News Archives - Page 26 of 275

City Shows Appreciation for Median Madness Volunteers

6/10/25 – City of Houston Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter threw an “appreciation party” yesterday for dozens of Median Madness volunteers who came out to help trim back vines.

The event was at a relatively new eatery in Kingwood Town Center. It’s called Parry’s Pizzeria and Taphouse. Despite torrential rains that forced the celebration inside, a good time as had by all. The pizza and appetizers were delicious; the conversation lively; and smiles genuine.

Torrential Rains Couldn’t Dampen Spirits

The Germans have a word for that feeling: “Gemütlichkeit.” It translates to “a feeling of warmth, comfort, and well-being. And it’s often associated with camaraderie. It’s not just about physical comfort. It’s more about a sense of peace, belonging, and social harmony.

These were strangers who gave up some Saturday mornings to try to make their community a better, safer place. They achieved their intended goal. And they formed friendships in the process. See below.

Thank You All!

Thank you, Council Members! For taking the lead, organizing the events, and showing appreciation.

And thank you, Parry’s, for the wonderful pizza and emergency bucket brigade. You made it a memorable evening.

But most of all, thank you, Median Madness volunteers, for giving up your time to make Kingwood a better place. You exemplify the ten two-letter words that make all the difference in the world: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/10/2025

2842 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Two Images Explain Why We Need a Watershed-Wide Flood Agency

6/9/25 – While re-reading the final version of the state flood plan recently I came across two images that explain why we need a watershed-wide flood agency. Unfortunately, a bill to create one, HB2068, died in the House Natural Resources committee this session.

Floodplain-Management Practices and Enforcement in Texas

The first image shows the level of (self-reported) floodplain management practices for every county in the state. I’ve circled the general area of the San Jacinto River Basin. Note how most of the counties draining into Harris County (dark blue in center of oval) report lower levels of floodplain management practices than those in Harris County itself.

Now look at the levels of floodplain regulation enforcement. Again, most of the counties draining into Harris County (dark red in oval) report lower levels of enforcement.

Critically, the levels in Montgomery County are “unknown” in both maps.

That doesn’t make them non-existent. It likely means one of two things: 1) they weren’t enough of a priority for the county to respond to the survey. Or 2) the county did not know whether/when Commissioners Court would approve its new drainage regulations.

MoCo still has not adopted comprehensive new drainage recommendations since the 1980s despite some of the fastest growth in the region. The drainage criteria manual currently posted is dated 2019, but contains only minor updates to 1989 regulations.

Valid Reasons for Drainage Regs to Differ

Valid reasons exist for drainage regulations to vary. Take for instance rainfall rates and land use. Rainfall rates generally decline as you go north and west from Harris County. And land use varies from an ultra-dense urban environment to forests, prairie and agricultural.

Regardless, within a river basin, people are inextricably bound together by water that does not respect jurisdictional boundaries. And we need to find ways of living together that respect growth, change and property rights, while also respecting neighbor’s rights to safety.

What our neighbors upstream do affects us, just as what we do affects our neighbors downstream.

Society establishes rules that help people live together without destroying each other. Consider rules of the road, property rights and criminal law for instance.

Would you say it’s OK for a neighbor to throw their trash on your property because they don’t want to pay to haul it away?

Most homeowners would say no. But illegal dumping happens all the time. Just like a few bad-apples want to dump their excess stormwater on your property.

Individual Rights vs. Common Good

People don’t want other people telling them what to do. Especially Texans. And that’s why Texas more people live in floodplains than the entire populations of 30 states.

We need to find solutions that respect individual rights and the common good. Philosophers have debated those extremes for more than 2000 years, dating back to Plato and Aristotle. But from a psychological point of view, it’s probably safe to say that it’s usually someone else’s problem … until it happens to you.

And eventually, the way Texas is growing, someday it will. As Houston grows outward, so do our flooding problems. And those problems are almost impossible to fix after the fact. That’s why we need a watershed-wide flood agency.

To educate. And to promulgate sensible solutions in concert with County Engineering Departments or Flood Control Districts. Local authorities would then be free to accept or reject those solutions based on the will of their constituents.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/9/2025

2841 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Crickets from Harris County on Flood Bond, Subdivision Drainage Shortfalls

6/8/2025 – Harris County’s Flood Control District, Engineering Department, Budget Office and County Administrator’s Office have missed another deadline for an update on Flood Bond and Subdivision Drainage Project shortfalls.

After a request for an update in early February – 122 days ago – they missed two deadlines. And it wasn’t on the agenda for this week’s Commissioners Court meeting either.

Meanwhile, Commissioners worry whether the County will have enough money to complete promised projects. Inflation is chewing up their purchasing power and the rate of project initiation has fallen off radically. Eight years into a what was supposed to be a 10 year bond, less than a third of the money has been spent. And only three capital improvement projects were initiated in all of last year.

Commissioners Can’t Seem to Get Clear, Timely Answers

On February 6, 2025, Harris County Commissioners Court erupted into a rare display of bi-partisan outrage when it became clear that the County didn’t have enough money to deliver flood-mitigation projects promised long ago. The shortfalls had to do with the 2018 Flood Bond and Subdivision Drainage programs.

Commissioners used phrases, such as: “an abomination,” “abysmal failure,” “complete and utter dismay,” “major crisis,” and “no sense of urgency.” They demanded that Flood Control, Engineering, the County Administrator and Budget Office return by March 27 with a complete accounting of the money.

But the March 27 meeting wasn’t much better. Commissioners wrestled for more than an hour with a $100 million drainage funding shortfall. The normally diplomatic Precinct 4 Commissioner Leslie Briones bluntly said she felt she was “getting hosed.”

The County Administrator’s Office compiled this confusing 11-page outline showing how projects were moved, added, deleted or had their funding sources change over time and why. Reading it will also help you understand why Commissioners are demanding to know how much money they have to work with.

What Commissioners Demanded

They demanded all relevant departments to develop a standard reporting framework for the Subdivision Drainage Program and the 2018 Flood Bond Program to ensure Commissioners Court can easily see at a minimum:

Sources of funding
Status of each project
Expected time to completion
How cost has changed over time
Whether there was a change in scope

They required everyone to return with the information on May 22, 2025. But they didn’t meet that deadline. Focus then shifted to the June 12, 2025 meeting. But the update is not on that agenda either. To date, it has been 122 days since Commissioners’ initial request – a third of a year.

Impact of Inflation

The compound inflation rate between August 2018 when the flood bond passed and the end of May 2025 is approximately 27.5%. The Producer Price Index indicates that inflation during that same period in construction could range from 25-35%.

In the middle of all this, on April 11, 2025, Diana Ramirez, the County Administrator announced her resignation. Was her departure related to the chaos?

In 2023, I began sounding the alarm about the impact of inflation on the Flood Bond. It stood at a compound rate of 20% at the time. That’s out of a Flood Bond package totaling $5.1 billion between bond sales and expected matching funds.

So I suspect the shortfall may be considerably more than $100 million. And that means neighborhoods at the end of the Equity Prioritization line may see nothing for their tax dollars.

No Good or Easy Answers

If Flood Control, Engineering, the Budget Office and County Administrator can’t develop a spreadsheet with the information requested above in FOUR MONTHS, that doesn’t bode well for Harris County.

It says two things to me:

The County’s financial and IT systems lack functionality and/or interoperability.
There may be no good answers to the funding shortfall. People at the end of the Equity line may see no or little benefit from the flood bond.

Flood Control Still in Denial

Harris County Flood Control District’s website still insists HCFCD will complete all projects. But they don’t explain how.

*Screen Capture from Equity Prioritization Framework Page on HCFCD.org as of 8:30PM 6/8/2025*

The Flood Control District has two ways not to cancel projects. One: postpone them indefinitely. Two: Call them complete when you have no intention of pursuing them.

*Flood Bond Cumulative spending over time since start of Bond through end of Q1 2025.* *If annualized at the Q1 25 rate, total spending for 2025 would still decline – for the fifth straight year.* *Source: HCFCD*.org.

At the rate shown above, it could take another 15 years to complete bond projects…if inflation doesn’t undermine the purchasing power altogether by then.

Project Initiation Rate Plummets

HCFCD has advertised only THREE capital improvement projects for bids this year and THREE in all of last year.

That’s out of 139 active projects listed in the last bond update in July 2024.

With inflation robbing your purchasing power, slowing down construction spending (the largest component of any project) is the last thing you want.

I’d sure hate to be in the “How come?” Room on this one.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/8/2025

2840 Days since Hurricane Harvey

GLO Provides Update on HCFCD Grant Applications Totaling $850 Million

6/7/2025 – The Texas General Land Office (GLO) has provided an update on the status of more than $850 million in Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) grant applications related to Hurricane Harvey – including two that affect the Humble/Kingwood/Lake Houston Area.

GLO manages grants for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Texas. The grants in question are HUD Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Relief and Flood Mitigation – CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT.

The dollars allocated to various projects have shifted slightly since the May update as HCFCD received firmer bids/estimates and revised applications slightly.

HCFCD DR-MIT Projects_rev 060625 Download

The first category (disaster relief) totals $323.2 million. The second (flood mitigation) totals $529.5 million. Together, they total $852.7 million.

Approval Status

GLO has approved all but one of the Disaster Relief grants and is in the process of finalizing the Flood Mitigation applications with HCFCD.

Brittany Eck, a GLO spokesperson, said “There is a tremendous amount of work in progress, reviewing applications and request-for-information (RFI) responses to ensure all HUD eligibility requirements are met.”

In addition, 10 of the CDBG DR projects are in various stages of design. Two have already attained authority to use grant funds and will soon be going to bid. Arbor Oaks has already been bid and soon will be awarded, according to Eck. Bids closed on June 2.

There are 15 CDBG MIT project applications under various levels of review and two still in development.

This is no small task. Applications average around a hundred pages of technical data and there are 28 applications altogether. In addition to developing all that information, proving up the beneficiaries and LMI requirements is an even bigger part of the process, according to the GLO.

Projects Affecting Lake Houston Area

Two projects on the list greatly affect residents and businesses in the Humble/Kingwood/Lake Houston Area.

TC Jester Basin

The first is the East TC Jester Basin/Compartment 1B. It is located on the east side of TC Jester Boulevard in the Cypress Creek Watershed.

A regional drainage study for the watershed found that flooding along tributaries of Cypress Creek is predominately due to stormwater from Cypress Creek backing up into tributaries, rather than a lack of sufficient stormwater conveyance capacity on the tributaries themselves.

Therefore, stormwater detention basins were recommended to help to reduce the risk of flooding.

*East Basin/Compartment 1 is the large one in the center.*

In September 2023, several parties held a press conference to announce funding for this project at the job site. This should be the last piece of the puzzle to fall into place.

Major funding announced for Cypress Creek Detention Project by Crenshaw, Harless, Ramsey and Petersen — *2023 photo at TC Jester Detention Basin Press Conference*, L to R, *U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw, State Representative Sam Harliss, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, and Dr. Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD*

The entire project (west and east basins) reportedly comprises 171 acres. The photo below shows the area where the first of the East Basins will go.

*Looking east across TC Jester. Cypresswood Dr. runs up left side. HCFCD owns the large wooded property in center.* *Cypress Creek runs diagonally along the right side of the wooded area toward top of frame.*

While benefits will accrue primarily to those who live nearby, Cypress Creek is a major tributary to Lake Houston. And all stormwater held back upstream helps people downstream, too.

GLO has already approved $24.6 million for this project.

Taylor Gully Channel Conveyance Improvements/Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin

These two projects have been combined to speed up their approval. Together they should cost approximately $42 million and benefit residents in northeastern Kingwood.

Woodridge Village is the former Perry Homes development along the headwaters of Taylor Gully. After the developer cleared the property, hundreds of homes flooded multiple times.

Before Perry sold the property to HCFCD and the City of Houston, it excavated several small detention basins. But they fell about 40% short of Atlas 14 standards.

HCFCD then entered into an excavation and removal contract with Sprint Sand and Clay to increase stormwater detention capacity. The contractor eventually excavated almost enough to meet Atlas 14 standards. However, HCFCD was forced to terminate the contract when it applied for the HUD grant.

*Woodridge Detention Basin on left. Long red/blue line is Taylor Gully.*

Here’s how the site looked last week.

*Woodridge Village on May 31 2025. New detention basin started but not connected yet to Taylor Gully (upper right).*

This also will be a cooperative venture between local, state and federal authorities, including:

U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)
State Representative Charles Cunningham (TX HD-127)
Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey, P.E. (Precinct 3)
Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger (District E)
Dr. Tina Petersen, P.E., Executive Director, Harris County Flood Control District

At a press conference on September 17, 2024, they discussed funding.

U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw secured federal funding for Taylor Gully improvements in March 2022.
Rep. Cunningham said that the Texas Water Development Board approved state funding.
Dr. Petersen reviewed GLO/HUD CDBG-MIT applications.

What Woodridge/Taylor Gully Project Includes

HCFCD applied for grants to:

Expand a portion of Taylor Gully and line it with concrete.
Build another stormwater detention basin on Woodridge Village holding 412 acre-feet.
Replace the culverts at Rustling Elms with a clear-span bridge.

HCFCD is working closely with GLO to move the application along as quickly as possible. That’s also true for the other CDBG-MIT projects. The CDBG-DR projects have tighter deadlines, which is why HCFCD/GLO focused on those first.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/7/2025

2839 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Northpark Traffic Switch Starts Friday at 9

Correction: 6/6/25 @ 10:25 PM. The traffic switch scheduled for tonight has been delayed without explanation. It’s not yet clear when it will occur.

6/6/25 – A major Northpark traffic switch is scheduled to begin tonight at 9 PM on the westbound lanes between Loop 494 and US59, according to Ralph De Leon, project manager. Traffic will be rerouted from the center of the project to the recently completed new concrete on the north side of the thoroughfare.

The old center lanes will then be closed off for demolition, installation of new drainage and repaving.

De Leon did not say how long it would take to implement the NorthPark traffic switch. However, he did say that work in the center lanes should last about six months.

Northpark lane switch — *Map supplied by De Leon, project manager for Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority.*

This shot taken at a lower angle today may help readers visualize the Northpark traffic switch. I’ve highlighted the new route for westbound traffic in red.

*Crews have already placed temporary asphalt pavement for switch.*

As traffic approaches 59, the detour will widen to three lanes, with one used for turning right. It only appears to narrow because of the distance.

In other Northpark news today…

Boring Under Tracks Starts

Crews started pushing the first of the steel pipes under the railroad tracks. The pipes will convey stormwater from the area west of 59 east to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

*Tracks that hold boring machine are anchored to pit floor. The machine then forces steel pipe (rust colored) through a temporary hole in the pit wall.*

*Wider shot shows the beginning of the receiving pit near Loop 494 on the other side of the tracks.*

*Workers will weld additional sections of pipe onto the previous section(s) and push them through until they reach the receiving pit.*

Then they will start over again and push a second parallel pipe under the tracks to create the needed drainage capacity.

Estimated duration for the bore operation is approximately 4 weeks.

Elsewhere on Northpark Today

Contractors placed more rebar for future concrete pours. With utility conflicts in the rear view mirror, the project should start to look more like an assembly line operation.

I have received no news yet from Montgomery County Precinct 4 about the engineering review of the Enclave Detention basin. More news to follow. At noon today, culvert work appeared to have stopped short of the basin. The issue had to do with a notation on construction plans showing the basin potentially overflowing into the evacuation route for 78,000 people during extreme storms.

For More Information

See this look-ahead schedule on the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority Project website. Major activities scheduled for the next two weeks include:

Twin 60″ bores under the railroad tracks
Parking lot drainage tie-ins
Culvert and inlet installation from the Kolache Factory to Public Storage
Prepping the sub-grade and pouring concrete in the same area

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/6/25

2838 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.

HCFCD Seeks to Enhance its Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall System

6/5/25 – Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is seeking to negotiate an agreement with the University of Oklahoma to help enhance the county’s Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall system. See Item 103 on the 6/12/25 agenda.

The system tells how much rain has fallen over a specific area during a certain period, thus providing input for the county’s flood forecasting model. Upgrades will:

Make it significantly easier to evaluate rainfall data using a more intuitive and interactive platform.
Provide a cloud-based data archive to overcome limitations in current workflows.
Enable “nowcasting” with rainfall estimates updated as frequently as every 10 minutes.

What is Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall?

Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall (GARR) systems estimate rainfall by combining radar-based precipitation estimates with ground-based rain-gauge measurements. The two together produce more accurate rainfall data over wider areas.

Radar can provide rainfall data over large areas with high frequency (e.g., every 5 minutes), but it’s prone to errors due to beam blockage, calibration issues, or interpreting non-rain targets (such as birds or dust) as rain.
Rain gauges give point-accurate rainfall measurements, but huge distances/gaps exist between gages. And rainfall is rarely uniform across wide areas.

*Hypothetical image created by ChatGPT. Demonstrates differences in technologies.*

Gauge adjusted radar rainfall systems blend both types of data. They use the broad coverage of radar but “correct” or adjusts the radar estimates using actual gauge readings. Great advances in the systems have been made in recent years.

Is It Good?

Yes. GARR is generally considered superior to using radar or gauges alone. It is widely used by agencies like the National Weather Service, USGS, and local flood control districts (e.g., HCFCD).

According to ChatGPT, the systems offer multiple benefits.

Benefits of Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall

Benefit	Explanation
Improved Accuracy	Combines radar’s spatial resolution with gauge accuracy, reducing biases in radar-only estimates.
Better Coverage	Provides rainfall estimates across areas with few or no gauges
Real-Time Utility	Enables near real-time rainfall mapping, critical for flood forecasting and emergency response.
Hydrologic Modeling	Offers high-resolution inputs for stormwater modeling, floodplain mapping, and watershed management.
Event Verification	Allows engineers and flood managers to verify how much rain actually fell over an entire basin during a storm.

How is GARR Used?

GARR data is often used in:

Post-storm analysis
Designing detention basins
Flood alert systems
Atlas 14 and extreme rainfall calibration

GARR systems are widely used for both real-time monitoring and hydrologic planning. And they are particularly valuable in flood-prone areas.

Success Stories

Harris County Flood Control

During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, GARR data provided near real-time insight into rainfall distribution — helping emergency managers prioritize rescues, issue flood alerts, and allocate resources.

Post-storm, GARR helped analyze where detention basins were effective and where flooding exceeded expected design thresholds.

HCFCD reportedly credits GARR with saving lives and informing infrastructure improvements after Harvey.

San Antonio River Authority (SARA)

SARA integrated GARR into its real-time models to monitor stormwater flow in the river basin. It:

Improved rainfall inputs to models that simulate flooding during storms
Enabled automated forecasts of creek levels and road closures
Reduced false positives/negatives from radar-only systems.

They used it to improve public safety, automated alerts and floodgate operations.

North Carolina

Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) uses GARR to fill data gaps across watersheds and create real-time flood forecasts with more accurate rainfall inputs.

They credit GARR systems with improved warning lead times and better informed design updates for critical infrastructure like culverts and detention ponds.

Recent Advances in GARR

HCFCD hopes to improve accuracy and operational capabilities that support improved flood forecasting. The District did not elaborate with more specifics, but GARR technology has improved greatly in recent years. Advances include:

1. Integration of AI and Machine Learning

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning techniques are improving GARR system accuracy. For instance, deep learning models have been employed to enhance precipitation “nowcasting” for emergency response.

2. Enhanced Data Assimilation Techniques

Advances in data assimilation now allow seamless integration of GARR data into hydrological models for more accurate flood forecasting.

3. Development of High-Resolution GARR Products

Companies like AEM have developed GARR products with resolutions as fine as 1 km² and temporal resolutions of 5 minutes. Such resolution is essential for urban planning, infrastructure design, and real-time flood monitoring.

4. Application in Urban Flood Management

During the unprecedented rainfall event in the United Arab Emirates in April 2024, GARR data played a crucial role in analyzing the hydrologic and flood impacts.

5. Expansion of Historical Data Archives

Organizations like OneRain have expanded their historical radar data archives, providing GARR data back to 1993. This helps planners analyze trends and infrastructure resilience to develop disaster risk reduction strategies.

HCFCD Request and Rationale

HCFCD hopes to provide an enhanced Gage Adjusted Radar Rainfall (GARR) Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) product that improves flood forecasting in Harris County.

This project expands the initial agreement between HCFCD and the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL). That agreement established a limited Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) domain over Harris County using HCFCD’s dense rain gauge network.

The new agreement should enhance the accuracy and operational capability of HCFCD’s GARR MRMS system. It will integrate verification tools, cloud-based processing, and sub-hourly nowcasting capabilities. These improvements should lead to better spatial representation of rainfall, improved short-term forecasting, and ultimately strengthen flood risk prediction and response efforts across Harris County.

Looking for a summer science project for your student? Here it is.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/5/25 and updated on 6/6/25

2837 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Northpark Update: Lane Switch, Paving, Tunneling, Enclave

6/5/25 – The Northpark Drive Expansion Project has been a beehive of activity recently.

A major traffic switch will happen Friday.
Crews have paved several blocks of new westbound lanes and are working their way toward the railroad tracks.
They have finished the first pit for boring under the UnionPacific tracks and are getting ready to place the boring machine into it. They have also started excavating the receiving pit on the west side of the tracks.
Contractors at the Northpark Enclave continue to work even as Montgomery County Precinct 4 is trying to set up a meeting between Montgomery County Engineering, City of Houston, EHRA (the Enclave’s engineering company), and HNTB (the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s engineering company). The purpose: to discuss concerns about potential overflow from the development’s retention pond during extreme weather events into the evacuation route for 78,000 people.

Lane Switch

Westbound traffic between Loop 494 and US59 will be routed to recently paved lanes on the north side of Northpark starting Friday, June 6.

According to Ralph De Leon, Northpark Expansion project manager, “Beginning June 6th at 9pm, Harper Brothers Construction will shift westbound Northpark Drive traffic to the newly constructed westbound lanes.”

The contractor will then install new storm sewer pipes and construct new concrete roadway between the eastbound and westbound lanes. This shift should last approximately 6 months. And no additional lane changes will take place during that time in that area.

De Leon provided this map to help motorists understand Friday’s change.

That same area looks like this from a lower angle.

*Crews will reroute traffic to the lanes on the right with the orange traffic cones.*

Westbound traffic now in the middle will move to the right and crews will begin work in the middle.

Paving

During the last few months, work on the north side of Northpark east of the railroad tracks has focused mainly on utility relocations and drainage installation. Now, crews are starting to pave that area working from east to west – toward the tracks.

Note the fresh concrete on the left below.

*Reverse angle. Looking W from same location. Crews are working on pavement prep work, i.e., rebar placement.*

Boring Under Union Pacific Tracks

*Steel pipe previously stockpiled south (left) of Northpark has been moved to the north side in preparation for the bore.*

*Workers have completed the steel frame for the boring operation and poured a concrete floor for the bore pit.*

They have also placed a section of railroad tracks into the pit. The boring machine will later be placed on the tracks.

*On the far side of the tracks, you can see them starting to excavate the receiving pit.*

Two steel pipes will run under the tracks side by side to convey storm water toward the Diversion Ditch from the area on the west side of Loop 494. As crews push each section in, they will weld a new section on.

Enclave Construction

Contrary to earlier reports, construction at the Enclave has not stopped during a peer review of the subdivision’s drainage.

Northpark Enclave — *Photo taken 6/4/25 at approximately 2 PM* *showed activity throughout the site.*

Victoria Bryant, Montgomery County Precinct 4 Project Coordinator says that she is trying to set up a meeting between the engineering companies, MoCo Engineering and the City of Houston.

Pictures below show activity on the site.

Northpark Enclave drainage and detention basin — *Culvert installation almost reached the development’s detention basin* *at 2PM on 6/4/25.*

Northpark Enclave drainage construction — *More drainage being installed on 6/3/25*

Drainage Concerns

Meanwhile, construction plans show that the detention basin could overflow into the only evacuation route for 78,000 people during extreme rainfall events.

Northpark Enclave construction plan detail — *Enlarged and cropped detail from construction plans.*

But it doesn’t take a 100-year rainfall to create a 100-year flood in the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.

The photo below taken by Kingwood flood activist Chris Bloch during the May 2024 flood shows runoff in the Kingwood Diversion Ditch reaching above the bottom of the Northpark Drive Bridge, which was above the predicted 100-year flood level.

But the closest Harris County Flood Control rain gage showed that the May 2024 event that caused water to reach that high was approximately a 5-year rainfall by today’s Atlas-14 standard.

Northpark Bridge during High water event — *Photo courtesy of Chris Bloch*

But there’s more. Plans for the bridge show that the bottom is at 75.76 feet.

About a half mile downstream, drainage from the Enclave and the rest of Kings Mill crosses under Russell Palmer Road and enters into the Diversion Ditch.

Water in the Diversion Ditch at the bridge was higher than the crown of Russell Palmer Road at the detention basin.

When water in a receiving ditch is higher than water in a connected detention basin, it creates back-pressure on the water in the basin. Water can actually flow into the basin from the ditch.

At a minimum, higher water in the Diversion Ditch would slow the water coming out of Kings Mill and the Enclave. That raises the height of stormwater in the detention basin(s) and keeps it there longer.

Also, note that the outfall pipe for the Kings Mills Detention Basins is at the BOTTOM of the Diversion Ditch. (See below.) That exacerbates the back-pressure issue.

Kings Mill outfall into Kingwood diversion ditch. — *Route of stormwater from Kings Mill Detention Basin (right) to Kingwood Diversion Ditch (left)*

Conclusion: Mismatch Between Regulations and Reality

The Diversion Ditch has become seriously overburdened with runoff from subdivisions that were developed when the rainfall probability estimates used by Montgomery County were 40% lower than they are for this area today.

That may or may not cause the Enclave detention basin to overflow into Northpark during a REAL 100-year event. It will be interesting to see what the engineers determine. Only they can tell how high, how far, and how long the water will back up.

Chances are small that the Enclave detention basin will overflow into Northpark during an evacuation. But the stakes are huge.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/4/25

2836 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.

New State Budget Includes $200 Million for Area Flood Projects, Dredging

6/3/25 – The new 1,056-page Texas state budget includes more than $200 million for Houston-area flood mitigation projects and dredging.

The legislature allocated $50 million for Lake Houston dredging through the Texas Water Development Board and another $150 million for Houston/Harris County Area flood-mitigation projects.

That’s out of a total $581 million appropriated to TWDB for funding infrastructure, flood, wastewater and water-supply projects.

List of Other Local Flood-Mitigation Projects

Other Houston/Harris County flood-related projects include:

$54 million for the Cypress Ditch Regional Flood Mitigation Project
$2.5 million for Greens Bayou Watershed Channel Improvements
$25 million for the Helms Stormwater Detention Basin Conveyance Project
$2.5 million for the Aldine Westfield Stormwater Detention Basin
$10 million fir the Lower Clear Creek Watershed Flood Project
$5 million for Kingwood Diversion Ditch Improvements
$22.5 million for the Cypress Creek Watershed Flood Mitigation Project #1
$11 million for Carpenters Bayou Watershed Improvements
$5 million for Spring Shadows Drainage and Paving Project
$6.5 million for West Little York Detention Basin Completion
$10 million for South Mayde Creek Bypass Channel

Dredging Program Must Make Business Sense

For the Lake Houston dredging district (HB1532) to succeed long term, the operation must make business sense. The legislation that formed the district stipulates it cannot impose taxes or fees. So operations must generate a funding stream from the sale of spoils for beneficial uses such as roads, development, and the Ike Dike.

However, in the near term, the dredging money allocated by the legislature could be used to help purchase dredging equipment and set up operations.

Many decisions lie ahead re: equipment, staging areas, staffing, sales of the spoils, maintenance, trucking, and more.

Frankly, I thought we might have to wait until the next session of the legislature in two years before we had a chance at seed money to launch the dredging district.

So, seeing the money in this state budget is a very pleasant surprise…as is the additional $150+ million for other flood-mitigation projects coming to the Houston region!

For More Information

To see the entire 1068-page state budget, click here. (Warning: 10 meg download.)

For the two pages relating to TWDB and flood mitigation projects, click here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/3/2025

2885 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Enclave Construction Stopped While Engineers Review Drainage

6/4/25 Update: Construction has not yet stopped and it may not. It continues as City and County Authorities try to set up a meeting to review drainage plans with engineers.

6/2/25 – Construction has stopped, at least temporarily, at the Enclave, a new 11-acre residential development adjacent to the Northpark expansion project in Montgomery County.

Both Montgomery County and the City of Houston have asked engineers to review the drainage plans, which showed the development’s detention basin overflowing into the only evacuation route for 78,000 people during extreme weather events.

HNTB, the engineer for the Northpark Expansion project, is going to conduct a peer review of EHRA plans for the Enclave’s drainage. They need to hurry.

Detention Basin Already Dug Out

Photographs taken between 5/31 and 6/2/25 show that construction crews have already excavated the proposed detention basin. And they are starting to install pipes and junction boxes for drainage.

*Looking E. Northpark on left. Detention Basin, partially filled with water from last week’s rains*, *is already excavated*.

However, I have received word that both the City and Montgomery County have asked for construction to be paused for a new independent peer review of the development’s drainage plans.

Partial Update to Outdated Drainage Plans

The new development is technically part of Kings Mill, which had its drainage plans approved in 2012. But after Harvey in 2018, Montgomery County and the City of Houston both adopted Atlas 14 rainfall probability statistics, which are 33% higher than those used to design virtually all of Kings Mill’s infrastructure.

That means Kings Mill – which is 20 times larger than the Northpark Enclave – funnels much more stormwater toward the Kingwood Diversion Ditch than it was designed to handle.

Yet Enclave engineers designed its detention basin to hold only the difference between the old and new rainfall statistics. And only for 11 acres, not all 240.

Concerns about Capacity, Its Impact and Inconsistencies

Several other things have happened since approval of the 2012 drainage study.

The Northpark Expansion project started. A major goal: to create an all-weather evacuation route when Hamblen Road, Kingwood Drive and Mills Branch Road are cut off by high water.
The developer’s plans raised concerns about where Enclave overflow will go during an extreme event. (See construction diagram above.)
Hurricane Harvey flooded hundreds of homes adjacent to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, raising as-yet-unaddressed concerns about the capacity of the receiving ditch.
Construction plans showed inconsistencies between the initial drainage impact analysis and today, including the size of the Enclave.
The developer claims it can build ten homes to the acre with only 55% impervious cover, an extremely ambitious goal.

Photos Show Drainage Route to Kingwood Diversion Ditch

Photos below show the new Northpark Enclave development and the path that stormwater will take on its way to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch, which already has capacity problems of its own.

Hundreds of homes have flooded because of the ditch’s diminishing capacity as insufficiently mitigated new subdivisions began draining into it.

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has completed its preliminary engineering review of the Diversion Ditch. HCFCD is now in the process of selecting an engineering company to make final recommendations for improving the ditch. But it could take years to find the money to construct any recommendations that come out of the study.

So, MoCo and the City want to make sure they get this right. The photos below show how all the drainage will connect.

*Looking SE over the intersection of Loop 494 and Northpark Drive at construction of the Northpark Enclave.*

*Still looking SE. From the new development, stormwater will move to the giant detention basin in the upper center of frame.*

*Contractors are already starting to install culverts that will carry runoff to the main Kings Mill Detention Basin.*

*From the Kings Mill Detention Basin, stormwater will flow into the ditch that angles toward top and then makes a left turn toward Russell-Palmer Road in the upper left corner of the frame.*

*Stormwater runoff goes a half mile east toward Russell-Palmer Road. Kings Mill’s drainage on left. Kings Manor’s on right.*

Looking S along Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Russell-Palmer Road. Kings Mill Ditch on lower right. Kings Manor Ditch above it. Both outfall under the road into the Diversion Ditch. Bridge at top of frame by water tower is Kingwood Drive.

Once contractors have drain pipes and culverts in the ground and start pouring concrete, it will be very difficult to make any changes. So, it’s good that construction has been paused now for peer review.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/2/2025

2834 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.

HCFCD Regrades Kings Crossing Ditch

6/1/25 – Harris County Flood Control District has performed maintenance excavation and regrading of the Kings Crossing Ditch that runs from behind the Memorial Hermann Convenient Care Center to Kingwood Drive.

Here’s what that area looks like in a satellite view. Note the Kingwood Park N Ride at the top left and H-E-B below it. This short ditch drains more than 50 acres of concrete by my estimate.

*NE quadrant of Kingwood Town Center with Kings Crossing Ditch (G103-33-04-X007)* *highlighted.*

A resident alerted me to the maintenance. He said, “The ditch was already in decent shape and depth, but this looks to have deepened the ditch and sharpened the toe.” He estimates HCFCD removed at least 15-20 cubic yards of sediment. Workers have already removed the sediment.

Not only does the bottom of the ditch collect silt, it is the first to fill and the last to drain. So keeping it clear and properly graded is critical to reducing flood risk.

Protecting the Commercial Center of Kingwood

The northeast quadrant of Kingwood Town Center contains numerous essential services from the area’s largest grocery store to 24-hour emergency room and advanced medical imaging services, not to mention more than a dozen restaurants.

Unfortunately, the area is low lying and prone to flooding. A flood in May of 2024 had the parking lots underwater. It also forced closure of the Memorial Hermann facility.