Rescue from Shady Maple immediately below Perry Homes’ development, Woodridge Village, during May 7th flood.Approximately 200 homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest flooded that day.An estimated two to three times as many flooded in September.
Readers’ Responses To First Post About Perry Letter
In regard to yesterday’s post, many flood-weary Elm Grove readers commented that Mr. Gray’s letter to the City wasn’t worth the paper it was printed on. Hmmmmm. Looks like the flood victims are not alone.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/20/2019 with help from Jeff Miller
782 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 31 after Imelda
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner made Mr. Gray’s letter the showcase of last Thursday’s Kingwood Town Hall Meeting in advance of early voting. The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on political matters, public policy, and public safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.BBB is a registered trademark of the Better Business Bureau.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Escape-e1588895116724.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2019-10-20 17:51:242019-10-20 18:03:42Perry Letter Part II: Perry Homes’ BBB Report
Ken Matthews lives in a one-story house on Shady Maple Drive in Elm Grove about a block below the troubled Woodridge Village development in Montgomery County. Homes on Shady Maple Drive experienced severe damage during both the May 7th and September 19th storms. That damage has been linked to this development.
“Had I Waited One More Minute…”
Between 8 and 9 o’clock a.m. on September 19th, Matthews saw water rising quickly in front of his home. He made a split-second decision to evacuate his wife and child. By the time he packed them in his car, they barely escaped. Water filled the street that quickly. He said, “Had I waited one more minute, we would not have gotten out.”
Matthews had just moved back into his house days before. They had lived with a friend for months while finishing repairs from the May 7th flood. He and his family went to the same friend’s house to wait out the September 19th storm.
Video from Jeff Miller’s security camera several blocks east shows his street filling up with clear water at the same time Matthews evacuated. However, a short while later, at exactly 10:10 a.m., a wave of chocolate brown muddy water came cascading down the street in a sudden surge. That much muck could only have come from one place: Woodridge Village. With only 25% of the detention installed, 75% of the runoff had to go somewhere else. It went into the streets of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest.
When Matthews returned home, he found a thick layer of silt in his mailbox of all places. Perry Homes’ check wasn’t in the mail, but apparently their dirt was.
Matthews said he did not join the lawsuit against Perry Homes subsidiaries and contractors after May 7th. However, he does plan to join the suit now. His home has just been wiped out for the second time in four months.
Even More Dirt
If you want to find more dirt on Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors, just go to the north end of Village Springs Drive next to Woodridge.
Significantly, Perry Homes has not lifted a finger to help the residents of Elm Grove. Instead it is suing them. This ranks as a new low in the annals of American corporate history.
Harris County Stormwater Rules Discourage Clearcutting Giant Sites All at Once
What do best practices in the development industry have to say about clearing such large sites all at once?
Harris County Stormwater Quality Management regulations discourage clearcutting giant sites like Woodridge Village all at once. See section 4.2.3.1, Stormwater Pollution Prevention (SWPPP) During Construction. The text states, “The clearing, grubbing and scalping (mass clearing or grading) of excessively large areas of land at one time promotes erosion and sedimentation problems. On the areas where disturbance takes place the site designer should consider staging construction [emphasis added], temporary seeding and/or temporary mulching as a technique to reduce erosion. Staging construction involves stabilizing one part of the site before disturbing another [emphasis added].“
Of course, these are Harris County regulations and Woodridge Village sits in Montgomery County. Montgomery County has no comparable regulations posted on its website as far as I can tell.
Construction Sequencing Not Addressed In Construction Plans
Section 4.2.5 of the same Harris County document addresses Construction Sequencing. This section states, “The construction drawings should clearly state the designer’s intentions and an appropriate sequence of construction should be shown on the plans. This sequence should then be the topic of a detailed discussion at the pre-construction meeting (that must include the on-site responsible construction personnel) and then enforced by an appropriate inspection program throughout the construction period.”
Perry Homes Gang Still Stalling Lawsuit, But Some Hope
Meanwhile, the Perry Homes gang is still stalling the Webster-Spurlock law suit against them. Two weeks after the judge in the case heard arguments in the motion to compel discovery, she still has not made a ruling.
However, there was some movement in the case last week. Lawyers for both sides agreed to keep all documents and depositions obtained during discovery confidential. Perry’s subsidiaries and contractors may have material that would embarrass the parent company if it became public. The court documents refer to “protecting trade secrets.” That sounds like convenient cover to me. How many trade secrets can there be about bulldozing dirt?
The intent of the order seems to be to keep documents away from the watchful eyes of the media, such as ReduceFlooding.com. On the plus side, though, lawyers tell me that sometimes such agreements may be a prelude to settlement talks. If this moves the case forward, I’m all for it. The flood victims desperately need help.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 5, 2019
767 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 16 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public interest 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/2019/10/Ken-Matthews-Mailbox.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&ssl=120001500adminadmin2019-10-05 21:27:282019-10-05 21:27:39More Dirt on Perry Homes
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin would like for Kingwood residents to know that the City of Houston has filed cease-and-desist orders against Perry Homes, Double Oak Construction, Inc., and Figure Four Partners, Ltd. for the discharge of stormwater from the Woodridge Village development site.
Erosion within Woodridge Forest. Photo taken two days after Imelda on 9/21/2019How the streets looked in Elm Grove on 9/20/2019.
Basis of Cease-and-Desist Order
These cease-and-desist orders were issued in response to the discharge of sand, silt, sediment, and debris from the development site into the Municipal Storm Sewer System (MS4) on September 19, 2019.
This discharge is in direct violation of City of Houston Ordinance: ARTICLE XII. – STORM WATER DISCHARGES, DIVISION 5 – ILLICIT DISCHARGES AND CONNECTIONS, Section 47-741 – Discharge to MS4 prohibited (a) A person commits an offense if the person threatens to introduce, introduces or causes to be introduced into the MS4 any discharge that is not composed entirely of storm water.
Severe Damage to COH Property and Citizens
This discharge has caused severe damage to the City of Houston’s MS4 and to the property of the citizens of the City of Houston.
As a result of this discharge, the City of Houston started last week a 12-week extensive investigation of the stormwater system located within Elm Grove and other effected communities within the far northeast section of Kingwood. This investigation is currently 10 percent complete.
Another Update Coming on October 17
Another update on this investigation will be provided during the Council Member Martin’s Kingwood Town Hall Meeting to be held on Thursday, October 17, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. located at the Kingwood Community Center (4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, TX 77345).
Council Member Martin is actively pursuing additional measures to be taken to further protect the residents of Kingwood. Although he has not yet specified what those are, members of his staff implied that they may be seeking to throw executives for the defendants into jail until the situation is remedied.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/2/2019
764 Days After Hurricane Harvey and 13 after Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Helicopter_144.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-10-02 17:13:052019-10-02 17:13:16City of Houston Files Cease-and-Desist Order Against Perry Homes, Double Oak, and Figure Four Partners
In the world of process quality-control, a consulting company named Kepner-Tregoe built a reputation for itself with a simple methodology. The foundation? When a problem appears, look for something different you did. Chances are, you’ll find the cause there.
Applying that same methodology to Elm Grove, an area that never flooded before May 7th, but which has flooded twice since then, one would have to look at the clearcut area immediately to the north, home of a new development called Woodridge Village.
Shortly after Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors clearcut approximately 268 acres the problems started. But that wasn’t all the Perry gang did.
Before Harvey
They also filled in all the natural streams and wetlands that wound through the dense forest, slowing down runoff. Here’s what the area looked like before Harvey.
This is where the wetlands were (past tense).
Source: USGS. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, no one requested a jurisdictional delineation for the wetlands on this site. Normally, engineering companies request such a ruling to see if the Corps will object to the loss of valuable wetlands.So this project could have required a Corps permit that the developer never obtained.
After Clearcutting
Here’s what the same area looks like today from a helicopter facing south.
Shot taken on 9/21/19 two days after Imelda. Land slopes generally from NW to SE, funneling toward Taylor Gully at the tip of the arrow. Note the ponding water on the northwest side of the dirt pile near the base of the arrow.Depending on where rain falls within this area, it could take a different path, but the destination remains the same – Taylor Gully.
The LJA engineer who authored the Woodridge hydrology report characterized the slope on the northern section as 1% or greater. That’s confirmed by this contour map. And that slope is enough to make water move.
Kepner-Tregoe aside, just because something happened after something else does not automatically mean that A caused B. In logic, that assumption is called the Post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. (Latin for “after this, therefore because of this.”)
Even though the Kepner-Tregoe methodology strongly suggests a linkage, do we have more direct proof that runoff from this subdivision caused the Elm Grove/North Kingwood Forest Flood on 9/19/19? Yes.
Clue #1
Well, for one thing, 75% of the detention pond capacity was supposed to be installed on that steep northern section, which is twice as big as the souther section. But none was. Or at least, none of it was fully functional.
Here’s where LJA intended it to go. It virtually ringed the western, southern and eastern sides.
This illustration shows that234 acre feet of detention capacity should have been built on the northern section. But before Imelda, only 75.7 acre feet were actually built, all on the southern section. Less than 25% of the detention was fully functional when Imelda hit.
Out of the promised 309 acre feet of detention, only 75 acre feet actually existed before Imelda, about 25% of the eventual total. All of that was on the southern section. Despite the fact that the northern section contained far more land.
N1 detention in NW corner missing.Looking SW.N2 Detention only partially available in SW corner. Montgomery County excavated this to a depth of approximately three feet between 2006-2008.But it needs to go much deeper to reach its detention goal.Looking West.Where the top part of the missing N3 detention pond should beon the NE corner.Looking SE.Where the bottom part of the missing N3 should be. A shallow trench channeled water toward Taylor Gully (out of frame in the upper right), without the benefit of any detention on the northern section to slow it down.Also looking SE.
Clue #2
When all that water reached the tree line that separates Elm Grove from Woodless Village (sic), it pushed the silt fence over. Notice the giant chunks of wood slammed up against the fence.
Silt fence that separates Woodridge Village from Elm Grovenow leans toward Elm Grove.The same thing happened on the border with Taylor Gully. When the rainfall exceeded the capacity of the detention pond, water came up out of it and pushed the silt fence near the culvert outward.The same thing happened with the silt fence that borders North Kingwood Forest to the East. It leans toward the damaged area.
Water pushed the silt fence outward in all directions, like an exploding water balloon. This indicates the S2 pond exceeded its capacity.
Clue 3
If all this inferential evidence isn’t enough, we have direct evidence – video shot by Allyssa Harris during the flood. It shows water streaming out of the development in the background, directly into the streets of Elm Grove.
What it looked like from the Elm Grove side of the silt fence during the storm. Video courtesy of Allyssa Harris. Video looks north toward S2 detention pond from Village Springs.
This is what happened to the 75% of the runoff that the two southern detention ponds could not hold.
Clue #4
When the flood subsided, there was muck in streets, driveways, yards and homes. This was not just rainwater; it was runoff from 268 clearcut acres.
Abel Vera had to grab his car to avoid slipping in ankle-deep sediment on Village Springs. What Village Springs looked like the day after Imelda.
Clue 5
According to the USGS gage at US59, a foot of rain fell on this 268 clearcut area on 9/19. All of it had to squeeze through the two tiny box culverts circled in the lower right. It was like aiming firehoses into a kitchen sink.Note: it’s worse than it looks. Additional acreage exists out of frame on left and right.
Likely Path of Water
As in May, water that should have been detained elsewhere rushed to S2. S2 overflowed and added to already heavy rainfall.
It rushed to the SE corner of Woodridge, couldn’t get through the culvert, backed up, and sought ways around – via the streets of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest.
Likely path of water in May and September floods. Background image is from February, before S2 pond was completed.
What Should Happen Next?
In my opinion, for all the reasons listed above, as a result of clearcutting all this land without installing required detention, hundreds of families flooded for a second time in four months. Worse, the threat remains.
Perry, its subsidiaries and contractors had ideal construction weather during that time yet construction activity ground to a half almost a month ago.
That exposed hundreds of people to needless flood risk. Again. Worse, more than two months remain in hurricane season. And lawyers for the defendants in the lawsuit are dragging the case out by stonewalling production of evidence. They refuse to answer even simple questions like, “Who was in charge of this project on the day of the flood?” And “Who is your insurance company?”
Water Six Feet Deep in Places
What started as a dispute over negligence has turned into a massive public safety issue. Residents estimated water in the streets of Elm Grove reached six feet in places. That’s deep enough to sweep people away and drown them.
My Wishes for Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest
That Perry Homes settles these lawsuits immediately and makes people whole, or…
That Perry Homes fast-tracks construction and completes the promised detention ponds, or…
That Perry Homes puts a conservation easement on the land, donates it to the County or a conservation organization, and converts the property back to its natural state or a giant lake/detention pond.
Failing any of the above, that the City of Houston or Montgomery County pulls construction permits for this property and renders it useless and valueless.
But before any of those things happen, the judge in this case may need to throw some lawyers and CEO’s in jail. If someone walked into a 7-11 and stole a loaf of bread, he would get jail time.
But steal the lives and destroy the homes of hundreds of people and what do you get? Delays.
It’s time to put a stop to this nonsense and hold people accountable.
These are my opinions on matters of public safety and concern. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the Great State of Texas.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/23/2019 with grateful thanks to Matt Swint for his drone images, Jeff Miller for his reporting, Allyssa Harris for her video, and Daryl Palmer for arranging the helicopter from National Helicopter Service, Inc.
755 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 3 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/All-of-this2-copy.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-09-22 22:48:042019-09-23 07:15:42New Drone and Helicopter Footage Reveals How Elm Grove Disaster Unfolded
Many homes flooded in Elm Grove this week that did not flood on May 7th, or ever before. Estimates from the homeowner’s association range from 2 to 3 times the number that flooded on May 7th. The shocking part: most of the flooding was preventable.
History of Problems with Woodridge Village
On May 7th, floodwater from a new development in Montgomery County contributed to the flooding of almost 200 homes in Elm Grove Village.
The basic problem: Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors had clearcut approximately 268 acres. They filled in natural streams and wetlands without installing needed detention ponds. Runoff from the development then went straight into Elm Grove.
In the weeks that followed, hundreds of Elm Grove residents filed lawsuits against the developer and contractors. In the months that followed:
The Perry gang, managed to complete less than 25% of the needed detention pond capacity, despite ideal construction weather, and then they apparently stopped work altogether.
Drone Footage Shows Huge Clearcut Area Where Three Detention Ponds Should Have Been
As work came to a standstill, residents became concerned. Last Sunday, Matt Swint flew his drone over the development to document the status of work on detention ponds. Just four days later, Imelda struck.
Swint captured all three of the images immediately below on 9/15/2019. They show that no progress was made on ANY of the detention ponds planned for the northern section.
Woodridge N1 Detention Pond should have gone here. Woodridge N2 Detention Pond should have gone here. It was supposed to be the largest pond on the site, but the only work done on it was between 2006 and 2008 by Montgomery County.N3 Pond should have gone here.
No Work Ever Done on Northern Detention Ponds Despite Area Having Been Clearcut for Months
They could have hired extra crews to build those northern detention ponds. But no. Why be aggressive when you’re months behind schedule and have ideal construction weather?
Their lawyers were, however, working overtime, blocking discovery in the court case against the developer and contractors.
A judge failed to recognize the dire threat that Elm Grove residents still lived under. She may have unwittingly contributed to this mess. With no sense of urgency, she tolerated deliberate delays and set a trial date a year away.
Meanwhile, at an August 27th meeting, MoCo commissioners considered a motion to close a loophole that allowed developers to get away without installing detention ponds. Commissioners chose to table the motion. They insisted that Montgomery County didn’t have a flooding problem. They worried that closing the loophole could change the economics of work in progress and harm developers.
The Harris County Flood Warning System shows that the USGS gage at US59 recorded 11.56 inches of rain on 9/19/19, most of it during the late morning.
Second Verse, Worse than the First
On September 19, Elm Grove flooded again. Worse than on May 7th. Much worse. Beth Guide of the Elm Grove Homeowners Association and numerous homeowners estimate that the water was at least a foot to eighteen inches deeper. The additional water involved twice as many streets, and affected as many as two to three times more homeowners. Now they, too, get to join the lawsuit and battle institutional indifference. (Note: many streets are so congested that it is virtually impossible to get an exact count at this time. That number could change.)
Scenes from Elm Grove, One Day after Second Flood in Four Months
Today, I:
Witnessed men and women weeping openly as they hauled belongings to the curb for the second time in four months.
Watched kids discarding Christmas and birthday presents in trash piles that sometimes reached rafters.
Talked with a family that had just finished installing replacement cabinets from the May 7th flood.
Saw desperation in the eyes of young couples who feared bankruptcy.
Met the grown children of elderly people there to help salvage what they could for parents.
Defendants’ Responses to Plaintiffs’ Questions
As this tsunami of heartbreak unfolded in front of me, I could not get the defendants’ responses to the plaintiffs’ simple requests out of my mind.
For instance:
Request: Identify the entity or individual in charge on May 7, 2019.
Response: “Defendant objects to this Request for Production on the grounds it is vague, ambiguous, unclear and overly broad with respect to the requesting party’s use of the phrase ‘in charge…'”
Or how about this one:
Request: Identify the person in charge of permit compliance.
Response: “Defendant objects to this Request for Production on the grounds that such Request is vague, overly broad, and fails to specify and/or describe with reasonable particularity – as is required by Rule 196.1(b) of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure — the documents and/or things to be produced. Defendant further objects to this Request for Production on the grounds that such Request is argumentative and assumes the truth of matters which are not in evidence, and which may be in dispute, to the extent that such Request suggests and/or assumes that one specific individual was “… in charge of compliance …” by this Defendant as to the terms and conditions of TPDES General Permit TXR150000.”
Whew! That lawyer must be getting paid by the word. I know some people that could have communicated the same meaning with a finger gesture.
The judge in this case will hear a motion to compel responses on Monday, September 23rd in the 234th Judicial District Court of Harris County. I hope she puts a stop to this nonsense. It’s time somebody did…with the rain train spread out across the Atlantic during the worst part of hurricane season.
What 23% Retention Contributed To
This video shows what the people of Elm Grove faced during Imelda from Woodridge Village and what they will continue to face. With only 23% of the detention capacity in place, it overflowed when the design limits were tested. See video below.
It’s kind of like expecting a car with one tire to work as well as a car with four.
At 10:10:09 a.m. on 9/19/19, Jeff Miller’s security camera captured a cloud of silty water invading clear rain water that had been filling Forest Springs Drive (four blocks west of Taylor Gully) all morning. Miller believes that Woodridge Village’s S2 detention pond overflowed minutes earlier.See photo below.
One Day After the Latest Storm
Silt fence pushed toward Taylor Gully adjacent to Woodridge S2 detention pond. This indicates two things: There was not enough detention capacity; it overflowed. And water from the development did not follow the route it should have, i.e., through the outflow control device to the left. Photo by Jeff Miller.Bent silt fencing above Village Springs Drive failed to stop the flow of sediment toward Elm Grove. Abel and Nancy Vera burned out two power washers trying to get Woodridge muck off their driveway after Imelda. Abel Vera had to grab his car to avoid slipping in slippery, ankle-deep sediment on Village Springs. Rainwater alone would not have deposited so much muck. Nancy Vera says that her home had more than a foot of water in it before Taylor Gully overflowed. The water contained thick sediment from Woodridge just north of her house. It made a dangerous, syrupy mess.Flood debris lodged in the wheel well of Allyssa Harris’ vehicle which took on water up to the door handles despite being parked in her drive on higher ground. Bill King, candidate for Mayor of Houston, spent the day after Imelda investigating the causes of Elm Grove flooding. Woodridge is in the background.King also visited with homeowners who lost everything for the second time in four months. Another Elm Grove debris pile from Imelda flood. There are hundreds of similar piles.The joys and fun of children were dragged to the curb, too. New furniture. Old Story. Another Imelda debris pile in Elm Grove.For block after block, people were tossing flooded items. A masking-tape sign on a discarded headboard on Shady Maple in Elm Groveprovided the only ray of hope.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/20/2019, with images from Matt Swint, Allyssa Harris, Jeff Miller
752 Days after Harvey and One Day after Imelda
All thoughts expressed in this post are my opinions on matters of public opinion 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/2019/09/Woodridge-N1-Detention-Pond-Location.jpg?fit=1500%2C994&ssl=19941500adminadmin2019-09-20 23:02:182019-09-21 07:54:07Elm Grove Has 2-3X More Damage Than After May 7th, Much of It Foreseeable and Preventable
My last update on Woodridge construction was 18 days ago and little has changed since then according to Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller who tracks construction progress on the site.
The culvert under the street that connects the northern and southern portions of Woodridge Village is now complete. But the street itself has no concrete or curbs.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
According to Miller, “The culvert across Taylor Gully and cement structure around it are complete and ready for the road crew to pave over it.”
The trees that used to separate the northern and southern halves of the development are gone.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
“The clearing continues in the northern section. More trees are laying down and turning brown. I have seen some activity like preliminary marking of the future detention pond N1,” says Miller.
The overflow channel between Taylor Gully and detention pond S2 just north of Village Springs in Elm Grove is being lined with rocks and concrete.Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.Looking west and panning north. This clip shows that the construction company has hydromulched the berm that separates Woodridge Village from Elm Grove. Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.
“The berm, swale and backslope interceptor structures seem to be complete on the southern border with Elm Grove,” continued Miller. “They have sprayed the slopes with a green fertilizer/seed mixture.”
On the plus side, maybe the grass will help prevent more erosion.
Posted by Bob Rehak with help from Jeff Miller
735 Days since Hurricane Harvey and almost 4 months since the Elm Grove flood
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy 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/2019/09/Culverts-NS-Street-Woodridge.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2019-09-03 10:08:052019-09-04 04:32:53Woodridge Village Construction Near Standstill
Just three months ago, on May 7th, water poured out of Woodridge Village and into the streets and homes of Elm Grove. More than 200 flooded homeowners are suing the developer and contractor for negligence. Meanwhile, before the case has even gone to trial, contractors are pouring concrete. Let’s hope the drainage plans do the job. Because they are literally setting those plans in “stone,” so to speak. Here’s what’s happening north of the MoCo border.
Woodridge plans 5 detention ponds, 3 in the northern and 2 in the southern section. The two in the southern section are now at total depth. However, excavation still has not started on the three northern ponds, despite ideal construction weather.
Elevation Raised Compared to Elm Grove
Looking east along the southern border with the detention pond S1 out of frame on the left and the culvert that leads to Taylor Gully in the upper left. Village Springs in Elm Grove can be seen through the trees on the right.
The new development has been built up about four feet above Elm Grove and Woodland Hills Villages. It gives the hood a split level look.
At the top of that hill, along the perimeter, the contractor bulldozed a v-shaped notch. That’s called a backslope interceptor swale. The swale or depression collects rainwater that would otherwise drain straight into detention ponds. In theory it provides additional storage for rainwater. It also reduces the potential for erosion along the banks of the pond. That’s because water collects in the swale and drains through a pipe into the detention pond.
S2 detention pond above Village Springs in Elm Grove. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller. Miller says that the pond looks 3 feet below the mouth to the culvert on Taylor Gully. So it will hold water constantly.
Detention Pond S1 Now Lined with Concrete
Contractors have also begun lining detention pond S1 with concrete. That should reduce erosion. It will also accelerate runoff.
Woodridge Village Detention Pond S1 which is north of Woodland Hills Village. The ditch has reached its total depth and is now being lined with concrete.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Roads Going In
Contractors have also poured the main road through the southern part of the subdivision. It is within feet of connecting to Woodland Hills Drive on one end. It will soon cross Taylor Gulley about in the middle of the subdivision and eventually connect to the northern half of the development.
Looking east from Woodland Hills in front of Kingwood Park High School.
It looks like this from the opposite direction.
Looking southwest toward Woodland Hills from the northern side of the southern section of Woodridge. Main road in distance will soon cross Taylor Gully.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
In Other News
Jeff Miller says it appears that the contractor has nuked all of the trees separating the northern and souther section. Says Jeff Miller who supplied many of these pictures, “As Peter Townseand of the Who sang, ‘I can see for miles and miles.’” The song now applies to the view from Elm Grove looking north. There’s little to see but brush piles.
Nothing but brush piles for miles and miles. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller
Risky Business: No More Detention Ponds Heading into Peak Hurricane Season
Contractors have not yet started excavation on any of the detention ponds for the northern section: N1, N2, or N3. That’s a risky strategy given months of ideal construction weather behind us and the peak of hurricane season fast approaching. Those Perry Homes subsidiaries are definitely connoisseurs of edge work.
Peak of hurricane season is less than a month away. This is when things usually start to heat up.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2019with thanks to Jeff Miller
717 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Road_01.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-08-16 21:39:402019-08-17 21:01:03Woodridge Village Plans Being Set in Concrete…Before Case Goes to Trial
Judge Lauren Reeder of the 234th Judicial District Court has set the trial date in the Elm Grove/North Kingwood Forest flooding case for July 13, 2020.
The docket control order issued by Judge Reeder also lays out the general order of events in the case. On or before:
12/16/2019, all parties to the case must be added and served, a legal process called “joinder.” Inviters this case, more than 200 individual plaintiffs are suing the defendants. Interestingly, the defendants do not yet include the parent company, Perry Homes, or LJA Engineering Inc., the company that designed the development and its detention systems.
4/13/2020, all expert witnesses for parties seeking affirmative relief must be named.
5/13/2020, all other expert witnesses must be named.
6/12/2020, the court will hold a status conference to discuss discovery limitations and alternative dispute resolution (i.e., mediation). The discover period ends on 6/12. All pleadings, amendments and challenges to expert testimony must also be heard by this date.
On 6/29/20 at 1:30 pm, Judge Reeder has scheduled a docket call at which all parties to the case must be prepared to discuss every aspect of the case.
Judge Reeder also tentatively scheduled the trial for 7/13/2020.
Construction on the Woodridge Village development will continue during the pre-trial phase. This has some residents concerned. While the construction of detention ponds is encouraging, any flaws in the construction of the engineering plans will be set in concrete before the case goes to trial. If there are flaws, that could affect flooding for years to come.
Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident, reports that two more culverts have been added to Taylor Gulley where it bisects the northern and southern portions of Woodridge Village.
Posted by Bob Rehak on July 25, 2019 with help from Bill Fowlerand Jeff Miller
695 days after Hurricane Harvey
All thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statute of the great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Culverts.jpg?fit=1500%2C867&ssl=18671500adminadmin2019-07-25 14:06:432019-07-25 14:08:21Judge Sets July 2020 Trial Date in Flood Case
Harris County Flood Control crews restoring conveyance of Taylor Gully near Harris/Montgomery County line. Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.Woodridge S2 Detention Pond, immediately upstream from Elm Grove on Taylor Gully.Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.
More than 200 homes flooded near Taylor Gully on May 7th that had never flooded before. The ditch winds through Porter, Woodridge Village, Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. Homes on all four sides of the new development flooded after contractors altered drainage when clearing the land.
LJA Surveyors Worked over Weekend in Elm Grove
Additional still photos taken last Sunday by Nancy Vera also show LJA Surveying the streets of Elm Grove. Vera asked them what they were doing and the surveyors professed (or feigned) ignorance. They said the reason they were there was “above our pay grade,” according to Vera.
LJA Surveying crew working in Elm Grove on Saturday, July 13, 2019. LJA Surveying is a subsidiary of LJA Engineers, the company hired by the developer of Woodridge Village.Note dumpster in background. Families are still repairing homes more than two months after the May 7th flood. Image courtesy of Nancy Vera.LJA Surveying Truck in Elm Grove. Note: glare caused by shooting photo through windshield. Image courtesy of Nancy Vera.
I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that they’re going to claim that some of the homes were in the 100- and 500-year flood plains. Of course, that ignores the fact that none of those homes had every flooded before, not even in Harvey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/17/2019 with contributions from Jeff Miller and Nancy Vera
687 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/IMG_2635.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1480640adminadmin2019-07-17 21:03:042019-07-17 21:17:27Video shows Taylor Gully Restoration Reaching County Line; Giant Berm Now Separating Elm Grove and Woodridge
Beginning last year, developers clear cut the area upstream of the Harris County line without sediment control measures in place. That let erosion from the Woodridge Village property (see below) clog Taylor Gully with sediment.
Photo taken after May 7th flood showed massive erosion over large parts of Woodridge Village. Dirt from this area washed through the culvert in the background which had no erosion control measures in place at the time.
Cleaning that sediment out of Taylor Gully will help restore the natural conveyance of the ditch and reduce future flood risk to Harris County residents.
Video courtesy of Jeff Miller. It looks up Taylor Gully toward the Montgomery County Line in the background and then pans downstream toward Rustling Elms. He was standing with his back to Creek Manor.The culvert you see at the start of this shot is the same culvert in the background of the erosion photo above.
Reducing Flood Risk
Approximately 200 homes adjacent to this ditch flooded on May 7th. Residents appreciate every extra margin of safety they can get, especially since Perry homes and its subsidiaries are far from finished with installing detention upstream.
It was less than a week ago that Harris County commissioners accepted the right of way agreement. That allowed flood control to begin this project. Hats off to to the hard and fast working people at HCFCD!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/16/2019 with video from Jeff Miller
686 Days since Hurricane Harvey
All thoughts expressed in this post are my opinions on matters of public policy 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/2019/07/MaintenanceBeginsTaylorGully.jpg?fit=1500%2C840&ssl=18401500adminadmin2019-07-15 22:07:082019-07-15 22:07:14Excavation of Taylor Gully Began Monday
