The Association of State Flood Plain Managers has an excellent, educational website called FloodRiskReduction.org. In a few pages, it explains floodplains, sources of flooding and how to understand flood risk. It also breaks down 39 flood-mitigation strategies for property owners, buyers, renters, community associations, officials, representatives, and others.
Part of the site’s magic is a search feature that helps readers zero in on strategies that might help them. It lets users filter strategies by factors such as cost, effort required, maintenance, type of real estate, foundation type, condition of structure and more. The strategies cover everything from DIY projects to those that require professionals.
Finally, the site comes with a list of resources to help implement the strategies.
Organized for Action
I love the organization of this site. Everything about it is designed to help people take action to protect themselves and their property.
“Flood risk is not static. It changes constantly due to development, erosion, land use changes, subsidence of the land, changes in rainfall patterns, sea level rise, and other factors.”
Whereas ReduceFlooding.com gives concrete examples of how such factors interact in a small area so we can mitigate the causes, FloodRiskReduction.org skips to mitigating their effects.
It focuses mainly on telling people how to protect themselves and their property from rising floodwaters. In that sense, it’s a fundamentally different, but complimentary approach.
Wide Range of Strategies
The strategies range from home elevation to waterproofing, building relocation, grading and more. Much more. There’s even a section on demolishing a structure and rebuilding it outside of the floodplain and harm’s way.
Not for the faint of heart. Home of man who elevated his home by himself to get it above neighborhood flooding.
My favorite, however, is “Flood-free site selection.” It talks about identifying flood hazards and their frequency as part of the home buying and/or homebuilding process. It focuses on avoidance as a form of mitigation.
Each of the strategies comes with a series of concrete steps you can take to reduce your flood risk.
For instance, “flood-free site selection” includes discussions of how to:
Review FEMA flood maps
Review nearby flood-protection structures such as dams
Examine historical records
Seek advice from local experts, such as floodplain managers.
Compare Options for Exploration
As you might expect from the photo above of a man who elevated his home by himself using a series of car jacks, ASFPM’s site comes with a long list of cautions and disclaimers.
Regardless, FloodRiskReduction can help educate people about their options in an afternoon. It’s a quick, simple list of thought-starters and a great way to compare options to explore.
For ease of future reference, I will post a link to the ASFPM site in the links page of ReduceFlooding.com.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/12/24
2358 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20191012-RJR_3651.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-12 13:10:032024-02-12 13:21:00ASFPM Catalogs, Explains Flood-Mitigation Strategies: A Review
The Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 (LHRA/TIRZ) Board Meeting on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, focused almost exclusively on issues that have delayed the Northpark expansion project. LHRA/TIRZ also announced lane closures beginning Feb. 19, 2024.
One Source of Hold Ups Resolved, Another Remains
The Northpark expansion project is designed to move more traffic faster and to create an all-weather evacuation route for 78,000 Kingwood residents in the event of another major flood, such as Hurricane Harvey.
Two major hold ups have been:
Reaching right-of-way agreements with Union Pacific Railroad (UP)
Getting utilities, such as CenterPoint and Entergy, to move gas and electric lines.
As of this week, all railroad agreements have been resolved.
Approval of the agreements by the Houston City Council should be a formality.
And CenterPoint should complete the relocation of their gas lines within a week or two.
However, Entergy has not even started relocating its equipment. They were given notice four years ago to do so.
The board discussed the possibility of condemning an existing Entergy easement within the limits of Northpark Drive right of way, but ultimately decided to defer action for one more month. The outcome is inevitable. Entergy must move its equipment. But members hope to avoid the expense and delays of litigation involved in a condemnation proceeding.
It is unclear what Entergy hopes to gain through delays. In the meantime, it is jeopardizing its public image in the most densely populated part of its Texas service area.
Entergy Must Resolve Three Problems
Entergy has:
Utility poles it must move out of the City’s right of way.
A transformer next to the Exxon station at US59 on LHRA/TIRZ property.
Underground electricity lines that would be paved over in several places.
The existing wood poles between 494 and the Kingwood Diversion Ditch are in the City’s right-of-way. Entergy has sought reimbursement to move those, however, they are on City property and not entitled to reimbursement.
The transformer next to the Exxon station now sits on property purchased from Exxon by the LHRA/TIRZ.
Entergy wants 52 weeks and more than a million dollars to move this transformer in the Exxon parking lot at US59 and Northpark Drive.
Regarding the third item, utilities commonly run electricity lines under streets in urban environments. But Entergy apparently does not want that in this case and has not made arrangements to move the lines.
To resolve such conflicts, LHRA agreed to pay Entergy $711,000 in July last year. But then a consultant for Entergy demanded $1.462 million – doubling the costs. LHRA balked. The extra money wasn’t and isn’t in the budget. Neither were the cost increases itemized. Said another way, Entergy didn’t break down what caused the price increases.
Itemized Costs Being Demanded
To make sure Entergy is not folding in un-reimbursable costs such as relocating poles in rights of way with allowable relocation costs for the transformer, Ralph De Leon, project manager for LHRA, said he has requested itemized costs and a schedule of values for each part of the job from Entergy.
A schedule of values includes such things as material costs as well as labor costs. For instance, one line item might read, “X people at $Y/hr times Z hours.” He also wants to see that schedule signed and stamped by a licensed PE, whose license could be revoked for falsifying information.
Entergy First Notified in 2020
The LHRA Board reviewed a history of attempts to resolve the Entergy conflict issues. They included 22 meetings/discussions between October 2020 and January 2024.
October 2020: Began coordinating utility impacts with Entergy and other utility companies (at 60% design stage). Held COH utility coordination meeting.
December 2020: Entergy reached out and asked if there were opportunities for relocation reimbursement. Held COH utility coordination meeting.
January 2021: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
February 2021: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
March 2021: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
June 2021: Began discussions regarding the ground transformer near Exxon gas station. M&S had preliminary plans prepared.
February 2022: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
March 2022: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
April 2022: Held COH utility coordination meeting.
July 2022: M&S determined that their preliminary plans were incorrect and had assumed overhead line relocations for crossing over Northpark Drive.
August 2022: M&S noted that their utilities were in an easement and would require reimbursement from LHRA.
September 2022: Additional correspondence regarding reimbursement for relocations. Teams meeting with M&S to discuss relocations.
October 21, 2022: M&S provided a draft cost estimate via email. Total estimated costs for the relocations were $1,218,000.
January 2023: Field meeting with M&S, AT&T and Exxon representative to discuss relocations on Exxon property. M&S provided easement documentation for their utilities and continued discussion about reimbursement. Wade Carpenter (Entergy attorney) began involvement in the conversations.
February 2023: Entergy attorneys reviewing the matter internally.
March 3, 2023: M&S noted that utility relocations in easement (primarily west of Loop 494) would cost $710,000 and would be seeking reimbursements for these relocations. For utility relocations east of Loop 494, those would cost approx. $500,000 and Entergy deemed these costs as non-reimbursable as they are not in easement.
May 17, 2023: M&S confirmed that relocation costs west or Loop 494 are reimbursable ($710,000) and relocation costs east of Loop 494 ($500,00) are non-reimbursable.
July 19, 2023: M&S provided draft agreement for relocations with relocation costs shown to be $711,186.26.
August 2023: Coordination with M&S on timeline of relocations.
October 2023: M&S noted that they are waiting for the go ahead to send plans to construction group.
December 2023: Coordination with M&S regarding fiber companies attached to their poles. M&S provided an update relocation cost estimate with a new total being $1,462,135.57.
January 2024: Coordination with M&S on timeline of relocations.
M&S is an Entergy consultant.
30-Day Deadline Given on Feb. 6, 2024
On February 6, 2024, Carol Haddock, Director of Houston Public Works, sent Entergy a letter giving the company 30-days to move its property. The letter included a request to submit a timeline for the relocations by Feb. 16.
Haddock’s letter parallels one sent by LHRA/TIRZ10 on Nov. 9, 2020, which the City says suffices as proper legal notification. That’s because the LHRA/TIRZ10 is acting as an agent of the City.
The City’s position is that Entergy is not moving into the City’s footprint. But the city is getting bigger and expanding into Entergy’s footprint. It appears that the City has the upper hand at the moment.
Impact of Delays
De Leon believes the City’s letter will resolve enough issues to keep crews busy for now. Next up:
Continuing excavation of two stormwater detention ponds at US59 and Northpark
Placement of box culverts in the middle ditch
Creation of some temporary lanes on the north side of Northpark.
However, he admits that the Entergy delays have caused problems. Instead of following the optimal critical path, his contractors are hopscotching around to keep crews busy.
If Entergy continues to delay, he could face contractual penalties, including costly demobilization.
Lane Closure Announced
LHRA/TIRZ posted this announcement on its project website. It affects westbound traffic.
“Beginning February 19th, Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s (LHRA’s) contractor, Harper Brothers Construction will be closing the right two lanes of westbound traffic near the Northpark/I-69 intersection. The first month of this closure will leave two westbound lanes open – the existing left turn lane and one through lane. The next 3 months of the closure will switch traffic onto the newly constructed lanes while construction of the existing left turn lane and through lane are completed. Westbound traffic should expect delays and alternative routes are encouraged. For this phase of work the contractor will be installing new storm sewer pipes and inlets along with new concrete roadway.”
Two westbound lane closures beginning Feb. 19circled in red.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240124-DJI_0271-Edit-copy.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-10 19:16:172024-02-10 22:02:53Entergy in City’s Crosshairs, Northpark Lane Closures Announced
Just upstream from the blocked drainage ditch at Northpark Drive and the San Jacinto West Fork, Hallett Materials operates the biggest sand mine between I-69 and I-45. The mine complex sprawls across several square miles and has several leaks. During the last flood in January, those leaks likely contributed to sedimentation in the West Fork and a blocked drainage ditch immediately downriver from the mine.
Contrary to a popular narrative among miners, this sand did not come from Spring Creek. That’s another watershed.Picture taken on 2/5/2024.The Hallett Mine is to the left (upstream) of the channel. This picture of the blockage above shows the height of the sand relative to the top of the banks. Courtesy of a resident who prefers to remain anonymous.
Location of Mine Relative to Blockage
In late January, the West Fork experienced an estimated five-year flood after several days of nearly constant rains. Waking up after the flood was like a bad hangover. The blocked ditch above was just one of the problems. It is immediately downstream from the giant Hallett mine. See below.
Landsat image from Google Earth. Arrow shows direction of river’s flow. Circle shows location of blockage.Numbers show approximate location of leaks listed below.
Mine Leaks in Multiple Places
Let’s take a closer look at each of those three areas.
One pond was wide open to the river through a large gap in its dike. The gap appears to have remained open since at least July 2023 and enlarged.
A pipe was expelling water from a second pond straight into the river.
A bulldozer appeared to have helped a third pond overflow across a road. Wastewater from the settling pond then flowed through woods and neighboring properties on its way to the river.
Pictures Taken on Feb. 8, 2024
Leak #1
Notice the huge gap in the dike of the pond in the center of the image below. Also notice that pond’s elevation compared to the one on the right.
The dike breach (center of image) first showed up in Google Earth in July 2023.It now appears considerably larger, indicating severe erosion from the recent flood.
The drought last summer and fall certainly didn’t cause the breach to enlarge.
Historical images in Google Earth show that this pond frequently breaches its dikes in different places. Something’s going through there!
Leak #2
A little farther downstream on the west side of the river, a pipe drains another Hallet pond directly into the river.
Haven’t seen this before! On the east side of the river, in the woods next to Hallett’s main settling pond, a bulldozer apparently created a path for water to escape across a maintenance road. Water then flowed through woods 600-feet wide and onto neighboring properties before entering the river just above the blocked channel. See the series of images below.
Notice bulldozer tracks to left of perimeter road and wet area on road in the middle of the frame.
Flying closer, you can see that the bulldozer had pushed dirt from the road into the pond (see below, right side of frame).
Silty wastewater then escaped from the pondinto the woods on the left.The silty wastewater then migrated south (top of frame) through the woods.Along the way, it invaded neighboring properties.Then it drained back across the access road and into an abandoned mine (top of frame).
Hanover Estates now owns that abandoned mine. In the photo above, note the open path to the river in the upper right. It’s shown below in more detail.
Closer shot of wastewater exiting Hanover pond through another breach that leads straight to blockage (circled in red in the distance).
Apportioning the Relative Contribution of Different Sources
The Hallett mine owner told me that sand can’t escape his pits. I remain skeptical.
To be fair, some of the sediment in the channel blockage likely came from river-bank erosion and sand bars upstream.
Also, a new development called Northpark South, now in the clearing stage, likely also contributed to the blockage. Silty stormwater flows unchecked from it into a second abandoned mine (also owned by Hanover Estates) and then into the blocked drainage ditch.
Northpark South photo from January 24, 2024, looking south toward abandoned mine, blocked ditch and river in distance.
No one can say that Hallett and Northpark South contributed all of the material in the blockage. But it would be hard to pretend that none of it came from them.
The mine is still leaking two weeks after the flood!
And even before the flood, a giant ravine was sending stormwater from Northpark South into the second abandoned mine on the south side of the ditch.
Northpark South on December 28, 2023 before flood. Note ravine caused by erosion.
That mine drains into the blocked channel directly above the blockage. (See very first shot in this post.)
Now that the immediate danger has passed, we need to investigate the contribution of mining and floodplain development to sedimentation.
When rivers and ditches fill up with sludge, it reduces conveyance.
Then, when the next flood comes, instead of water staying within the riverbanks, it may back up or overflow into living rooms.
The greatest area of deposition will normally be where floodwater slows down as it reaches a standing body of water like Lake Houston. We’ve seen what that led to.
Corporate waste-disposal practices are matters of public safety and concern. We need to examine them more closely.
If Hallett and/or the Northpark South developer wish to respond to this editorial, I will be happy to post their points of view.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/9/24
2355 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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Yet another “RV Resort” is coming to the Kingwood/Porter area. This one will be at the north end of Woodland Hills Drive about a block north of Kingwood Park High School. Plans show parking for 43 RVs on the 4.4 acre property.
The Porter Strong RV Resort, which contains a recreation building, dumpsters, and concrete driveways, will back up to homes along Birchwood Springs Avenue in Woodridge Forest.
The drainage calculations look impressive…until you consider the way they estimated impervious cover.
Location map from construction plans obtained via a FOIA Request to MoCo Engineering.Note: High School is mislabeled. Should say, “Kingwood Park High School.”
Access from Porter For Now
Access to the RV resort – at least for now – will be via Needham Road and Collette Lane in Porter. However, plans show a dotted line for an extension of Woodland Hills Drive, which currently stops approximately 300 feet short of the development. It’s not immediately clear whether Montgomery County or the developer plans to extend Woodland Hills north at this time.
Drainage in this area flows south to Bens Branch. Note in the layout above that two 7-foot-deep, dry-bottom, stormwater-detention basins flanked by drainage swales will help intercept stormwater flowing south before it reaches adjoining properties.
FEMA shows no floodplains in the area and USGS shows no wetlands on the site.
The detention basins for the 4.4 acre site will hold 4.4 acre feet of stormwater before they start to overflow. That exceeds Harris County Flood Control District’s minimum recommendation for areas flowing into Harris County.
Moreover, the engineer claims the site only requires 3.4 acre feet in a 100-year storm. That calculation is based on Atlas-14 requirements adopted by Montgomery County.
The engineer indicates that the maximum discharge rate for the ponds, which will be pumped, is about 8 cubic feet per second less than the natural runoff rate for the site. So for everything up to the 100-year storm, runoff going into Bens Branch from this area should be reduced.
All that is good news. Now for the bad news.
The engineer seems to have based all those calculations on 29% impervious cover.
That seems unlikely for this type of project. The number of parking spots per acre is roughly equivalent to the Laurel Springs RV resort which claimed to have 66% impervious cover, but likely has much higher.
Best practices require excluding detention basins from impervious cover calculations. A quick glance at the construction diagram above suggests that concrete will cover much more than a third of the remaining property.
Also, the engineer says it will take 48 hours to drain the ponds after a 100-year rain. The ponds do not appear to empty by gravity, however. They will require pumps, which could present problems in a power outage. Such outages frequently occur in storms strong enough to create floods.
Pictures Taken on 2/1/24 Show Extent of Construction
Currently, the site is being cleared. Construction has not yet started. I took the shots below on 2/1/24. They show the extent of clearing as of last week.
Looking SW at construction site. Woodland Hills and Kingwood Park HS on left. Northpark Rec Area top center. Homes are in Woodridge Forest.
Looking W toward Woodridge Middle School at top of frame. Reverse Angle. Looking E toward Woodridge Village. Surrounding areas already include a number of mobil homes and RVs.
Bens Branch Getting Crowded
I hope contractors build what the plans indicate. Bens Branch has enough flooding problems of its own. The Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis showed that parts of the stream could flood in a two-year rain.
Since that study, several high-density developments have been built nearby in the watershed. They include The Preserve at Woodridge, which apparently understated the amount of impervious cover, and Brooklyn Trails, which was grandfathered under pre-Atlas-14 requirements.
And then there’s the Northpark Drive Expansion Project, which is seeking more room for another detention basin to mitigate its own increases in impervious cover.
For now, the best thing to do is remain vigilant.
Posted by Bob Rehak on Feb. 7, 2024
2353 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/2024/02/20240201-DJI_0545.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-07 15:34:072024-02-08 10:12:00Another RV Resort Coming Near North End of Woodland Hills Drive
After January’s five-day hydro-fest, Houston area rivers, streams and ditches look like they woke up with a bad hangover. Some areas are hiding under broad blankets of sand. The root balls of uprooted trees jutted up from the San Jacinto riverbed like tank traps on a battlefield, a testament to how shallow the river has become once again. And sand, in at least one case, has totally blocked off a drainage ditch.
Photos at US59 Bridge over San Jacinto West Fork
Kingwood-area resident Robin Seydewitz took the three images and video at the US59 Bridge this morning (2/5/24).
Newly deposited sand.
y20-second YouTube video by Robin Seydewitz, panning west to east under bridge. Shows debris build-up.
Sediment Build Up Alarming
The January flood was not as bad as Harvey. This was a much smaller flood – the type that happens far more frequently – like every 2 to 5 years depending on where you live.
The danger is not so much what this flood deposited, but what similar floods can deposit over time and how they can reduce the conveyance of rivers, streams and ditches. All the accretions add up like hairballs in your shower drain.
Here’s how one minor storm totally blocked a ditch after one storm.
Northpark ditch blocked by sand/sediment after January flood. Pictures taken before the storm last November show it flowing freely.Taken 2/5/24.
Upstream of this blockage along the ditch, the Northpark South development, built on wetlands, is dumping its drainage into the abandoned sand mine on the right.
The 5-square mile Hallett sand mine is upstream on the left. Two residents/neighbors of the mine have witnessed the company pumping sludge from its settling pond on several occasions since the flood. The latest was tonight as I posted this article. They may have contributed to the build up also.
The Hallett operation is so large that the company actually mines sand on both sides of the river. You can see a small part of their operation below at the top of the frame.
Reverse angle. Taken 2/5/24.
Of course, some of the sediment shown in these photos comes from river bank erosion.
But some also comes from sand mines and new developments that have clearcut thousands of acres without taking precautions to control runoff. See examples below.
Northpark South developer clearcut wetlands and is draining through sand mine into West Fork where blockage appeared. Picture taken Jan. 24, 2024 during lull in rain.Evergreen Development at SH242and FM1314Colony Ridge drainage ditch in East Fork Watershed. Few if any of the ditches and detention ponds in the development have erosion protection measures installed per Liberty County regulations. Colony Ridge is now 50% larger than Manhattan.
Of course, we have many responsible developers and sand miners. But we also have some who are not.
Turning Natural Events into Unnatural Disasters
Robin Seydewitz is the river enthusiast, canoeist, kayaker, and flood activist who took many of the photos above. She said, “Sand mines that don’t operate safely are a big part of the problem. So are developers who clearcut land without barriers or natural vegetation to stop sediment from running off. The lack of enforcement for drainage regulations is another part of the problem. We need more protection for the public. This is my opinion. We are not protected; the mine owners, operators and developers are.”
The moral of this story?
We need better enforcement of drainage regulations. And we need another river survey, like the one we had after Harvey, to see how much conveyance has been reduced.
“It is foolish to keep dredging parts of the river downstream without addressing root causes upstream.”
Robin Seydewitz
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/5/24
2351 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/2024/02/20240205-DJI_0738.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-02-05 18:15:122024-02-05 20:32:03River Wakes Up From Flood With Bad Hangover
Friendswood Development Company has started clearing 553 acres west of Huffman-Cleveland Road. It will eventually extend from Northwood County Estates on the north to Cypress Point on the south. Plat records show that Friendswood has named the development “Sila.”
Long, Narrow, Dense Homesites
The new residential community will contain an unspecified number of homesites, most long and narrow. This will certainly increase the percentage of impervious cover relative to the surrounding area.
Detail from Sila Section 3 plat approved by Houston Planning Commission in 2023.
Existing homes sit on larger, heavily wooded lots. So, this and other new, nearby developments will change the character of the area considerably. Along with that will come more traffic and congestion.
To put that in perspective, I talked to one homeowner in nearby Northwood Country Estates who owns a five-acre lot.
Forty-five of the lots indicated above could fit on his property.
Drainage Plans
Friendswood appears to be almost halfway done with clearing land for Sila. Consistent with best practices and construction plans, contractors appear to be clearing one section at a time, installing perimeter catchment ditches, erecting silt fence, and stabilizing land before moving on to the next area.
Detail from Sila drainage impact analysis.
The drainage analysis also claims that the development will provide more than the minimum amount of required detention-basin capacity. The minimum required is .65 acre feet per acre. But the engineering firm BGE says it will provide .67.
The minimum requirement was established by Harris County Flood Control District in 2019 after Hurricane Harvey. So, it should accommodate 100-year rainfalls projected under Atlas 14, NOAA’s current standard for rainfall estimates.
Approximately the northern half of this area has been cleared to date.
Approximately Half of Land Cleared So Far
The pictures below, all taken on 2/3/24, show the areas cleared so far.
Looking west over Huffman-Cleveland Road at extent of clearing. Curvature in road is caused by wide-angle-lens distortion.
The yellowish runoff in the foreground of the photo above is from Saint Tropez another new, but different development seen in the background of two pictures below.
Note the ditches that channel runoff away from homes in Northwood County Estates in upper right.
A 1.5 inch rain the night before I took these photos caused the ponding water you see.
Reverse angle. A series of three connected stormwater retention basins will flank the main entry road. Area to right (south) has not yet been cleared.Looking east toward Saint Tropez across Huffman-Cleveland Road.Friendswood appears to have planted grass in foreground to reduce erosion.Silt fence protects neighbors in other areas cleared earlier.
Proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank
The Sila property will drain into hundreds of acres that are part of the proposed Lake Houston Mitigation Bank.
Looking W at wetlands and floodplain between Sila and the East Fork San Jacinto.
East Fork San Jacinto River and Lake Houston Park beyond.
The preservation of so much land will help protect homebuyers from flooding. It will also provide wildlife habitat and an exceptional recreational amenity. Here’s the prospectus for the mitigation bank presented to the Army Corps. Corps approval still appears to be pending as of this writing.
Areas of Concern
Two areas of concern, however, exist near the land most recently cleared. Contractors have not yet erected silt fence or dug protective ditches behind some of the neighboring homes on Davidson Lane in Northwood County Estates.
Looking S. Neighboring homes in upper right were still unprotected from runoff when I took this picture on 2/3/24. Water flows from left to right toward East Fork San Jacinto out of frame on the right.Looking W. Note how runoff is draining across neighbor’s property. A larger rain could have caused damage.
Neighbors in Northwood County Estates are also concerned with how existing drainage will tie into Sila’s drainage. Elevations on county drawings and Sila’s drawings differ in places. So residents are asking for confirmation that existing ditches will continue to drain properly.
Ditch at end of Davidson Lane in Northwood Country Estates.
For the most part, with the exceptions noted above, Friendswood seems to be responsibly navigating the perilous early phase of development between clearing and the installation of drainage.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/4/24
2250 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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Overnight, the gauge at West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) and the West Fork received 1.44 inches of rain. And once again, runoff from Trammell Crow’s High Street Residential apartment complex on WLHP flooded surrounding streets and neighbors.
Visit from Engineering, Pollution Control and Constables
Harris County Engineering made a series of visits to the work site earlier this week in an effort to bring the developer into compliance with stormwater regulations. Harris County Constables and Harris County Pollution Control even accompanied the engineering staff to the site on 2/1/24.
After that visit, a member of the engineering staff told a neighbor that work at the site had been shut down until contractors came into compliance. Reportedly, mitigation work was the only work allowed on the site. But evidently, the developer had other priorities.
Sediment-laden runoff from construction sites is one of the main sources of sediment pollution in rivers and lakes. It has been linked to blockages that contribute to flooding.
Changes Between 2/1/24 and 2/2/24
On Friday, 2/2/24, I paid the site the Trammell Crow construction site a visit and saw some stormwater-mitigation work in progress. Specifically, contractors appeared to have:
Dug a small pond to let sediment settle out of water.
Dug a channel toward it.
Cleared muck off the sidewalk on Kings Park Way.
Placed a short length of wattle roll between the street and worksite along Kings Park Way. (Wattle is a temporary erosion control and sediment control device used on construction sites to protect water quality in nearby streams, rivers, lakes. During rain storms, the rolls intercept surface stormwaterrunoff and reduce the velocity of flow.)
Placed wattle in front of one of the two storm drains on Kings Park Way along the southeast side of the development.
Erected a six-foot-high privacy fence around three sides of the site.
Stationed a guard at the worksite entrance. They clearly didn’t want anyone documenting what they were or weren’t doing.
Had they spent as much time erecting a runoff barrier as they did the visual barrier, they might have prevented another stormwater debacle.
Other work unrelated to stormwater mitigation also appeared to be underway at the site Friday afternoon.
Still No Results
By 8 am Saturday morning (2/3/24), my phone was blowing up. Irate neighbors were sending me videos. Once again, Kings Park Way and West Lake Houston Parkway were being flooded.
By 10:30 am, the same intersection looked like this.
Someone had removed the wattle and a sand bag to let the street drain. Note the new privacy fence in background.
That’s one way to solve a street-flooding problem. Flush the silty muck down the storm drain.
At noon, here’s what you could see elsewhere with a drone.
Looking toward the same troubled corner from the other side of the fence. Note water seeping underneath.Elsewhere, they had begun digging a trench to channel water toward the sediment pond.But the trench from the troubling corner did not reach the sediment pond.
Unprotected Perimeter Remained
Beyond the main entry, no silt fence and water leaking under privacy fence, which was leaning over.At the back of the property, no fence at all and water flowing into neighboring property.Water was escaping all along the back of the property.
Perhaps the developer should have spent more time controlling stormwater and less time concealing the site with a half mile of privacy fence.
It makes me wonder whether their values are misplaced.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/24
2349 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/2024/02/20240203-Screenshot-2024-02-03-at-4.51.55%E2%80%AFPM.jpg?fit=1100%2C893&ssl=18931100adminadmin2024-02-03 17:53:152024-12-22 17:53:41WLHP Developer Still Flooding Neighborhood
Despite constant rain that brought widespread flooding to the Houston region last week, contractors finished the Northpark tree transplantation. They also made significant progress on two other parts of the road expansion project since my last update two weeks ago. I took the pictures below on 2/1/24 with one exception.
Among the highlights:
Dozens of trees were transplanted on the south side of Northpark at US59. The trees now form an arc around what will eventually become a decorative pond/retention basin on the south side of the intersection.
Excavation of a companion decorative pond/retention basin on the north side of Northpark is much farther along than in my previous report.
The first leg of 8-foot culvert linking the ponds with Ditch One is almost complete. The other two legs (under the railroad tracks and from US59 to Loop 494) should start within weeks.
Ideal Weather for Northpark Tree Transplantation
The cool, wet weather created ideal conditions for the transplanted trees to take root and thrive. Ralph De Leon, project manager, noted that the spacing of the trees also gives them room to spread and thrive.
Each transplanted tree has a ring around the base designed to retain supplemental water. The trees will receive extra water for two years to ensure they thrive after the shock of being transplanted.
Looking south. Transplanted trees will form a backdrop for what will soon become another decorative pond.
Pond Excavation Progress
Meanwhile, across Northpark, excavation of the first of two ponds is proceeding despite the wet weather.
Looking north. Across Northpark Drive, excavation of the pond/retention basin is already well underway.Reverse angle of same area makes it easier to see the extent of excavation.
Excavated dirt is being stored temporarily at a sand mine on Sorters-McClellan Road. After the culverts are installed down the center of Northpark, contractors will retrieve the excavated dirt and place it over the culvert sections to form the road bed.
The pond above will go 8-12 feet deeper than you see now. The contractor is only digging down to the water table for now until: a) pond liners arrive and b) drainage connections for the ponds are complete. That’s because the contractors will have to continuously pump water as they excavate to the final depth.
Pond Landscaping Plans
That horse-shoe-shaped area on the left (above and below) will be a decorative focal point for the pond.
The trench you see above will contain a brick retaining wallthat keeps the area from eroding into the ponds.
Final design of the north pond will look like this.
The peninsula will contain decorative trees, shrubs and other plantings.
The next diagram shows how the north and south ponds will closely mirror each other.
Current plans call for colorful crepe myrtles. Japanese ardisia, a ground cover, will ring the area.
Japanese ardisia, also called marlberry, is a flowering, evergreen ground cover introduced from the Far East. It is a low-growing, woody shrub that spreads laterally while growing to a height of 8-12 inches.
No Identifying Entry Signage
Unlike Kingwood Drive, where KSA owns the land behind the ponds, TXDoT owns all the land at Northpark Drive. So you will not see any prominent Kingwood identification as you do at Kingwood Drive.
Drainage Progress Between Railroad and Ditch One
The entry ponds above will drain to “Ditch One.” The ditch runs parallel to Northpark behind the businesses on the north side of the road.
Culverts will carry the water from the ponds eastward, then under Loop 494 and the railroad tracks. The culvert will then turn north and back east again behind the businesses (see red line below).
Route of drainage from north pond to Ditch One.Photo from 1/24.
The agreement with UnionPacific to tunnel under the tracks has been completed and the plans approved. However, tunneling has not yet started. UP indicated that their busy season ends after February, so boring under the tracks will likely be delayed until then for safety reasons.
Regardless, the link to Ditch One around the storage businesses above is almost complete. Culvert has already been buried parallel to the tracks and behind two storage businesses.
Looking SW. Culvert placement almost complete. Contracts use the dirt to level ground above the culvert.
Existing drainage will join the new culvert behind those businesses. Currently, contractors are working on the junction. See below.
The new 8′ pipe from the ponds is the one with the man standing inside of it.
Contractors are also working on the outfall into the ditch. Because of the expected velocity of the water, they must create concrete walls to prevent erosion of the surrounding earth that could undermine the pipe.
Start of the concrete outfall into Ditch One.Ditch One (center) will then carry the stormwater to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Bens Branch.
Ditch One will eventually be widened to handle the increased flow. Connecting the ponds at US59 to the link under the railroad tracks should start in the next few weeks.
The project requires the additional retention and drainage capacity shown above to handle runoff from the extra lanes of traffic.
In front of the businesses shown above, Northpark will eventually expand to 10 lanes from the current four. Six will carry traffic on a bridge over the railroad and Loop 494. Four turn lanes will remain at ground level – two on each side of the bridge. The two will let traffic turn north or south onto 494 from each direction.
Built to TXDoT Highway Standards
This entire project is being built to TXDoT highway standards. Those standards exceed normal neighborhood street standards. You would expect nothing less for what will eventually become a critical evacuation route for 78,000 people.
Lanes will be 12-feet wide instead of 10 to safely carry traffic at higher speeds.
Concrete will be much thicker than normal to carry heavier loads without cracking.
Storm drains will be sized to carry the volume of runoff you would expect from highways. The wider inlets will help avoid water flooding roads during intense rainfalls.
Greater Safety at Rail Crossing/Loop 494
Safety will also improve at the railroad crossing.
A bridge will carry most traffic over the railroad.
The entire train track at Northpark will have a one-piece steel and concrete foundation. That will reduce the chance of track shifting or dipping and causing a derailment.
Pedestrian/bicycle crossings will have “escape gates” in case people get caught on tracks when trains come through.
However, installation of those safety improvements will cause some inconvenience. To install that one-piece steel and concrete foundation, the railroad will shut down for three days. That will require closing off Northpark for three days also.
Originally, project managers hoped to have four lanes open at all times for the duration of the project. So this is a change.
All in all, a 3-day shutdown is small price to pay for a great improvement in safety.
1/31/24 – At 5:20 today, about the time government inspectors usually knock off work and the sun was setting, I got a tip from a reader. The reader alerted me to flooding on Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway, adjacent to a new Trammell-Crow apartment complex that Harris County Engineering had cited for stormwater violations. I hustled down there. Here is what I found.
One Lane Flooded
The contractors were pumping silty stormwater into the street and flooding one lane of the road.
The hose pumping the water into the street appeared to be at least 4 inches.
They had placed sand bags around one storm drain to help filter the silt.
But the silty stormwater was so deep, it flowed in both directions…
…straight into another unprotected City of Houston storm drain down the block.
Mud covered sidewalks ankle deep…
…while an excavator dug a trench to make more muck flow toward the pump.
From the wet marks on the pavement, it appeared that the discharge had covered the entire right lane at one point.
This is Phase II of an apartment complex development. The land you see is owned by Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC. Both LLCs are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Their local headquarters are on 2800 POST OAK BLVD STE 400, HOUSTON TX 77056-6169. In case you chose to write them.
Public-Safety Issue
According to one study, “Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sediment pollution causes approximately $16 billion in environmental damage annually.”
After Hurricane Harvey, the Army Corps found that sediment had blocked 90% of the West Fork. Dredging cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And another email from a boater that I found waiting for me when I got home from the disaster site alerted me to the fact that sediment is building back in at an alarming rate.
Perhaps Mr. Crow could help with the next round of dredging. In 2020, Trammell Crow Holdings was worth an estimated $19.6 billion.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/24
2346 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/2024/01/20240131-RJR_3158.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-01-31 21:00:212024-01-31 21:11:03After Quitting Time, Contractor Pumps Silty Stormwater into Street
In response to citizen complaints, Harris County Engineering has visited a construction site on West Lake Houston Parkway three times and issued an unspecified number of stormwater violations.
Both phases of the development, Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC, are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Apartments are being built on Phase I. Meanwhile, Phase II is still in the clearing phase.
According to Danielle Cioce, Manager of the County Engineering Department’s Watershed Protection Group, “They are in the process of making the necessary repairs. We will continue to monitor the site to ensure it comes into compliance and remains that way.”
However, as of today, the developer appeared to fall short of compliance. I saw no activity on the portion of the site still being cleared. The reason was unclear. Cioce did not respond to multiple requests for comment today.
Effective Stormwater Measures Still Not in Place
I visited the site myself three times in the last week and have seen few changes since my initial post on this subject two weeks ago in response to a reader complaint.
The developer lacked normal safeguards against sediment escaping from the site, such as silt fences. Neither did the developer have sandbags to catch sediment in street gutters before it entered storm drains.
Such sediment escaping into the San Jacinto West Fork has been connected with flooding in the Lake Houston Area. The Army Corps estimated that the San Jacinto West Fork was 90% blocked near here after Hurricane Harvey.
How much of the sediment in the river is natural and how much man-made? One study found that approximately 30% of sediment pollution is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution, according to the study.
During a break in the rains last week, I photographed the High Street Residential site on West Lake Houston Parkway. It lies between Upper Lake and Kings Park Way. Without any of the normal safeguards, silty water poured off the site straight into storm sewers.
Photo taken 1/24/24 at West Lake Houston Parkway and Kings Park Way shows silt stormwater escaping into street.Same day. Slightly different angle shows volume of muck.Same day. Ground level shot shows runoff streaming into unprotected drain.Note lack of silt fence.Runoffstreamed over curb.The Army Corps, City, and TWDB recently spent $220 million on dredging the East and West Forks.
What Construction Plans Say Should Happen
I received the approved construction plans from HCFCD via a FOIA Request. They clearly state that contractors should have sediment protection controls in place before starting construction. Regulations also require the contractor to:
Document the date of installation of erosion control measures
Retain measures in place until permanent stabilization of soil
Make field adjustments as needed to maintain the effectiveness of all measures
Keep a record of weekly inspections that verify measures are functioning properly.
But that’s not all. See the two screen captures below from the construction plans.
Photos Taken 1/29/24 Show Aftermath of Last Week’s Rain
I returned to the site today, two and a half days after the rain stopped. Water was down slightly, but contractors still had not installed effective stormwater control measures.
Silt fence was missing. So were sandbags to guard the storm drains. In some places where silt fence had been installed, it had fallen over from the weight of runoff accumulated behind it. In other places sediment had collected knee-high to the top of the silt fences. See below.
Silt fence guarding the stormwater detention basin overwhelmed by eroded sediment. This suggests volume of runoff in other areaswithout silt fence.Phase I has no silt fence along most of the perimeter. Shown here: construction in progress along Upper Lake is guarded by a chain-link fence.
The developer had installed sandbags in a gap in the silt fence, but left gaps in the line of sandbags.
Note gaps in silt fence toward corner. That faint line guarding the corner is a line of sandbags.But…
The gaps channeled stormwater straight toward the storm drain in the first sequence of photos. See below.
Enlargement from previous photo shows gaps in line that channeled runoff toward street drains.
Accidental or intentional. You be the judge.
Someone will have to spend a lot of time in the “how come” room on this one.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/29/24
2344 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/2024/01/20240124-RJR_3123.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-01-29 18:57:372024-01-29 19:05:20Developer on WLHP Cited for Stormwater Violations
