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.

Enclave Detention Basin

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Partial Update to Outdated Drainage Plans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.

Kingwood projects
See #9.

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.

Kingwood Flooding
May 4, 2024, as floodwaters receded. High water had forced the cancellation of appointments at the Convenient Care Center in upper left. Note ditch in top center. Also note barricades by front door under canopy.

Pictures of Maintenance Repairs

I took the pictures below on May 31 and June 1, 2025. Here’s what the ditch looked like after the operation. First from high up.

Kings Crossing Ditch Maintenance. H-E-B at top of frame.
Kings Crossing Ditch Maintenance. Memorial Hermann at top of this frame.

And then from a lower angle…

It wasn’t the largest HCFCD effort ever, but flooding is often a matter of inches. One inch in a building can mean major repair bills.

The merchants of Kings Crossing and all the people who depend on them appreciate the effort.

If you see other HCFCD operations in progress, please alert me through the contact form of this website so I can photograph them.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/1/2025

2833 Days since Hurricane Harvey

On Eve of Hurricane Season, NOAA, NWS, NHC, FEMA Struggle with Cuts

5/31/25 – The 2025 Hurricane Season starts tomorrow, 6/1/25. But ironically, despite predictions of an above-average season, the federal agencies that help forecast hurricanes, issue warnings, and provide disaster relief are struggling with significant funding, staff and program cuts.

Poignant Letter in New York Times

Michael Lowry, who served as a senior scientist at the National Hurricane Center (NHC), a planning chief at FEMA, and a hurricane expert at the Weather Channel, wrote a poignant letter published in the New York Times today under the headline “A Hurricane Season Like No Other.”

The letter began with an anecdote about data collection from inside Hurricane Milton last year by a Hurricane Hunter crew. The data they collected about “vortex alignment” heralded rapid intensification of the storm. Within 24 hours, it had become the strongest hurricane in 20 years with 180 MPH winds.

Milton satellite
Milton as it began intensifying and heading toward the Florida Coast

But there was no surprise on the Florida coast. The forecasts gave “enough time for people in the highest-risk areas to safely evacuate and businesses to prepare for the worst.”

Lowry then segues to budget, staff and program cuts at FEMA, NOAA, NHC, the National Weather Service (NWS), Hurricane Hunters, and more. Some examples:

  • NWS offices that have lost 60 percent of their staff members, including entire management teams.
  • Nearly half of NWS local forecast offices are understaffed, with vacancy rates of 20 percent or higher.
  • Weather balloon launches are down 15 to 20 percent nationwide. The balloons increase forecast confidence and let evacuation orders be made sooner. 
  • New budget documents released Friday propose eliminating NOAA’s research wing, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, which lends mission-critical support to the hurricane hunters.

Along the way, Lowry points out that “The National Weather Service costs the average American $4 per year in today’s inflated dollars — about the same as a gallon of milk — and offers an 8,000 percent annual return on investment, according to 2024 estimates.”

“Without the arsenal of tools from NOAA and its 6.3 billion observations sourced each day, the routinely detected hurricanes of today could become the deadly surprise hurricanes of tomorrow,” he says.

Bottom line: Lowry says we’re jeopardizing decades of progress that have increased forecast accuracy and warning times. And that will put more people at risk.

Dizzying Days for FEMA: Cuts and More Cuts

Andrew Rumbach, a Senior Fellow with the Urban Land Institute writes about policies for disaster risk reduction. He wrote a Substack post in early May called “100 Dizzying Days for FEMA.” It details the dismantling of disaster-relief and flood-mitigation capabilities including:

Could States Do What FEMA Does?

An article in the June 9 issue of Time Magazine addresses whether states could do what FEMA does. The consensus: it makes more sense to manage disaster response at the federal level. Why? It’s more efficient. If you spread disaster responsibilities among 50 states, you will have a lot of people sitting around a long time between disasters. FEMA can shift people from state to state, disaster to disaster, and keep them busier.

Experts cite the need for reform. But getting rid of the system without a meaningful replacement is likely to cause harm.

My takeaway from the article: Surgeons experience better outcomes with scalpels than cannons.

Erosion of Safety Margins

We live in a time of uncertainty. I’m not sure which is scarier: major hurricanes, a reduction in forecasting capabilities, or the loss of disaster-relief and flood-mitigation assistance.

These cuts will erode safety margins. Sixty million Americans reportedly live in areas regularly impacted by hurricanes.

If you haven’t already completed preparations for hurricane season, check out this NWS page on Hurricane Safety Tips and Preparations. Before someone takes it down to save a buck.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/31/25

2832 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Enclave Detention Basin Will Overflow into Kingwood Evacuation Route

5/30/25 – The Northpark Enclave detention basin may be undersized and the developer plans to dump overflow stormwater during extreme events into the only all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 people. That’s according to construction documents and drainage plans obtained from Montgomery County under the Freedom of Information Act.

From Page 9 of Construction Plans, Part II Red highlight added.

The last thing you need during a mass evacuation is street flooding.

EHRA, the developer’s engineering company, told Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Northpark expansion project, that all drainage for the new subdivision would be routed south to the Kings Mill Stormwater Detention Basin and then via an outfall channel to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch near the County Line. But the construction drawing above indicates otherwise.

Technically a part of Kings Mill, this 11-acre strip bordering Northpark is just now being developed for single-family residential. Most of Kings Mill was built in phases between 2004 and 2018. And therein lies a huge problem.

Old Plans Use Antiquated Rainfall Statistics

Some of the drainage analyses/plans for the Enclave detention basin date back to 2002 – almost 25 years ago.

Back then, assumptions about “probable maximum rainfall” were very different from today’s. Montgomery County defined a 100-year rainfall then as 12.1 inches in 24 hours.

However, today, MoCo defines a 100-year/24-hour rainfall as 16.1 inches – a 33% increase. But for this development’s location, NOAA defines one as 17.1 inches – a 41% increase. Why the difference?

MoCo adopted Atlas 14 rainfall statistics in 2019. But NOAA fine-tunes its statistics for individual locations. And MoCo regulations use Conroe’s statistics for the entire county. Rainfall decreases as you go farther inland and Conroe is 40 miles north of this location. But that’s not all.

Confusing Documents Don’t Match

It’s not clear how engineers have updated the old drainage analyses in the new plans. MoCo did not provide an updated drainage analysis in response to my FOIA request.

Yet within the construction plans, it appears that EHRA may have tried to mitigate for higher rainfall standards in the development of this tract within Kings Mill.

Calculations on page 9 of Construction Plans Part 2 reference 2023 City of Houston Regulations for detention volume. They show the size (line 3 below) as 11 acres.

Plans do not provide a narrative explaining how all the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle fit together. And trying to track the pieces back through documents dating back almost 20 years is confusing.

For instance, the same plot that’s 11 acres in 2025 was listed as 15.6 acres in the October 2012 drainage analysis.

15.6 acres in 2012 magically became 11 acres in 2025.

At the very least, it’s safe to say that unexplained differences like these make one question the quality and consistency of calculations in the plans.

55% Impervious Cover?

And they never do explain how they can put 100 homes on 10 acres (minus one acre for the detention basin) and get only 55% impervious cover. Experience suggests that more realistic estimates for that much density would range from 65% to 85% depending on the size of homes and garages.

For More Information

Montgomery County Engineering provided:

There Should Be A Law

Only two things became clear after struggling to understand these documents:

  • There should be a statute of limitations on “grandfathering” permits based on when someone first applied for them.
  • Someone should have required a new drainage analysis for this project.

More news to follow.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/30/25

2831 Days since 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 Begins Repairs to Bens Branch Tributary

5/29/25 – On 5/16/25, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced a series of maintenance repairs in Kingwood. One was on a tributary of Bens Branch that runs down the west side of West Lake Houston Parkway toward Kingwood Town Center. Yesterday, I received a report from Chris Bloch, a flood activist in Kingwood, that they had started.

HCFCD is making repairs to a ditch romantically named G103-33-01-X007. See #10 in the center of the map below.

Kingwood projects

Photos Taken on 5/29/25

Below are several pictures taken today at the start of the project. I’m sure it will look better when they finish.

Bens Branch Tributary Repairs near Rustic Woods in Kingwood Town Center
Closer shot shows extent of slide slope and back slope repairs.

Swales behind the side slopes intercept water draining toward the ditch. In the lower right above, you can see a cement structure that helps convey water through a pipe from that swale to the bottom of the ditch. That helps prevent erosion to the side slopes.

Closer shot of same general area.
Looking S toward Kingwood Drive at top of frame behind the old HEB shopping center
Looking N from Rustic Woods at current extent of repairs. Note the difference in the width of the ditch above and below where the pipe enters near the center of the frame.

More News to Follow

I’ll post more pictures as the project progresses. It’s important to maintain the conveyance of ditches as the flooded merchants in the shopping center above can attest. It still hasn’t completely recovered from Harvey flooding almost eight years ago. This should be very welcome news for them.

Maintenance is a never-ending challenge for HCFCD. They have more than 2500 miles of ditches to maintain. If you see them working near you, please give me a heads up through the contact page of this website.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/29/25

2830 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Dredging District Bill Passes Unanimously in Senate

5/28/25 – HB1532, the Lake Houston Area Dredging District Bill, passed unanimously in the Texas Senate tonight, 31-0.

“My first thought after I saw this passed was that it was a victory for Kingwood,” said Representative Charles Cunningham who pushed the idea of a dredging district relentlessly for years.

Today is the last day of the legislative session that the Senate considers bills. So it was do-or-die time. And Senator Brandon Creighton teed the bill up perfectly with the help of Senator Paul Bettencourt who shepherded the bill through his Local Government Committee.

Now, it’s on to the Governor’s desk. The good news: shortly after Harvey, Governor Abbott visited Kingwood. He flew up and down the West Fork. He personally saw the mouth bar and other sediment buildups in our rivers and streams.

After his helicopter landed, he issued seven directives designed to reduce flood risk in the Lake Houston Area. And this is a huge step in that direction. So, he should be onboard.

Congratulations

Thank you to all those who wrote letters, testified in Austin, and never gave up hope for a dredging district. It was a true team effort between residents who never forgot the pain of flooding and leaders who never forgot those they represented. Together, we will make a difference for future generations and the future of the area.

I would be remiss if I didn’t also thank former State Rep. Dan Huberty; former Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin; City Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter; and the Army Corps of Engineers. They started this ball rolling years ago. \

And thank you, too, Houston Mayor John Whitmire. Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello. The architects of the 2018 Flood Bond. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Harris County Commissioner Tom Ramsey. And Bill McCabe and Dianne Lansden, who kept the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiation going for years.

My apologies to anyone I overlooked. So many contributed! They all had one thing in common. They put the safety of each other above partisan politics. And it showed in tonight’s unanimous vote.

Beating the Odds

Between “dream” and “done” in the Texas legislature, there’s a lot of hard work.

I came across this table today on the Texas Legislature Online website. It shows the success rate of various types of legislation to date.

Of all the bills introduced in both the House and Senate to date, only about 1 in 12 made it this far.

These numbers will change tomorrow because of additional bills passed today in both the House and Senate.

Here’s what each of those acronyms above stands for:

HB – House Bill
  • A proposed law originating in the House of Representatives.
  • If passed by both chambers and signed by the Governor (or allowed to become law), it becomes part of Texas statute.
  • Used for substantive changes to law (e.g., criminal statutes, environmental rules, etc.).
SB – Senate Bill
  • A proposed law originating in the Senate.
  • Same process and purpose as an HB, just introduced in the Senate instead of the House.
HJR – House Joint Resolution
  • Proposes an amendment to the Texas Constitution or requests Congress to call a constitutional convention.
  • Does not require the Governor’s signature.
  • If it’s a proposed constitutional amendment, it must be approved by voters in a statewide election.
  • Originates in the House.
SJR – Senate Joint Resolution
  • Same as HJR, but introduced in the Senate.
HCR – House Concurrent Resolution
  • Expresses the will of the House and Senate together but does not have the force of law.
  • Often used to make requests of federal government, authorize ceremonial recognitions, or approve internal legislative matters (e.g., adjournment).
  • Requires approval by both chambers, but not the Governor’s signature.
SCR – Senate Concurrent Resolution
  • Same as HCR, but introduced in the Senate.
HR – House Resolution
  • Used for internal House matters or to express one chamber’s opinion or recognition.
  • Examples: honoring a constituent, changing House rules.
  • Only requires action in the House.
SR – Senate Resolution
  • Same as HR, but for the Senate.

The table below summarizes key differences.

Summary Table

TypeOriginPurposeRequires Governor’s Signature?
HBHouseStatutory law✅ Yes
SBSenateStatutory law✅ Yes
HJRHouseConstitutional amendment❌ No (goes to voters)
SJRSenateConstitutional amendment❌ No (goes to voters)
HCRHouseCeremonial / joint action❌ No
SCRSenateCeremonial / joint action❌ No
HRHouseHouse-only resolution❌ No
SRSenateSenate-only resolution❌ No

To compare this year’s statistics with previous years’, see Texas Legislature Online.

Posted by Bob Rehak on May 28, 2025

2829 Days since Hurricane Harvey

City Removes 100 Tons of Sediment From Under Deer Springs Bridge

5/28/2025 – The City of Houston Public Works Department just finished clearing 100 tons of accumulated sediment from under the Deer Springs Bridge over the Kingwood Diversion Ditch. According to District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger, the space under the bridge was so tight that crews had to do the work by hand. There wasn’t enough room to bring in bulldozers.

How Deer Springs Bridge Looked in Late 2024

Here’s a before shot taken late last year. As you can plainly see, much of the ditches conveyance was lost to sedimentation and vegetation.

Kingwood Diversion Ditch Bridge at Deer Springs in September 2024

Such blockages can increase flood risk.

Pictures of Clean Out

As you can see below, crews dug out the area directly underneath the bridge by hand because they had no equipment with a profile low enough to fit under the bridge.

They also re-established rip rap.

However, the job is not quite yet done. They still must hydro-mulch to stabilize the sides of the channel.

Both upstream and downstream banks were graded to meet the elevation of the bank section underneath the bridge. Crews still have yet to remove the island in the center of the ditch. That will require equipment with a longer reach.

Next Up

Houston Public Works is also evaluating the sediment build up in the middle of Kingwood Drive in the ditch immediately west of Kingwood High School.

The build up is even worse than you saw above.

overgrown ditch
Ditch is so overgrown, you can’t even see it.

According to Dustin Hodges, Council Member Flickinger’s Chief of Staff, Public Works is currently developing a scope of work for this project.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/28/2025 at 7:30 PM

2829 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Dredging District Bill Goes to Full Senate for Vote on Tuesday

Correction: The Dredging District Bill was not voted on in the full Senate on Tuesday. It is now one of the bills placed on the Senate’s Notice of Intent for Wednesday. This is a procedural step indicating readiness for Senate floor consideration, though it is not a guarantee.

5/27/2025 – The Texas Senate may get a chance to consider HB1532 after all. If approved and signed by the governor, Rep. Charles Cunningham’s bill would create a Lake Houston Dredging District. On Monday, the Senate Local Government Committee approved the bill 7-0 after Senator Brandon Creighton testified in favor of the bill. The Committee reported the bill favorably without any amendments.

The House previously approved the bill overwhelmingly on April 30th by a vote of 114 to 19 with two abstaining.

Senate Local Government Committee approving Dredging District Bill 7-0.

Third Time Around for Bill

This is the third time around for the dredging district bill. Former State Rep. Dan Huberty first introduced a variation on it in 2021. Then after Huberty retired, Rep. Charles Cunningham brought it back in 2023.

This year, however, Cunningham carefully crafted the language to eliminate objections raised in previous sessions over potential taxes and fees.

For an analysis of the bills contents, see this House report.

The District would establish a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District that could sell bonds and receive state funding. However, it could not impose taxes or fees. It would operate only in Harris County and make money by selling the spoils from its operations for beneficial uses, such as raising home foundations, building roads, or constructing the Ike Dike.

One of the first orders of business would be conducting a funding study.

Supported by Community

The District, if approved, will lower flood risk in the Humble, Kingwood, Atascocita, Huffman, Crosby and the entire Lake Houston Areas. It will also increase the water supply in Lake Houston.

Dozens of Lake Houston Area residents wrote Senators on the local government committee as soon as the hearing schedule was announced over the holiday weekend.

Passage of the bill would help improve conveyance of the streams and channels flowing into the lake.

The Army Corps recommended maintenance dredging after it finished its Emergency West Fork Dredging Project. The reason: to help manage sediment that keeps moving downstream and settling out of suspension in the lake and its headwaters.

Dredging (along with upstream detention and more floodgates for the Lake Houston dam) was one of three main recommendations of the Lake Houston Area Task Force started by the late Humble ISD Superintendent Guy Sconzo.

Both Cunningham and District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger expressed cautious optimism for the bill’s prospects this year.

I’ll update you as soon as we know something. The Senate has more than 300 bills pending. And HB1532 is one of the last.

Posted by Bob Rehak on May 27, 2025

2828 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Urgent Help Needed: Lake Houston Dredging District Bill Gets One Last Chance

5/26/25 – The Texas Senate Local Government Committee will hear testimony on HB1532, the Lake Houston Dredging District bill, on Monday, May 26, 2025 – Memorial Day beginning at 9 AM.

Most people had given up on the bill and considered it effectively dead for this session. But when I checked this morning, there it was – on the agenda…for the holiday. So please help.

About the Bill

Rep. Charles Cunningham’s HB1532 would create a dredging and maintenance district for Lake Houston within Harris County. It would not have the power to impose taxes. But it could receive initial funding from the state legislature, and then raise additional money by selling the spoils from dredging operations for beneficial uses.

Such uses could include building the Ike Dike, raising homes out of floodplains, improving roads and more.

The Army Corps recommended forming such an entity for ongoing maintenance when it finished its Emergency West Fork Dredging Project after Harvey. It could finally become reality with your help.

How You Can Help

Given the holiday and late notice, it will be difficult for most people to testify in person at tomorrow’s hearing. But there’s another way to help.

Please thank Senator Bettencourt, the chair of the committee, and Senator Creighton, who sponsored a companion bill in the Senate.

Also email members of the committee NOW through their Senate web pages:

Key Points to Make

Subject Line: Please Support HB1532

Message:

  • During Hurricane Harvey in 2017, 13,000 homes and almost half of all the businesses in the Lake Houston Area flooded. It didn’t have to be that bad. Sediment had built up for decades reducing the conveyance of tributaries.
  • After the Army Corps finished its Emergency Dredging project, they recommended permanent maintenance dredging.
  • HB1532 would enable that. It would reduce flood risk for thousands of homes and businesses – without raising taxes.
  • It would also increase storage in Lake Houston, which provides water to 2 million people. And that number is growing rapidly.
  • HB1532 is a strategic investment in the future growth of the Houston region. Please support it.

Thank you for taking the time! Please forward this post to everyone you know and ask for their help.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/26/2025

2827 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Tenth Anniversary of Memorial Day Flood

5/25/25 – Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, reminds us that today marks 10 years since the Memorial Day flood of 2015.

Slow Moving Line of Non-Tropical Thunderstorms

In 2015, we had weeks of on and off heavy rainfall over the region. Then a slow moving line of heavy thunderstorms during the evening hours of May 25th resulted in significant flash flooding over the central and southern portions of the Houston metro area.

  • Rainfall totals of 8.0-10.0 inches were recorded in a 3 to 6 hour period.
  • Eleven inches fell on Brays Bayou at Beltway 8 in just over 6 hours.
  • In northeast Fort Bend County the total reached 11.88 inches.
  • On average, across Harris County 5.3 inches of rain fell equaling 162 billion gallons of water in less than a 12 hour period.
  • The resulting flooding along Brays and Buffalo Bayous produced significant structural damage.
  • Brays Bayou water levels rose to their highest levels since September 1983.
  • An estimated 6,335 homes were flooded, 3,540 multi-family units, and 92 commercial buildings.

At the time, the Memorial Day flood had the second largest number of flooded structures in Harris County only behind Tropical Storm Allison in 2001 (73,000 flooded homes).

The map below shows where the heaviest rain fell. At the time, the area with the heaviest rainfall exceeded a 100-year event.

Even by Atlas 14 standards, which came in after Harvey, some of those totals would equal a hundred-year (1% annual chance) storm.

Atlas 14

To see Lindner’s full report on the storm, click here.

Lake Houston Area Spared Worst of Storm

If those in the Lake Houston Area don’t remember the storm, that’s because we only got about 5.5″ of rainfall from it at US59 and the West Fork. 3.4 inches of that fell in the two-hour period between 9 and 11 PM. That’s intense, but not record setting.

Crosstown, it was twice as worse. Brays Bayou at Beltway 8 West received more than 11 inches. 6.4″ fell in a two hour period between 10 PM and Midnight.

And Buffalo Bayou at Beltway 8 West received 10.68 inches. Almost 7″ of that fell in the same two-hour period.

To see other totals, explore the Harris County Flood Warning System’s Historical Rainfall feature.

Start of Period of Catastrophic Flooding

Lindner added, “Little did any of us know at the time, but the Memorial Day flooding would mark the start of an onslaught of catastrophic floods for southeast Texas and the metro Houston area.”

To learn more about those subsequent events. see the Reports page of this website and click the Major Storms tab. They include a Tax Day and second Memorial Day storm in 2016; Hurricane Harvey in 2017; Tropical Storm Imelda in 2019; and Tropical Storm Beta in 2020.

Prepare Now; Hurricane Season Starts in One Week

This should serve as a reminder that hurricane season starts one week from today. Often, one of the first things to go in a major storm is electricity because of trees falling on power lines. I remember losing power for 22 days during Hurricane Ike.

Subsequently, I purchased several power bricks to recharge cell phones during a prolonged outage. One even has solar panels to recharge it and has AC outlets to run lights for reading at night. I don’t use them often but consider them a great investment.

The last time I purchased a new vehicle, I made sure that it had satellite networking/communication capabilities built into the electronics – another great investment. It came in very handy when even cell towers lost power for more than a week after Beryl last year.

See my Links page for more preparedness tips.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/25/25

2826 Days since Hurricane Harvey