredging which could be financed through other sources, such as the county flood bond and Proposition A. Finally, they point out the need for maintenance dredging after major floods to keep the sediment buildup at sub-critical levels.

Said Garfield, “We are confident this estimate of Harvey-specific sedimentation on the mouth bar is reasonable and should be used to support FEMA funded continuation of dredging. However, removing that volume alone still won’t solve the problem, because the mouth bar is much bigger than that and it remains the largest restriction of flow conveyance to the lake.”

Garfield continued:

“At a minimum, to restore flow and reduce flood risk, a 300-400’ wide channel 20’-25’ deep needs to be dredged to connect the river from the upstream dredging now nearing completion, through the mouth bar, to the FM1960 bridge. That is at least 5 or 6 times as much sediment as our estimate of what FEMA can fund, but without that the recent dredging alone has not solved the flood risk problem in our area.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 24, 2019 with help from R.D. Kissling and Tim Garfield

544 Days after Hurricane Harvey