IH-69 Repairs Finish Sooner than Expected; Traffic Returning to Normal Soon

The lengthy delays crossing the San Jacinto River on Interstate Highway 69 at rush hour are almost over. TxDOT originally expected repairs could take until September, but is now saying traffic will return to normal by early July.

Only a month ago, finishing repairs to IH-69 before September seemed like a distant dream. Now TxDOT is saying it will restore normal traffic sooner than expected.

That’s the good news. However, between now and then, the concrete spaghetti bowl over the river will become even more tangled as crews work on one lane after another to restore normal traffic flow. So  make note of the following. Here’s the latest:

Motorists should expect traffic delays and are strongly encouraged to seek alternate routes.

All closures are subject to cancellation or modification due to adverse weather. 

Summary of What will Open When

  • The southbound mainlanes will be returned to their original condition by 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, 2018.
  • The southbound entrance ramp from Kingwood Dr. will be reopened by 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, 2018.
  • The southbound exit ramp to FM 1960 will be reopened by 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, 2018:
  • The northbound mainlanes will be returned to their original condition by 5:00 AM on Monday, July 02, 2018.
  • The Eastex HOV/Express Lanes between Kingwood Dr. and the Townsen Park & Ride will be returned to the original condition by 4:00 AM on Monday July 02, 2018.
  • The northbound entrance ramp from FM 1960/Townsen will be reopened by 5:00 AM on Tuesday, July 03, 2018.

Below, read how TxDOT will meet those deadlines.

Ongoing Traffic Closures at this Time

I-69 Eastex northbound entrance ramp from FM 1960/Townsen: Total closure continuously through 5:00 AM on Tuesday, July 03, 2018.  Detour northbound on the frontage road to the entrance ramp from Sorters McClellan Rd. 

I-69 Eastex northbound mainlanes between FM 1960 to Kingwood Dr.: Two left lanes closed continuously through 9:00 PM on Friday, June 29, 2018. Three mainlanes will remain open.  Please refer to closure #9 below for closure details for the weekend of June 29 th thru July 2nd.

I-69 Eastex southbound entrance ramp from Kingwood Dr.:  Total closure continuously through 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, 2018. Detour southbound on the frontage road to the entrance ramp from Townsen Blvd. 

I-69 Eastex southbound frontage road between Kingwood Dr. and Sorters McClellan Rd.: One Left lane closed continuously through 5:00 AM on Friday, June 29, 2018.   Please refer to closure #12 below for closure details for the week of June 25 th thru June 29 th.

I-69 Eastex southbound mainlanes between Kingwood Dr. and FM 1960: Two Right lanes closed continuously through 9:00 PM on Friday, June 22. Three mainlanes will remain open.  Please refer to closure #6 below for closure details for the weekend of June 22 th thru June 25 th.

I-69 Eastex southbound exit ramp to FM 1960: Total closure continuously through 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, 2018.   Detour southbound on the mainlanes to the exit ramp to Sorters McClellan Rd./Townsen/FM 1960.  Follow the Southbound Frontage Rd. to Sorters McClellan Rd., Townsen or FM 1960. 

I-69 Eastex HOV/Express Lanes between Kingwood Dr. and the Townsen Park & Ride:  Total closure continuously through 4:00 AM on Monday July 02, 2018.  Southbound Detour via the entrance from the Townsen Park and Ride.  Northbound Detour via the exit at the Townsen Park and Ride. 

Closures to restore Southbound Mainlanes

  1. I-69 Eastex southbound mainlanes between Northpark Dr. and FM 1960:  One right lane closed nightly from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Monday June 18, Tuesday June 19, Wednesday June 20 and Thursday June 21.
  2. I-69 Eastex southbound frontage road between Kingwood Dr. and Sorters McClellan Rd.:  One Left lane closed nightly from 7:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Monday June 18, Tuesday June 19, Wednesday June 20 and Thursday June 21.   
  3. I-69 Eastex southbound entrance ramp from Sorters McClellan Rd.:  Total closure nightly between 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM on Monday June 18, Tuesday June 19, Wednesday June 20 and Thursday June 21.  Detour southbound on the frontage road to the entrance ramp from Townsen Blvd.
  4. I-69 Eastex southbound exit ramp to Sorters McClellan Rd./Townsen/FM 1960:  Total closure continuously between 9:00 PM on Friday June 22 and 6:00 PM on Saturday June 23.  Detour southbound on the mainlanes to the exit ramp to Will Clayton.  Follow the Frontage Rd to the U-turn at Will Clayton; Follow the U-Turn at Will Clayton to the northbound frontage road.  Follow the northbound frontage rd. to FM 1960, Townsen or Sorters McClellan Rd.  An alternate detour is to exit at Kingwood Dr. and follow the southbound frontage rd. to Sorters McClellan Rd., Townsen and FM 1960.  
  5. I-69 Eastex southbound entrance ramp from Sorters McClellan Rd.:  Total closure continuously between 9:00 PM on Friday, June 22 and 6:00 PM on Saturday, June 23.  Detour southbound on the frontage road to the entrance ramp from Townsen Blvd.
  6. I-69 Eastex southbound mainlanes between FM 1314 and FM 1960:  Multiple alternate lanes closed continuously from 9:00 PM on Friday, June 22 through 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25.  At least one mainlane will remain open.
  7. I-69 Eastex southbound mainlanes between Townsen and FM 1960:  Left, (Inside), shoulder closed between 5:00 AM on Monday June 25 and 5:00 AM on Tuesday July 03.

Closures to Restore Northbound Mainlanes

  1. I-69 Eastex northbound mainlanes between FM 1960 to Kingwood Dr.: One additional Left lane closed nightly from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, Tuesday June 26, Wednesday June 27 and Thursday June 28.   At least two mainlanes will remain open.
  2. I-69 Eastex northbound mainlanes between FM 1960 to Kingwood Dr.: Four alternate lanes closed continuously from 9:00 PM on Friday, June 29, through 5:00 AM on Monday, July 02.  At least one mainlane will remain open.
  3. I-69 Eastex northbound exit ramp to Loop 494/ Sorters McClellan Rd: Total closure continuously from 9:00 PM on Friday, June 29, through 5:00 AM on Monday, July 02.  Detour via the northbound mainlanes to the exit  ramp to Northpark Dr.; U-Turn at Northpark Dr. and then follow the southbound frontage road to either Kingwood Dr. or Sorters McClellan Rd.
  4. I-69 Eastex northbound exit ramp to Kingwood Drive: Total closure continuously between 9:00 PM on Friday, June 29, through 5:00 AM on Monday, July 02.  Detour via the northbound mainlanes to the exit  ramp to Northpark Dr.; U-Turn at Northpark Dr. and then follow the southbound frontage road to either Kingwood Dr. or Sorters McClellan Rd.

Traffic Closures to Restore Frontage Roads 

  1. I-69 Eastex southbound frontage road between Kingwood Dr. and Sorters McClellan Rd.: Alternate Left lanes closed nightly from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Monday, June 25, Tuesday June 26 and Wednesday June 27 and Thursday June 28.   
  2. I-69 Eastex northbound frontage road between FM 1960 and Sorters McClellan Rd.: Two Left lanes closed nightly from 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM on Monday, July 02, and Tuesday July 03.

Miscellaneous Traffic Closures for Clean Up and Demobilization

  1. I-69 Eastex Turnaround Road from W Hamblen Rd to Hamblen Rd: Total closure continuously through 7:00 PM on Tuesday, July 03. Detour from Hamblin Rd: Northbound on Loop 494 to Kingwood Dr.; Detour from McClellan Rd: Southbound on the Southbound Frontage Rd. to FM 1960.
  2. I-69 Eastex Turnaround Road from W Hamblen Rd to Hamblen Rd: Total closure daily between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM between Thursday July 05 and Friday July 13. Detour from Hamblin Rd: Northbound on Loop 494 to Kingwood Dr.; Detour from McClellan Rd: Southbound on the Southbound Frontage Rd. to FM 1960.

Posted 6/19/2018 by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mark Mitchell for the information!

294 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Lowering Lake Conroe Temporarily Could Be Blessing in Disguise for Lakefront Property Owners

The Lake Conroe Association, which fought the temporary lowering of Lake Conroe, may find that it’s a blessing in disguise.

The TCEQ decided to allow the San Jacinto River Authority and City of Houston to lower Lake Conroe for six weeks by up to two feet during the peak of hurricane season. The SJRA will lower the lake to 199 feet if evaporation does not already reduce it that much.

Lowering Lake Could Facilitate Repairs, Help Fight Invasive Species

This should reduce the risk of flooding for people on both sides of the dam between August 15 and September 30. It could also give lakefront property owners an opportunity to repair shallow docks, retaining walls and other waterfront property.

That’s what the property owners on Lakes LBJ and Austin did for six weeks while the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) lowered those lakes in 2017 to facilitate dam repairs.

Image of hydrilla, an invasive species, courtesy of USGS.

The Lower Colorado River Authority also urged their residents to use the 2017 drawdown as an opportunity to curb the growth of nuisance aquatic vegetation, such as hydrilla and Eurasian watermilfoil.

The Lake Conroe Association may find that lowering Lake Conroe helps in its fight against invasive aquatic vegetation. Battling hydrilla has been one of the group’s top priorities for more than forty years.

 

Opening of Dredging Bids Expected Later Today

Temporarily lowering Lake Conroe will provide a buffer against flooding for downstream residents who are currently fighting excessive sedimentation left behind by Hurricane Harvey. The sediment is blocking drainage ditches and exacerbating flooding.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is expected to open bids today on its Emergency West Fork Dredging Project. The Corps has postponed the bid opening twice already to give bidders more time to resolve questions relating to the complex project. The earlier dates were May 31 and June 12. I will let you know as soon as I hear something. Once approved, the project is projected to take approximately six months to complete.

Update on Tropical Wave as of 6 a.m., 6/18/18

As of this morning, the level of Lake Conroe is at 200.59 feet. The level of the San Jacinto river at US59 is currently close to 41 feet, which is about 1.5 below normal, thanks to the City of Houston’s decision to lower the level of Lake Houston in advance of the approaching storm.

Height of San Jacinto River at US 59 according to USGS stream gage data.

However, with the tropical wave expected to stream moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico most of this week, both of those levels should increase.

The morning weather report from Space City Weather indicate that counties in the northern part of the Houston region could see rainfall accumulations from 1.2 to 2.4 inches today. The five day outlook calls for higher accumulations. However, Jeff Lindner of Harris County Flood Control says, “Thus far bands/waves of showers … have not trained over one particular area long enough to cause any problems.”

Currently, Main Risk is From Street Flooding

“Overall the current forecasted amounts of rainfall are likely to be handled by the creeks and bayous over the area as long as the rainfall continues to exhibit enough breaks allowing systems to drain. Grounds will slowly saturate as the rainfall totals add up leading to greater amounts of run-off as the event continues. While rises on area creeks and bayous will be possible, the main threat will be street flooding especially in any areas of intense rainfall,” says Lindner.

He indicates, though, that the risk of flash flooding has increased to “moderate” for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Downstream Residents Grateful

Residents that I talk to downstream of the Lake Conroe Dam are grateful for the decision to lower Lake Conroe temporarily. Many are still traumatized by Hurricane Harvey and repairing their homes from the flood it caused. They appreciate Lake Conroe residents who supported the lowering. While it may be a short-term inconvenience, it will give the Corps time to clear the river. Hopefully, it will also give residents of Lake Conroe time to repair their docks and renew their fight against invasive plant species.

Posted on June 18, 2018

293 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TCEQ Approves SJRA and City Plan to Temporarily Lower Lake Conroe

This morning, I received a press release announcing that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) had approved the joint decision by the City of Houston and the San Jacinto River Authority to temporarily lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season. The lake will be lowered by two feet from 201 mean feet about sea level (msl) to 199 msl between mid-August and the end of September. This will provide buffer against flooding while the Army Corps of Engineers removes excess sediment from the West Fork deposited by Hurricane Harvey that is exacerbating flooding. Because this has legal implications and the Lake Conroe Association fought the lowering, I’m reprinting the entire text of the press release below…with special thanks to Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, Mayor Sylvester Turner,  and SJRA Board Members Kaaren Cambio and Mark Micheletti who lobbied long and hard for this. Also to all the Lake Houston and Lake Conroe residents who made the trek to testify about this issue to the SJRA board.

Text of Press Release

CITY AND SJRA RECEIVE APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD WITH TEMPORARY FLOOD MITIGATION PROPOSAL FOR LAKE HOUSTON AND LAKE CONROE

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality will use “enforcement discretion” if flood mitigation releases for Lake Houston and Lake Conroe exceed annual water rights

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Hurricane Harvey deposited tremendous amounts of silt in the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The silt physically changed the river’s ability to safely pass flows during storms and created the need for a significant dredging project to restore the river’s capacity. As a temporary flood mitigation solution, the City of Houston and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) proposed a temporary, joint reservoir operations strategy for Lake Houston and Lake Conroe. The temporary flood mitigation would be in place for up to two years or until the dredging project is completed.

The proposed strategy involves the pre-release of water from Lake Houston immediately prior to certain storms and the seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe’s water level during the Spring and Fall.  

A significant hurdle to final consideration of the proposed temporary strategy was a decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) on how releases of water from the two reservoirs would be “accounted for” by the state. TCEQ issues permits that limit how much water can be diverted each year from water supply reservoirs like Lake Houston and Lake Conroe.

The proposal from Houston and SJRA highlights the difficulty of balancing the state’s long-term need for reliable water supplies with the short-term goal of protecting public health and safety while emergency measures are implemented to reduce flood risks.

In a letter to the City of Houston and SJRA on Friday, June 15, 2018, the TCEQ expressed its intent to use enforcement discretion to allow the two agencies to move forward with finalizing their temporary flood mitigation strategy.

The letter states that “if flood mitigation releases . . . result in an exceedance of the annual permitted amounts for diversion or release by SJRA of the City of Houston, the TCEQ Executive Director will exercise enforcement discretion with respect to such exceedance.” The TCEQ’s decision acknowledges the importance of accounting for all diversions from the state’s water supply reservoirs, but it also recognizes the emergency nature of the flood mitigation work being conducted in the San Jacinto River.

The City of Houston and SJRA express their sincere appreciation to the leadership and staff at the TCEQ for their thoughtful consideration of the unique flood challenges that our region is facing. We look forward to finalizing the details of our proposed joint reservoir operations strategy. Additional details on the project including a timeline will be provided as they become available.

ABOUT HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS

Houston Public Works (www.HoustonPublicWorks.org) is responsible for streets and drainage, production and distribution of water, collection and treatment of wastewater, and permitting and regulation of public and private construction covering a 627-square mile service area. Houston Public Works is accredited by the American Public Works Association. Facebook & Twitter:@HoustonPWE

ABOUT SAN JACINTO RIVER AUTHORITY

Created by the Texas Legislature in 1937, the San Jacinto River Authority is a government agency whose mission is to develop, conserve, and protect the water resources of the San Jacinto River basin.  Covering all or part of seven counties, the organization’s jurisdiction includes the entire San Jacinto River watershed, excluding Harris County.  SJRA is one of two dozen river authorities in Texas, and like other river authorities, its primary purpose is to implement long-term, regional projects related to water management and development. For more information, visit www.sjra.net.

More About Sand Mining than You Ever Wanted to Know

Regular readers of this site will notice something new today – a top-level page that contains links to information about sand mining best practices.

The page features four categories of information about sand mining:

  • Best management practices from other states and countries
  • Academic articles and case studies
  • Texas laws and regulations
  • Observations

The material within each category ranges from easy-to-understand to for-experts-only. Descriptions beneath each link hint at the nature, content and authorship of the entry along with its degree of difficulty.

I hope to expand the page over time. If you know of additional valuable references, please send me links.

Knowledge: Your Best Defense

People who have closely followed the sand mining debate in the Lake Houston area know that the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association and others have pushed back against this website.

Sand mine in Porter next to Caney Creek covers approximately 600 acres as of Hurricane Harvey. Kingwood’s East End Park, just downstream from here, had 30 acres covered with sand up to 10 feet high after Harvey.

I believe that such debate is healthy. I also believe that informed people can make better decisions about what’s in the public interest and their own self-interest.

Start with Louisiana

If you want to learn more, the Louisiana Best Management Practices represent a great place to start. Louisiana has geology, topology, weather, climate and vegetation much like ours. Beyond that, the document is clear, concise, well-illustrated and well researched…and balanced. It contains sections that explain why we need sand mining and how it’s done. It also contains good descriptions of the dangers. Then it describes best management practices and explains how they can help mitigate those dangers.

Similarities Around the World

As you explore best practices, notice their similarity throughout the world. Our problems are not unique.

Pay particular attention to recommendations pertaining to:

  • Setbacks from the river
  • Slopes of dikes
  • Location and protection of stockpiles
  • Vegetative ground cover
  • Buffer zones
  • Remediation
  • Erosion control

Huge Gaps Exist Between Desired, Required, and Actual Practices

Be mindful of the distinctions between desired, required and actual practices. Best practices lead to best outcomes. Required practices usually lead to minimally acceptable outcomes. Actual practices sometimes fall short of even those. That’s why I’ve also included the section on laws.

Statewide, sand mine operators received more than 600 fines for violations in the last five years.

After reviewing laws and best practices, browse through the aerial photos of sand mines on this site and ask yourself, “Are they complying with laws and observing the industry’s best management practices?”

If your answer is “No”, ask “Why?” And DEMAND answers.

Finding the Solution to Pollution

Sand comes at us from many sources, some natural and some man-made. We can’t stop nature, but we can stop harming ourselves.

  • Our lake and river are rapidly filling with sediment.
  • Drainage ditches are backing up into neighborhoods.
  • Water filtration costs are high.
  • Turbidity is high.
  • Oxygen in the water is low.
  • Recreation, boating and fishing are impaired.
  • Dredging will cost tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars.
  • Maintenance dredging will cost even more.

Demand Excellence, Not Just Compliance

We must hold the mines to the highest standards if they want a license to operate next to the source of drinking water for millions of people. Violations are simply not acceptable.

Also, any solution must acknowledge that this region is prone to repetitive flooding. We’ve had FIVE five-hundred year storms in the last 24 years (1994, 2001, 2015, 2016, 2017). During each, we also had huge releases from Lake Conroe that exacerbated flooding.

If mine design cannot withstand these types of events, we invite disaster. The most sediment transport happens during floods; it’s time we started planning for them.

How You Can Help

All of us are smarter than one of us. You may see things that I missed. Please review the aerial photos, best practices and laws. If you see opportunities for improvement, send them to me.

Example: Alaska, I noticed, discourages mining within 1000 feet of a public water source. Here, the sand mines operate right next to ours and even drive trucks through it.

Sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note how close they are operating next to the source of our drinking water. Also note what appears to be a breach of the dike between the mine on the left and the river about two-third of the way up the left side of the photo. Photo taken after Harvey on 9/14/2017.

 

Sand mine on the West Fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Industry best practices elsewhere discourage running vehicles through water sources. Here the operator built a road right through the river. Also notice the steepness of the dikes. Most best management practices recommend setting them back from the river, sloping them at 3:1 to 10:1 and planting them with vegetation such as grass to retard erosion. 

 

Fresh sand deposits after Harvey coming out of the sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note that the height of the dune is engulfing several medium sized trees on the right. Also note the road leading to the river on the left and machinery at work in an area unprotected by dikes.

Let’s compile of list of such observations, then start a dialog with the sand mining industry to encourage voluntary compliance with best practices and improve disaster planning.

Posted on 6/15/18 by Bob Rehak

Day 290 since Hurricane Harvey

Update on County Flood Bond Status and Some Proposed Projects

The fast-approaching Harris County Flood Bond referendum scheduled for August 25 is forcing people to focus on their top mitigation priorities. The Flood Control District is actively soliciting community input on projects that we think are needed in this watershed.

Harris County includes 22 different watersheds within 1,756 square miles. Each watershed has its own independent flooding problems and presents unique challenges. We need to communicate with the District to ensure that:

  • Solutions for our area benefit the largest number of people possible
  • The language in the bond proposal, if adopted, would let the county address our needs

That’s why the County established a flood bond website and hotline. That’s also why County Judge Ed Emmett is meeting with Kingwood residents on July 10 at 6 pm at the Kingwood Community Center.

Harris County Flood Control Bond Page at https://www.hcfcd.org/bond-program/.

Here is the current list of projects included in the Bond Proposal. Scroll down to page 7 to see those associated with the San Jacinto Watershed as of 6/1/18.

You can also click on the interactive map of the county’s bond program website. Zoom in on our area and start clicking on icons to reveal the location and details of projects.

  • Do those sound like your top priorities?
  • Would the current language in the bond proposal even allow the County to address your top priorities?

Here are four ideas that have been proposed for this area that could have a huge impact on flooding.

Four Important Projects

  1. More river dredging. We must restore the velocity and carrying capacity of the entire river, not just a small portion of the West Fork and not just to pre-Harvey conditions.  The Army Corps of Engineers is restoring a 2-mile stretch to pre-Harvey conditions. But we need to dredge deeper and further. And we need to do it on a regular basis. In 2000, Brown & Root recommended dredging and periodic maintenance as the best option they examined to mitigate flooding. Neither was ever done. That’s a huge part of the reason why we face increased flood risk today. Personally, I’d like to see the East and West Forks restored at least to their condition in the Year 2000.
  2. More floodgates on Lake Houston. Freese and Nichols found that 14 additional gates could have lowered the flood level during Harvey by up to 1.9 feet. That could help reduce flooding both upstream and downstream from the dam. How? By releasing water before a storm in a gradual, controlled fashion, you can create more capacity within the lake, so you can discharge water at a lower rate as the reservoir fills back up.
  3. More upstream detention. The idea is to offset Lake Conroe Dam releases by holding up water elsewhere. Spring,  Cypress and Lake Creeks have all been mentioned as possibilities. TACA also pointed out that sand mines could make excellent detention lakes.
  4. Better ditch maintenance. Before Harvey, many of our drainage ditches became silted and clogged with fallen trees. Some, like Ben’s Branch, near the public library, still have islands and standing water in them. Keeping these ditches clear and free flowing should be a high priority. We must ensure water has a way to get to the river without spilling out of the ditches.

Does Language in Bond Proposal Support These Ideas?

Here is the the most recent iteration of the language in the County Flood Bond Proposal.  Matt Zeve, Director of Operations for the Flood Control District said he expects several more minor changes before the text gets locked down.

Because the text is written for lawyers, by lawyers, I asked an expert to see if this language would allow the projects above to even be considered. One of the answers surprised me.

  1. Dredging? Yes. Language allows “channel improvements” in cooperation with “City of Houston.”
  2. Floodgates? Yes. Language allows “construction of improvements” in connection with “flood damage reduction” to “hold or convey storm water” in cooperation with “City of Houston.”
  3. Upstream Detention? Yes. Language allows “purchasing lands, easements and rights of way” and constructing “detention basins” in “any county adjacent to Harris County.”
  4. Ditch Maintenance? No. Language pertaining to maintenance was specifically taken out of this iteration of the proposal. HOWEVER…my expert pointed out this surprising twist. Currently, half of the Flood Control District’s $120 million budget is allocated to capital projects and about $20 million to maintenance other than mowing. If the bond proposal is approved, the $60 million currently allocated for capital improvements could be re-allocated to maintenance. That would almost quadruple the budget available for ditch maintenance. That extra money could be used to hire contractors to accelerate ditch repairs.

What are Your Top Priorities?

What do you think would help the most? According to Community Impact, County Judge Ed Emmett said the county hopes to have a final list of projects to share with the public by Aug. 1. Early voting will begin on Aug. 8. Thus, you have only six weeks to influence the project list if you want to.

Give the County Your Thoughts

Speak now or forever hold your peace. Join the conversation. Please communicate your thoughts to Harris County Flood Control ASAP. The County is actively soliciting ideas for the bond proposal right now.

Remember, according the Greater Houston Flood Mitigation Consortium, the Lake Houston area historically has received 0% of the region’s flood mitigation dollars, but sustained 14% of the region’s damage during Harvey. Let’s make sure we get our fair share of flood control dollars this time around and that they’re focused where they will do the most good.

Call 713-684-4107 or mail comments to 9900 Northwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77092, ATTN: Bond Program Communications.

Also, please mark your calendar. Come to the meeting with Judge Ed Emmett at the Kingwood Community Center on July 10 from 6 to 8 pm. Learn more about the bond proposal and give the Judge your feedback directly. Bring everyone in your neighborhood!

Posted by Bob Rehak 6/14/2018

289 days since Hurricane Harvey

Just In Time for Tropical Wave: Harris County Flood Control Announces Near-Real-Time Inundation Mapping

Approaching Storm

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has introduced a new, near-real-time, inundation mapping tool – just in time for a tropical disturbance predicted to affect the Houston area from this Saturday through Monday. The NOAA map below (created 6/13/18) shows expected rainfall totals associated with the disturbance which is currently centered just south of the Yucatan. Depending on how far north you live in the Houston area, the storm could dump from 3 to 7 inches of rain on you.

Jeff Lindner, Director of Hydrologic Operations for HCFCD cautions that rainfall totals will be adjusted in coming days and that locally heavy rainfall within the storm could create flash flooding with rains of 4 inches in one hour.  All of which leads me to the second part of this post…

New Inundation Mapping Tool

The Harris County Flood Control District has added inundation mapping to the Harris County Flood Warning System, providing a new tool to help you make safety decisions during flooding events.  Information is posted on the Harris County Flood Warning System website (www.harriscountyfws.org).

The inundation mapping system even contains a historical feature. If you like, you can go back to floods in 2015, 2016, and 2017. The image below is from Harvey and gives you an idea of what the mapping feature would potentially show during an actual event.

The Harris County Flood Control District’s new near-real-time-inundation mapping tool can be accessed through their Flood Warning System at harriscountyfws.org. It also contains a historical feature that lets you review the extent of prior floods. Shown above: Hurricane Harvey. You can zoom in to see details within 500 feet.

15-Minute Updates

Lindner says, “Moving forward, this will be available every 15 minutes based off of the current gage data along our creeks and bayous.”

The new inundation mapping tool generates a map of flooded areas adjacent to Harris County bayous and creeks where the Flood Warning System has water level gages. The tool runs continuously to provide live inundation mapping during a flood, though the results may be delayed as much as 15 minutes. That’s due to the time required to generate maps from gage data.

Please share this with your neighbors and friends so they can use this tool during heavy rains and flooding.

How Inundation Mapping Works

Inundation mapping provides information about areas of current bayou and channel flooding, based on information collected by Flood Warning System gage stations strategically placed along Harris County bayous and their tributaries.

During heavy rains, to monitor inundation levels near your home, school, work place, relatives, or commuting routes, just type in an address at or near your area of interest.

Inundation mapping can zoom from county-wide down to 500 feet. The map depicts the current extent of flooding, but does not include water depth. To experiment with it:

  • Go to harriscountyfws.org on your desktop or mobile device.
  • The “MAP VIEW OPTIONS” section at the top left allows you to add inundation mapping and other features to the county map. (When there has been no rainfall, the inundation mapping feature will not be available.)
  • Go to the “ADDRESS SEARCH” box in the lower left column and type your address.
  • The map will zoom to the gage station nearest to your location of interest. The icon shows the amount of rainfall (in inches) received at that location in the past 24 hours.
  • Click on the gage station icon for more detailed information.
  • Other “MAP VIEW OPTIONS” allow you to add watershed boundaries, drainage channels and channel status icons to the county map. You can also change the setting in the “RAINFALL DATA” section to see rainfall during various time periods.

An instructional video that shows how to use the entire Flood Warning System, including the new inundation mapping tool, is available on our YouTube page at:https://youtu.be/eb4AFIspQSQ

Experiment

A personal review.

I typed in my address as instructed above and zoomed into my neighborhood as closely as I could. Then I used the historical feature to type in different dates and times during “Harvey Week” starting with 8/25/17 and going to 9/1/17.

The results were not perfectly accurate down to the household level, but they certainly were to the block level.  With this tool, a weather forecast and upstream gage data, people could have seen the flood coming at them and made better decisions that would have protected their property and safety.

Limitations of Inundation Mapping System

This is NOT a notification system for flood watches, warnings or evacuations. It’s a tool to help make critical decisions that may ultimately reduce risk.

The mapping tool will only generate a new map if the gage data for water levels changes by one-half foot. Also, damage to gages during a flood may affect the accuracy of the flooding estimate and inundation mapping in the vicinity of the damaged gages.

The new mapping tool does not show all flooding that may occur.  This map will not depict flooding from:

  • Channels and tributaries without gages
  • Ponding, which may occur during or after intense rainfall when water gathers in low-lying areas, such as in streets when the capacity of the storm sewer is exceeded.
  • Sheet flow, which occurs when intense local rainfall flows overland to reach a channel. Frequently, this exists when water “ponds” in streets deep enough to flood residences that are not even near a creek of bayou. The water will seek a path to the channel by flowing overland, flooding residences and other structures that are in that path.

Posted 6/13/18 by Bob Rehak

288 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Benefits of Flood Insurance vs. Disaster Assistance

At the 2018_FloodWarn_Training_Kingwood on May 2, Diane Cooper of FEMA pointed out several startling statistics about the Hurricane Harvey Flood and flood insurance.

Home outside the 100-year flood plain during Hurricane Harvey.

According to the City of Houston, approximately 90,000 structures OUTSIDE of the 0.2% Risk Area (500-year flood plain) were impacted. Additionally, another 30,500 structures INSIDE the 1% risk area (100-year flood plain) and 29,000 in the 0.2% risk area flooded.

However, out of approximately 150,000 total homes flooded, only 26,511 insurance claims were filed. That’s because approximately only one in six Houstonians had flood insurance.

Most people felt that if they lived outside the 1% risk area, flood insurance was an expense they could do without. Yet four in every five flooded homes were outside the 1% risk area.

Let’s examine flood insurance vs. disaster assistance as hedge against such risk.

The following information came from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) portion of the FEMA website.

Flood Insurance

Flood insurance has six primary benefits:

  • You are in control. Flood insurance claims are paid even if a disaster is not declared by the President.
  • More than 20 percent of NFIP claims from from outside of mapped Special Flood Hazard Areas.
  • There is no payback requirement.
  • Flood insurance policies are continuous, and are no non-renewable or canceled for repeat losses.
  • Flood insurance reimburses you for all covered building losses up to $250,000 for residential occupancies and upon to $500,000 for businesses. Contents coverage is also available up to $100,000 for residential occupancies and up to $500,000 for businesses.
  • The average cost of a flood insurance policy is about $600 annually. The cost of a preferred risk policy is less than $450 annually, if you live in a moderate-to-low-risk area.

Disaster Assistance

Compared to flood insurance, disaster assistance has several drawbacks.

  • Most forms of Federal disaster assistance require a Presidential declaration.
  • Federal disaster assistance declarations are not awarded in all flooding incidents.
  • The most typical form of disaster assistance is a loan that must be repaid with interest.
  • The duration of a small Business Administration (SBA) disaster home loan could extend to 30 years.
  • The average Individuals and Households Program award for Presidential disaster declarations related to flooding in 2008 was less than $4,000.
  • Repayment on a $50,000 SBA disaster home load is $240 a month or $2,880 annually at 4 percent interest.

The More You Know, the Better Flood Insurance Looks

Everyone should have flood insurance. Remember, not all flooding comes from rivers and streams. During Harvey, thousands of homes flooded from overflowing streets when storm drains and sewers backed up. Floods can happen anytime, anywhere…even in deserts.

Homeowners insurance policies typically don’t cover flood damage. Disaster assistance payouts will not come close to covering all the damage that people typically suffer from a flood. And the most common type of disaster assistance is a loan that must be repaid with interest.

You can buy flood insurance through the NFIP regardless of your flood risk; it’s easy to get through any licensed broker. You can even use your credit card. Consider it seriously as we enter another hurricane season and a tropical wave is expected to slime us this weekend.

Posted by Bob Rehak on June 12, 2018

287 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Damage Map: Neighborhoods in Lake Houston Area Hardest Hit by Harvey

Structures flooded in Lake Houston area by watershed and political jurisdiction.

From this damage map, it’s clear that Kingwood suffered the most home damage in the upper Lake Houston area during Hurricane Harvey.

Harris County Food Control has worked diligently to map damage due to Harvey. The map above shows the total number of damaged homes by watershed AND political jurisdiction. The black line that divides Kingwood in two is the dividing line between East Fork and West Fork drainage.

In Harris County, there were 4,484 homes (City of Houston – Primarily Kingwood 3,652; Humble 466, Atascacita: 366) flooded by the West Fork.  Additionally, 1,290 homes (Kingwood 1,162; Huffman 128) were flooded along the East Fork.

These totals do not include additional homes flooded along each Fork that were not in Harris County, i.e., in Montgomery County. They do not include businesses. Nor do they include homes flooded further down on the lake, i.e., in Crosby or Summerwood.

These totals are lower than initially expected based on SBA and FEMA data. At a meeting of the Houston Geological Society on June 6, County Judge Ed Emmett explained that after floods many con artists file fraudulent claims. Therefore, he says, it’s common to see reductions in damage numbers after claims are investigated.

How to Read the Map

The total number of damaged structures within both the West Fork watershed and Houston appears three separate times for three different subdivisions. The total for all three is associated with each segment; do not make the mistake of adding the same number three times to get an exaggerated total for the damage.

Harris County Flood Control compiled this map for the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention  Initiative. Thanks go out to Matt Zeve and his team. They are currently working on a more granular breakdown that would show damage by subdivision, for instance, Barrington, Kingwood Lakes, Kings Point, etc.

Don’t Forget Meeting Tonight: Featured Speakers from Army Corps

Don’t forget the meeting tonight at the Kingwood Community Center. Mark Micheletti will update the community on SJRA flood mitigation projects. Bill Fowler will address tax valuations. Jonathan Holley will give us a quick overview of the Harris County Flood Bond. And the featured speakers from the Army Corps will address objectives, scope, timing and details of their emergency dredging project. The meeting starts promptly at 6:30 pm and will end by 8. Please attend.

Posted 6/11/2018 by Bob Rehak

286 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Freese and Nichols study finds more gates on Lake Houston dam could have lowered flood during Harvey

A study by consulting firm Freese and Nichols looked at the value of adding flood gates to the Lake Houston Dam. It found that during Harvey, new gates would have lowered the level of flooding around Lake Houston by up to 1.9 feet depending on the number of gates added. Obviously, the gates by themselves won’t protect us from another Harvey, but they are an important part of a comprehensive solution that includes ongoing river dredging, ditch maintenance, debris removal, additional upstream retention, and better warning systems and more.

Modeling the Effect of More Gates on a Harvey-type Flood

Freese and Nichols conducted the gate study, which modeled flood levels only for the Hurricane-Harvey case. It did not address the impact of adding gates on smaller floods, such as those that occurred in 1994, 1998, 2001, 2015 and 2016.

Extent of modeling in Freese and Nichols study on the effects of adding floodgates to Lake Houston

Would Pre-release Help with a Storm as Big as Harvey?

Additional gates were originally proposed as a concept that could enable pre-release of water from Lake Houston as a flood mitigation strategy. The idea behind a pre-release strategy is to lower the level of a lake BEFORE a storm. The lake then has more capacity to absorb heavy rains before overflowing its banks and flooding residents, much as the City of Houston did before a small flood at the end of March.

Pre-release is currently difficult for Lake Houston because the dam consists mainly of a spillway with a fixed height – 42.5 feet above mean sea level. The Lake Houston dam does have two small gates, but they have less than one tenth the capacity of the flood gates on Lake Conroe. This makes it difficult to coordinate discharges between the two lakes.

The SJRA repeatedly cited fear of overloading the Lake Houston watershed as a reason for delaying its release from the Lake Conroe dam during Harvey. Additional gates might have reduced those concerns, encouraging the SJRA to release water earlier.

Theoretically, that could have reduced the volume of water coming down the west fork at the peak of the storm. At the peak, Lake Conroe’s release constituted one third of all the water coming down the West Fork where most of the damage occurred. It’s therefore easy to see how reducing the peak flow down the west fork could have spared hundreds of homes and businesses.

However, Freese and Nichols found that the volume of water coming into the lake during Harvey from multiple sources was too great to realize much benefit from pre-release. The amount pre-released would have quickly filled back up again  – within a few hours.

Primary Benefit Comes from Additional Discharge Capacity

This does not mean that Freese and Nichols recommended against adding gates. They found that gates would have benefitted the community, but in a different way than originally anticipated. Surprisingly, they found that the largest reduction in flood levels came simply from the additional discharge capacity that the gates provided during the peak of the flood.

Freese and Nichols states in its conclusion, “Adding additional gates to the spillway at Lake Houston would be a feasible alternative to allow for additional discharge capacity to reduce the impact of very large flood events.  … Though additional gates would provide the ability to lower the lake quickly in advance of an anticipated major flood event, the additional capacity of the gates would have far more impact on the flood level than any preliminary lowering of the lake.”

Cost/Benefit Ratio

Like many engineering studies, Freese and Nichols says that any decision to build the gates depends on whether elected officials find benefits worth the costs. However, the scope of the study did not include cost savings to home and business owners. So let’s look at that.

FEMA, the agency that would likely pay for most of the gates evaluates projects primarily on the number of people helped. They want to provide the most “benefit-per-buck” possible.

Looking at the world from FEMA’s Point of View

The City of Houston is currently in the process of developing the FEMA grant application. Mayor Sylvester Turner stated at a community meeting in Kingwood in March that he supported 10 additional gates, which he estimated would cost $47 million.

FEMA estimated in November of 2017 that 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses in the Lake Houston area were damaged. Therefore, to reduce the impact of flooding, this project would require an expenditure of less than $2,500 per structure. Repairs to flooded structures in virtually all cases cost 10 to 100 times more than that. I know of at least one case where repairs cost $600,000. It doesn’t take many of those to equal the cost of the additional gates that the mayor proposed – $47 million.

The gates would completely eliminate flooding at the edge of the flood, and would reduce the depth of flooding inside of that.

It’s not clear at this point how many homes sit within that band where flooding could have been  eliminated. Nor is there a precise estimate of damage to those homes.

Calculating the Value of Flood Reduction

Looking at homes that would seen reduced flooding, it’s important to note that the cost of repairs correlates highly with the level of flooding. According to Bill Fowler, a real estate tax expert and Co-Chair of the Lake Houston Area Grass Roots Flood Prevention Initiative, the Harris County Appraisal District is lowering valuations on homes by the amount of flooding they experienced.

Lowering flood levels usually lowers repair costs. Lower flood levels can also lower flood insurance costs, losses to insurance companies, damage to contents, and damage to vehicles. Value can be measured many ways.

It’s also important to note when calculating value in floods smaller than Harvey, pre-release might actually become a viable strategy and greatly reduce or eliminate flooding altogether. Freese and Nichols did not evaluate additional gates from that perspective; they considered only Harvey-level flooding.

Adding floodgates to Lake Houston will be a valuable flood mitigation tool. It must be viewed as an essential PART of the solution, not THE solution. Consider its value within the context of other mitigation efforts, such as dredging, ditch maintenance, and additional upstream storage capacity.

Posted June 10 by Bob Rehak

285 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Mark Your Calendar: Meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Monday Night

On Monday, June 11, two representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will meet Kingwood residents to discuss dredging of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The meeting, sponsored by the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative, will start at 6:30 PM at the Kingwood Community Center. The emergency dredging will be one of the first flood mitigation projects related to Hurricane Harvey to be implemented in the entire Houston area.

Some Details Known, Many Yet to be Revealed

The Corps finished survey work for the West Fork Dredging Project in April. Since then, Corps members have been busy evaluating their findings, determining project specifications, soliciting bids, and planning logistics. Initial estimates indicated they would move enough sand to fill the Astrodome two and a half times.

The Corps currently expects to open bids within a week of the Kingwood meeting and quickly make a selection. Bidders have been notified that they must start the project within five days. They must also staff the project so that they can finish within six months.

Bid documents indicate dredging will extend from River Grove Park to slightly past the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge. Residents have raised questions about additional dredging in other areas, including near Lake Houston and on the East Fork.

The Corps has identified two disposal sites for the sand. Both are existing sand pits. The first is south of the river and east of US59; the second is north of the river and west of US59. Details pertaining to mobilization, removal methods, and the extent of dredging have not yet been revealed. At the time of bidding, two removal alternatives were under consideration: mechanical and hydraulic dredging.

Meet Two Corps Representatives

Featured speakers include two representatives from the Corps who will present details of the project and field questions from residents. They are Eduardo Irigoyen, the Project Manager, and Michael Garske, a hydraulic engineer and certified floodplain manager. Both are with the Corps of Engineers’ Galveston District office.

Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Manager

Eduardo Irigoyen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager

Eduardo (Eddie) Irigoyen currently serves as the Emergency Dredging Project Program Manager for the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Irigoyen has served as a Project Manager within the Corps since May 2015. He has extensive experience within USACE ranging from programs to construction management, operations and maintenance.

His current duties include managing the planning, scope, development, design, construction, and direction of several projects along the Texas Gulf coast.

Irigoyen is a native of Brownsville, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Brownsville in 2004.

Michael Garske, Hydraulic Engineer

Michael Garske, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologist

Michael Garske has served as a Hydraulic Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager for USACE since September 2014.

As one of the District’s lead hydraulic modeling engineers, he’s produced inundation mapping for White Oak, Brays, and Buffalo Bayou projects, helping local officials make accurate flood mitigation decisions.

He provided critical emergency modeling data during the Tax Day, Memorial Day and Harvey floods. He has also helped design dredging templates, ecosystem mitigation banks, and water storage systems; and demonstrated their effects on flood levels.

Garske grew up in Clear Lake. In 2014, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Maritime Systems Engineering and an Associate of Arts degree in Maritime Administration from Texas A&M University-Galveston.

Boating Safety Measures During Project

Boaters need to be aware of dredging activities. Ultimately, the project will restore navigation on the river to pre-Harvey conditions and allow the boat launch at River Grove Park to reopen. However, until completion of the project, boaters need to avoid work sites and dredging lines for their own safety.

Agenda Including Other Speakers

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center 4102 Rustic Woods and last until 8. It will include:

  • Mark Micheletti, one of the two new SJRA board members from Kingwood, giving updates about SJRA flood mitigation projects.
  • Bill Fowler, co-chair of the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative and a real-estate tax expert, will talk about revised valuations from the Harris County Appraisal District.
  • Bob Rehak, host of ReduceFlooding.com, (or a representative from Harris County Flood Control) will give a brief overview of the upcoming Harris County flood bond.
  • Irigoyen and Garske will make brief presentations and take questions from the audience. Please attend and show the Corps your appreciation for their hard work and long hours on this project.
  • A representative from FEMA will also be there to answer questions about how communities can extend projects like dredging over the long term.

The meeting is free and open to the public, so please plan to attend.

Do Not Confuse This with Flood Bond Meeting

Please note: there has been some confusion between this meeting and the Harris County Flood Bond meeting because of their dates. The County Flood bond meeting, originally scheduled for June 14, is being rescheduled for July so that County Judge Ed Emmett can attend. A new day for that meeting has not yet been determined. The meeting with the Army Corps will happen as planned on Monday evening, June 11.

Posted June 8, 2018 by Bob Rehak

Thanks to Dianne Lansden and Jacque Havelka for Planning this Meeting

283 Days since Hurricane Harvey