In my lifetime, I’ve taken more than half a million pictures. I spent four years photographing in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood, which was the poorest neighborhood in that city at the time. I’ve also photographed in Appalachia and the poorest parts of Central America. But in the heartbreak department, nothing compares to a photo I took this afternoon while flying over Colony Ridge in Liberty County. The developer there has reportedly foreclosed on 1900 properties so far this year.
Colony Ridge home, December 7, 2020.
Plastic Sheeting for a Roof in 40 Degree Weather
The photo in question: a mobile home with plastic sheeting for a roof. Duct tape held down the sheeting. The temperature last night fell into the low forties. It’s hard to believe that this is probably someone’s dream home. But everything is relative. And I have no idea where the owner came from. This could be a step up.
Capturing this photo took 1/8,000th of a second. But I’ve stared at it for hours since downloading it. I can’t take my eye off the crib and the children’s toys strewn around it. Nor the breakfast table with a cup of coffee and a half eaten meal.
It’s hard to believe that people live in conditions like this. To be fair, most homes in Colony Ridge don’t approach this level of poverty. But it’s not unusual for the development.
A Reminder at Christmas
I hope this image serves as a reminder this Christmas that despite our wealth, tremendous need exists in our midst. Please support the charity of your choice this year if you can.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/7/2020
1196 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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_1210.jpg?fit=1200%2C813&ssl=18131200adminadmin2020-12-07 20:00:512020-12-08 08:03:13Merry Christmas from Colony Ridge
Drainage ditches in Colony Ridge appear to violate Liberty County drainage standards from both 2004 and 2019.
Both 2004 and 2019 regulations require developers to plant the slopes of ditches with grass to control erosion.
In addition, 2019 regulations require backslope interceptor swales, another erosion-control measure. These prevent stormwater from running down the sides of ditches.
According to residents, the developer has made little effort to do either or to bring older ditches up to current standards.
The violations contribute to sedimentation of the East Fork San Jacinto and its tributaries, and flooding from Lake Houston to Plum Grove.
Soil-Stabilization Violations
2004 Liberty County Road and Drainage Standards for Subdivisions and Development stipulate in Section 3.72 on Page 28 that, “All channels, and adjacent area, which has been disturbed by construction equipment shall be seeded with Bermuda grass or other grass as approved by the Precinct Commissioner or Designated Agent at the rate of eight pounds per acre (8 lb/ac). Seeding shall conform to Item 164 Seeding for Erosion Control of the “TxDOT Standards”.
Note erosion on sides of ditches. Colony Ridge 6/16/2020
2019 regulations also mandate additional erosion-control measures. The section on Erosion Control on page 100 states: “All drainage facilities must be designed and maintained in a manner which minimizes the potential for damage due to erosion. No bare earthen slopes will be allowed. Various slope treatments, including turf establishment, concrete slope paving, and rip-rap, are accepted. Flow velocities should be kept below permissible values for each type of slope treatment. Interceptor structures and backslope swale systems are required to prevent sheet flows from eroding the side slopes of open channels and detention facilities.” [Emphasis added.]
The emphasis on “All” and “maintained” would seem to require developers to bring all ditches up to the 2019 standard, but that clearly has not happened.
Colony Ridge 6/16/2020. Note severe erosion, lack of grass on slopes and absence of backslope interceptor swales.
What Backslope Swales Look Like
Liberty County regulations don’t provide schematics of backslope interceptor swales, but Harris County Flood Control regulations do. See below. At the top of the ditch embankment, a notch is cut into the horizontal area. This notch collects rain and channels it to a series of corrugated metal or HDPE drains that empty into the bottom of the channel. This prevents water from pouring over the banks of the channel and eroding them.
As you look at the pictures below, see if you can spot the:
Backslope swales (notches)?
Drain pipes?
Grass-lined banks?
You can’t. They aren’t there.
Colony Ridge 6/26/2020. Note severe erosion on banks. This ditch was built in 2015.Colony Ridge 6/26/2020Colony Ridge ditch draining into Maple Branch. 4/25/2019.Colony Ridge 6/14/2020 in newly developing area.
But construction technique does not seem to be the problem in Colony Ridge. They simply have not been built. That’s why erosion on the sides of the channels is so rampant.
Consequences of Erosion
All this eroded sediment has to go somewhere. And it did.
Between Kingwood and Huffman, the East Fork Mouth Bar downstream from Colony Ridge grew 4000 feet during Harvey and Imelda. Average water depth through this area decreased from 18 feet to 3 feet.
Colony Ridge isn’t 100% responsible for ALL this sedimentation. Natural erosion and sand mines also contributed. But substandard drainage practices in a 12-13,000 acre development had to play a large role.
The City of Houston is still dredging the West Fork Mouth Bar, more than three years after Harvey. Cost to taxpayers to date: more than $100 million. No one yet knows how much it will cost to remove the East Fork Mouth Bar.
Backslope interceptor swale on Taylor Gully in Harris County.12/4/2020Taylor Gully in Harris County 9/7/2020.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/5/2020
1194 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 453 since Imelda
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/2020/12/20200616-RJR_4085.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-12-05 20:47:342020-12-06 10:08:27Colony Ridge Ditches Violate Liberty County Drainage Standards
“More than 200 families will lose their land and homes Tuesday as the controversial developer in Liberty County continues mass foreclosures,” says Dolcefino. “Nearly 97 percent of foreclosures in the county are now linked to a neighborhood housing a growing number of illegal immigrants.”
A small part of 13,000-acre Colony Ridge in Liberty County. Photographed last spring.
One in Eight Colony Ridge Lots Foreclosed on This Year
The developer foreclosed on more than 2,700 properties before Thanksgiving this year, according to Dolcefino. With another 200 on the auction block tomorrow, that will make 2,900 – out of a total of 22,356 properties (according to the developer’s website). That’s about 13% of all the lots in Colony Ridge, foreclosed on in ONE year. More than one in eight!
According to Dolcefino, the foreclosure auction should take place on the steps of the Liberty County Courthouse from 10 to 1 tomorrow. Dolcefino caught the developer’s employees faking an auction last time.
Colony Ridge So Far Has Managed to Repurchase Every Foreclosure
Dolcefino also says that Colony Ridge has repurchased 100% of the lots it has foreclosed on. Thus, the developer sells and resells the properties many times over in a revolving door arrangement.
Colony Ridge boasts that they finances land transactions themselves. The developer makes it exceedingly easy to purchase the property with down payments as low as a few hundred dollars. But then he charges up to 13% interest rates on the balance. And the fees for water and sewage hookups can be astronomical.
No wonder the developer and his team (a bunch of ex-boxers) have an undefeated record. It’s the perfect combination punch for unsophisticated buyers, many of whom barely speak English: a down-payment jab followed by uppercut interest rates, roundhouse fees, and the knockout at the County Courthouse.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/1/2020
1190 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20200616-RJR_4059.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-11-30 22:49:002020-11-30 23:37:56Flood of Foreclosures: Hundreds to Lose Colony Ridge Homes Tomorrow
Not long ago, Colony Ridge, the world’s largest trailer park, went to war with the City of Plum Grove. Now they are taking on Wayne Dolcefino, one of the nation’s leading. investigative journalists, too.
Somebody needs to tell Colony Ridge developer Trey Harris to give his employees some media training. When Dolcefino set his sights on Colony Ridge, several employees greeted him with hostile language. The word “threatening” comes to my mind. Surely they should know that this will only focus more media attention on their dubious business model.
Dolcefino Credentials
Dolcefino and his television shows have won:
Thirty Emmy Awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Five Charles Green Awards
An Edward R. Murrow award
A Jack Howard Award for investigative reporting
Numerous honors from the Associated Press and Texas Association of Broadcasters
An unprecedented three medals from the international journalism organization Investigative Reporters and Editors.
So it was ironic that Dolcefino titled his latest piece on the war between Plum Gove and Colony Ridge an “Unfair Fight.” If you want to see one of the nation’s top journalists at the top of his form, check out this story.
But Dolcefino goes way beyond those problems. Check out the revolving-door foreclosures, fake foreclosure auctions, and predatory lending practices that target the vulnerable.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/27/2020
1186 Days after 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/2020/11/Liberty-County-Courthouse.jpg?fit=1200%2C684&ssl=16841200adminadmin2020-11-26 23:00:342020-11-28 10:31:10Colony Ridge Declares War on Investigative Journalist, Too
Welcome to Flood Notes. So much has been happening lately on the flood front, it’s hard to keep up with it all. So this post will be a digest of things that affect flooding on the local, state and national fronts.
Humble ISD North Transportation Center Construction Update
We have had ideal construction weather in the last month and contractors at HISD’s north transportation center on Ford Road in Porter had made a lot of progress. They have completed the detention pond. More than half the remaining site is covered with concrete parking lots. And it looks as if the foundation for a building has also been poured. Humble ISD anticipates shorter routes for half the district will save taxpayers $2 million per year. The District hopes to open the Center in 2021.
Humble ISD North Transportation Center 11.7 acre site. Photo taken 11/07/2020.
Colony Ridge
This massive development in Liberty County has turned into the world’s largest trailer park. The developer of Colony Ridge keeps expanding at a record clip. Perhaps he’s anticipating a sales boom when the Grand Parkway creates better access. At the moment, he appears to be cutting and burning another 3000 acres. Nearby Plum Grove residents have complained about the smoke.
Colony Ridge expansion. Photo taken 11/1/2020.Colony Ridge expansion. Photo taken 11/1/2020.Colony Ridge expansion. Photo taken 11/1/2020 after a long period without rain. Notice the wet areas covered up with fill. Wetlands once criss-crossed this area.
Chlorine Creek
Plum Grove residents who live next to Colony Ridge also report the strong smell of sewage and chlorine coming from a new sewage treatment facility along Maple Branch a quarter to a half mile away. TCEQ fined the company that provides these services not long ago for the illegal discharge of 48,000 gallons of raw sewage into the same creek from a lift station.
Sewage treatment plant creating strong odors for Plum Grove residents as well as those in Colony Ridge itself.Wastewater from this plant is apparently discharged into Maple Branch just inside the tree line at the top of the frame.The discharged water has a heavy chlorine smell to it. All life in the creek seems to have died according to residents. That includes, fish, tadpoles, minnows, etc.
Michael Shrader, a Plum Grove resident who lives adjacent to Maple Branch, has affectionately renamed it Chlorine Creek.
HUD Approves New GLO Plans for Disaster Funding
On 11/4, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced that the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) approved two state action plans detailing the distribution and eligible uses of more than $285 million. The Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds will assist in long-term recovery efforts following severe flooding in 2018 and 2019 in South and Southeast Texas. To view the action plans, please visit recovery.texas.gov/action-plans. To expedite the recovery process, the GLO will directly administer and oversee the funds.
TWDB Accepting FEMA Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant Requests
This one affects government officials in Cities, Counties, Special Districts, etc.. FEMA’s Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) grant program provides federal funding to help communities pay for cost-effective ways to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood damage to flood prone structures that are insured under the National Flood Insurance Program. FMA program funds can be used for planning and projects. The deadline to apply to the Texas Water Development Board is December 1, 2020. For more information, please visit www.twdb.texas.gov/flood/grant/fma.asp.
FEMA Program Helps Enforce Building Codes, Floodplain Management
FEMA announced the release of a policy to provide communities with resources to enforce building codes and floodplain management following a major disaster declaration. The “Building Code and Floodplain Management Administration and Enforcement” policy can provide funding for the first 180 days following a major declaration for:
Costs associated with extra hires or contracted support
Reviewing and processing building permits and occupancy and compliance certificates
Conducting building inspections and initial substantial damage field surveys
Reviewing disaster-related development in the floodplain
Providing educational services to the public on floodplain requirements.
The policy is a result of the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018, Section 1206. This policy applies to all major disaster declarations declared on or after August 1, 2017.
CBS aired a chilling story tonight about the floods brought by Hurricane Eta. The storm dumped up to 7 inches of rain on the Carolinas. It washed out roads and bridges. In fact, a reporter was standing on one bridge when pieces of it started to fall into the raging floodwater. Very dramatic footage if you missed it.
Eta nearly tied Gordon for the longest hurricane on record. Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist, says that had the storm lasted until tomorrow, it would have taken the longevity record.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/12/2020
1171 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/2020/11/20201101-DJI_0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-11-12 20:28:362020-11-12 20:29:28Flood Notes: Highlights of Current Happenings
Since June, I’ve posted about problems in the Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. Among them: the washout of FM1010 where it crosses over Rocky Branch. Authorities have closed the busy road which provides access to Colony Ridge for three years, forcing tens of thousands of residents to seek alternate access routes, such as FM1485 and FM2090.
However, it’s difficult to see all the damage. So today I took a drone and captured some previously unseen details.
Colony Ridge drainage ditch leading to Rocky Branch contributed to washing out FM1010 at far end of ditch.
Lack of Functional Detention Capacity Likely Contributed to Washout
The damage is likely the result of inadequate, poorly engineered, or poorly maintained detention. Another contributing factor: a steep drop in elevation as water leaves the massive ditch (see above) in Colony Ridge and descends through a wooded area toward FM1010. That drop accelerated more water than should have been traveling down Rocky Branch, an East Fork San Jacinto tributary. As a result, floodwaters swept trees and other debris downstream.
One Thing Leads to Another
The debris:
Clogged culverts under the road…
Then, when the roadbed became a dam…
…Water churned through the roadbed next to the culverts…
…And deposited more “beaver dams” downstream…
…that, in turn, contributed to the flooding of surrounding homes.
Years of Neglect Still Ignored
Amazingly, no one in Liberty County corrected these problems after Harvey. As a result, many homes flooded again in 2019, during heavy downpours on May 7th and September 19th. The problems still have not been fixed. See the pictures below. I took them this afternoon.
Just yesterday, I had lunch with a couple who were considering moving to Liberty County because they were seeking a quieter lifestyle. I told them about this story. They are reconsidering.
FM1010 Washout at Rocky Branch has not been repaired for more than three years. Note flood debris clogged in culvert. Also note straps around logs!
“Beaver dam” just downstream from culverts is building up and up, contributing to additional flooding.
Not All Business is Good Business
Colony Ridge has grown into the world’s largest trailer park in less than a decade. It brought more than its fair share of problems:
Legendary traffic backups – even on Sunday afternoons.
A hard lesson for some people to learn is that not all business is good business. Lax enforcement of regulations allowed Colony Ridge to grow out of control. Now county commissioners have a nightmare on their hands, cannot fix their problems, and cannot enforce their own regulations.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/25/2020
1153 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/2020/10/20201025-DJI_0919.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-10-25 21:08:132020-10-25 23:49:28New Drone Shots Reveal Need for Better Flood Control in Liberty County
In three years of writing about flooding, this is one of the most dramatic case studies I have seen about the value of wetlands. It starts with a developer clearing wetlands and ends with the developer at war with a neighboring town.
Wetlands as Protectors
Michael Shrader lived in a modest home in Plum Grove in Liberty County. It was an idyllic, rural lifestyle in many ways. He did tech work remotely while raising animals on his small plot of land near the East Fork of the San Jacinto and Maple Branch. Shrader never flooded for the first 29 years he lived in Plum Grove despite living on a creek. Not in 1994. Not in Allison. Not in Rita. And not in Ike.
Forests filled with wetlands surrounded him. Water ponded during heavy rains. Much of it soaked in and was absorbed by tree roots. The creeks ran clear.
Before Colony Ridge
In this 2008 Google Earth image, you can see the vibrant greens. And if you look closely enough on a desktop display, you can even see the ponds and wetlands east of FM1010.
Note area east (right) of FM1010.
For those reading on smaller displays, here’s the same image, but with data from the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory superimposed.
The bright, solid greens represent wetlands in the national inventory. Superimposition courtesy of Michael Shrader.
Then Came the Bulldozers
In 2016, the developer of Colony Ridge started clearing land and replacing wetlands with ditches that fed into Maple Branch. It runs right behind Shrader’s home. As the developer filled in more and more of the wetlands, water started getting higher in the creek after every rain, according to Shrader. Harvey, May 7th, Imelda: those were the high-water marks. And the low points in Shrader’s life. He flooded all three times.
By last year, the developer had replaced virtually all the wetlands by this.
By 2/23/19, most of the wetlands had been turned into streets with ditches in the world’s largest trailer park. Shrader lives on a stream that cuts across the NW portion of the grid.
Since the satellite image above was taken, even more forests and wetlands farther east and north have been replaced by what is now the world’s largest trailer park.
Eastern area in June, 2020.
Slash and burn development practices at Colony Ridge. Photo June 2020.Note how contractors are draining wetland area on left.
Lives Disrupted
With the wetlands gone, Shrader’s house flooded in 2017 during Harvey (admittedly an extreme event), and twice in 2019. Not only did his house flood, so did most of Plum Grove, including the City Hall. Now, Shrader says, many homes are vacant.
The fence below, immediately downstream from the Camino Real Subdivision in Colony Ridge, was pushed over three times by the increased flow of floodwaters coming down Maple Branch. The owners of the red-roofed house bought this property just before the first of three floods.
Flooded Plum Grove home near Maple Branch and Colony Ridge. Owners stopped repairing the fence after the second flood.
At least one investigative journalist is exploring alleged predatory lending practices.
Allegations of corruption in Liberty County politics abound.
Commissioner’s Court and City Council meetings have degenerated into heated shouting matches.
Soon, Hollywood screenwriters will develop screenplays based on the Plum Grove experience and pitch them as “the next Erin Brokovich.”
Eroded drainage ditch in Colony Ridge that blew out FM1010 at far end. Three years after Harvey, the road still had not been repaired, much to the dismay of residents.
FM1010, one of the main roads into and out of the development, destroyed by out-of-control stormwater.The loss of this road has led to massive traffic jams on alternate access routes, such as FM2090.
Sadly, a little more respect for Mother Nature could have easily prevented all that trouble for the developer. One wonders whether the engineers and environmental consultants whom he hired to obtain permits served him well.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/22/2020
1050 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 398 since Imelda
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/2020/10/20200616-RJR_3713.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-10-22 01:54:072020-10-22 09:38:22How Loss of Wetlands Led to War
A seven-month-long TCEQ investigation of Colony Ridge construction practices resulted in a 184-page report that confirmed allegations of erosion and silt flowing uncontrolled into ditches and streams. The investigation resulted in a “notice of enforcement.”
TCEQ Alleges Permit Violations Affecting Human Health
TCEQ found the Colony Ridge developer in violation of its Construction General Permit for failure to install even minimum controls such as silt fences and vegetative buffer strips.
As a result, the report says the developer failed to prevent discharges that “contribute to a violation of water quality standards” and that have “a reasonable likelihood of adversely affecting human health or the environment.”
Investigators found unstabilized and unprotected drainage channels connecting 3,678.69 acres of disturbed land to unprotected streams and creeks. Sediment now almost completely fills some of those streams. They lead to Luce Bayou and and the East Fork San Jacinto River, which empty into Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
Lack of Construction Best Management Practices
Colony Ridge’s Construction General Permit does not authorize discharges into Texas surface waters. Yet investigators found:
Drainage ditches with unstabilized soil on their sides
A drainage ditch with completely destabilized sides
Sediment deposition in multiple creeks
One creek channel almost completely filled by sediment
Culverts blocked with sediment
A washed out road
Water samples with elevated levels of dissolved and suspended solids as high as 1370 milligrams/liter (suspended) and 6360 (solid)…
...All tied to inadequate or non-existent best management practices
See photos below.
Self-Reports in Stark Contrast to TCEQ Report
In contrast, the construction superintendent’s own inspection checklists (pages 51-78) rated virtually all erosion-prevention measures that the company did employ as “acceptable.” However, he also indicated that the company did not use most common protective measures, such as vegetation, sod, silt fences and detention basins; claiming they were “not applicable.” His report on 2/19/20 contained a note indicating the construction site “Looks good.” His last weekly report before the complaint that triggered the investigation found no “action items.”
Below is a sampling of ten photos from the report. The TCEQ investigator took them all on 6/16/2020. He also provided the captions. Page numbers refer to the full TCEQ report.
Downstream view of Rocky Branch Creek. Washed out road in background. Photo 2 out of 57. Page 141.
Destabilized banks along Long Branch Creek and sediment deposition in creek channel. Note: the creek channel almost completely filled in by sediment. Photo 17 of 57. Page 146.
Unstabilized drainage channels in Section 7 that are tied into Long Branch Creek. Photo 20 of 57. Page 147.
Area surrounding Long Branch Creek destabilized with no BMPs installed around the creek. Note unstabilized sediment piles next to the creek. Photo 30 of 57, Page 151.
Area surrounding Long Branch Creek destabilized with no BMPs installed around the creek. Note unstabilized sediment piles next to the creek. Photo 32 of 57, Page 151.
Sediment and debris in cement culvert that allows Long Branch Creek to flow underneath Section 5 entrance road. Photo 40 of 57. Page 154.
Sediment and debris in cement culvert that allows Long Branch Creek to flow underneath Section 5 entrance road. Photo 41 of 57. Page 154.
Inadequate BMPs in drainage ditch that leads to Long Branch Creek. Note: Undercut silt fence. Photo 44 of 57, page 155.
Sediment deposition in unnamed creek channel right before Long Branch Creek. Note sediment line on cree. Sediment line is demarcated by pocket knife in red circle. Photo 48 of 57. Page 156.
Sediment in a drainage ditch that is tied into an unnamed creek. Note over-capacitated silt fence. Photo 53 of 57. Page 158.
Personal Observations Corroborate Report
Based on personal observations, I don’t think the investigator exaggerated. On the contrary, he may not have captured the full scope the hazards. Some can only be seen from the air. As luck would have it, I flew a helicopter over Colony Ridge on the same day the investigator captured his photos. Here are two from the air and one from the ground.
Washed out ditches abounded.
The developer was clearing more land before previously developed areas could be stabilized.
Silt fence being propped up to allow raw sewage to flow underneath it into Luce Bayou, which empties into Lake Houston.
Other Strangeness
Colony Ridge hired Merit Professional Services in Flower Mound, a Dallas/Fort Worth suburb. Merit obtains stormwater pollution prevention permits and also provides stormwater inspection services. However, according to the complainant in this case, Merit claimed they only provided the permit, but not inspection services. Lack of local oversight may have been a large part of the problem.
Ironically, Double Oak Construction is a defendant in the Elm Grove lawsuits against Perry Homes and its contractors on the Woodridge Village project in Montgomery County. That case involves many of the same issues involved in both the TCEQ report and the City of Plum Grove’s lawsuit against the developer of Colony Ridge. The report does not mention exactly when Double Oak started working for Colony Ridge.
1144 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 393 After Imelda
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/2020/10/Screen-Shot-2020-10-16-at-4.52.08-PM.jpg?fit=1200%2C942&ssl=19421200adminadmin2020-10-16 18:26:302020-10-16 18:36:06TCEQ Blasts Colony Ridge, Says Construction Practices Could Adversely Affect Human Health
Fecal contamination of water can have many health consequences. It can also have consequences for your wallet in terms of hospital bills and water treatment costs. The expansion of Houston’s Northeast Water Purification Plant will cost $1.765 billion.
Persistent Sewage Leaks at Colony Ridge
Yesterday, I reported on 48,000 gallons of sewage documented by the TCEQ in ditches and streams near Colony Ridge in Liberty County just before Imelda struck last year. Stormwater from that area flushes into the San Jacinto East Fork and Lake Houston. Any sewage not cleaned up from that particular spill likely wound up in the main source of the City of Houston’s drinking water.
Had it been a one time affair, it could have been explained as an accident. But the problems recur. Neither the developer, sewage contractor, County, nor State have managed to eliminate the frequent leaks.
Sewage Coverup
In fact, yesterday’s post contained photographs of one incident where the leak remained. A bulldozer had simply covered up sewage that leaked into the ditch adjacent to a road. It was as if the people responsible were saying, “out of sight, out of mind.” The sewage leak remains, though, and without remediation, the pollution will eventually wash down toward Tarkington Bayou, which also enters the East Fork.
Putting Water Test Results in Context
Two recent tests of samples taken within Colony Ridge by Eastex Environmental Labs showed fecal contamination on the order of 3,000 to 5,000 “colonies” per 100 milliliters. Just what does that mean?
One-hundred milliliters equals a little more than six tablespoons.
The presence of fecal contamination is an indicator that a potential health risk exists for individuals exposed to this water. Diseases and illnesses that can be contracted in water with high fecal coliform counts include but are not limited to:
Typhoid fever
Hepatitis
Gastroenteritis
Dysentery,
Ear, nose, eye and cut infections.
Cost to Make Drinking Water Safe
On my last flight over Lake Houston, I flew over the expansion of the Northeast Water Purification Plant. Until you’ve seen this in person, it’s hard to believe how large it is.
The new plant will quintuple the amount of pure, fresh water available to customers in this area. The City is adding 320 million gallons per day (MGD) to the existing 80 MGD capacity for a total of 400 MGD.
In addition to conventional treatment processes, the new plant will include an advanced oxidation process called ozonation. Ozonation helps disinfect water to help ensure that harmful organisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium are eliminated. Ozonation also helps eliminate taste and odor causing compounds.
The intake facility shown below will finish next year, but the plant itself won’t finish until mid 2025.
All aerial images below were taken on 6/16/2020. While the plant expansion will make drinking water safe, it won’t make all the water in Lake Houston safe as long as people allow fecal contamination to leak into it.
The expanded plant lies more than a mile from the intake in the foreground.
The expansion will occupy approximately 150 acres of the City’s 252 acre site.
The new intake pump station will be located approximately 900 feet from the shore of Lake Houston to draw water from a deeper depth than the current intake.That, say the partners, will alleviate some water-quality challenges.Construction of the intake pump station should finish in about a year.The pipelines carrying water back to the treatment plant will measure 108″ in diameter.That’s nine feet tall. About the height of that cargo container used as a construction office!Photo cropped and enlarged from wider image above.
The City and its partners have produced an easy-to-understand, yet informative website that documents construction of this project.
This PowerPoint, posted as part of the latest update is packed with photos that may inspire your kids and grandkids to become engineers someday. It shows the meticulous planning and attention to detail that goes into such a project.
Objectives for Project
According to the web site, the project has two objectives:
To support the region’s growth
To reduce subsidence
But the partner’s sell themselves short. The fundamental reason is to provide safe, clean drinking water, despite the pollution from places like Colony Ridge.
For the record, lest you think I’m picking on Colony Ridge, there are many other sources of water pollution. They include livestock, leaky septic tanks, runoff from streets and more.
We can all help by reporting spills and leaks to City, County and State authorities when we see them.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/24/2020
1030 Days after Harvey and 279 since Imelda
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/2020/06/20200616-RJR_3337.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-24 22:32:002020-06-25 00:03:44Hidden Cost of Fecal Contamination: Removing It
More recent independent laboratory testing has verified fecal contamination in at least two drainage ditches in Colony Ridge. Moreover, residents claim they have found fecal contamination in other Colony Ridge ditches and streams, too. It’s not clear whether those additional spills have been tested.
During heavy rains, fecal contamination can quickly wash downstream and eventually wind up in Lake Houston.
A major concern of residents is the frequency of sewage leaks.
Results of TCEQ Investigation
Maple Branch Creek carried black water into the East Fork.
TCEQ cited Quadvest L.P., the sewage and water provider for Colony Ridge, for “unauthorized discharge of wastewater which resulted in a documented serious impact to the environment.”
A month after TCEQ documented this discharge, 33 inches of rain fell on nearby Plum Grove during TS Imelda.
Here are results of the first test and pictures of the sewage.
The first site on a ditch next to County Road 5023 showed 3090 and 3130 units of fecal coliform, with none detected in the control sample. Maria Acevedo photographed this problem on June 4, 2020.
Photo on June 4, 2020 by Maria Acevedo on CR 5023 where Eastex took samples.
Sludge oozing down same ditch.
Second Eastex Report Shows VERY STRONG Fecal Contamination
Samples collected and analyzed by Eastex Environmental Labs, eliminating chain of custody issues.
The lab told Acevedo that they found “very strong fecal contamination.”
Maria acevedo
Residents who wish to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, contacted me about this site a week before Eastex sampled it.
Location of Second Sample Photographed on 6/12/2020
I photographed that ditch on Friday, 6/12/2020. It’s on the southeast corner of Colony Ridge. While there, I photographed cloudy water bubbling up out of the ground and running down a ditch toward Tarkington Bayou (see photos below).
Foul water and trail of greenish-brown sludge (left) bubbling up through ground……then flowed into ditch toward Tarkington Bayou at bottom of hill.Close up of water/sludge in ditch.Silt fence in ditch was propped up, ensuring foul water could ooze under it.Farther down the ditch, contaminated water was pooling, and turning green and black.In places, it had dried due to extreme heat. Temp was in 90’s.
Photos Taken Two Days Later Show Attempted Coverup
I came back two days later on 6/14 to explore the same area some more. The foul water still bubbled up, but someone with a bulldozer attempted to cover up the evidence in the ditch.
Sludge and contaminated water bubbled up from same hole on 6/14/2020.However, the evidence in the ditch near the road had been freshly covered up by a bulldozer.
The Leaks Go On
If the incidents above were isolated, one might dismiss them. But they seem to be part of a larger, recurring pattern that neither Colony Ridge, Quadvest, nor Liberty County have stopped.
A resident says this sanitary sewer was leaking for more than two months into a ditch in a residential neighborhood and stunk like sewage.Photo by Maria Acevedo on CR5006 on March 18, 2020.
The largely Hispanic residents complain among themselves. But few reportedly file reports for fear of raising their profiles with authorities and perhaps answering difficult questions in court. Meanwhile, the sewage leaks go on. Both Colony Ridge residents and those downstream pay the price.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/23/2020
1029 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 278 since Imelda
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/2020/06/IMG-7112.jpg?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=15761024adminadmin2020-06-23 00:04:242020-06-23 01:56:3148,000 Gallons of Fecal Contamination Found in Liberty County’s Colony Ridge Ditches, Streams; Problems Persist
