Tag Archive for: City of Houston

Flood-Mitigation Update Nine Years after Hurricane Harvey

8/27/26 – This week marks nine years since Hurricane Harvey, the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the United States. It dropped 60.58 inches of rain in Nederland, Texas, just east of Houston. Harvey also caused an estimated $125 billion in damages, making it the second costliest storm in U.S. history after Katrina.

Estimated rainfall totals from Harvey across SE Texas show Houston in the bulls eye.

According to the National Weather Service, only around 10 percent of the river forecast points in southeast Texas remained below flood stage during the event, and…

Approximately 46 percent of the river forecast points reached new record levels.

National Weather Service

Nine Years of Flood-Mitigation Efforts

In the wake of all that destruction, the public demanded better flood protection and officials responded. Here is a list of some of the major efforts.

Results to Date

What is the status of all these flood-mitigation efforts today? In the same order:

HCFCD has spent about $2.2 billion of the total $5.2 committed – 42%. Because of deadlines attached to some of the federal funds, the County could lose hundreds of millions of dollars and the head of the flood control district resigned under pressure. A new director is trying to pick up the pieces.

The Army Corps completed its dredging program and the City extended it. However, sediment from sand mines upstream has once again reduced the conveyance of rivers, streams and channels.

At the start of this month, directors were finally sworn in for the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District. And they are in the process of developing a business plan.

Harris County Engineering, which enforces floodplain regulations, is essentially in disarray, due to loss of personnel and high turnover. Some employees have reportedly resigned within weeks of joining the department. As a consequence, contractors are dumping fill in floodplains with impunity.

After achieving mixed results on getting surrounding counties to adopt minimum drainage regulations, Harris County Engineering quietly dropped the effort. Since then, Colony Ridge in Liberty County has grown 50% larger than Manhattan. The developer has filled in wetlands, developed thousands of acres with no detention basins, and failed to line channels with grass to reduce erosion.

Under pressure from Lake Conroe boaters, the SJRA stopped automatic seasonal lowering of lake levels.

Mark Micheletti is now the sole downstream representative on the seven-person SJRA board. And State Rep. Will Metcalf introduced legislation to deny representation to downstream residents on the SJRA Board.

Most of the SJRA studies are still incomplete. And no recommendations have yet been implemented from any studies that are complete. The Spring Creek study, for instance, recommended the purchase of land which had already been sold and developed by the time the SJRA Board got a chance to consider it.

The City of Houston still hopes to add more floodgates to Lake Houston’s dam. However, changes in scope have inflated costs. They now exceed committed funding. The search for funding continues as engineering plans near completion.

CoH’s long-range dredging operational plan will depend on financing for the Dredging and Maintenance District which is still being studied.

In the quest to build a reliable evacuation route from Kingwood, Northpark Drive Phase I is nearing completion, estimated for 27Q1. Waiting in the wings: the Phase II extension to Woodland Hills. And a large detention basin south of St. Martha Catholic Church. In future floods, if Hamblen, Kingwood Drive and Mills Branch Road go under water, this should create a fast, reliable evacuation route. Estimated completion for everything: 2031.

The Coastal Texas Project issued a press release in March 2025 stating that the first component of the plan was starting design. I can find no updates to their website since then.

The Resilient Houston website appears to have been taken down. I can find no recent updates on the program.

HCFCD’s Resilience Plan is still in development.

FEMA published new draft flood maps for Harris County in March 2026. But they won’t become effective for two to three more years while they go through a public comment and review period. Surrounding counties have not yet released updated flood maps based on higher Atlas 14 rainfall totals. Meanwhile, more than 65,000 homes have been built in the region’s floodplains since Harvey, according to a Houston Chronicle investigation.

The Texas Water Development Board’s (TWDB) first statewide flood plan found that:

  • More people live in Texas floodplains than live in 30 states
  • One in five Texans lives in a floodplain
  • 42% of those who live in the San Jacinto River Basin live in floodplains
  • Floodplain dwellers in the San Jacinto watershed alone exceed the population of 15 states and the District of Columbia.

TWDB is now in its second flood-planning cycle. Regional Flood Planning Groups submit projects they identify for funding to help reduce flood risk. But there are far more projects than dollars to do them. In the first cycle, the regional groups submitted $46 billion worth of projects and the legislature appropriated $1 billion to fund them.

Conclusions

I draw several conclusions from these observations:

  • If another flood like Harvey happened now, it could be equally destructive.
  • Mitigation takes longer and costs more than taxpayers can afford.
  • So…homebuyers beware.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/27/26

3285 days (nine years) since Hurricane Harvey

SJRA Announces More Delays on Joint Reservoir Operations Study

8/5/2026 – In 2020 – three years after Hurricane Harvey – the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) applied for $500,000 grant from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) to study Joint Reservoir Operations between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston. They hoped they could reduce flooding through better coordination of releases from the two dams.

March 2026 Public Input Session in Humble

Earlier this year, SJRA held a public input session at the Humble Civic Center where it outlined the goals of the study and listened to dozens of downstream residents still harboring PTSD from flooding and angry about delays.

At the event, SJRA said it would present its conclusions this FALL in The Woodlands. Now, five months later, the schedule has slipped to Spring 2027. See the screen capture below from SJRA’s website.

Screen capture taken 7/21/26

Proffered Reasons for Delays

Matt Barrett, PE, SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager, offered this explanation for the delay in an email.

Barrett said, “We are budgeting more time for reviews due to the number of partners involved. A couple other items that impacted the schedule and may delay the report are the modeling for the pre-release analysis, as well as required coordination with the ongoing Lake Houston Gates Project. We also expect a fair amount of stakeholder engagement.”

At the July SJRA Board Meeting, General Manager Aubrey Spear said that the Joint Operations study could not be done before the gate design was completed. Spear said he would have more information at the October SJRA Board Meeting. Mr. Sprear’s comments about the study begin at about 14:30 into this video and last for about 3 minutes.

Mr. Spear addressing SJRA Board Members at their 7/23/26 meeting.

Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger said today that the part of the Gates project that the SJRA needs to finish its work should be ready in 4-6 weeks.

Before Mr. Spear concluded his remarks at the SJRA Board Meeting, he spent another minute addressing the status of SJRA’s long-delayed sand-trap study, which has been sitting on the shelf for more than four years.

No SJRA Study Results Implemented Yet

SJRA has conducted a number of studies since Hurricane Harvey. They include a:

Yet nine years after Harvey, to my knowledge…

No drainage recommendations from any of these studies have ever been constructed.

The 661-page Birch and Walnut Creek study took so long that recommendations could not be implemented. By the time it was finished, the land had been sold to developers. A large solar farm was already built on one of the parcels needed when the SJRA Board reviewed the results and decided to take no action.

I hope the same does not happen with the Joint Ops study. Downstream residents desperately need something actionable this time from the SJRA.

One expert familiar with the issues involved told me, “Frankly, there’s no reason this study could not have moved forward long ago. It’s about procedures and operations. If the design of the gates changes, just update the procedure manual.”

Plea for Downstream Involvement

At every SJRA Board meeting, one or more residents from Lake Conroe speak during the public comments to oppose any pre-release. Downstream residents rarely if ever appear. So, the “no pre-release” mantra goes unchallenged. The SJRA Board needs to hear opposing points of view if downstream residents ever hope to see recommendations from the Joint Ops study implemented.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/5/2026

3263 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.

Bayou Land Conservancy Joins Crowd Opposing Scarborough Development

7/23/26 – One of the leading conservation groups in the area, the Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC), has lined up against the proposed 5,300-acre Scarborough development at the confluence of Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork.

BLC joins a growing list of people and organizations opposing the floodplain development, which one of the area’s leading hydrologists said would “be like aiming a firehose at Humble and Kingwood.”

Almost 10,000 citizens have already signed a petition against Scarborough’s development. Harris County Commissioners Court and Houston City Council have also unanimously approved resolutions opposing it because of its potential impacts on public safety and regional infrastructure.

According to BLC, development of the environmentally sensitive property also raises concerns about drinking water, and the future of one of the Houston region’s most important natural floodplains.

BLC’s Board of Directors recently adopted a formal resolution opposing the Scarborough Development. The Board believes the project would put critical floodplains and wetlands at risk and could increase flooding downstream while affecting water quality in the Lake Houston watershed.

Scarborough
From FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Scarborough property in center at confluence of Spring and Cypress Creeks with San Jacinto West Fork. US59, Kingwood and Forest Cove on right.Cross-hatch = Floodway, Aqua = 100-Year Floodplain, Brown = 500-year Floodplain.

Note that the flood map above is based on pre-Atlas-14 data. So the situation is actually much worse than depicted. Montgomery County has not yet adopted new flood maps based on Atlas 14.

Why Leaving the Land Natural Matters

Scarborough’s property currently functions as a natural floodwater storage area. It slows and absorbs stormwater while filtering water that ultimately flows into Lake Houston.

Lake Houston serves as the primary drinking water source for approximately 2.4 million people across the Greater Houston Area, according to Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger.

The property, commonly referred to as the “Scarborough Development” or Ryko tract, lies within one of the most environmentally sensitive and flood-prone areas of the Lake Houston watershed.

“Bayou Land Conservancy’s mission is the permanent preservation of land along streams to protect people from flooding, safeguard clean water, and conserve wildlife habitat,” said Jill Boullion, the Executive Director of Bayou Land Conservancy. “This property checks all those boxes. It needs to be protected, but we need help from the community to succeed,” she added.

This specific tract of land consists predominantly of active floodplains and wetlands that currently act as a critical natural sponge, absorbing and slowing floodwaters, and providing essential water filtration for the Lake Houston watershed. Clearing and filling these wetlands to elevate the property for development could increase the speed and volume of stormwater runoff, placing downstream communities at greater risk of flooding while undermining regional flood mitigation efforts.

Ryko Flyover
Typical Wetland on Scarborough Property

BLC Encourages Public to Sign Petition

BLC is encouraging members of the public to join the effort and make their voices heard by signing a petition to support the permanent protection of the proposed development and by contacting their elected representatives.

Those interested in supporting this conservation effort can help by signing the petition against Scarborough, contacting their elected officials, and advocating for the permanent conservation of this land. 

View and sign the petition at: https://www.change.org/p/protect-our-land-future-stop-the-scarborough-development.

Other Specifics of BLC Board Decision

The BLC Board has also authorized BLC staff to actively advocate for the preservation of the property through:

  • Public education
  • Collaboration with community and environmental partners
  • Engagement with elected officials
  • Submission of regulatory comments

The BLC Board may also pursue conservation easements to permanently protect portions of the property.

About Bayou Land Conservancy: Bayou Land Conservancy preserves land along streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife. BLC is a nationally accredited, community-supported land preservation organization dedicated to permanently protecting land, with a focus on the streams that feed Lake Houston, an important source of drinking water for millions of people in the Houston region.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/23/26

3250 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.

Engineering on Lake Houston Gates Project Now 90 Percent Complete

7/22/26 – (Updated at 3pm to correct funding figures.) Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger reported this morning that engineering for the Lake Houston Gates Project is now 90% complete.

Flickinger delivering news about the Lake Houston Gates Project

Speaking before the Kingwood Executive Group at the Kingwood Country Club today, he added that we now know the true cost of a workable plan and it’s higher than before. Thus, the next phase of the project will be the hunt for yet more funding.

The addition of more floodgates will let Lake Houston keep up with releases from Lake Conroe during major storm events. That will help enable pre-release and joint-reservoir-operation strategies when needed to reduce flooding.

Another benefit of the new gates: they will facilitate needed repair and rehab of the 73-year-old dam.

Scope Change Increases Cost, Leaves Funding Gap

Flickinger explained. “They now have everything nailed down on the cost. We’re looking at $273.7 million. Unfortunately, the elevated cost means that we’re not going to qualify for FEMA money. The benefit/cost analysis doesn’t meet the threshold.” Previous cost estimates put the total around $180 million, according to former Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin.

Cost increases plus FEMA money we no longer qualify for leave a funding gap of $183.7 million, according to Flickinger. “So, we’re going to have to go back to the State and the Feds for some more money to try and get that built,” he said.

Th table below shows the current cost breakdown.

Funding analysis as of 7/22/26

“Essentially the scope has changed. When they originally estimated it, they were going to use the concrete portion of the structure. But no construction companies would touch the job because of the risk. They were afraid of a catastrophic loss.”

Flickinger then added, “So, the engineers went back and said, ‘Okay, we’ll put the gates in the earthen portion.’ But they were trying to do it without building a coffer dam. Then they came back again and said, ‘No, that’s not going to work. You’re going to have to build a coffer dam.’ So, the increase in the cost has been driven by the general scope change.”

Flickinger described a scenario where well meaning people were trying to control costs to fit the budget. But ultimately, that didn’t work for safety reasons. And when you’re dealing with the water supply for approximately 2.4 million people, safety is paramount.

Flickinger added, “Now they’ve gone pretty much full blown. The cofferdam that they’re talking about building is going to be very substantial. In fact, you will even be able to drive vehicles on it.”

Where Will the Money Come From?

“We’re not going to get the extra funding as a flood-mitigation project,” said Flickinger, “because the math doesn’t work.” Then he shifted gears and talked about the water supply problems in Texas. “Texas has a huge problem right now with water. The state has appropriated…several billion towards water.”

State Representative Charles Cunningham, who also attended the meeting clarified, “Somewhere over $5 billion.”

Flickinger has already reached out to a number of elected officials and candidates on the ballot this fall. They include State Senator Brett Ligon, Cunningham, Alex Mealer, and Steve Toth. “

“I think we’re going to have a lot of help, both in Washington and in Austin, to get this money,” said Flickinger.

Martin, under whom the project started years ago, joked, “That’s DAM good news.”

Flickinger now hopes to start building the Lake Houston gates by late 2027 or early 2028. But engineers have not yet offered a completion date.

How Benefit/Cost Ratio Will Affect Previous FEMA Commitment

FEMA initially committed $50 million to the gates project. Flickinger says that despite the change in the benefit/cost ratio (BCR), clawbacks are not an issue on the money already spent on engineering. However, the BCR will “absolutely affect” unspent funds.

Complexity of Reducing Flooding

Before moving on to other subjects, Flickinger addressed the complexity of flooding. “Everyone looks at the dam as kind of a shiny object,” he said. “And the dam is hugely important, but there’s a ton of other stuff that goes into flooding and drainage. For instance, he referenced explosive upstream development in Montgomery County and the regulations intended to offset the growth of impervious cover, which were finally upgraded just last year.

He talked about the need to upgrade the Kingwood Diversion Ditch in order to take pressure off Bens Branch and Kingwood Town Center to handle all that upstream growth.

Flickinger also cited the importance of dredging to offset sedimentation and maintain capacity. Just recently, the City approved a Board of Directors for the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District established by Cunningham last year.

But that, too, will take money. The next legislative session will definitely be important for the Lake Houston Area.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/22/26

3249 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Editorial: “Me vs. We” in Scarborough Development Debate

6/7/2026 – Much of human history comes down to balancing the rights of individuals vs. those of society as a whole. Said another way, where do we draw the line when considering “Me vs. We?”

The proposed Scarborough Development, backed by the State of Texas General Land Office, in the floodplains of Spring Creek, Cypress Creek, Turkey Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork makes a good example.

Confluence Spring Creek and West Fork after heavy rains
Flood-prone Scarborough property lies inside the V at the confluence of Spring Creek (l) and San Jacinto West Fork (r).

Should a developer have the ability to build on its own property? Even if altering the floodplain will endanger the lives of future homeowners, first responders, and people in surrounding areas? And what if you, the taxpayer, are asked to mitigate that risk in the future? That’s the Me vs. We debate. What’s good for one isn’t always good for the majority.

Me vs. We in American Life

The Me vs. We debate permeates almost every aspect of American life. For instance, we give up some of our freedom as individuals when we:

  • Marry and raise a family
  • Obey laws
  • Choose to live in a city
  • Join the Armed Forces
  • Take a job with a company
  • Go through airport security
  • Stop at a red light.

In America, the “Me vs. We debate” divides conservatives from liberals and Red states from Blue on most contentious issues

After 250 years, we still haven’t figured out where to draw that line – at least not universally. We just let people and companies shop for jurisdictions compatible with their own self-interest. Want conservative? Move to Texas. Want to hedge your bets? Move to Harris County.

Different Jurisdictions, Different Philosophies

Want to file a lawsuit against the EPA or against polluters? Shop for a court friendly to your point of view.

Should a company be allowed to build on cheap, floodplain property likely to destroy homes and lives? That is the debate with Scarborough. The company stands to make immense profits if it can secure development permits for its 5,300-acre property.

Against that backdrop, lies the safety and security of hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom remain blissfully ignorant of the developing threat upstream.

Engineers using mathematical models estimate the probability of becoming a victim due to alterations they propose to the floodplain. But, in the end, they are highly paid consultants trying to prove the viability of their recommendations to clients.

The public rarely has the knowledge or money to challenge their findings. The public must rely on elected representatives to protect them, the same representatives who receive immense campaign contributions from the engineering companies and their clients.

The High Cost of Failure

If the engineers get it wrong, which they often do, you, the taxpayer, not the developer, will pick up the tab.

If engineers always got it right, American government(s) wouldn’t spend $40–70 billion per year on disaster relief and flood mitigation.

And the shame of it is that floodplain preservation is almost always cheaper than flood mitigation and disaster recovery…by a huge margin.

The proposed Scarborough development is almost half as large as Kingwood. And almost all of it is in floodplains or floodways.

FEMA’s estimated feet above dry land for 100- and 500-year floods in the Scarborough area shown above.

Houston and Harris County have already passed unanimous resolutions against developing the Scarborough land. But it’s in Montgomery County, which has less stringent flood regulations.

Regardless, concerned Montgomery County residents have started a petition against the development.

Please join them by signing the petition today.

Change.org

Ask everyone you know to sign it, too. Help protect your home and family.

This is an election year. Let’s make elections painful for the people pushing this development. The best time to stop a problem is before it starts.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/7/2026

3204 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.

Surveyors Staking Out Property on WLHP in New Floodway

3/25/26 – On 3/24/26, I photographed partially cleared property owned by HS Tejas LTD on West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) between the Kingwood YMCA and Kings Harbor.

Approximate area of partially cleared land circled in red.

According to Dustin Hodges, Chief of Staff for District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger, the City has received no permit applications for developing the property yet.

From Harris County Appraisal District. HS Tejas also owns the long, narrow property between the highlighted parcel and WHLP.

To be clear, an owner does not need a permit to survey his property. But the survey may be required as preparation for:

  • Subdividing land/plat approval
  • Developing in floodplains
  • Title companies or lenders

So, this is an early sign that something could soon happen with the property. However, it’s not yet clear what HS Tejas plans.

Who Is HS Tejas?

HS Tejas is a company owned in part by Kingwood developer Ron Holley. Holley sold floodplain/floodway property on South Woodland Hills to a company affiliated with Romerica back in 2012. Since then, Romerica has tried repeatedly to develop the property with little luck using various concepts including:

Currently, Holley is also trying to develop Royal Shores Estates in the floodway and floodplain of the San Jacinto East Fork south of Kings Point.

Shifting Floodplain Maps

New flood maps show the floodway has expanded and now encompasses virtually all of Holley’s property. From a flooding perspective, a floodway is more hazardous than a floodplain because of the speed of water. To see how large the floodway has grown, compare the two images below.

Current:

FEMA’s current, effective flood map (dated 2007) shows most of Holley’s property is in a floodplain, not the floodway.

Cross-hatch = floodway. Aqua = 100-year floodplain. Brown = 500-year floodplain. Red oval = approximate area of HS Tejas property.

Updated Draft Map Based on Atlas 14

See below how much the floodway has expanded.

New draft floodplain map From HCFCD. https://www.maapnext.org/Interactive-Map. Dark gray is floodway. Light green ua 100-year floodplain.
New draft floodplain map From HCFCD. See https://www.maapnext.org/Interactive-Map. Dark gray is floodway. Light green is 100-year floodplain.

Once the new draft maps become effective, Holley will have a much harder time developing the property because of restrictions on building in floodways. So, the impending map change may have something to do with the surveying.

Pictures Showing Recent Activity

Below are several pictures taken on 3/24/26 that show the partial clearing.

Note Deerwood golf course and Bens Branch in upper left. Looking slightly east and south from over WLHP.
Looking S toward Self Storage and Memory Care facility in upper right.
Memory Care facility in lower right. Looking E toward Deerwood.
Looking W toward WLHP from over Bens Branch in bottom of frame.

Putting Flood Risk Into Perspective

The areas shown above are about a half mile from the San Jacinto West Fork along Bens Branch.

As a result of Harvey flooding, 12 residents of Kingwood Village Estates died. KVE is an assisted living facility more than a half mile north (farther from the West Fork).

Moreover, ALL of the adjacent businesses, townhomes, apartments and homes flooded in:

A floodway is not only defined by the speed of floodwaters. In Houston, the floodway is regulated as the portion of the floodplain required to convey the 100-year flood with no increase in water surface elevation. However, FEMA-mapped floodways may have been delineated assuming up to a 1-foot rise.

Developers cannot bring fill into a floodway. So, doing anything on this property will likely mean stilts, structural analyses, and more. Chapter 19 of the City’s floodplain regulations lays out the requirements.

Current activity is not visible from WLHP. So, please contact me if you hear or see anything.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/25/26

3130 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.

City Fines Property Owner Filling West Fork Floodplain, Floodway

1/13/26 – The City of Houston is fining a property owner caught bringing massive amounts of fill into the floodway and floodplain of the San Jacinto West Fork. The fines will signal others that the City is serious about enforcing its floodplain regulations.

Raid in Response to Dumping Caught on Camera

On 12/11/25, Houston Public Works raided a property at 21915 Savelle Road, Kingwood, Texas 77339. The main entrance to the property lies at the corner of Savelle and Sorters-McClellan Roads.

The owner of the largely vacant property was bringing in dozens of giant dump trucks filled with dirt. The trucks dumped the dirt in the floodplain and floodway of the San Jacinto West Fork.

City inspectors, District E City Councilman Fred Flickinger’s Chief of Staff Dustin Hodges and HPD caught a dump truck pulling away with its bed still up as they entered the site. The raid was caught on camera.

Photo captured minutes before raid.

City ordinances adopted after Harvey prohibit bringing fill into the floodways or 100-year floodplains. Property owners can move dirt within them. For instance, they can excavate detention basins and use the dirt to elevate homes elsewhere on the site above the floodplain. But they cannot add fill and constrict the conveyance of streams, rivers, or bayous. That pushes water onto adjoining property owners and increases their flood risk.

Multiple Violations Found

According to the City, inspectors found multiple egregious violations at the site. Despite that, the property owner appeared defiant rather than contrite in a followup meeting.

On December 19, the inspector met with the property owner. The meeting reportedly began innocently enough. The owner identified himself and the inspector confirmed his ownership of the property through Harris County Appraisal District records.

They then discussed multiple violations observed on the property within the Special Hazard Flood Area (SHFA) and the Floodway. The violations included:

  • CC460 – No Development Permit: Two un-permitted structures were observed within the SHFA.
  • BD44 – Performing Grading Without First Obtaining a Permit: Inspectors observed introduction of excessive fill material (dirt) within the SHFA and the Floodway without an approved permit.
  • BD55 – Failure to Employ Silt Fencing: They also found no erosion-control measures in place. Worse, they observed fill material runoff entering the West Fork of the San Jacinto River and a nearby tributary.

The inspector next explained the applicable Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)/Chapter 19 Floodplain Ordinance, including City of Houston amendments.

Then, he reportedly told the property owner that an “as-is topographic survey” would be required to proceed. The survey would need to include spot elevations of current site conditions, delineation of the SHFA and Floodway, and the legal property boundaries.

He said this information was necessary because a neighboring property is also believed to be in violation.

Owner Pushes Back

According to the inspector, the owner then asked who would be responsible for paying for the survey. The inspector advised him that the cost would be the responsibility of the property owner in violation.

The owner then responded that he was not in violation and that if a survey were needed, the City of Houston would have to pay for it.

City Inspector

The inspector then explained that “Without the required survey information, I could not assist him in bringing the property into compliance.” Further, the inspector advised the owner that, based on his position, there was nothing further to discuss and that citations would be issued that day and weekly thereafter until compliance was achieved.

Owner Refuses to Sign Citation

Next, the inspector asked the owner if he would sign the citation, but the owner declined. The inspector then informed him of the violations being cited and his arraignment date, time, and location. Finally, the inspector advised him that the citation—and any subsequent citations—would be mailed to the address listed on his state-issued identification.

Since that meeting, the inspector has issued citations on a weekly basis. Arraignment dates for these citations are scheduled as follows: January 27, 2026; February 3, 2026; and February 10, 2026.

“Beginning January 27, 2026,” said the inspector, “the owner’s required appearance for arraignments will be scheduled every Tuesday thereafter until compliance is achieved or until otherwise directed by leadership.”

What City Regulations Say

City of Houston regulations prohibit bringing fill dirt into floodways and floodplains. Chapter 19 Div. 2 Sec. 19.34 states:

  • No fill may be added to a 100-year floodplain.
  • Any loss of floodplain-storage volume must be mitigated onsite.

Floodways enjoy even more protection. Chapter 19 Div. 3 Sec. 19.43(a-b3) states:

  • “No floodplain development permit shall be issued for a development to be located in any floodway…” 
  • “The development will not impede the flow of floodwaters.”
  • “The development will not result in an adverse effect on the conveyance capacity during the occurrence of the base flood.”

Removal of Fill Demanded

According to City Council Member Flickinger’s Chief of Staff Dustin Hodges, nothing new has happened on the case since the 12/19/26 meeting.

“The City is still pushing for removal of all the fill brought into the floodplain and floodway.”

Dusin Hodges, District E Chief of Staff

Hodges also says the fine for non-compliance ranges from a minimum $250 per day up to $2,000 per day.

This may make the perfect test case. The fill, in my opinion, is egregious; this is no small amount. The area where the fill was dumped had the highest flooding in Harris County during Harvey – 27 feet above normal, which caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and more than a dozen deaths.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/12/26

3059 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Floodplain Maps for 5,316 Acres West of Kingwood Contradict Developer’s Claim

11/4/2025 – FEMA floodplain maps contradict a claim made by Scarborough Development/San Jacinto Preserve in a presentation made to the City of Houston and Harris County officials on 10/29/25.

The developer recently bought 5,316 acres, mostly in the floodplains and floodways of Spring and Cypress Creeks, and the San Jacinto West Fork. The land lies in both Montgomery County and the City of Houston’s extra territorial jurisdiction. The developer also wants to build a bridge into Harris County.

In documents obtained from the City of Houston, the developer claimed it would only be “developing land at or above the Atlas 14 100-year floodplain.” See copy in red box below.

Presented by developer to City of Houston and Harris County on 10/29/25.

However, superimposing their development plan on FEMA’s current floodplain maps developed before Atlas 14 contradicts that claim. Why?

The extent of proposed development matches the limits of pre-, not post-, Atlas 14 100-year floodplains.

Net: developing in this area is more dangerous than it may look. 500-year floodplains could soon become 100-year floodplains.

For more detail, see the discussion of Atlas-14’s history and the sequence of maps below.

A Brief History of Atlas 14

FEMA’s current floodplain maps for this area date to 2014, four years BEFORE the start of Atlas 14 in Texas. And to my knowledge, FEMA has not yet released new flood maps based on Atlas 14 for this region.

From FEMA floodplain map of Scarborough/SJP property. Effective date: 8/18/2014. Screen captured today.

NOAA began updating rainfall precipitation frequency estimates in 2004; they called the effort “Atlas 14.” But NOAA didn’t update Texas statistics until 2018. Such rainfall estimates form the basis for flood maps.

In Montgomery County (MoCo), pre/post estimates for the standard 100-year/24-hour rainfall varied by more than a third. MoCo adopted Atlas 14 values of ~16.1 inches for the 24-hr, 1% storm (at Conroe), up from the previous standard of ~12 inches. That’s an increase of 4.1 inches or 34%.

Just as important, until earlier this year, MoCo drainage regulations often let developers avoid building stormwater detention basins that would offset that additional rainfall.

Also consider that Montgomery County has been one of the fastest growing counties in the region and in America. Its population has grown by almost a third (31%) since 2018. That population growth comes with a growth of impervious cover (roofs, driveways, streets, parking lots, etc.) that doesn’t soak up rainfall.

I’m not aware of any recent studies that show the cumulative impact of additional rainfall and impervious cover together with a deficit of detention.

Given those issues, common sense says flood elevations would increase. And in fact, preliminary guidance from Harris County indicates that floodplains will expand by 50% to 100% when FEMA releases updated flood maps based on Atlas 14.

New Plans Show Development Extending to Old 100-Year Floodplain

When I first saw the developer’s new plans, the plans didn’t seem to match the claim that they would only develop land “at or above the Atlas 14 100-year floodplain.” That made me suspicious. So, I performed an experiment.

I superimposed the developer’s plans over FEMA’s current (pre-Atlas 14) map dated 2014. I then varied the opacity of the layers in Adobe Photoshop so I could see how the two matched up. Long story short, they matched perfectly. See the sequence of images below.

Layer 1: From FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Scarborough property is in center between Spring Creek (diagonal) and West Fork (right). Brown areas = 500-year floodplain. Aqua = 100-year. Striped = floodway.

Next, I superimposed the development plan that Scarborough presented to City of Houston and Harris County.

Layer 2: Gray areas with waffle pattern represent claimed “net developable area.” Red = property boundary.

Then, I varied the opacity of the development plan until you could see the floodplains behind it.

Composite with partial transparency of overlay

Enlargement clearly shows that development stops at the old, pre-Atlas-14, 100-year floodplain.

White lines from 2014 FEMA map form boundary between 100- and 500-year floodplains. And waffle patterns from developer’s plans stop at white lines.

New maps reflecting higher rainfall rates and more impervious cover will likely show those white lines cutting well into the brown so-called developable areas, if not eliminating some altogether.

Where Did Developer’s Claim Come From?

So, where did the developer’s Atlas 14 claim come from? I have talked to three people who were in the meeting. Not one could tell me with certainty. They all expressed reservations and doubts about it.

I have also reached out to Scarborough several times to understand their position, but they have yet to return phone calls or emails.

So, I’m going to remain skeptical until I see proof of their claim and FEMA’s new Atlas 14 maps. FEMA may release them in 2026. But the proposed maps will then go through public comment and revision cycles. That could mean they won’t become official for at least another three years.

Make This An Election Issue

In my opinion, the best use for this property would be to turn it into a state park. That would help protect areas both up and downstream. With an election coming up next year, our representatives will have their ears to the ground. The time to start a letter-writing campaign is now. Contact all candidates.

Turn this into an election issue.

Make sure we elect someone who is more interested in protecting public safety than private profits.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/4/25

2989 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.

Flickinger Explains Vote on Disaster-Recovery Funds

9/2/2025 – The following is reprinted from Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s newsletter. It relates to the purchase of backup generators to keep critical city facilities such as sewage treatment plants, running when power goes out during storms. This issue has plagued the Lake Houston Area. Some of the money below will still go toward generators, just not as much.

“In August, City Council approved the submission of a plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for how the City will allocate nearly $315 million in federal disaster recovery funds from the Derecho storm and Hurricane Beryl last year. Council Members Huffman, Peck, and I co-authored a joint op-ed explaining our vote against the proposed plan. We submitted this to the Houston Chronicle for publishing, but they refused to do so. You can read what we wrote below:

Why We Voted Against the $100 Million Home Repair Amendment

As Houston City Council Members, our responsibility is to make decisions that improve the quality of life and safety of Houstonians in the most responsible and fiscally prudent way possible. That’s why, when faced with a $315 million disaster recovery action plan, we could not support an amendment that would have redirected $50 million away from critical disaster recovery tools and into additional home repair funding.

The amendment proposed raising home repair funding from $50 million to $100 million, split evenly between single-family and multi-family homes. While the intention was noble, the extra dollars would have come from the budget set aside for generators at essential city facilities. These generators power community centers, sewage lift stations, and police and fire stations—places that become lifelines when disaster strikes.

We are deeply sympathetic to Houstonians whose homes were damaged by storms. But we voted no for three key reasons:

Generators Are Vital for Disaster Recovery

When the power goes out, safety risks increase dramatically. Community centers must be able to provide shelter, and first responders need reliable facilities to do their jobs. We must continue to make sure that our water and wastewater plants have electricity to provide these services as well.

A University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey found that 88% of registered voters in Harris County are concerned about outages lasting more than a day this summer. That is not an abstract fear—it is based on lived experience. For the first time, we have an opportunity to obtain generators, and cutting the funding jeopardizes public safety at the very moment Houstonians need it most.

The Home Repair Program is Inefficient

Currently, the program doesn’t just fix storm damage—it often rebuilds entire homes. Instead of only fixing storm damage, the City pays for repairs needed in the rest of the house, whether the damage was due to a storm or not. What might begin as a small roof repair can become a complete home rebuild. This drives the average cost per home to about $200,000, per Mayor Whitmire’s office.

For $50 million in single family home repairs, that would mean that we are only able to assist approximately 250 homes. In a city of 2.3 million people, while incredibly impactful to the small number of people receiving the benefit, it is negligible for the rest of the population. With smarter policies, we could stretch these dollars further and help more people. Until those changes are made, pouring in more money only perpetuates inefficiency.

Furthermore, the multi-family housing aspect of this program is even more problematic. Multi-family housing essentially means apartment complexes. While we must make sure that people have safe places to live, apartment complexes are businesses that almost without exception should have had insurance for protection.

Businesses are crucial to our economy, and apartments are no exception; however, paying to essentially remodel an apartment complex with this money does not help prepare anyone for future storms. 

The Actual Need is Unclear

Damage estimates are made immediately after storms, but we are now more than a year out from the derecho and Hurricane Beryl. Many homeowners and multi-family owners have already completed repairs. Based on past storm data, the final need may be much lower than $100 million.

The City of Houston still has $40 million in home repair funding from Winter Storm Uri that Houstonians can access for home damages that must be addressed as well. Scaling up to manage a program of this size could require additional staff and new systems—raising the risk of falling short on federal requirements and jeopardizing future HUD funding.

We have already seen this exact scenario play out in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Although we know Mayor Whitmire and his administration will handle this process with care and accuracy, we do not know yet the scale on which we would need to increase this program in order meet the demands.

We continue to support Mayor Whitmire’s commitment towards disaster recovery and response, and he and his team have done a phenomenal job in recent storms to make sure that Houstonians were cared for. He faced a difficult task in shaping this action plan, and we commend him for listening to residents who called for home repair assistance.

His decision to shift $50 million toward repairs—when the original plan had none—was a fair and thoughtful compromise. At this stage, however, $100 million does not advance our goal of preparing Houston for disasters. Given the choice of repairing 250 homes and an indeterminable number of private apartment complexes versus addressing needs for 2.3 million people, we chose the latter.

We remain committed to supporting Houstonians in times of crisis. But we must do it in a way that is sustainable, efficient, and does not undermine other critical recovery tools.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/2/25 based on CoH Council Member Flickinger’s September Newsletter

2926 Days since Hurricane Harvey

West Fork Dredging Contract Complete, But Job Far from Over

7/27/25 – Callan Marine is done with its City of Houston West Fork dredging contract. The contract used the last of the FEMA money that U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw helped obtain for dredging the West Fork Mouth Bar and the surrounding area after Harvey.

The City hired Callan to dredge 800,000 cubic yards from the San Jacinto West Fork between Kings Point, Atascocita and FM1960. But even though that contract is now complete, the need for dredging is far from over. Let me explain.

Pictures Taken Today

The General Pershing, Callan’s dredge was docked today on the east side of Lake Houston, just south of FM1960.

Dredging Demobilization
Miles of massive dredge pipe used in the operation were pulled onshore, waiting for removal.
The placement area next to the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Canal was vacant. Callan had removed all of its equipment.
The gates that let return-water out of the placement area had been removed (lower right).
The return-water channel from the placement area was filled in. Straw had been placed across the filled channel to retard erosion.
Callan filled the area inside the perimeter berms almost completely.

But just upstream from from where the dredging took place, the West Fork is already filling in again near the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.

need for more dredging
The area near Kings Harbor is only 1-2 feet deep. The Army Corps dredged this area just a few years ago.
Not many people will be tying their boats up here near Raffa’s.
Dredging complete
Farther upstream, it’s the same story. Boaters told me today the outfall of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (shown above) is only about 6″ to a 1′ deep at River Grove Park.

Ironically, the Army Corps liberated River Grove from a giant sand build up just a few years ago. Remember what this area looked like then? See below.

River Grove Sand Bar
Same area in 2018 before Army Corps dredging. An estimated 500+ homes above this point flooded during Harvey.

Sediment buildups like these reduced the conveyance of both the East and West Forks by 15 feet in places.

Another massive build up less than a half mile downstream from River Grove took the Corps months to dredge.

The Would-Be Congressman Who Denies Need for Dredging

Reducing flood risk in the Lake Houston Area requires reducing sediment build ups like these. Before the Corps left the West Fork, it recommended setting up a maintenance dredging program to help prevent such massive buildups in the future.

Following the Corps’ lead, former State Rep. Dan Huberty tried to set up such a program in 2021. So did State Rep. Charles Cunningham in 2023. Cunningham finally succeeded this year when HB1532 became law.

And yet a person upstream who wants to represent the Lake Houston Area in Congress, State Representative Steve Toth, voted against Cunningham’s Dredging District bill. And now he’s challenging Crenshaw.

I have yet to hear a credible explanation as to why Toth voted against the dredging district bill and the needs of the people he hopes to represent. Perhaps he would care to go on the record.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/27/25

2889 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.