8/17/24 – The clearing of trees blocking streams and channels in the Lake Houston Area has begun. The clearing began after a coordinated inventorying and reporting effort.
According to Chris Bloch, a member of the Bear Branch Trail Association Board, FEMA contractors working for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), were seen this morning clearing trees blocking Bens Branch. The stream cuts diagonally through the middle of Kingwood.
Fallen trees blocking Bens Branch
If left in the stream, the trees can catch other debris floating downstream and create log dams that back floodwater up into streets and homes. So, contractors are cutting the fallen trees into sections and removing them.
This morning, I found them hauling the logs and underbrush out of the woods with a Bobcat fitted with grappling jaws. They stacked the debris near Woodland Hills Drive to be hauled away.
However, in coming days, contractors will be using much larger equipment and actually going down into the channel to remove logs and haul them off.
According to Bloch, just cutting the logs into small sections and letting them float away in the next flood is not the answer. They could still harm unsuspecting boaters and waterskiers in Lake Houston.
Beware of Heavy Equipment with Limited Visibility
It’s unclear at this time how long the clearing operation will take. But Bloch estimates that it could easily take a week or more to get all the way down Bens Branch.
Other contractors may be working on other channels simultaneously. However, I have been unable to verify that at this time.
Photograph taken 8/17/24 near St. Martha School at Bens Branch and Woodland Hills Drive.
Residents should exercise caution when using greenbelt trails during the removal operation. Operators maneuvering in tight spaces have limited visibility when transporting logs and brush. They will use greenbelt trails in some places and CenterPoint easements in others.
Residents who use the trails to get to school or for recreation should consider wearing brightly colored shirts or reflective vests to increase their visibility.
Members of the Bear Branch Trail Association Board met with the contractor last night to show them where obstructions are in Bens Branch and other channels.
Note the size of some of those logs. The pile is 6-8 feet tall.
Inventorying the blockages was difficult. Now comes the really hard part.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/17/24
2545 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 40 since Beryl
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240817-DSC_0213.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-08-17 15:50:282024-08-17 16:12:00HCFCD Contractors Begin Clearing Trees Blocking Streams, Channels
8/16/24 – Today, thanks to an anonymous tip by a fisherman, I observed an instance of sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks in the headwaters of Lake Houston.
The sand pit in question used to be known as the Triple PG Mine, but is now being operated under a different name.
Alleged environmental violations caused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to sue the mine and its owners through the Texas Attorney General’s Office in 2019.
The conditions that exist today are virtually identical to those that existed in 2018 when I previously observed another instance of sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks in the same location.
Then as now, instead of following its normal course, White Oak Creek flows in one side of the mine and out the other into Caney Creek.
2019 satellite image. Red line shows path of White Oak Creek (left), then crossing pit to Caney Creek (right).
Pictures Taken 8/16/24
Pictures taken today show that two new breaches happened in the same locations (see below) as 2019.
2024 breach shows White Oak Creek entering pond in same place as in 2019...…and exiting pond to Caney Creek via another breach in same location on opposite side of pond as in 2019.
I do not know the exact date the breaches occurred.
There is one visible difference though. The pond where the two breaches occur today has been sealed off from other ponds in the mine by an internal dike that is not visible in earlier satellite photos.
Note dike now crossing mine (center L to R). New breaches occurred around dikes of pond in foreground.
The Texas Attorney General sued the mine in 2019 for a million dollars plus $25,000 per day for every day the breaches remained open.
Guniganti has denied all charges by the TCEQ and Attorney General.
Multiple Changes in Ownership Delay Trial
However, through a series of legal maneuverings that included multiple changes in attorneys and ownership (through shell companies), the case in Travis County District Court still has not come to trial five years later. After all this time, we are pretty much right back where we started – with pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks.
Prabakar Guniganti, a cardiologist from Nacogdoches, has transferred ownership of most of the mine to shell companies. The Montgomery County Appraisal District shows that the Guniganti 1999 Children’s Trust and the Guniganti 1992 Credit Shelter Trusts now own most of the mine. Some parcels rotated through different shell companies three times within two years.
The portion of the mine where the breaches occurred in 2019 and 2024 is in Harris County, just inside the Montgomery County Line. The Guniganti Children’s 1999 Trust now owns that.
Change in Mine Operator, Too
The sign at the mine entrance now reads “Texas Fracsand Materials,” a company reportedly hired to operate the mine. Sam Kurre serves as CEO of Texas Frac Sand Materials Inc. It was established in 2019, the same year as the AG’s lawsuit against Guniganti.
Entrance sign shows operator of the mine owned by Guniganti shell companies.
Kurre claims his company operates mines with more than a $100 million in reserves. But real estate records show the mine claims ag and timber exemptions.
In stark contrast, a 10-acre sliver of the mine within Harris County does not get the ag/timber exemption and appraises for virtually the same amount – $78,829.
No wonder Montgomery County attracts so many sand mines! Compared to Harris County, 800 acres of prime, income producing land are going untaxed.
Sand Subsidized by Other Property Owners
Kurre’s website claims he produces 2 million tons of sand annually from Guniganti’s location. However, appraisal district records show that Montgomery County classifies most of it as pastureland.
Guniganti should be able to afford some pretty good lawyers with numbers like these. Maybe that’s why he’s strung this out for five years…despite no lasting improvement to the dikes.
Meanwhile, people downstream of the sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks complain of rapidly building sediment in their rivers and streams. They fear it could lead to flooding. As a consequence, they are clamoring for more costly dredging. But, it will be up to ordinary folks in a different county to subsidize that!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2024
2544 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.
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8/15/24 – The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) released the state’s first state flood plan today. And it’s full of eye-popping factoids.
For instance: More than a quarter of the state’s land and one sixth of the state’s population are in floodplains. So flood mitigation and prevention rank as high priorities. The entire plan stretches more than 500 pages. It listed and prioritized 147 pages of evaluations/studies, projects, strategies in tiny type.
Fifteen regional groups, each representing one of the major river basins in Texas, compiled the plan.
I will dig into more detail in coming days. But today, here are some quick facts from the executive summary to whet your appetite.
Structures Affected by Flooding
Planning groups identified approximately 878,100 buildings within the 1 percent (100-year) annual chance floodplain, and an additional 786,100 buildings within the 0.2 percent (500-year) annual chance floodplain. Total: 1,664,200.
Figure ES-4 from Executive Summary. Existing residential buildings in the 1% (100-year) annual chance floodplain.
More than 6,258 hospitals, emergency medical services, fire stations, police stations, and schools are within the 1 percent (100-year) and 0.2 percent (500-year) annual chance floodplains.
Regional flood planning groups also identified 9,322 low water crossings within flood hazard areas.
Increases in Flooding Forecast
The projected future condition 1 percent (100-year) annual chance floodplain is estimated to increase by 11 percent over the existing flood hazard area to a total of 62,245 square miles.
The regional flood planning groups project an increase of approximately 2.6 million people and 740,000 buildings in the 1 percent annual chance floodplain under projected future condition flood hazard.
Boggling Number of Recommendations
The regional flood planning groups recommended 4,609 flood risk reduction solutions: 3,097 flood management evaluations, 615 flood mitigation projects, and 897 flood management strategies in the regional flood plans with an estimated total implementation cost of more than $54.5 billion.
Floodplain Buildings
A total of 1,239 Texas communities and counties with flood-related authority participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.
More than 500 Texas entities have floodplain management standards that exceed National Flood Insurance Program minimum standards.
Costs
The plan includes recommendations in three categories: Evaluations/surveys; Projects, Strategies. The total cost of recommended:
Flood mitigation projects totals is more than $49.1 billion; nearly half of this cost is associated with the Galveston Bay Surge Protection Coastal Storm Risk Management project.
Flood management strategies exceeds $2.8 billion.
Planning groups reported sponsors requiring financial assistance with 80-90 percent of the costs to implement recommended flood risk reduction solutions.
Potential Benefits
Planning groups reported an estimated 843,339 people and 214,292 buildings would be removed from the 1 percent annual chance floodplain if the state flood plan was implemented.
Three regions identified potential water supply benefits for 37 recommended flood mitigation projects and one region recommended a flood management strategy with a potential water supply benefit.
Legislative and Policy Recommendations Included
The flood planning groups included legislative, administrative, and policy recommendations in the regional flood plans, and their policy recommendations informed the development of many of the legislative and floodplain management recommendations in this plan.
For More Information
This page on the TWDB site contains all the elements from the first state flood plan. But warning, the file sizes are large. And the spreadsheet listing all the projects is wide and best viewed on a large monitor.
I have reduced the file size of three of Texas State Flood Plan docs and am posting them here to make them easier to download.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240815-Residential-Bldgs-in-1-percent-Floodpolain.jpg?fit=1100%2C833&ssl=18331100adminadmin2024-08-15 16:44:022024-08-15 21:05:46Texas’ First State Flood Plan Released
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Thomas Ramsey PE will discuss the proposed 2024 budget and a potential county tax increase Wednesday at 6 PM at the George H.W. Bush Community Center in Spring.
The community center is at 6827 Cypresswood Drive.
Bring Your Questions
Scan the QR code below to familiarize yourself with the budget. After answering a few high-level questions, it takes you to a summary of this year’s shortfall and ways you could make it up – if you don’t want to raise taxes.
Where to Review the Proposed Budget
The web address listed on the right takes you to a page that includes links to the actual budget documents for past years and this year. Comparing them lets you see how priorities have changed.
The amount of expenses you have to cut if you don’t want to increase taxes is about $200 million.
At the same time, we have critical needs in criminal justice and “maintenance and operations.” For instance, Beryl just trashed the entire county. I’ve created several recent posts that talk about the need to clear ditches and streams of blockages.
Commissioner Ramsey should have a few suggestions in that regard.
Your Needs, Your Dollars, Your Decision
I’m not going to make any recommendations about the proposed county tax increase. While there certainly are legitimate needs, I’ve been burned too many times in recent years by broken promises under the guise of equity.
In selling the 2018 Flood Bond, the county told us it would fix the worst flooding first. But we’re no longer allocating bond money on the basis of flood damage.
With the 2022 Bond, Democrats promised to give each precinct a guaranteed minimum. That lasted until the day after voters approved the bond. How many times will people fall for the false promises?
Some Thought Starters and Head Scratchers
I’d like to see wasteful spending cut. For instance, today we learned about corruption charges by County DA Kim Ogg brought against a county employee responsible for distributing ballot paper during the botched 2022 election.
According to the complaint, the employee allegedly held a private-sector engineering job that paid $250,000 while also being paid $90,000 by the county to distribute ballot paper. Miraculously, most of the paper he failed to distribute was in Republican-leaning precincts.
By the way, on Election Day 2022, the employee reported working 18 hours for Harris County but also claimed to work 8 hours for his other employer.
Then, of course, there was the whole issue of replacing an election system that had worked well for years (in which elected officials oversaw elections) with an Elections Administrator’s Office. Someone with no election experience headed that office, which terribly botched the narrow 2022 election. She hired more political friends, also with no experience.
Luckily, that $15-million line item got the axe. See page 101 in the budget.
But the $21-million budget for the Office of County Administration did not. That was another Hidalgo innovation that previous administrations did not feel the need for. That department’s budget tripled in two years. (Line 200, Page 100)
And can someone tell me why public defender expenses have more than doubled in less than 2 years? (Page 101)
The closer you look at this year’s proposed budget, the more questions you will have. Bring your list to the:
George HW Bush Community Center
Thursday at 6PM.
6827 Cypresswood Drive, Spring, TX
Please don’t blame the proposed county tax increase on Commissioner Ramsey. He is a conservative voice of reason and responsibility on Commissioners Court.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/14/24
2542 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20230310-RJR_1184.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-08-14 19:08:542024-08-15 15:19:13Ramsey to Discuss Proposed County Tax Increase Thursday Night at Town Hall
8/12/24 – An August 8 update to NOAA’s 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook still calls for an extremely active hurricane season with 17-24 named storms, including four so far with a fifth brewing in the Atlantic. The main difference between this and NOAA’s May predictions? A higher confidence level.
As of 2PM EDT, NHC indicated that sustained winds from Potential Tropical Cyclone (PTC) 5 averaged 35 MPH. That puts it just 4 MPH from becoming the fifth named storm of the year, Ernesto. Here’s what it looks like this afternoon.
PTC 5 as of 8/12/24 Noon CDT.
NHC gives PTC 5 a 100% chance of formation. It should intensify into a tropical storm later today and a hurricane by Thursday. However, it will curve northward into the open Atlantic and does not pose a threat to the Gulf Coast.
We normally don’t get a fifth named storm in the Atlantic until August 22. After that, we normally get a named storm every 7-10 days through October 11. This year, they will likely be more frequent.
Teach Your Family about Hurricanes
The National Hurricane Center website provides an almost bottomless well of free, educational resources. Today, I clicked on Outreach Resources and found presentations and publications geared to all age and professional levels.
Learning Opportunities for K-12 Students (Resources for Teachers) includes:
Again, #5 contains additional explanation when slide graphics in presentations 1-4 may not be totally intuitive.
Information that Saves Lives
FEMA geared the presentations in the second two groups to adults, both in an out of government. The coastal presentations contain more emphasis on storm surge. The inland presentations emphasize riverine flooding from the heavy rains that often accompany hurricanes.
The information in both groups can benefit teachers, parents, first responders, emergency managers, and government leaders.
They explain various tools, terms and graphics used by NOAA, NHC, NWS, and NHP to help everyone make informed decisions when planning for and responding to hurricane threats.
For instance, I found the discussion on inundation mapping that involved forecasts and “nowcasts” very illuminating. Ditto for the discussion about how NHC determines the timing and probabilities in its graphics. How much water it takes to make cars float and lose traction. How emergency planners work together. And more. Much more.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/12/24
2540 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/IMAGE-Update-Hurricane-Outlook-August-2024-ENGLISH-Pie-080824-NOAA.png?fit=3840%2C2373&ssl=123733840adminadmin2024-08-12 13:33:302024-08-12 13:34:192024 Hurricane Season Update, PTC 5 Status and Learning Resources
8/11/24 – Tree Lane Bridge repairs are finally starting…again. By my count, this will make the fifth time if you include the 2020 and 2022 repairs that each failed within months, and two aborted starts earlier this year. Hopefully, Houston Public Works will complete the repairs this time and they will stick.
Third Round of Repairs in Five Years
The current rehab project is the third in five years. That speaks to the quality of engineering, contracting and supervision in Houston Public Works. See the list of my articles about Tree Lane Bridge problems below. I’ve listed them in reverse chronological order.
Construction of the most recent repair project was to have started in February this year. But contractors finally showed up 1.5 months later in early April. They did some tree trimming, parked their equipment and disappeared.
The project was to have been completed by 6/28 this year. But on 6/28, the job site was vacant, except for the equipment which had been parked months earlier. The biggest visible change: additional erosion, most likely due to the May flood, threatened a giant excavator that had been parked close to Bens Branch.
Erosion creeped toward parked excavator. Photo taken 6/17/24.
In June, I asked about delays and was informed by the project manager that they were waiting on unspecified utilities to move newly discovered utility lines.
In fairness, on 6/17/24, I did observe a utility crew burying cable in the vicinity. Public Works said on 7/2/24 that “all utility relocates have been completed.” However, as of 8/11, a water line and a cable are still clearly visible at the bottom of the creek and in the way of the project. See below.
Photo taken 8/11/24, six months after project start. Those exposed lines show up in photos taken in 2019.
The announcement of the most recent delay was even more vague. It announced “changes” due to “unforeseen circumstances” as the cause. I emailed and went online to find specifics. But not a clue!
Was it weather? Management? Engineering? Priorities? More utility conflicts? War in Ukraine? The school lunch menu?
Are the contractors even working off the right plans? The plans currently posted on Engage Houston have three different dates on them: 2018, 2022 and 2023. But I see nothing dated 2024. What delayed the project six months?
Contractors Return Just in Time for Back-to-School Traffic
After equipment sat idle virtually all summer, contractors returned to the job site just in time for the start of school. The bridge sits next to Bear Branch Elementary, which more than 600 students attend.
Last week, I made the mistake of trying to cross the bridge at 8AM. After project managers promised that construction activity would NOT interfere with school traffic, there the contractors were…with traffic at a standstill and backed up five blocks.
Later that afternoon, I received an email from the project manager. This email announced that the project would finish in “Fall 2024.” I would remind you that technically Fall lasts through December 21. That’s more than 4 months away. And more than 4 years after the 2020 repairs. But who ‘s counting?
Photos as of 8/11/2024
I took the photos below this afternoon so you can see how much progress has been made since February.
Looking N from S side of bridge at work on E wall.
Note all the construction debris piled in the middle of the creek, waiting for more heavy rain.
Looking N.Looking S from N side of bridge at W side work.
Vegas is taking odds on whether Public Works will be able to live within its $909,000 estimate for this job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/11/24
2539 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240811-DJI_20240811165724_0569_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-08-11 20:16:162024-08-11 21:40:18Tree Lane Bridge Repairs Finally Starting Again…Hopefully For Last Time
8/10/2024 – Sometimes Randy Reagan must feel that he has struggled for most of his adult life against rising floodwaters, sand mines and the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA). He has flooded six times in the last nine years. Still, he’s rebuilding on a lot he bought 30 years ago. But he’s doing it differently this time.
May 2024 Flood. Reagan property in background. Note roof of submerged vehicle in foreground.
Erosion of Country Lifestyle
Reagan grew up not far from the San Jacinto West Fork. He remembers a time as a child before Lake Conroe when the river ran clear and teemed with fish.
His wife grew up in the same neighborhood. Her parents were the first settlers in an area that came to be known as Bennett Estates between FM1314 and the San Jacinto West Fork.
They loved living near the river and all the abundant wildlife. So Reagan bought 5.5 acres for $10,000 back in the mid-’90s. He put a mobile home on it and started raising a family. He hunted all the meat his family ate from his own property and the surrounding forests. Life was good.
The 1994 flood was the highest ever in that area. The SJRA released 56,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Conroe during the storm. So Reagan elevated his home a foot above the high water mark from that storm and figured he was safe.
But gradually, his dream of peaceful, country living turned sour. In the mid-2000s, two companies started mining sand near his home – one a few blocks north, the other immediately south of his property.
The mines accelerated runoff and erosion. They also changed local drainage patterns in ways that flooded his property.
In the meantime, upstream areas grew, also increasing runoff. And by the time I first met Reagan in early 2020, his property had flooded five times in four years. The worst: Harvey in 2017. Ninety-three inches of water invaded his home. That’s almost 8 feet! See that story here.
Eventually, Reagan tore down the mobil home. Repeat flooding had caused the foundation to shift and destabilized it. He and his wife began living in his workshop or with relatives.
Reagan tried to get a low-interest SBA loan through FEMA to rebuild. But they denied him because he had “let his flood insurance lapse after Harvey.”
“Of course I let it lapse,” said Reagan. “There was nothing left to insure. The home was gone.”
Fast Forward Four Years
The May flood this year swamped his property again after the SJRA opened the gates on Lake Conroe and began releasing 72,000 CFS, the second highest release rate in SJRA history.
Reagan points to high water mark on his shop from May 2024 flood – 52 inches.
Only Harvey exceeded that rate. SJRA released 79,000 CFS in 2017 during Harvey.
Since then, Reagan began planning his comeback against Mother Nature, the sand mines and SJRA.
His dream now is to build a foundation for a new home up 10 feet above the original level of the land. That would make the land higher than the Harvey high-water mark.
Then he wants to build a new home up on stilts, another ten feet above the elevated foundation. It would be elevated 20 feet above his first home on the property and more than 10 feet above Harvey. Hopefully, that will keep him safe for a few years.
The retired oil-field worker and bull rider is looking at designs from UB Homes. He also hired a MoCo excavation company, Graham Land Services, to excavate a pond at the back of the property.
Dirt from pond excavation (background) is being used to build up home pad (foreground).
Dirt from the pond is building up the foundation where his new home will go.
Pros and Cons of Rebuilding in Location that Floods
On the plus side:
Mining behind his property has ceased. He now has a 42-acre pond behind him. No one will ever build behind him and spoil his view.
He can still hunt on his property.
Despite the flooding, property values have appreciated. Not far away, a home recently went up for sale at $1.4 million.
Development in surrounding areas has brought shopping, services and hospitals closer to home without changing his country-living atmosphere.
The May flood deposited fish in Reagan’s pond, which are now thriving.
Randy Reagan property lower right.
On the minus side:
All the tractor work has taken a toll on Reagan’s aging body. He complains of aching joints and bulging disks in his back and neck. He’s also fighting knee and shoulder pain from a lifetime of backbreaking work in the oil fields and on his property.
He wishes SJRA would pre-release water from Lake Conroe at much slower rates in advance of major storms, but has little hope that they will. “This May flood could have been totally avoided if they would have let water out sooner,” said Reagan. “SJRA needs to start operating the Lake Conroe Dam a lot better than what they’re doing.”
Reagan feels SJRA places Lake Conroe recreation above the protection of downstream property.
He feels he would have to move north of Huntsville to find the kind of flood-safe country living he once enjoyed. “It’s hard to get a piece of country living anymore in Montgomery County. It’s all going away,” said Reagan.
A Pioneer Spirit
Reagan typifies the struggle many Houstonians feel. He loves nature and living near water – until floods exact their terrible price. Still, he returns. To fight for a life he loves.
Reagan takes a break from moving in front of the property being raised for a new home.
I admire the fact that he’s not waiting for others to protect him from the ravages of West Fork flooding. By elevating his property and home, he’s protecting himself and his family.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/10/24
2538 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240810-440497047_452461260667459_6359157880369095417_n.jpg?fit=1100%2C825&ssl=18251100adminadmin2024-08-10 18:05:542024-08-10 18:36:31One Man’s Struggle Against Rising Floodwaters, Sand Mines and SJRA
8/9/24 – Here’s an unsolicited idea that could help improve efficiency of the Beryl recovery process: inventorying channel blockages in your area. Then supply Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) with a comprehensive, consolidatedlist. It could save them time when time is critical as we head into the peak of hurricane season.
HCFCD maintains more than 2,500 miles of bayous, creeks and manmade drainage channels, along with dozens of large stormwater detention basins across Harris County. And damage from Beryl has affected the entire county. Reportedly, the extent of the damage has HCFCD maintenance staff stretched to the max.
Implications for Maintenance
Maintenance has reportedly become HCFCD’s major focus of activity at the moment. No one has bandwidth to spare. So, this may be one of those times when citizens can help. Not by cleaning out ditches and streams themselves; that’s dangerous. But by reporting problems more efficiently and effectively.
Rather than having five different people report five different blockages on the same stream at five different times, so crews make five trips, perhaps one, consolidated report would help.
A consolidated report could:
Reduce the number of phone calls and emails to process, track and respond to
Help prioritize the hardest hit areas
Reduce the number of repeat trips to a single area
Make scheduling crews easier
Improve response time
Reduce flooding from blockages that may not have been reported.
How to Report Problems
Last week, I posted about ways to direct HCFCD to problems quickly, especially when street addresses might not apply. For instance, consider creeks that cut through greenbelt trails.
About that time, Chris Bloch, a board member of the Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA), sent me a dozen photos of blocked streams within his association.
He had reported them all to HCFCD simultaneously in one consolidated request. That inspired the idea for this post.
I’m sure flood control would like your help identifying blockages any way they can get it, whether requests are individual or consolidated. As a former business owner, I always looked for ways to operate more efficiently. This could be one of those times. Collectively, we have a simple way to help.
Walk your greenbelts looking for problems. Then produce a thorough, consolidated report that identifies channel numbers and locations, and submit it to HCFCD:
The Lake Houston Area has dozens, if not hundreds of community and trail associations that could help with this task.
So thousands of different HCFCD trips could be greatly reduced.
Below are five photos submitted by Bloch from among many more taken on the six miles of channels within BBTA’s boundaries. They come from ONE stretch of ONE creek. And Bloch reported them all at ONCE.
Calling on All HOAs and Trail Associations
Each blockage shown above could catch other trees floating downstream in future storms and create log jams that back water up and flood neighborhoods. They are invisible from the air, hidden by the dense tree canopy.
To help ensure blockages get addressed ASAP, every trail or community association should consider submitting a consolidated list of issues within their respective areas.
Walking 2,500 miles of channels is like walking across America. It ain’t easy.
Think how much time consolidated inventorying of channel blockages could save HCFCD staff who are already stretched thin.
Please share this post with your HOA and Trail Association board members in your area. Perhaps they can help identify volunteers, which may include scouts eager to earn hiking, photography community service and mapping merit badges.
2537 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 30 since Beryl
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/9/24
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240803-Bens-Branch-Obstruction-3.jpg?fit=1100%2C717&ssl=17171100adminadmin2024-08-09 20:34:182024-08-11 21:43:30Inventorying Channel Blockages Could Help HCFCD
8/8/24 – In the last year, the Northpark Drive expansion project hit several snags. But one by one, project partners seem to be overcoming the hurdles.
Contractors discovered utility poles and gas lines in their way. Permits to bore under the railroad and bridge over it took longer than expected. Delays forced changes in plans to keep crews busy. And eventually, when project managers ran out of alternative options, contractors had to shift crews to other jobs.
After months of delays that hampered progress, hope is finally on the horizon.
Paving the Way for Faster Progress
The pace of construction could soon accelerate again.
CenterPoint has moved all of its facilities east of Loop 494 and only a few conflicts are left west of 494.
Entergy is almost done removing its east-to-west poles at Northpark/494. This will let contractors complete the storm water drainage system, construct new feeder roads, and build at-grade vehicle crossings over the rail tracks.
Comcast, Tachus, AT&T, PS Lightwave, MCI, Optimum, BrightSpeed, and Crown Castle have either finished relocating their facilities, submitted relocation plans under review at the City, or received Permits for relocation. In the last case, they have also provided schedules to the TIRZ
A new water main will allow service to be transferred from Porter SUD to City of Houston. This same water main also serves the newly installed fire hydrants along Northpark.
Contractors and UnionPacific have resolved right-of-way issues. Work should start on the rail crossings later this year.
Project managers have acquired additional rights of way from private property owners
Alternate plans are in place for rerouting traffic
Entergy has submitted Plans for permits that will let them bury their power lines west of 494 and underneath the railroad tracks on Northpark Drive.
Most of these changes, while barely visible, are highly critical.
Improved Working Relationship with Entergy
Project Manager Ralph De Leon predicts motorists could soon see visible progress. Brian Garcia, Entergy’s customer service manager, agrees.
Both men cite an improved working relationship. Weekly meetings between their teams have reportedly resolved most technical, permitting, and scheduling issues.
Next Steps
Harper brothers has finished burying culvert down the center of Northpark. Now the company will begin installing culvert on the north side of the street westward. It will eventually connect to the system at Self-U-Storage.
Looking west at extent of culvert installation. From here, culvert will move north/right to make room for surface turn lanes and a bridge over the railroad tracks and Loop 494.
The next leg will go under the railroad tracks and Loop 494. It will connect the eastern and western sections of the storm water drainage system.
In general, the next major steps for the Northpark Drive Expansion include:
Shifting westbound traffic toward the center
Burying drainage culverts on the north side of the street.
Building permanent access roads on the north.
Shifting traffic back to the permanent lanes.
Keep your fingers and tire jacks crossed. Working out many of these unforeseen issues delayed the project 188 days so far. The delays also forced Harper Brothers Construction to divert some of its crews to other jobs to keep them busy.
Photos of Work to Date and In Progress
Crews today worked on bringing power to new, temporary traffic signal locations.
Crews worked on three of the four corners of Northpark and Loop 494. Old power lines on the fourth corner (lower right) were previously de-energized and poles topped. Comcast will reportedly move its cable on those poles next week.Crews are also spreading and compacting dirt over installed culverts.(Looking W toward US59)Ditto in the opposite direction.Looking east toward Diversion Ditch.
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Today, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., announced the Texas General Land Office (GLO) has rebuilt its 2000th home – in Houston and Harris County alone – since Hurricane Harvey. Many more projects are under construction or in the approval process here and in other counties throughout Texas..
Dawn Buckingham MD, GLO Commissioner congratulates the homeowners (center) as she turns over the key. Builder is on left.
GLO rebuilt the home through its Homeowner Assistance Programs (HAP) as part of ongoing recovery efforts. One of the GLO’s missions is to restore and rebuild communities across Texas after natural disasters. Just last year, GLO celebrated the rebuilding of 1000 homes in Houston/Harris County.
Rebuilding Lives, Not Just Homes
The GLO certainly isn’t resting on its laurels. Buckingham said, “This milestone represents more than just a number. It reflects the dedication and hard work of the GLO’s disaster recovery team and our commitment to helping Texas families rebuild their lives after the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and other disasters.
Buckingham (Left) and Mike Nichols (Right), new director of Houston Housing and Community Development, tour new home with ecstatic owners, Argelis and James Sapio (Center).
Hurricane Harvey Homeowner Assistance Program
The GLO’s Homeowner Assistance Program is funded by $2 billion in Community Development Block Grants for Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program helps homeowners repair, rebuild, and, in some cases, elevate their homes to mitigate future flood risks.
Army Vet and Teacher
The homeowners, James and Argelis Sapio, have been married 47 years and lived in the same house for 27 of those. A U.S. Army veteran, James served in war zones around the world starting in Vietnam and ending in Eastern Europe. Argelis, taught at a neighborhood elementary school
They loved their home and the location. But it flooded repeatedly with increasing frequency. Over time, the flooding got worse as neighbors built their lots up. Reportedly illegal dumping also complicated flooding issues when it backed water up in ditches. The final straw was Hurricane Harvey. A foot of floodwater invaded the Sapio’s home.
They persisted through a daunting application for aid that the GLO, HUD and City are trying to streamline. Four months ago, construction of a new home started on their old lot. The elevated design should make them safe from flooding. It includes ramps to make access easier.
The 2000th home. Note elevation and ramp.
Said Argelis (with a smile), “Now the only thing we have to worry about is elevating our cars.”
Construction took four months. During that time, the couple lived in motels. They were so eager to move in, they weren’t going to wait for the movers. Argelis said they were going to bring a mattress in tonight and sleep on the floor if they had to.
Ongoing Commitment to Disaster Recovery
Altogether, the GLO has rebuilt more than 8,000 homes in 49 counties designated eligible by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Commissioner Buckingham reaffirmed the agency’s ongoing dedication to disaster recovery and preparedness as the GLO celebrates this achievement. “The GLO remains steadfast in supporting Texans as they rebuild and recover,” said Buckingham. “Together, we will continue to work towards a more resilient Texas.”
For a one-minute YouTube video of the ceremony and tour of the house, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/7/24
2535 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/20240807-RJR_3814.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-08-07 17:52:172024-08-07 18:30:58GLO Rebuilds Its 2000th Home in Houston, Harris County
