Tag Archive for: silty stormwater

Trammell Crow Contractors Still Pumping Silty Stormwater into Street

The persistent after-hours pumping of silty stormwater from the Trammell Crow construction site into the street drains has been reported to Harris County Engineering for several months now. Despite warnings, the practice continues. The danger: accumulated silt in drain pipes and the river can reduce their conveyance, back water up in heavy rains, and lead to flooding.

One small development won’t be catastrophic. But the cumulative impact of hundreds could be.

For all those reasons, construction permits come with instructions to use things that retain and filter silty water such as berms, sediment basins and semi-permeable fencing.

Repeat Offender

In January 2024, contractors began clearing Phase II of an apartment complex on West Lake Houston Parkway without any of these safeguards. Because the complex lies just outside the City limits, Harris County Engineering is responsible for inspections.

They have visited the site numerous times and cautioned contractors about discharges of silty stormwater. At different times, the contractors installed silt fences and erected berms. They also built sediment basins and channeled excess stormwater to them.

On April 10th, the area received approximately 2 inches of rain. And yesterday, April 11, the contractors were pumping water back into the street THROUGH A PILE OF MUD. After quitting time. When inspectors wouldn’t be around. Again!!!

Caught on Camera

Michelle Chavez, a nearby resident, caught the action on camera.

39 second video by Michelle Chavez showing extent and source of pumping

Chavez also took several still photos.

Silty stormwater being pumped through open gate washing out driveway
Note mud on right being washed into street.
Pumping took place near sunset, around 8PM when County inspectors were unlikely to be present.
They appeared to be pumping water from unfinished, underground storm drains, but pumped it through mud. Photo by BR taken around 7PM on 4/11/24.

At least one local resident concerned about flooding reported the pumping to Harris County Engineering. He was told that Engineering would send an inspector out.

Sending Wrong Message: Will Sixth Time be the Charm?

This is the sixth story I have posted about stormwater-control issues at this construction site. See the previous five.

One wonders when the county will level a stiff fine or shut down this site. At this point the Harris County Engineering Department also has its reputation on the line. Tolerating such behavior sends a message to other developers that may be unsafe in the long run.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/12/24

2418 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.

Trammell Crow Contractor Pumped Silty Stormwater into Street…Again

On Sunday, 2/18/24 at 12:27 pm, Michelle Chavez photographed a Trammell Crow contractor pumping silty stormwater from a construction site into Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway. The silty water appeared to be routed through a filter bag.

Contractors commonly use such geo-textile bags to remove oil, grease, sediment, litter and debris from pumped water. But this bag had several gaping holes, undermining its effectiveness. No one appeared to supervise the operation.

Chavez said the water stunk badly. There was so much that it blocked one of the two southbound lanes on Kings Park Way.

Photos of Latest Discharge

See Chavez’ photos and video below.

Trammell Crow contractors pump silty stormwater into street. Looking N along Kings Park Way on 2/18/24 at 12:27 pm.
Same location. Same time. Looking S.
Note holes in filter. Also note time/day stamp on photo.

Here is a 27-second video that puts all the pieces together and shows the construction activity in the background.

A second resident told me that the pumping continued into Sunday night…well after dark. Discharging on Sunday and at night can help avoid those pesky County inspectors.

Previous Discharges

This was not the first time the contractors had been caught on camera. Silty stormwater from the site has run into the street on several occasions in the last few weeks:

After the last visit by Harris County officials, they finally started channelling the water away from Kings Park Way.

Photographed on 2/3/24. Diagonal channel is taking water toward a sediment basin.
Some of the water from the SW corner of the site was channeled into a sediment basin. But by 2/13/24, they had filled in the part of the channel….
By 2/20/24, two days after the pumping filmed by Chavez, they had filled in most of the channel and were starting to install storm sewers.

Most contractors plan for stormwater before it rains. What a mess!

Why Controlling Discharges from Construction Sites is Important

The EPA had this to say about the importance of controlling stormwater discharges from construction sites. “When it rains, stormwater washes over the loose soil on a construction site, along with various materials and products stored outside. As stormwater flows over the site, it can pick up pollutants like sediment, debris, and chemicals from that loose soil and transport them to nearby storm sewer systems or directly into rivers, lakes, or coastal waters.”

In this case, the water goes straight into Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.

County Engineering Notified Again

Harris County Engineering has once again been notified of the latest discharge, though the results of their investigation have not yet been reported.

Remind me never to rent an apartment here.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/22/24

2368 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.

After Quitting Time, Contractor Pumps Silty Stormwater into Street

1/31/24 – At 5:20 today, about the time government inspectors usually knock off work and the sun was setting, I got a tip from a reader. The reader alerted me to flooding on Kings Park Way near West Lake Houston Parkway, adjacent to a new Trammell-Crow apartment complex that Harris County Engineering had cited for stormwater violations. I hustled down there. Here is what I found.

One Lane Flooded

The contractors were pumping silty stormwater into the street and flooding one lane of the road.

The hose pumping the water into the street appeared to be at least 4 inches.

They had placed sand bags around one storm drain to help filter the silt.

But the silty stormwater was so deep, it flowed in both directions…

…straight into another unprotected City of Houston storm drain down the block.

Mud covered sidewalks ankle deep…

…while an excavator dug a trench to make more muck flow toward the pump.

From the wet marks on the pavement, it appeared that the discharge had covered the entire right lane at one point.

This is Phase II of an apartment complex development. The land you see is owned by Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC. Both LLCs are owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Their local headquarters are on 2800 POST OAK BLVD STE 400, HOUSTON TX 77056-6169. In case you chose to write them.

Public-Safety Issue

According to one study, “Sediment pollution is the single most common source of pollution in U.S. waters. Approximately 30% is caused by natural erosion, and the remaining 70% is caused by human activity. Construction activity is the most common source of sediment pollution. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sediment pollution causes approximately $16 billion in environmental damage annually.”

Clogged drains affect road safety. Clogged rivers affect flood safety.

After Hurricane Harvey, the Army Corps found that sediment had blocked 90% of the West Fork. Dredging cost hundreds of millions of dollars. And another email from a boater that I found waiting for me when I got home from the disaster site alerted me to the fact that sediment is building back in at an alarming rate.

Perhaps Mr. Crow could help with the next round of dredging. In 2020, Trammell Crow Holdings was worth an estimated $19.6 billion.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/24

2346 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.