Tag Archive for: Idcus

Woodridge Village Excavation, Taylor Gully Updates

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) says that, as of 10/31/22, Sprint Sand and Clay has hauled off 66,094 cubic yards of dirt from Woodridge Village. That means, despite the slowing real estate market, that the company has exceeded its Excavation and Removal contract minimum within nine months of the first year.

Objective of Excavation

The objective of the contract: to get a head start on the removal of up to 500,000 cubic yards of dirt from what will eventually become the sixth stormwater detention basin on the Woodridge Village property. Woodridge forms the headwaters of Taylor Gully.

The Woodridge property flooded up to 600 homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019. That happened after the a developer clearcut the property before installing sufficient stormwater detention capacity.

Since then:

Community Meeting Will Reveal Findings of Engineering Study

HCFCD is now planning a community meeting to share the results with affected residents before the end of the year.

It’s not clear yet exactly:

  • How much additional detention Woodridge will need
  • How much channel widening Taylor Gully will need
  • Whether any bridges need to be replaced
  • How upstream improvements will affect residents farther downstream.

The preliminary engineering report should address all those questions.

Photos from September and October

In the meantime, a parade of dump trucks visits the Woodridge site most days to haul off dirt from where the sixth basin will go. The sixth basin could double stormwater detention capacity on the site – if Sprint excavates all 500,000 CY.

As of mid-September 2022, Sprint Sand and Clay had removed 57,785 cubic yards (CY). Currently, they have removed a total of 66,094 CY. That means they removed 8,309 CY in the last 6 weeks. And that in turn means the current monthly rate is about 5500 CY.

Sprint’s contract calls for them to remove a minimum of 60,000 cubic yards per year or 5,000 per month.

The September and October pictures below show how far Sprint has come in the last six weeks.

Woodridge Village E&R contract progress end of September 2022
End of September 2022
End of October. Sprint has not gone much farther, but they have gone deeper.

See pictures taken below from the reverse angle. The majority of the work now takes place at the far end.

Extent of excavation on September 24.
End of October 2022.

Groundwater appears to be seeping into excavated areas.

HCFCD did not confirm WHY Sprint appears to be digging shallower. Amy Stone, a HCFCD spokesperson, did say however that the site contains multiple types of soil. The volume removed in a particular location may relate to demand for a particular type.

More news about the community meeting and study findings when it becomes available.

Posted by Bob Rehak on November 1, 2022

1890 Days since Hurricane Harvey

New Woodridge Village Detention Basin About 12% Excavated, Engineering Study Almost Done

A new Woodridge Village Stormwater Detention Basin that could almost double detention capacity on the site continues to move forward slowly as housing starts slow. The trend at Woodridge seems consistent with other excavation and removal (E&R) contracts countywide.

Meanwhile, the first draft of a preliminary engineering study for the Woodridge site and Taylor Gully is complete and going through management review at Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).

Status of E&R Contract on Woodridge Village Site

As of mid-September 2022, Sprint Sand and Clay had removed 57,785 cubic yards of dirt from a planned detention basin on the Woodridge Village property in Montgomery County. Sprint is working under an E&R contract with HCFCD. The contract calls for them to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards at a minimum of 60,000 cubic yards per year or 5,000 per month.

Looking NE across new basin. Last month, it extended as far as the middle of the far pile of concrete pipes on the right.

So the company, which began work in February, has virtually met its first year minimum after eight months. However, the rate has slowed somewhat in recent weeks as housing starts have slowed due to a rise in interest rates. In the last four weeks for which totals are available (8/22/22 – 9/18/22), Sprint has removed only 3,045 cubic yards. To date, that brings the total excavated to 12% of the contract max.

Housing starts in the South have been especially hard hit. According to the Census Bureau, starts in August fell 13.5% compared to July and 15.4% compared to a year ago. That depresses demand for fill dirt and makes it harder for Sprint to find buyers for it.

Under the terms of its HCFCD E&R contract, Sprint gets only $1,000 for removing up to 500,000 cubic yards, but has the right to resell all the dirt at market rates. That’s how it makes its profit.

Woodridge Vs. Countywide Data

To see whether Woodridge was an anomaly or part of a trend countywide, I asked HCFCD to show readers the bigger picture. Alan Black, Deputy Director of Engineering and Construction supplied the data below. The chart shows the trend in all HCFCD E&R contracts countywide going back 10 years.

Source: HCFCD via FOIA Request

All data is open to interpretation. But I see three main “regions” in the chart above.

  • The first is pre-flood bond – before August 2018. With the exception of a few blips, excavation remained below 5,000 cubic yards per month. That’s roughly equal to the average being removed from Woodridge Village each month.
  • The second is a huge spike that occurred after flood-bond approval. it peaked at almost 35,000 cubic yards per month as HCFCD readied engineering studies on more than 180 projects countywide.
  • Third, HCFCD had a sharp falloff at the start of the pandemic in January 2020. After things stabilized, we see a gradual rebuilding. It coincides with a housing boom and is followed by another gradual drop-off. The latter coincides with rising interest rates and falling housing starts.

Regardless, the trend in the last few months does not bode well for those concerned about finishing the new Woodridge Stormwater Detention Basin quickly.

Looking W. The new Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin at the top of the frame could eventually fill most of the area between the road on the left and the ditch on the right.

Status of Preliminary Engineering Study on Taylor Gully

We should remember, however, that HCFCD always intended the Woodridge E&R contract as a head start on excavation while IDCUS finished its preliminary engineering study on Taylor Gully and Woodridge Village. The study began in mid-2021. IDCUS had 300 days to complete it.

IDCUS submitted the first draft of its results several months ago.

Amy Stone, HCFCD spokesperson

Since then, HCFCD staff has reviewed it and asked IDCUS to take a closer look at some areas, said Stone. At this point, the revised draft is working its way up to HCFCD top management for final review and comment. HCFCD has started preparing a presentation for all those affected in the area and exploring the best dates for a community input session.

Assuming HCFCD management doesn’t ask IDCUS for more revisions, we should know recommendations and next steps this fall. Following a public comment period, more changes may need to be made to engineering plans before design and construction start.

Folks who flooded in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest as well as others farther downstream in Mills Branch and Woodstream Village eagerly await the findings. More news when it becomes available.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/30/2022

1859 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Commissioners Approve Excavation Contract for Regional Detention Pond on Taylor Gully

In yesterday’s Harris County Commissioners Court meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a contract with Spring Sand & Clay LLC for excavation of a regional detention pond on Taylor Gully in Montgomery County at the Woodridge Village site.

Preliminary Engineering Began in Early July

Earlier this year, Harris County purchased Woodridge Village from Perry Homes for this purpose. Currently, engineers are examining several Taylor Gully alternatives.

Woodridge Village
Looking north across Woodridge Village toward Porter from over the Harris/Montgomery County line. The abandoned development currently has five detention ponds that will hold about 60% of the rain in an Atlas-14 100-year storm.

Currently, Idcus, Inc., an engineering company, has been contracted to look at:

  1. Whether existing detention and proposed channel improvements would suffice to mitigate flooding
  2. Whether expanding existing detention would eliminate the need for channel improvements
  3. A combination of the two scenarios above – determining the amount of additional detention and channel improvements necessary to ensure no adverse impact all the way to Lake Houston.
  4. Out-of-the-box alternatives that ensure no adverse impact while maximizing flood mitigation and minimizing construction costs.

The Idcus contract calls for the company to deliver channel and basin layouts for Taylor Gully no later than 300 days from the notice to proceed, which presumably was given in early July. However, excavation could start much sooner than that. (See below.)

Pieces of Puzzle Falling into Place

The no-cost contract with Sprint lets them set their own timetable as long as they complete improvements within three years. Sprint’s timetable will be driven by the company’s ability to sell the material they excavate; that forms their compensation.

The next step is for Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to provide a grading plan to the contractor. While that will not happen tomorrow, the good news is that it won’t require waiting 300 days.

HCFCD can start excavating the retention pond before plans are finalized. After all, it’s not a problem if a detention pond holds more than the minimum required. It’s only a problem if it holds less. Engineers and contractors can adjust plans if necessary after excavation starts. This approach should minimize flood risk for worried Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest residents.

All the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/21/2021

1422 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village Purchase and Two More Kingwood Flood Control Measures APPROVED by Harris County Commissioners Today

Today, at 5:52PM, Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved three flood-control measures affecting Kingwood. The measures included approval to negotiate engineering contracts for improvements to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Taylor Gully. The third approval involved purchase of Woodridge Village from Perry Homes to build a regional floodwater detention facility in Montgomery County.

Woodridge Village Purchase Finally Approved

The latter has ranked high on the community’s agenda ever since sheet flow from Woodridge Village contributed to flooding hundreds of homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Villages twice in 2019.

Woodridge Village photographed one year after Imelda, when sheet flow flooded approximately 600 homes at the top of the frame.

Since then, Perry has completed the planned detention ponds on the property. However, the amount of detention still falls 40% of that needed under the new Atlas-14 standards.

The City of Houston will purchase 77 acres of the property outright for a wastewater treatment facility. The City will then pay for its half of the remaining Woodridge property by trading land that the Flood Control District can use to reduce the cost of flood mitigation projects elsewhere.

Neither the City nor County have yet announced a closing date for the Woodridge purchase.

The City and HCFCD will work with the community as plans for the property and Taylor Gully are developed by IDCUS Inc.

Kudos to County and City

Seventeen months after Imelda, families in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Village will sleep easier tonight, knowing they are one HUGE step closer to safety.

Thanks to all four Harris County Commissioners, especially Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle, and Harris County Judge Lina Hildaldo. Thanks also to Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin who helped overcome objections raised at several stages in the Woodridge purchase process.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/9/2021

1260 Days since Hurricane Harvey