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GLO Releases Status of Disaster-Relief, Flood-Mitigation Applications

2/28/25 – Today, the Texas General Land Office (GLO) released the status of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) disaster-relief and flood-mitigation applications from Harris County’s Flood Control District and Housing & Community Development Department.

The grant applications cover almost $1.1 billion dollars in aid for Harris County relating to Hurricane Harvey alone, which the GLO manages for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Today’s updates cover the status of more than 60 projects. A little more than half have already been approved. Twenty-one are still in review. And eight still have not been submitted yet.

Separately, yesterday Harris County Commissioners adopted three resolutions to limit financial exposure during the Federal grant funding freeze.

Let’s look at the disaster-relief and flood-mitigation applications first, then the issue of financial exposure.

HCFCD Disaster Relief Projects

Of the 11 disaster relief projects published by Flood Control, the GLO has already approved 10. Flood Control has not yet submitted the application for the Genoa Red Bluff Regional Stormwater Detention Basin.

All projects in this list total approximately $269 million.

For descriptions of each project above, click here.

HCFCD Flood-Mitigation Projects

HCFCD is submitting 18 projects in the flood-mitigation category. Of those, the GLO has started reviewing 16. HCFCD has yet to submit two.

The 16 projects submitted to date total approximately $510 million out of $541,847,826 allocated for this category.

Only one project below – Taylor Gully/Woodridge – is in the Kingwood Area.

For descriptions of each project, click here.

For a printable PDF of these two lists, click here.

Housing and Community Development Mitigation and Planning

Harris County’s Housing & Community Development Department also has projects in two categories: mitigation and planning.

Mitigation includes nine projects totaling approximately $150 million. GLO has already approved all except for two still in review.

HC H&CD has already issued notices of intent to release funds for approved projects above.

Housing & Community Development has also requested money for 23 planning studies. The 18 approved or still in review total $10.775 million.

For a printable PDF of these two lists, click here.

County Making Contingency Plans for Federal Grant Funding Freeze

A large portion of the Special Harris County Commissioners Court Meeting yesterday concerned planning for uncertainties regarding the federal grant funding freeze. Specifically on the agenda:

Item 11 tried to limit the County’s financial exposure in case projects were started, but promised funding did not come through on the back end.
Item 164 requested HCFCD to provide an update on every 2018 flood-bond project (completed, in progress, and not yet started). Commissioners requested dollars expended to date by life cycle stages, locations and subprojects. They also requested a listing of how all projects scored and ranked on the County’s Equity Prioritization Framework.

Those two items alone consumed two hours.

Re: Item 11, Commissioners adopted three motions unanimously:

Motion 1 directed OMB to maintain a maximum monthly average of $100 million in outstanding receivables relating to federal grants and to update commissioners court monthly on balances.
Motion 2 directed OCA, OMB, the County’s Strategic Planning Committee, and impacted departments to make recommendations for dealing with at-risk, federally funded programs.
Motion 3 allowed payment of grant-funded invoices if federal funding is available.

The motions govern management of invoice payments related to grants and establish protocols for prioritizing grant programs.

Rationale Behind Motions in Item 11

Watch the discussion of Item 11 in this video of yesterday’s Special Commissioners Court Meeting. Make sure you click on the segment labeled “Departments 2 of 2.” The discussion starts at 11:02 A.M.

The commissioners want to prevent a significant impact on cash flow and future budget cycles. Their plan includes setting aside general funds and cooperating with the Strategic Planning Committee to identify priority grants.

Additionally, there are strategies to identify at-risk grants, limit financial exposure, and ensure that ongoing expenditures are more closely aligned with the likelihood of reimbursement.

Motion 3 would only allow payment of project/program related invoices if reimbursement seems likely.

The measures apply to all federal grants, not just those listed above. For instance, ARPA funding expires next year and will affect many county employees.

The county averages about $70 million in liabilities every month related to payment of grant invoices (for which the Federal government later reimburses the county). The $100 million limit in Motion 1 reflects an amount that the county cannot afford if the Feds withhold payment.

For the time being, everyone is proceeding as though the funding appropriated by Congress will come through.

Most of those I interviewed for this article believe the President does not have the authority to override laws passed by Congress with executive orders. However, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) budget cuts could have the impact of hamstringing other departments, such as HUD.

For instance, I talked to two government officials on the condition of anonymity who discussed rumors of staffing cuts greater than 80% at HUD. That could affect reimbursement for tens of billion of dollars in CDBG funds nationwide, because the Department might not have the personnel to process reimbursements.

That could affect most of the disaster-relief and flood-mitigation applications above. But more on that at a future date when and if the rumors become real.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/28/25

2740 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Hallett Finally Plugs Year-Long Leak in Sand Mine

2/27/25 – Hallett Materials has finally plugged a year-long leak in its Porter sand mine on the San Jacinto West Fork.

According to residents who live near the leak, an investigator from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) visited the mine yesterday. For more than six hours, he sampled water leaking from the mine.

A short time later, Hallett, a self-proclaimed environmental leader, started plugging the leak. It had created a river of sludge several hundred feet wide that led straight to the drinking water supply for 2 million people…for more than a year.

History of Leak

Photos taken on February 8, 2024, show that bulldozers created the leak. Those dozer tracks in the image below certainly don’t appear accidental.

Hallett leak — *Notice where tracked vehicle shaved* *down area between Hallett settling pond (far right) and road/woods*, *letting sediment-laden water leak out of overloaded pond.*

*Same pond, same sludge, same leaks more than a year later on 2/23/25.*

I ran a story about the year-long leak that same day. The post also took the TCEQ to task for magically overlooking the river of what I call Houdini sludge. It can escape from anything, anytime, year round, day or night – without detection by even the most eagle-eyed TCEQ investigator. Slippery stuff, that sludge!

Seriously, I’m sure Hallett will send a blind, part-time, sub-assistant foreman to some TCEQ gulag for re-education and environmental sensitivity training. That should placate the reluctant regulators.”

A note from the sacrificial sub-assistant’s ophthalmologist should also sufficiently explain the “accidental” oversight enough to get Hallett off the hook with a strongly worded apology and a ten dollar fine.

TCEQ’s Biggest Investigation Ever?

The investigator sampling the water this week wouldn’t say much except that this was “the biggest investigation he had ever been a part of.” Of course, previous TCEQ investigators couldn’t find water falling out of a rowboat with a seeing-eye dog.

Pics of Fix

Hallett reportedly parked a bulldozer near where the investigator was working. This afternoon, a resident sent pictures of a pile of dirt the bulldozer pushed against the rising tide of sludge. It was about as deep as a stack of chocolate pancakes at IHOP. See below.

*Where one of the rivers of sludge cut across the maintenance road*

*How long will it last?* *Vegas is taking odds.*

Now, there’s a beautifully engineered bandaid!

What more could a TCEQ commissioner up for reappointment ask?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/25

2739 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.

Northpark Will Close at UPRR Tracks One Week from Today for Three Days

2/26/25 – One week from today, Northpark Drive will close for three days – from March 5-7. UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will maneuver a two-hundred-foot section of track and ties – welded and bolted into a single, massive unit – into place across what will become ten lanes of traffic and two sidewalks.

Section Already Assembled, Ready, Waiting

UPRR has already assembled the massive section in the TxDOT right of way along Loop 494 that parallels the tracks. According to a UPRR consultant…

The rails, ties and hardware should weigh approximately 55,000 pounds.

That’s the average weight of 22 small cars.

The photos below show the assembly and where it will move.

*Assembly area is in old northbound Loop 494 lanes currently scraped to the dirt. Note new section of track near bottom of frame below existing track.* *Northpark is in upper right* *of frame.*

*Steel plates that cradle rails and hold them in position.*

*Looking S along Loop 494 (right). Northpark at top of frame.* *New rail will be centered across Northpark where old rail now crosses it. See below.*

*Side shot shows placement of new section.*

The plan for maneuvering the giant section of track into place has changed several times. The latest indication from UPRR is that they now plan to use four vehicles, one on each corner to lift and place the section.

Benefits of Single Section

The single, long section of track will provide additional stability for the high traffic area, especially where the track crosses over storm sewers, water lines and other underground utilities.

Once placed, the section will span three vehicle crossovers and two sidewalks.

One to replace the existing roadway.
Two where new feeder roads will go
Two 10-foot-wide multi-use pathways outside of each of the two feeder roads.

Next Steps

When the track crew finishes, a different crew will install temporary signals and gate arms. Once the feeder roads are constructed, they will return to install permanent signals and gate arms.

And once the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s contractor, Harper Brothers, completes drainage and utility work, they will build two new feeder roads, each containing two lanes, that cross the tracks.

Then, they will abandon the current center lanes so bridge construction can start later this year. The feeder roads will carry all traffic for the duration of bridge construction.

For More Information

See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages. For a history of the project, see these select posts on ReduceFlooding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/25

2638 Days since Hurricane Harvey

HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch

2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.

The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.

The Fog of Disaster

Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.

HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.

But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.

I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.

Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.

Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.

Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday

Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.

The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.

*First load of two piles near Bens Branch (seen in the background at top of frame) along Tree Lane.*

*The right equipment makes it look so easy.*..

*…but its not.* *Note vines and smaller branches mixed with sections of tree trunks.*

The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.

So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25

2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey

The High Cost of Living Downstream from Sand Mines

2/24/25 – Yesterday, I posted pictures and video of a river of muck hundreds of feet wide that has poured out of Hallett Materials 170-acre settling pond into the San Jacinto West Fork…for a full year. Today, I’ll talk about the high cost of living downstream from that situation.

Hallett Mine — *Click here to see video on YouTube or click on keyframe above.*

But Hallett has even more environmental issues. The West Fork now flows directly through one of the company’s other pits. It also flows through a third pit that Hallett sold to a residential developer just weeks before the dikes on the pit failed.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not addressed any of those problems. It investigated one issue, ignored two others and issued no fines – despite a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “take action against sand mining operations violating regulations.”

Up the Down Escalator

It became clear after Harvey, that sand clogging the West Fork had contributed to epic flooding downstream from the sand mines. 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.

The Army Corps said sediment had reduced the conveyance of the river up to 90% in places. But even after taxpayers bore almost $200 million of dredging costs, the river still has not returned to pre-Harvey conditions. More sand keeps coming.

Sand miners claim rivers naturally convey sediment. True. But that ignores the contribution of 20 square miles of exposed sediment in sand mines once protected by dense vegetation. Call the logic police.

Should we ignore industrial air pollution because bird poop falls naturally from the sky?

Meanwhile, downstream areas pay the price. Until we fix the problem of leaky sand mines, the river will continue to silt in as fast as we can dredge it.

See the photos below taken today at River Grove Park where the Kingwood Diversion Ditch outfalls to the San Jacinto West Fork.

*Looking upstream. Outfall of Kingwood Diversion Ditch at River Grove Park on right. Compare what it looked like after Harvey.*

Before the Army Corps completed dredging after Harvey, River Grove flooded five times in one six month period. The Corps liberated River Grove in December 2018.

KSA supplemented the Corps dredging and reopened its boat ramp in March 2020. Now, less than five years later, we need serious dredging again. See below.

*Looking downstream. Note color of West Fork in this and succeeding pictures compared to water coming from Diversion Ditch.*

Note: the water level is down slightly for a dam repair project downstream.

*Closer shot shows deepest water is now measured in inches. Reportedly, only kayaks can now get through.*

*However, the sand bars do make a convenient resting place for waterfowl.*

*Overhead shot shows how much gap has filled in.*

Dredging Estimated to Cost More than Half of KSA’s Cash Reserves

Last year, KSA obtained bids to dredge the outfall. However, the cost amounted to more than $800,000, more than half of KSA’s cash reserves at the time.

Since then, in my opinion, the sedimentation has worsened. So, dredging could cost even more now.

And this is just one ditch among many on the West Fork. All the more reason to reduce sediment coming from upstream sand mines.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/25

2736 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Hallett Mine Leaking into West Fork for Full Year

2/23/2025 – The mammoth Hallett Sand Mine has been leaking continuously into the San Jacinto West Fork for a year, according to neighbors. I first reported this particular leak on February 9, 2024.

But it’s only one of several problems at the same mine. And the cost of dredging downstream from it is now approaching the annual budget of the TCEQ statewide.

Photos, Video Show Route and Volume of Leak

The leak comes straight out of Hallett’s settling pond and cuts across a service road. The sediment-laden water then flows through wooded property bordering neighbors’ back yards, which it has reportedly invaded from time to time.

From there, the milk-white muck travels to an abandoned sand mine now owned by a real estate developer. That mine’s dike was breached in 2020 after Harvey’s floodwaters severely weakened it in 2017.

As a result of the breach in the neighboring mine, Hallett’s sediment-laden water enters the West Fork without interference, and then travels downstream to Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for more than two million people.

In addition to raising water treatment costs for the City of Houston, such leaks have also been linked to sediment buildups that have reduced the conveyance of the West Fork and contributed to flooding in the Lake Houston Area.

See the pictures below taken today, 2/23/25.

Settling pond on left. Red line indicates path of wastewater through woods, an abandoned mine, and then into the West Fork.

*Montgomery County Appraisal District records show that a Hallett sister company, JR Development, Inc. owns the property where the leak originates.*

To fully appreciate the volume of the wastewater leaking out of the mine, see the video below. It runs a little longer than one minute.

*To play the video via YouTube, click here or on the image above.*

I have also reported on separate leaks from this same pond into the same abandoned mine via additional routes in January 2021 and May 2024.

River Flowing Through Former Hallett Pit Now Owned By Riverwalk Porter LLC

In the same area, sand mining has created more problems. Across the river, a large mile-long sand pit formerly owned by Hallett ruptured shortly after they sold it to a residential developer named Riverwalk Porter LLC last year.

*West Fork San Jacinto enters frame lower right and exits upper left. The large pit on the right used to be owned by Hallett. The river now runs through it, a phenomenon known as “pit capture.”*

It still hasn’t been fixed and the river is no longer navigable without cutting through their private property. That pile of sand in the middle of the photo above is an estimated 8 to 10 feet above the river’s normal water line.

When the TCEQ investigated this pit capture last year, the Commission’s report did not even mention the term “pit capture.”

Neither does the report mention numerous other pit captures elsewhere in the river basin, including another at the Hallett Mine just upstream from this one. The four month investigation did not:

Result in any reprimands, letters of enforcement, or violations.
Refer to any water-quality measurements, even though the complaints concerned water quality.
Address other sand-mine dike beaches and emissions in the same area
Explore downstream impacts.

The TCEQ also failed to address pit captures in its latest Best Management Practices proposed for sand mines in the San Jacinto River Basin.

No wonder the TCEQ is called a “reluctant regulator.” In my opinion, this goes beyond willful blindness to intentional stupidity. The TCEQ’s annual budget is around $300 million. But the cost of dredging downstream from the Hallett mine is pushing $200 million and climbing.

Editorial comment to Governor Abbott: Wouldn’t it be more cost effective just to put TCEQ salaries straight into a perpetual dredging program?

River Still Flowing Through Another Hallett Pit Upstream

Another photo taken today shows that another Hallett sand pit farther north also remains captured by the San Jacinto River. The river has been flowing through the pit rather than around it since at least June of last year.

*River flows from top to bottom of frame through pit.*

TCEQ failed to investigate this pit when it investigated the other pit just a mile downstream.

Posted by Bob Rehak on February 23, 2025

2735 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.

UPRR Getting Rails Ready for Northpark Closure

2/21/25 – The UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) has started preparing rails that it will place in one 200-foot long section across 10 lanes of Northpark Drive traffic.

The closure of Northpark for the installation is still scheduled for March 5-7.

UPRR is prepping the rails in the old northbound lanes of Loop 494 immediately north of Northpark. I can’t wait to see how they maneuver a section this large into place. It will be like trying to lift something the length of 10 20-foot cargo containers placed end to end.

Work to Date on Rail Prep

So far, UPRR has fused individual sections of rail into two long sections and placed them side by side. They have also started to stack railroad ties next to the rails. Presumably, at some point, the rails will be positioned on the ties before they move together.

The 17-second video below dramatizes how long the sections of rail are. The drone is moving almost as fast as the white vehicle that enters the frame a few seconds in.

Video taken afternoon of 2/21/2025

Here’s an overhead perspective that lets you gauge length by the number of cars backed up at the red light.

*Overhead shot shows length of rails between red brackets. Section equals the length of 11-12 vehicles waiting for red light.* *Workers had not yet completed laying all ties to the left end of the rails.*

As I was leaving, another 18-wheeler showed up with more ties.

*Shot from other end shows how flexible solid steel can be in long lengths.* *Note rail on left.*

UPRR appears to have straightened the rail on the right so that workers can line up ties against it.

Welding the track in a single section improves strength and safety by reducing the risk of rails shifting. I will post more details about the track prep as the effort progresses.

The new track will stretch under and across ten full lanes of traffic. Those include:

Three lanes of westbound traffic over a bridge yet to be built
Three lanes of eastbound traffic over the same bridge
Two westbound surface lanes, one for turning north, the other for turning south
Two eastbound surface lanes, one for traffic entering from the north and the other for traffic entering from the south.

Northpark Closed March 5-7, But with U-Turn at Railroad

To put the track in place, UPRR needs to close down Northpark Drive in BOTH directions simultaneously to work with massive cranes.

Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority, stressed that the remainder of Northpark Drive will remain open so that people may access businesses.

Just plan on getting across the tracks some way other than Northpark. Contractors will construct a U-turn just before the track closure so that people can get to/from nearby businesses, such as Dunkin’ Donuts.

For More Information

See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages. For a history of the project, see these select posts on ReduceFlooding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/25

2733 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Median Madness Postponed Due to Weather, Now March 8

2/20/25 – Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger has postponed Round 2 of Median Madness because of weather predictions. Instead of February 22, the City will now hold the event on March 8 from 8:30 AM to 12:00 PM.

Median Madness is a volunteer event in which Kingwood residents work with City crews to clear vines and underbrush encroaching on Kingwood Drive. The goal: to enhance the beauty of the community and improve traffic safety.

Weather predictions for this Saturday morning call for near freezing temperatures and a high probability of rain. Hence, the postponement.

If You Haven’t Yet Signed Up…

If you missed the first Median Madness event held last November, you missed some fun.

Residents and City Council Members attacked the vines which had been encroaching on traffic and trimmed them back with enthusiasm.

The November event focused on the south side of the median facing Kingwood Lakes. The March event will focus on the north side facing Kings Forest.

The City will close one lane of Kingwood Drive westbound traffic for parking. Please carpool to save space. And remember:

Bring water
Wear gloves
Wear close-toed shoes.

All ages are welcome but those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Sign up for more details and to download a release form at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848A8A823A5FBC70-55227367-median.

Park between Kings Creek Drive and Forest Shores Drive. That’s about a block past Kings Forest Drive and a block short of Shady Run. You’ll see markers when you get there.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/2025

2732 Days since Hurricane Harvey

8 Harris County Department Heads Make More Than U.S. President

2/19/25 – Eight Harris County department heads make more in salary than the President of the United States. All are women or minorities. The mega salaries go to the heads of the:

Institute of Forensic Sciences
Toll Road Authority
Engineering Department
Universal Services
Public Health Services
Flood Control District
Office of County Administrator
Office of Management and Budget

Moreover, 17 Harris County department heads make more than U.S. cabinet-level officials such as the Secretaries of Defense, State, Homeland Security, Commerce, etc., in the U.S. Government.

The President of the United States makes $400,000 per year. Members of the President’s Cabinet make close to $250,000 per year.

The salaries of the Harris County department heads vary. See below.

Harris County Department Head Salaries — *For a printable, high-resolution PDF, click here.* *Data obtained via Public Information Request.*

Harris County “Going for Broke”

The U.S. President supervises roughly 3 million employees (as of January 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Yet the head of Harris County Flood Control has roughly 300 and makes more money.

Her $434,137 salary is also $185,000 more than the U.S. Secretary of Defense makes. The Secretary of Defense oversees the nation’s largest department. He coordinates the national defense with more than 1.4 million active-duty service members and 800,000 reserve personnel.

In contrast, the head of the Flood Control District coordinates the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure projects in Harris County. That’s certainly no small job. But it’s not nearly as large as the national defense.

The head of the Flood Control District got a raise this year of almost $90,000 – approximately one third of the total salary made by the Secretary of Defense. And far larger than what the average Houstonian makes in an entire year.

Is Harris County the land of opportunity or what!!!

The heads of six other Harris County departments received even bigger raises. Several received those raises despite severe, withering criticism of their performance in open Commissioners Court. For example…

Billions of Dollars Being Eroded by Inflation

The latest head of the Flood Control District has roughly $3 billion of 2018 flood-bond/matching-grant dollars at her disposal. Yet Flood Control spending has seen its fourth straight year of decline.

And if adjusted for construction-industry inflation, the spending rate shows she’s producing projects at a slower rate now than the Flood Control District did before flood-bond passage in 2018. Reportedly, her predecessors initiated virtually all of the HCFCD projects now entering the construction phase.

*Discounting the $234.6 million that HCFCD spent in 2024 by cumulative 35% inflation since 2018 roughly equals pre-bond spending in 2017.*

The loss of purchasing power to inflation means that many Flood Bond projects may never get built. And that will most affect people at the bottom of the county’s priority list, such as residents of the San Jacinto River watershed.

Pay More, Get Less

Overall, Harris County has increased taxes (rates x appraisals) 30% in the last two years. That’s 4-5X greater than the rate of inflation. And that included a 63% Flood Control tax increase last year.

So, how does the leader of an organization with plummeting performance get a salary increase for almost $90,000?

It’s all Monopoly money to the Democrats who control Commissioner’s Court. It’s not coming out of their pockets. It’s coming out of yours.

And they’re probably betting on the fact that you won’t realize you’re paying one of their political pals more money than the President of the United States to manage 10,000 times fewer employees.

But hey. We keep re-electing them. Maybe it’s time to get loud.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/19/2025

2731 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.

Looking Back at Abbott Directives to Reduce Flooding in Lake Houston Area

2/18/2025 – Seven years ago, Texas Governor Greg Abbott took an aerial tour of the Lake Houston Area and the San Jacinto River to view the extent of Hurricane Harvey devastation. Afterwards, he met with area leaders and elected officials at the Kingwood Community Center. Together, they announced a list of seven actions that they hoped would make affected communities more resilient to future flooding.

Seven years later, the responsible parties have completed recommended studies. They have also completed dredging and buyouts, and pursued funding. But little else has changed on the ground that would actually reduce flood risk.

Below is a high-level review of the mandates and the progress made toward them.

Seven Actions Identified in Abbott Press Release

Abbott and the officials identified seven actions or directives (quoted below from the press release):

Using Hazard Mitigation Funds, the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) has authorized $3 million to jumpstart the engineering and permitting process to determine where dredging should take place on the San Jacinto River.
Using Hazard Mitigation Funds, TDEM has authorized $2 million for a regional study focused on the San Jacinto River watershed to prevent future flooding.
Using Hazard Mitigation Funds, FEMA has approved over 900 voluntary buyouts in Harris County.
Instructing the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to investigate and take action against sand mining operations violating regulations.
Directing the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) to immediately identify what can be done to prevent flood events along the West Fork of the river.
Directing the SJRA to implement immediate and long-term solutions to protect lives and property of Texans living in the watershed.
Directing the SJRA to identify funding to implement a long-term plan that better protects areas downstream of Lake Conroe.

Lots of Studies, Little Action

How many of these initiatives have become reality? Let’s take an inventory.

Dredging Study

Completed. Likewise for most of the dredging that came out of it. Dredging has visibly restored much of the conveyance of the San Jacinto East and West Forks. But to this day, we’re still pumping sand out of the West Fork deposited by Harvey. The City and Army Corps have spent $188 million on dredging since they started after Harvey. Those dollars have actually reduced flood risk.

But the sand keeps coming. That’s why State Rep. Charles Cunningham has introduced a bill to continue the program by creating a Lake Houston Area Dredging and Maintenance District.

Watershed Study

Also completed … in 2020. But no one has implemented any of its recommendations yet. The study identified approximately $3.3 billion worth of upstream reservoirs to reduce water flowing into the Lake Houston Area. But Texas has not allocated nearly that much to fund a flood plan for the entire state.

Voluntary Buyouts

Abbott and the civic leaders called for 900 voluntary buyouts. HCFCD completed buyouts of all Forest Cove townhomes in 2022. County-wide, Harris County Flood Control District had completed 1,150 by July 24, 2024.

Forest Cove Townhomes scheduled for demolition — *Harvey flooded these Forest Cove townhomes to the third floor and swept several complexes off their foundations.*

Action Against Sand Mines that Violate Regulations

Much of the sand clogging the East and West Forks after Harvey came from sand mines. But the TCEQ has done little to prosecute them. In fact, the sand mine situation has gotten worse. During the May 2024 flood, the rivers started flowing through multiple mines, a process called “pit capture.” But a TCEQ report on one of the pit captures failed to even mention the term.

New Sand Mining BMPs needed to control sediment pollution. — *Hallett Mine, West Fork Pit Capture. Notice river running through the mine rather than around it.*

TCEQ did file a lawsuit through the Attorney General against the Triple PG Sand Mine in Porter back in 2019. However, the case has languished and still has yet to come to trial. A Travis County District Court has postponed the trial several times. But the TCEQ says things are now “full steam ahead” for an August 17, 2024 trial.

Bill McCabe of the Lake Houston Flood Prevention Initiative has tracked complaints against sand mines through Public Information Requests. TCEQ has sent him information on approximately 40 mines in the San Jacinto River Basin.

McCabe reports that most “Notices of Violation” from the TCEQ involve failure to file a mine plan (specified in the new Best Management Practices for Mines in the San Jacinto River Watershed). TCEQ issued four “Notices of Enforcement” since early 2022, but only one remains outstanding.

SJRA To Identify Immediate Flood Risk Reduction Strategy on West Fork

After the meeting between Abbott and local leaders, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) identified a “Lake Lowering Strategy” for Lake Conroe that it could implement immediately. The idea: preemptively lower the level of Lake Conroe up to 1.5 feet in the Spring and Fall to create extra storage space, thereby reducing downstream flood risk until the City of Houston could build additional flood gates on Lake Houston.

Unfortunately, Lake Conroe residents didn’t like that idea. As the floodgate project encountered delays caused by funding and the constructibility of the initial crest-gate recommendation, they pushed back. As a result, the Lake-Lowering Policy morphed into an “Active Storm Management Policy.”

Mark Micheletti, an SJRA board member from Kingwood, says the SJRA continues to look for ways to improve its this policy and has added several gages upstream of Lake Conroe to improve inflow estimates. That enables them to better gauge the timing and magnitude of releases during flood events. “We get better with every storm,” said Micheletti.

SJRA to Implement Immediate and Long-Term Solutions

After the Abbott meeting, SJRA immediately pursued the Lake-Lowering Strategy mentioned above.

With an eye to the longer term, it also pursued several studies. It released the San Jacinto River Basin Master Drainage Study in 2020. The study identified ways to reduce a 100-year flood in West Fork watershed by almost 6 feet. But SJRA has not yet constructed any of the recommendations.

SJRA also released its Sediment Removal and Sand Trap Development Study in 2022. No concrete actions have yet resulted from that study.

SJRA to Identify Funding to Implement Long-term Plan

SJRA has no funding source, i.e., taxes, to implement any of the flood-reduction recommendations it has identified to date. It must piggy-back on partners such as COH, Harris County and the Texas Water Development Board. Micheletti says SJRA has applied for several grants, but has few other options.

He suggested re-engineering the way we think about flood projects to get funding commitments immediately after floods when critical political consensus exists.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/18/2025

2730 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.