There’s been a lot of water under the I-69 bridge since Harris County acquired the old privately owned Edgewater Park on the San Jacinto West Fork almost five years ago.
The county intended to start construction of a new bigger, better, public park with more amenities in 2019. The idea: turn floodway and floodplain land into an asset that would improve the community without exacerbating flooding.
Reportedly, however, pushback from Forest Cove residents over rerouting parts of Hamblen Road delayed the project. Then the City of Houston pushed back, too, on permitting for some buildings. Then came redistricting wars, budget battles, and a public-input session to determine what the community wants in Edgewater Park. Let’s first look at some pictures of the park and then review the new features.
Pictures Taken 5/23/23
I took the pictures below today. Edgewater Park will cover most of the land you see in the picture below between the river and that concrete patch in the upper middle (Laurel Springs RV Resort).
Looking NNE across San Jacinto West Fork toward Precinct 3 Edgewater Park.Looking NW. Hamblen Road cuts diagonally left to right through center of frame. Laurel Springs Lane cuts north (on right).Looking East downstream. West Fork Greenway will cut under bridge in the upper right.Looking east from approximately Hamblen and Laurel Springs Lane. West Fork Greenway will snake through this area on its way to 59 bridge.Looking SE. West Fork Greenway will ramp up to old truss bridge to take hikers and bikers across river.Note how far south the river has shifted. Those double trusses used to be centered over the river.Looking West. West Fork Greenway will connect with Spring Creek Greenway that snakes through the Forest on the West Side of US59. The Spring Creek Greenway will take people most of the way to the Woodlands with a couple small breaks.Winter photo showing oneof the beautiful cypress ponds north of Hamblen Road.Original (now outdated) plans for Edgewater Park at Hamblen Road and Loop 494
Elements of Plan B
Construction still hasn’t started and the County is rethinking its plans for the park. In the May 16 Commissioner Court meeting, commissioners approved Item 42 – funding to study Edgewater Park.
Eric Heppen, Precinct 3 Engineer says, “the study phase is just getting underway so there aren’t any bid specs at this time. But right now, we are looking at park components and materials that are more resilient and doing park improvements south of Hamblen Road only.”
Heppen adds, “In addition to a boat launch and parking lots there will be a small and large dog park, a playground, as well as both paved and unpaved trails. We are trying to build a park that will assist in serving the greater Kingwood area.”
“In addition we have been coordinating with he Houston Parks Board and connecting the Spring Creek Greenway into their trail network to enhance the overall trail system.”
“Our designer Quiddity has a landscape architect on its team. The architect has been tasked with adding plants that are native and will grow naturally to assist with natural mitigation efforts,” concluded Heppen.
Dog Park Fencing
The City of Houston requires dog parks to have fencing and Edgewater Park is in the City. Those who remember how logs collected in the railroad bridge supports next to the park during Harvey may remember how they contributed to catastrophic flooding.
Fencing can also collect debris swept downstream during floods. To prevent the fences from forming debris walls that make flooding worse, the City recommends a breakaway design. They attach the bottom of the chain-link fencing to steel poles with a steel ring. But they attach the top of the fencing to poles with plastic zip ties that break when pressure increases enough. That lets the fence flop down on the ground without being carried downstream.
You can see this ingenious system at the County’s Pundt Park along Spring Creek or in Buffalo Bayou Park downtown.
Types of Boats for Launch
Because dredging by the Army Corps stopped downstream of Edgewater Park, it will be difficult to launch larger boats with prop engines at Edgewater.
However, according to Heppen canoes and kayaks remain a possibility.
San Jacinto Greenway Link to Spring Creek Greenway
The Houston Parks Board is working with Harris County Precinct 3 to develop the West Fork Greenway and connect it to the Spring Creek Greenway. The map below shows the trail it will take from Woodland Hills Drive to the freeway.
Current extent. Trail will eventually continue west and cross over I-69/US59 via route shown in photos and first map above.
More on Edgewater as plans firm up. To see the master plan for Harris County Precinct 3 Parks, click here.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/23/2023
2093 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20230523-DJI_0893.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-05-23 15:55:282023-05-24 09:54:48Harris County Precinct 3 Rethinking Edgewater Park
The Texas General Land Office has posted Amendment 12 to the Hurricane Harvey State Action Plan for public comment. Among the highlights: If approved, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) could get $322 million in reallocated funding from underperforming and completed programs for infrastructure projects that protect residences and businesses. The proposed amendment also includes additional changes.
Almost six years after Hurricane Harvey, the Texas General Land Office hopes to reallocate funding from programs with below-expected participation to programs showing greater-than-expected need.
The goal is to use all the money before unused funds must be returned to HUD in 2026.
Brittany Eck, GLO spokesperson
Looking north along Kingwood Diversion Ditch where hundreds of homes flooded during Harvey. The Kingwood Area Drainage Analysis rated widening this ditch as one of the two most important projects in the Kingwood area.
Where Extra HCFCD Money Comes From
Funds redirected to HCFCD include:
$30 million EACH (total $60 million) from the City of Houston and Harris County administered disaster recovery programs that failed to meet program contract benchmarks
$83.9 million from the GLO administered City of Houston Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP)
$178.13 million from the GLO administered Harris County HAP.
How Money Can Be Used
The GLO’s Homeowner Assistance Programs are projected to serve all eligible applicants in Harris County and City of Houston and the remaining funds are available to be redirected toward other needs.
The HCFCD program will provide disaster relief, long-term recovery, and flood and drainage improvement for local communities within Harris County impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
It will also protect assets that have since been repaired from Hurricane Harvey.
Each project must demonstrate how it will contribute to the long-term recovery and restoration of housing.
Other Reallocations
Amendment 12 ensures the $2.46 billion in CDBG-DR funds originally allocated to Harris County and City of Houston will continue to address unmet recovery needs within those jurisdictions.
Harris County Administered Disaster Recovery Program total decreased to $887,334,984.
Homeowner Assistance Program increased to $49,524,866.
Homeowner Reimbursement Program decreased to $46,845,332.
Affordable Rental Program increased to $252,888,178.
Single Family New Construction Program decreased to $59,560,401.
Commercial Buyout Program increased to $18,294,906.
Method of Distribution (Local) increased to $129,934,907.
Competitive Request for Proposal Program decreased to $74,289,859.
City of Houston Administered Disaster Recovery Program total decreased to $664,157,590.
Multifamily Rental Program decreased to $370,855,752.
Small Rental Program increased to $13,424,373.
Homebuyer Assistance Program decreased to $18,016,785.
Public Service reduced to $17,851,394.
Economic Revitalization Program increased to $21,803,775.
Planning reduced to $22,217,000.
State Administered Disaster Recovery Program increased to $4,124,897,426.
Harris County Flood Control District Program created with $322,033,863.
Infrastructure Project Delivery increased to $29,585,390.
Harris County Homeowner Assistance Program decreased $108,214,125.
City of Houston Homeowner Assistance Program decreased to $481,698,301.
Homeowner Reimbursement Program (GLO program completed in January 2021, administered in the 48 eligible counties outside of Harris County and Houston) decreased to $102,951,722.
PREPS decreased to $22,587,890.70.
A spokesperson said that the GLO left enough money in the original programs to cover completion of work already started or approved.
How to Register Your Opinion
In my opinion, HCFCD sure could use the $322 million. Project overruns and inflation have eaten into the 2018 Flood Bond funds jeopardizing many projects at the bottom of the equity priority list.
To be considered, submit your comments to cdr@recovery.texas.gov by 5:00 p.m. on June 21, 2023.
Per federal requirements, the GLO must respond to public comments before the amendment can be sent to HUD for its 45-day final approval.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/22/2023 based on a press release by GLO
2092 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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This is a bit off-topic for a flood blog, but it may give inspiration to those who have been devastated by flooding and are fighting to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw, a Navy Seal who lost an eye in Afghanistan, has posted a powerful 9-minute speech on YouTube that everyone should listen to. Even though he’s addressing graduating high school seniors, it’s a powerful reminder to older people of the core values that make us strong as individuals and a nation.
Crenshaw begins by asking a simple question: Will we be up to the task of meeting the challenges that life throws at us?
Seven Lessons to Live By
He then discusses seven principles that prepare you to deal with the inevitable curve balls that life throws at you. I summarize them below:
Gain perspective. No matter what the challenge, others have had it harder.
Choose your heroes wisely. Emulate the people who have inspired you. Use them as your roadmap to success.
Shame is good. Not shaming others. But shame in the sense of holding yourself accountable to the person you want to be.
Forget about Plan B. This doesn’t mean you can’t change direction. Quitting means settling on a version of yourself that you know could be better.
Live with a sense of duty. Even when there may be no reward for doing the right thing, there’s no excuse not to do it.
Be still. Emotional reactions to hardships chip away at your ability to persevere. So, stay calm.
Embrace hardship. Find new ways to challenge yourself. Seek out hardship. It will make you better prepared to deal with those curve balls. Own your own destiny. Don’t let someone else dictate it for you.
An Ethos to Emulate
Crenshaw ends his speech with an allusion to the Navy Seal ethos. It’s not clear whether he’s quoting or adapting the Seal ethos at this point. But he sure is inspiring. Crenshaw ends with:
“I will not quit in face of danger or pain or self-doubt. I will not justify the easier path before me. I decide that all my actions, not just some, matter. Every small task is a contribution toward a higher purpose. Every day is undertaken with a sense of duty to become better than I was yesterday, even in the smallest of ways.”
“I seek out hardship. I do not run from pain, but embrace it. Because I derive strength from my suffering. I confront the inevitable trials of life with a smile. I plan to keep my head and be still when chaos overwhelms me. I will tell the story of my failures and hardships as a victor, not a victim.
“I will be grateful. Millions who have gone before me have suffered too much, fought too hard, and been blessed with far too little for me to squander this life. So I won’t.
“My purpose will be to protect and uphold the spirit of my great country, knowing that the values and freedoms we hold dear have been paid for with blood and can only be preserved by a strong people. So, I will do my part. I will live my life with fortitude.”
Words of wisdom. For everyone. Not just graduates.
Please take ten minutes to watch Congressman Crenshaw’s video with family and friends – before Memorial Day.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/21/2023
2091 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20230521-Screenshot-2023-05-21-at-11.27.44-AM.jpg?fit=1200%2C664&ssl=16641200adminadmin2023-05-21 11:34:562023-05-21 11:41:12High School Graduation Speech Everyone Should Watch
Downstream property owners who claim their property was unconstitutionally “taken” by the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) during Harvey face more delays in their legal battle for compensation. A final outcome could still be years away.
So, the SJRA then entered a “plea to the jurisdiction.” Basically, a plea to the jurisdiction also seeks to dismiss a case. But it does that by challenging the court’s subject-matter jurisdiction, not by arguing the merits of the case.
On December 16, 2022, the trial court dismissed that, too. Now the SJRA is appealing the dismissal of its plea to the jurisdiction as well. SJRA uses a quirk of Texas law that allows government agencies to file appeals before a case is decided, thus dragging them out.
In the meantime, SJRA has been attacking the report of Dr. Phillip Bedient, a professor of engineering at Rice University, acting as an expert witness for the plaintiffs. Bedient’s report contains explosive allegations. If a jury finds them persuasive, it could be very costly to the SJRA and State of Texas, which backstops the SJRA financially.
SJRA’s delaying tactics and appeals suggest it fears Bedient’s testimony in front of a jury.
Seven Months Arguing over an Expert Witness
The chronology of 334 filings to date with the Harris County Clerk in this case (#1123430) reveals as much about the SJRA legal strategy as the contents of the SJRA filings themselves.
The latest dust-up over Bedient started in August 2022. SJRA claimed plaintiffs had not given them notice of Bedient’s expert testimony. Plaintiffs had given notice two years earlier.
The next item in the court record (November 28, 2022) is SJRA’s objections to Bedient’s declaration. SJRA urged the judge to strike Bedient’s testimony. Plaintiffs objected to SJRA’s objections on 12/1/2022.
Net: the SJRA has spent the last 7 months trying to keep Bedient’s testimony from being heard by a jury. One legal expert I talked to predicts that the SJRA will appeal its plea to the jurisdiction all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. And that plea revolves heavily around Bedient’s testimony.
Bombshells in Bedient Testimony
So, what did Bedient claim that could be so damaging? Read his entire testimony here. It contains a number of explosive allegations.
SJRA told the court it did not model a “no-Lake-Conroe-Dam Scenario.” But Bedient claims SJRA produced a “no dam” model during discovery. Oops!
The no-dam scenario showed:
Lower flood peaks downstream than with the 79,000 cubic-feet-per-second SJRA actually released
Flood peaks without a dam would have arrived slower and given people more time to evacuate.
SJRA originally designed a dam that would have served two purposes: flood control and water supply. It later modified the design before construction to be water supply only.
Flooding would have been less damaging had SJRA constructed the flood-control dam originally authorized.
SJRA justified its release of 79,000 CFS by saying peak inflow was 130,000 CFS. But Bedient says the 130,000 estimate was a short-lived spike from one small area, and that had the SJRA averaged the inflow across the entire watershed, it could have released far less water – 60,000 CFS – while still following its dam operating procedures.
A 1994 storm, during which SJRA released 33,000 cubic feet per second from Lake Conroe, badly flooded Kingwood and Humble. The SJRA later modified its gate operating procedures to avoid downstream flooding, but then released 79,000 CFS during Harvey.
Downstream flooding will likely recur as a result of the current design and operation of the Lake Conroe Dam.
Read more about these and Bedient’s other conclusions on pages 25-27. No wonder SJRA is fighting this testimony!
At the current rate, it could be years before this case goes to trial. Two-years ago – on 5/21/21, the judge issued a deadline for challenges to expert testimony; they were supposed to have been heard 18 months ago.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/20/23
2090 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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Eleven leaders have turned over in the last year including five in the last month. The:
Office of the County Administrator has a new interim Executive Director.
Economic Equity and Opportunity Office has a new interim Executive Director.
Commissioners Court Analysts’ Office has had twointerim Executive Directors in a matter of weeks.
Universal Services Department has a new interim Executive Director (effective 5/16/23).
All those “interims” hint at more changes to come. But the changes go even further down several organizational ladders.
Deeper Changes Affect Whole Departments
The new interim leader at Universal Services, Sindhu Menon, began making organizational changes one day after her appointment two days ago. The full scope has yet to be seen. So far, she has reportedly addressed some departmental cultural changes and instituted an open door policy, which employees say is a refreshing change from her predecessor.
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) also announced changes this week on 5/15/23. But the District’s head did not change. HCFCD changes are more structural than cultural.
Let’s dive into HCFCD’s latest reorg, look at how three previous reorgs under Hidalgo have affected operations, and then look at academic research on the impact of frequent reorganizations.
Latest Reorganization at Flood Control
County Commissioners appointed Dr. Tina Petersen, Executive Director of HCFCD, in January 2022. She is the department’s fourth leader under Hidalgo since Russ Poppe resigned in July 2021, less than 2 years ago. Peterson has reportedly been working on her department’s reorganization for approximately the last year.
Dr. Petersen says her goals include:
Enhancing operations
Reaffirming a commitment to administrative excellence
Efficient project delivery
Robust maintenance of infrastructure
Building dynamic partnerships.
Dr. Petersen did not respond to a question about whether the recent, dramatic drop in HCFCD spending had anything to do with the timing of her reorganization. However, all of the announced goals seem generally designed to counter the downward trend below on the right.
Source: FOIA Requests to HCFCD.
After a steady increase following the passage of the flood bond in 2018, spending is now down to approximately the 2017 level (assuming Q1 rates hold). The decrease corresponds to the department’s frequent leadership changes.
HCFCD issued the new organizational chart below this week. It is designed to accomplish Dr. Petersen’s goals, which don’t specifically include speed.
The creation of several new positions at the “chief” level
A curious multi-level relationship between the chiefs
Multiple open positions
A reshuffling of responsibilities under the chiefs
“Demotions” for many departments caused by one and sometimes two additional layers of management inserted between Petersen and people actually doing the work.
Extra layers of management have the potential to slow things down even more rather than speed them up.
Changes Compared to Previous Structure
For instance, Communications used to report to the Chief of Staff and then Dr. Petersen. Now, it reports to a Public Information Officer and an External Affairs division head before the Chief of Staff. See org chart above in the second column from the left.
HCFCD issued no public announcement explaining the changes. So, without a previous org chart, it’s hard to tell exactly what changed unless you are familiar with certain departments (as I was with communications).
The demotion of Communications is regrettable in my opinion. Communications have already slowed and this will slow them further. Consider two examples: flood-bond and website updates.
Already HCFCD has abandoned monthly flood-bond spending updates in favor of twice-yearly.
Many of the District’s web pages refer to upcoming meetings that happened years ago!
“Active Projects” have not been updated on the District’s website in five months, even though many projects have changed.
May 18th screen capture still shows active projects from January.
But the challenges don’t stop there.
Political Interference Has Slowed Flood-Risk Reduction
Irrespective of Dr. Petersen’s talents, she has little ability to control changing priorities above her pay grade. Consider these two examples.
Five items on the 5/16/23 Commissioners Court Agenda (256, 259, 260, 263 and 264) involved $250 million in grants for sediment removal awarded nearly 2 yearsago. The projects were just approved THIS week.
A quarter billion dollars has been parked on the sidelines for almost two years.
Certainly, finalizing construction plans and bidding the jobs consumed part of that time. The reorg might help with those things.
But according to three sources who asked to remain anonymous, political interference from commissioners also delayed the projects. Certain commissioners reportedly didn’t think enough of the FEMA money was being spent in their precincts.
Then there’s the $750 million in HUD/GLO Harvey mitigation funds awarded to Harris County – also two years ago. Instead of asking Flood Control how it recommended spending the money, Commissioners gave that task to the Community Services Department (CSD) which still hasn’t developed a definitive list of projects. Perhaps that’s because CSD has had six changes of leadership under Hidalgo. But CSD did cut HCFCD’s share of the pie by almost a quarter billion dollars.
The parked FEMA and HUD funds represented chances for Hidalgo to reduce flood risk by a $1 billion.
And let’s not forget the annual changes of priorities in the County’s Equity Prioritization Framework that force HCFCD staff to constantly re-evaluate more than a hundred projects.
Common Pitfalls of Reorganizations in General
Many valid reasons exist to reorganize. Likewise, reorganizations also entail many pitfalls.
Frequent reorgs can wreak havoc on an organization’s productivity by demoralizing employees.
80% of reorgs fail to deliver the hoped-for value in the time planned
10% cause real damage
Reorgs—and the uncertainty they provoke—can cause greater stress and anxiety than layoffs
In about 60% of cases, reorgs reduce productivity for a period of time.
An article in Forbes, titled “Curse of the Reorg,” details some of reasons why. It claims, “When companies announce a ‘reorg,’ internal reactions often skew more concerned than excited.”
Forbes continues, “Employees may not perceive this news as a positive change when they’re consumed by questions like: Another reorg, really? What will happen to my job? How will my team change? Will the projects I’ve been working on for months (even years) go away?”
Another article, on LinkedIn, documented how productivity dropped 50% after a reorg because of issues like those above.
Many academic articles suggest that it takes six to nine months to get past the productivity dips associated with reorganizations. One can only wonder whether the leadership changes and reorganizations throughout Harris County are happening faster than productivity can recover from them.
Only commissioners have the power to fix this problem. But service delivery doesn’t seem to be the highest priority of many of them.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/18/2023
2088 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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Lack of support by the Texas State legislature is putting the project to add more floodgates to the Lake Houston dam in danger. Right now, money is not in the appropriations bill for the next two years. And if we have to wait for another two years, the initial $50 million committed by FEMA to the project will expire.
Call to Action
Please CALL the following elected representatives to voice your support for including $150 million for Lake Houston Floodgates in next year’s state budget. Also, get everyone you know to call.
At a minimum, call:
Governor Greg Abbott: (512) 463-2000
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick: (512) 463-0001
Sen. Brandon Creighton: (512) 463-0104
Rep. Greg Bonnen: (512) 463-0729, Chair of House Appropriations
Sen. Joan Huffman: 512-463-0117, Chair of Senate Finance Committee
If Lake Houston could release more water faster, authorities could wait until they were certain a storm would hit our area before releasing water. Releasing water would create more room for floodwater. But if the storm veers away and we release the water unnecessarily, it could cause a water shortage for 2 million people.
More gates would eliminate that risk/uncertainty.
Progress But Still No Permanent Solution
Rainfall this past week has demonstrated the problem once again. There was no tropical storm. No hurricane. No stalled front. Just widespread, sporadic downpours. Even with Lake Houston’s gates wide open and two feet of water cascading over the spillway, areas around the lake are still flooding.
Preliminary engineering studies showed that more gates could reduce flood levels significantly. FEMA appropriated $50 million to build them. But additional studies showed we need more gates that will quadruple the cost. We need $150 million more.
Support of Area Representatives and Organizations Not Enough
The state legislature is the only place to get that money before the FEMA grant expires. More than a dozen area organizations and elected representatives have already written letters to legislators in support of the project – to no avail.
Significantly, support comes from both upstream and downstream.
Montgomery County people want this project as much as Harris County people, because it would enable Lake Conroe to avoid seasonal lowering.
At this time, we need to start a telephone campaign by residents. NOW! This session ends in days.
Please voice your support for the project by calling the offices of Governor Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Patrick, Senator Creighton, and Rep. Greg Bonnen, chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Ask them to add $150 million for more Lake Houston floodgates innext year’s state budget.
You could make the difference.
Posted By Bob Rehak on 5/17/2023
2087 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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Upstream rains. Downstream pains. On what could be one of the best soccer days of the year, the soccer fields at River Grove Park are mostly underwater this morning. And more rain could be on the way this afternoon.
Conditions Near West Fork Tuesday Morning
At 10 a.m. on 5/16/23, the San Jacinto West Fork was out of its banks by about a foot and a half. The water surface elevation stood at 50’8″.
River Grove Park Soccer Fields, looking NE from over boat docks.Looking SE from over soccer field parking lot.Boat docks and play area under water.Boardwalk under water.Farther upstream, at the US59 bridge, the turnaround under the bridge was closed.No parking today under the bridge.
Last Month Compared to Normal
The last month has been wet!
Rainfall for last 31 days. While Kingwood received 7-9″, Crosby received 11″. Upstream on Spring and Cypress Creeks, many gages recorded 11-12” and one recorded more than 13″.
Luckily, most of the rainfall has been spread out. At 59 and the West Fork, the highest daily total was 1.8″.
But it ain’t over yet. Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist, says daytime heating today could bring another round of thunderstorms with 2-3 inches in isolated areas.
How does that compare to normal for this time of year? The National Weather Service shows these average rainfall totals by month for the last 30 years for Houston Intercontinental Airport.
The average for April is 3.95″ and May is 5.01″ inches.
Many places in Harris County have received more than double the usual rainfall for this time of year.
The good news: The rainfall was spread out. So few, if any, homes flooded. Mostly, just low-lying areas near rivers and streams flooded, such as River Grove Park.
Parks represent the highest and best use for areas near rivers that frequently flood. When the water goes down, it’s “game on” again. No soggy carpet to replace. No drywall to repair. And they don’t reduce the storage capacity of the floodplain.
Many thanks to the Kingwood Service Association which owns and maintains all five parks and recreation areas in Kingwood.
On April 14, 2022, I wrote about how the brain drain in Harris County government under County Judge Lina Hidalgo compromised productivity and service. At that point, Hidalgo had been in office just 3.25 years. During that time, the heads of 16 out of 20 departments had changed – many more than once. Those 16 departments had had 34 leaders under Hidalgo by then.
To make matters worse, in some cases, 100% of the group heads under the department heads also turned over, leaving whole departments rudderless and gutting institutional knowledge.
Now, a year later, Judge Hidalgo still has not staunched the hemorrhaging. It’s continuing and perhaps worsening, raising costs for you, the taxpayer.
10 New Heads in One Year, More Possible
In the year since my last report:
10 department heads have turned over.
1 of those department heads lasted just weeks.
2 departments still have not announced new or interim leaders after long periods
Commissioners Court is considering duplicating a department because the first is broken.
Elections Administrator’s Office (Clifford Tatum replaced Isabel Longoria. Tatum may be replaced if SB1750 passes.)
In the April 25 Commissioner’s Court meeting, Democrats proposed creating yet another county IT department dedicated to handling justice/law enforcement systems.
One department head who shall remain nameless is under pressure to leave because of alleged sexual harassment and employee intimidation.
The boss. According to multiple studies, most employees quit their boss, not the organization. Professionals want bosses who can teach them things and help them grow within their professions. Political appointees may not have that skill set.
Perhaps nowhere are these problems more apparent than in Universal Services, the county’s IT department. Last year, the department’s JWEB system broke down and caused the release of dozens of prisoners. That happened under a new department leader with no IT experience.
Problems with the system have reportedly continued since then, causing frustrations to mount in the law enforcement community. As a result, the County is exploring creating a new department to do what Universal Services is already supposed to be doing. See item 297 on the 4/25/2023 commissioners court agenda.
But consider several problems with this proposal:
There aren’t enough knowledgeable, qualified IT people to staff two departments.
Universal Services would have to continue hosting the system, further fragmenting responsibility.
Fragmentation of responsibilities undermines response time, which is the problem.
Most of these problems can be traced back to the replacement of a career professional by an unqualified political appointee. Qualified technical people then left in droves because of all the issues cited above.
I asked one person to describe how the turnover has affected system development and support. The source offered this description.
“There has been a lot of turnover in project management (PM), for instance. And, of course, there is a lag time while a new PM gets set up, learns the systems, and starts to become effective. In addition to that, PMs have to deal with tech staff turnover, since we keep losing developers and infrastructure people and positions. So, the new PM has to figure out how to find replacements from existing staff (and who to ask to find them), then negotiate to get them pulled away from other efforts to get on to their projects, and finally the PM gets tired of dealing with all of that in addition to hostile upper management and leaves for another department or another employer.”
As a result, no coding has yet been done on a highly needed justice IT system for 2.5 years. Worse yet, Universal Services reportedly hasn’t even locked down the system’s specs yet!
Property Appraisals Skyrocket with Increasing Costs
It’s not just county leaders and employees who suffer. You, the taxpayer, have to pay for:
Excessive personnel turnover
Higher recruitment costs
Training of replacements
Loss of institutional knowledge
Costly rookie errors
New employees figuring out where the toilet paper is
Poorer service
Reduced productivity
Without the ability to raise tax rates, where will money to pay for all that come from?
According to an analysis by O’Connor property tax consulting and appraisal services, Harris County is attempting to tax homeowners this year at 116.2% of the value of their properties.
More than 90% of Harris County homeowners received notices of assessed value that exceed the market value of their property.
O’Connor Property Tax Consulting
The excess assessments could cost Harris County homeowners $1,365,000,000, according to O’Connor.
A Never-Ending Story
In Hidalgo’s first 3.25 years, Harris County had 36 new department heads. During the year since then, we’ve had 10 more. In addition:
Four departments have leaders with “interim” in their titles.
Two departments may have vacancies at the top.
Two departments have leaders under pressure to leave.
That could soon push Hidalgo’s “turnover total” among department heads well past 50. And that will make it harder to recruit qualified talent.
Who wants a job where you measure tenure with a stopwatch?
This is what happens when you elect someone who’s never held a real job to become the CEO of a multi-billion dollar enterprise.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/13/23
2083 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Hidalgo-Keyframe.jpg?fit=1200%2C835&ssl=18351200adminadmin2023-05-13 17:39:282023-05-15 08:39:53Costly Brain Drain Continues in Harris County
The long-awaited Lauder Basin Phase II on Greens Bayou is now under construction. In May of last year, the Texas Water Development Board announced a $2.2 million grant to expand the basin.
HCFCD is expanding the basin into the old Castlewood Subdivision east of Aldine Westfield Road.
A visit to the job site earlier this week showed that construction is now well underway. See the photos below.
Looking NW.Phase II of the Lauder Basin under construction. Greens Bayou is in upper right. Small creek in foreground is a tributary.
Looking West. Greens Bayou flows toward camera position from upper right to lower right.Still looking west, but from closer position reveals that HCFCD is excavating area closest to Greens first.Looking West from farther away reveals proximity of Phase II with two ponds built during Phase I.See diagram below.
Eventually, Phase 2 should have several compartments with water-quality plantings to help filter out pollutants, and a small stream connecting the ponds. This presentation is a bit dated, but shows HCFCD’s plans for the basin as they existed in 2020.
Artists rendering of Phases I and II of Lauder Basin.Plans for Phase II have reportedly changed slightly.
Project Scope
Together, Phases I and II should provide more than 1,200 acre-feet of stormwater storage. HCFCD designed them to fill up during storms to help reduce the risk of Greens from flooding local homes, businesses and schools. After a flood, the basins release excess water slowly when the channel can safely accept it.
Phase II (651 acre feet) will actually provide more stormwater storage than Phase I (588 acre feet).
HCFCD estimates total Phase II construction costs at $32 million and predicts construction could take 2.5 years.
Spending Comparison with Other Watersheds
Greens Bayou has received more than a quarter billion dollars of projects such as these since 2000. That’s more than any other watershed in Harris County with the exception of Brays Bayou – where Commissioner Rodney Ellis lives.
Data obtained from HCFCD by FOIA request. Includes all spending from 1/1/2000 through end of Q1 2023.
Greens Bayou is one of the few watersheds where HCFCD spending did not plummet last quarter. Even as spending decreased in 15 watersheds, it rose in Greens Bayou by almost $4.8 million. To put that in perspective, it increased 11 times more than the watershed with the second largest increase, White Oak, at $431,126.
Here are the actual numbers.
Data obtained from HCFCD via FOIA requests.
No doubt, the activity you see in the photos above had a lot to do with Greens’ ranking. So, does construction on Garners Bayou, a tributary of Greens farther downstream.
Stay tuned for more news as construction progresses.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/12/23
2082 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/20230507-DJI_0719.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-05-12 15:59:292023-05-12 16:02:39Lauder Basin Phase II on Greens Bayou Under Construction
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin has announced that Houston City Council unanimously accepted an additional $29,000,000 in state grant funds to continue dredging around the canals and channels of Lake Houston. The money will also help start a pilot program to trap sediment upstream before it reaches the lake, thereby hopefully reducing dredging costs in the long run.
East Side of Lake
The additional funding will allow dredging activities to start on the east side of Lake Houston in the various canals/channels. Martin emphasized, however, that they have some touch up work to do on Rogers Gully on the west side of the lake before they move to the east side.
Once on the east side, dredging will start near FM1960 and work its way south. The City has not yet established a firm timeline.
DRC will handle the dredging. That is the same company that has handled the dredging since the Corps finished its Emergency West Fork Dredging program several years ago.
DRC will reportedly use mechanical, not hydraulic dredging. That means, they’ll be working with long-armed excavators and scooping dirt onto pontoons. See second picture below.
If successful, this could reduce long-term dredging costs. The pilot program will rely on sand miners to excavate sand from point bars outside their mines. But there are few, if any, mines upstream on Cypress and Spring Creeks, where the miners claim most of the sediment is coming from. So that could limit the replicability of the test, even if successful on the West Fork.
More than 4 Million Cubic Yards Dredged to Date
“Tremendous progress has been made since Hurricane Harvey through the completion of FEMA, Texas Water Development Board, Harris County, and City of Houston projects,” said Martin. “Since 2018, the total combined efforts of these entities have resulted in approximately 4,004,008 cubic yards of silt and sediment dredged from Lake Houston and its tributaries at a total cost of $222 million.” That money has come from federal, state, and local funding sources.
Example of canal dredging. Rogers Gully mouth bar in Atascocita before it was removed. This picture shows mechanical dredgers at work. This blockage was eventually removed, but some touch up work elsewhere reportedly remains.
Blockages like those above can back water up during storms, and flood homes and businesses.
Kudos
Martin passed out kudos to those who supported the $29 million appropriation. Martin thanked former State Representative Dan Huberty and Senator Brandon Creighton for their commitment to seeing this project through and their dedication to the long-term maintenance dredging on Lake Houston.
“Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3, Tom Ramsey, and Harris County Flood Control District have also been terrific partners,” said Martin. “I also want to thank my colleagues on City Council, Mayor Sylvester Turner for his unwavering support for Lake Houston, and Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello for his continued diligence on flood mitigation efforts.”
Status of Dredging District Legislation
State Representative Charles Cunningham introduced HB 5341 this year. The bill would have created a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District to handle sediment issues like these in perpetuity. The bill received a public hearing on 4/11/23, but unfortunately, it has stalled in the Natural Resources Committee since then. So has HB 1093, a bill which would have assured cleanup of abandoned sand mines.
With time running out in this session, we will likely need to recycle those bills for the next session.
More news to follow when the dredging starts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/11/2023 based on information from the Houston District E officeand Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin
2081 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220520-DJI_0451.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-05-11 07:50:472023-05-11 08:22:27Houston City Council Approves $29 Million More For Dredging, Sand Trap Tests
