Sprint Sand & Clay Archives

Woodridge Village Excavation and Removal Contract Ends

(Note: Within an hour of posting this, I received additional information from a source familiar with Federal grants and have updated the section on Funding below.) Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and Sprint Sand & Clay have ended their Woodridge Village excavation and removal (E&R) contract. As of Friday afternoon, 11/24/23, Sprint had removed all of its equipment from the worksite, including the construction trailer at the entrance. See photos below.

*Empty entrance on Woodland Hills where construction trailer once stood.*

*Looking NE at extent of excavation for new detention basin.*

*Same basin, but looking in opposite direction toward SW.*

This will pause construction of additional stormwater detention capacity on Woodridge Village property.

Why did the contract end?

Funding Played Role in E&R Contract Termination

The new stormwater detention basin on HCFCD’s Woodridge Village property was part of a much larger project involving improvements to Taylor Gully. The combined Taylor Gully/Woodridge Village project involved funding from multiple sources:

U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw secured federal funding for Taylor Gully improvements in March 2022.
The Texas Water Development Board approved additional state funding in May.
Last summer, HCFCD also recommended the Taylor Gully/Woodridge project(s) for GLO/U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) CDBG-MIT funding.

The last comes with a firm, tight deadline for spending the money – Jan. 12, 2027 – three years away. It also comes with other “process” restrictions dictated by the CDBG-MIT funding.

Harris County requested a deadline extension. But because of the holiday, it is not clear whether HUD granted it.

Also, since originally posting this, an expert in Federal grants wrote to say, “The excavation and removal at Woodridge had to stop because Federal funds require a process to be followed. The excavation project that will be funded by CDBG mitigation funds has to follow NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act). It does not allow any activity until NEPA has been cleared. Once the site was officially approved for CDBG mitigation funds, everything had to stop. The agreement with GLO was executed a week or two ago.”

“A similar thing happened to the Sprint excavation and removal at the Dinner Creek Basin,” he added. “It’s one of those sad facts about federal grants. You have to follow their process and everything is done in a linear fashion.”

Flexible E&R Contracts Allow Early Termination

HCFCD’s excavation and removal contracts are very flexible. They let HCFCD get a head start on construction as it worked out financing, design and other project details.

The terms of Sprint’s E&R contract let Sprint excavate up to 500,000 cubic yards of material and sell the dirt on the private market to make a profit. Sprint was meeting its 5,000 cubic-yard/month minimum. They averaged 6,000 to 7,000 cubic yards per month during the last two years.

By the end of October, the company excavated 156,478 cubic yards – about a third of the maximum. However, the additional two-thirds at the current rate would have missed the HUD deadline by at least two years.

If there’s good news here, it’s that:

The amount excavated to date already puts the site very close to meeting Atlas-14 requirements. The “head start” worked.
Once construction resumes, it could sharply accelerate.

Final HCFCD Recommendations Not Yet Revealed

In December 2022, engineers presented their preliminary plans to the Kingwood community and sought public input on four alternatives. Their recommended alternative included:

Expanding a portion of Taylor Gully and lining it with concrete.
Building yet another 412 acre-foot stormwater detention basin on Woodridge Village.
Replacing the culverts at Rustling Elms with a clear-span bridge.

HCFCD has not yet revealed final construction plans to the community. But it appears that the pot is starting to boil. Stay tuned. More news will follow soon.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/26/23

2280 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village Excavation Rate Increased Slightly in October

During the month of October 2023, Sprint Sand & Clay excavated another 5,754 cubic yards (CY) of dirt from a new stormwater detention basin on Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Woodridge Village property. Compare that to 5,698 cubic yards in September. The new “total to date” is now 156,478 cubic yards. October’s 5,754 CY exceeds Sprint’s monthly minimum of 5,000 CY.

Perry Homes cleared and graded the property for development beginning in 2017. But insufficient stormwater detention capacity contributed to the flooding of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest Villages twice in 2019. HCFCD bought the property from Perry in 2021.

Terms of Excavation and Removal Contract

Sprint began excavation in January of 2022 under an Excavation and Removal Contract (E&R). Their E&R contract gives Sprint the right to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards of material for just $1,000. Sprint then makes its money back by selling the dirt at market rates.

E&R contracts often fluctuate depending on home- and road-building activity nearby. They represent good value for taxpayers because they reduce costs. But they also involve some uncertainty in terms of completion dates.

Where Things Stand at End of October

To date, here’s where things stand in relation to possible goals:

	Acre Feet of Stormwater Detention	% of Atlas-14 Requirement	% of Ultimate
Site Had When Purchased from Perry Homes	271	70%	47%
Has as of 11/1/23	368	95.6%	63.4%
Atlas 14 Requires	385	100%	66%
If Sprint Excavates All 500K Cubic Yards…	580	150%	100%

As of 11/1/23

Rain always slows construction activity and it may have played a role during October.

Pictures of Progress

Here are some before/after pictures (in pairs). They show the progress of construction during October.

Excavation and Removal Progress at Woodridge Village — *End of September 2023*

It appears that most of the excavation occurred at the far end. These three shots show the progress made in that area.

End of October 2023, looking NE

Looking back toward the entrance off Woodland Hills…

How Much Will Be Enough?

HCFCD still has not released the final engineering report for this project. So, we do not know exactly what shape this detention basin will take or what the final volume will be. Regardless, it’s more protection than we had before. And when finished, it will reduce flood risk considerably.

The current rate of excavation when measured in acre feet is about 3.6 per month. That means Sprint would reach the volume required to meet Atlas 14 requirements in about 5 months – the end of the first quarter in 2024. It’s unclear at this time how much HCFCD will have Sprint go beyond that.

NOAA is already working on Atlas 15. Atlas 15 will incorporate the effects of climate change in the national precipitation frequency standards for the first time. NOAA expects estimates to increase. So the size of this detention basin could, too.

Atlas 15 will be the first national precipitation frequency
analysis accounting for climate change.

NOAA expects to release the new data for peer review in 2025 and the final study in 2026. After that, NOAA will update the precipitation frequency estimates no less than once every ten years.

There is no such thing as certainty when predicting the future. The good news? There’s plenty of room on this site to expand stormwater detention volume in the future.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/1/2023

2255 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1505 since TS Imelda

Woodridge Village Excavation Slows

During September, Sprint Sand & Clay excavated another 5,698 cubic yards of material from Woodridge Village, down slightly from the previous month. However, that brought the total to date up to 150,724 cubic yards – a nice milestone.

Attempted development of the property contributed to the flooding of neighboring properties twice in 2019 during May and September.

Background of Project

Sprint’s excavation will create a sixth stormwater detention basin on the former Perry Homes property purchased by Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) and the City of Houston in 2021.

Sprint began excavation in January of 2022 under an Excavation and Removal Contract (E&R). The E&R contract gives Sprint the right to remove up to 500,000 cubic yards of material for just $1,000. Sprint then makes its money back by selling the dirt at market rates.

Where Things Stand

To date, here’s where things stand in relation to possible goals:

	Acre Feet of Stormwater Detention	% of Atlas-14 Requirement	% of Ultimate
Site Had When Purchased from Perry Homes	271	70%	47%
Has as of 10/3/23	364.4	94.6%	62.8%
Atlas 14 Requires	385	100%	66%
If Sprint Excavates All 500K Cubic Yards	580	150%	100%

As of 10/3/23

The rate of excavation slowed in September compared to August. During August Sprint excavated 10,353 cubic yards – almost twice as much.

E&R contracts often fluctuate like this depending on home- and road-building activity nearby. Regardless, Sprint still exceeded its contract’s monthly minimum of 5,000 cubic yards.

Before/After Pictures For September

The first two photos below show the extent of excavation at the beginning and end of September.

Woodridge Village E&R activity — *Looking NE from SW Corner. Beginning of September.*

I see no dramatic changes. They did, however, nibble away at the edges in the top left corner, where the tire tracks lead to. Here’s a closeup of that area.

*NW limit of excavation as of September 30, 2023*

*Reverse angle looking SW.* *Notice removal of surface layer in the lower right.*

Rain always slows construction activity and it may have played a role here. The pool of water above was one third this size at the start of the month.

5,698 cubic yards of material for September equals 3.5 acre feet. At that rate, the detention basin will not reach Atlas-14 requirements for another 5-6 months. It appears unlikely at this point that Sprint will meet Atlas-14 requirements by the end of the year – unless Sprint really sprints.

No Engineering Report Yet

At the start of the project, HCFCD planned to go beyond Atlas 14 to accommodate possible future increases in rainfall requirements and upstream growth. That would provide an extra margin of safety for people in the area.

HCFCD still has not released the final engineering report yet for Woodridge Village and Taylor Gully. So we don’t know yet how large this detention basin will be, i.e., beyond Atlas 14.

That final engineering report will also determine the final shape of the basin and its connectivity to other drainage on the site.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/3/23

2226 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village Excavation Slows in July

During July 2023, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractor Sprint Sand and Clay, LLC, excavated 5,754 cubic yards from a new Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin. That brought Sprints’ grand total up to 135, 751 cubic yards.

5,764 cubic yards equals another 3.6 acre feet. The previous month, Sprint excavated 5 acre feet. So, excavation during July declined 28%. At the current rate, Sprint would take another 8 months to bring detention volume up to Atlas-14 requirements (see table below).

At the end of July, excavation had reached 92.6% of Atlas-14 requirements, up slightly from June, when it had reached 92%.

Why Atlas 14 is Important

Atlas-14 defines the current standard for safely containing a 100-year rainfall. The lack of detention basin capacity contributed to the flooding of hundreds of homes along Taylor Gully twice in 2019, after Perry contractors clearcut the property.

HCFCD and City of Houston purchased the property from Perry in March 2021. Excavation of additional stormwater detention capacity started in January 2022. At the time, it had only 70% of the required detention capacity under Atlas 14.

NOAA is already working on revising Atlas 14. Atlas 15 will incorporate predicted climate-change impacts and feature recurrence intervals up to 1000 years.

However, the good news is that Sprint’s contract could eventually take the site well beyond Atlas-14.

Before/After Photos Show July Progress

I took the first photo below on July 1, 2023.

Woodridge Village E&R as of July 1, 2023 — *Woodridge Village July 1, 2023, looking NE.*

I took the other photos below at the end of July.

*July 29, 2023*. *The big difference appears to be the area filled with water.*

The outline has changed little. But additional water in the absence of rain and the presence of blistering heat suggests excavation may have reached the water table.

During the month of July, when temperatures pushed a 100 degrees every day, the nearest gage received only 2 inches of rain. And most of that was three weeks before the photo above.

HCFCD often prefers wet bottom retention basins because they reduce mowing costs, but the design of this basin is not yet complete.

*Those circular patterns may indicate the use of scrapers to lower the bottom of the new basin gradually.*

*However, north (right) of the exposed water*, *contractors still seem to be using excavators to expand the edges of the area.*

Under HCFCD Excavation and Removal contracts, contractors are free to excavate where they want within the provided footprint.

Rough layout for new Woodridge basin. — *Green area indicates rough outline of new basin.*

Where Does Woodridge Village Excavation Go From Here?

HCFCD’s Excavation and Removal contract with Sprint Sand & Clay calls for excavating up to 500,000 cubic yards. Sprint excavated approximately 8,000 cubic yards (5 acre feet) in June.

Any excavation beyond Atlas-14 needs would create a safety hedge against future needs should they increase.

NOAA is already working on updating the Atlas 14 requirements and should release Atlas 15 before the end of this decade.

Here’s how the various stages look in a table.

	Acre Feet of Stormwater Detention	% of Atlas-14 Requirement	% of Ultimate
Site Had When Purchased from Perry Homes	271	70%	47%
Has as of 8/1/23	356.5	92.5%	61.5%
Atlas 14 Requires	385	100%	66%
If Sprint Excavates All 500K Cubic Feet	580	150%	100%

Calculations based on original construction plans, HCFCD monthly reports, Atlas-14 Requirements and Sprint contract. Sprint could excavate down to or even slightly past the small grove of trees in the top center.

Sprint will make only $1,000 from its Woodridge Village excavation contract with HCFCD, but will make its profit by selling the dirt at market rates. It’s a good deal for taxpayers, but carries some uncertainty with it.

If the demand for dirt dries up, excavation could slow or stop.

But simply excavating the dirt isn’t the end of the job. Harris County still needs to slope the sides, plant grass, and tie the new basin into the site’s existing stormwater-detention-basin network. Engineers are reportedly working on plans for all that, according to HCFCD.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/1/2023

2163 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village Excavation Approaching Atlas-14 Requirement

Harris County Flood Control District’s (HCFCD) Woodridge Village Excavation and Removal contract with Sprint Sand & Clay continues progressing nicely. The volume excavated last month shows a continued rebound in activity after a dip last year when the housing market slowed.

As of the end of April, Sprint has completed approximately 23% of its 500,000-cubic-yard contract. More important, excavation could meet Atlas-14 detention requirements by the end of 2023.

Sprint excavated an estimated 11,000 cubic yards in April – more than double the monthly minimum. That brings the total to date to approximately 115,000 cubic yards.

Photos Reveal Excavation in New Direction

Here’s what the status of Woodridge Village excavation looked like on 5/1/2023. For the last year, Sprint has focused on lengthening the basin. Now it is focusing on widening it, too. Note the work taking place in the upper left quadrant of the photo below.

*Looking southwest toward Kingwood Park High School.*

*Looking east at current area of excavation.*

Typically, HCFCD gives E&R contractors some general boundaries and says, “Start digging.” Sprint makes its money by selling the dirt on the open market. There’s virtually no cost to taxpayers. And usually the bigger the hole in the ground, the better. So, according to a former flood control executive, if Sprint goes beyond 500,000 cubic yards, no one will complain. It reduces flood risk free of charge.

But where is all this headed and why?

Past, Current and Future Capacities

When Perry Homes sold the Woodridge Village property to HCFCD in 2021, it had five stormwater detention basins with a total storage capacity of 271 acre feet. But because Montgomery County issued construction permits based on pre-Atlas-14 requirements, the development was approximately 42% short of meeting current Harris County standards.

Partially as a result of insufficient stormwater detention capacity, up to 600 homes downstream in Kingwood flooded twice in 2019.

After HCFCD bought the property, it hired Sprint to get a head start on Woodridge Village excavation of additional detention capacity while it worked out exact plans for a regional detention basin and Taylor Gully.

Sprint has excavated approximately 71 acre feet so far. That brings the current detention capacity to 342 acre feet.

But HCFCD will ultimately need approximately 385 acre feet of stormwater detention capacity to meet Atlas-14 requirements and it hopes to build even more as a safety hedge against future needs should they increase.

If Sprint excavates the entire 500,000 cubic yards in its contract, that would bring the total stormwater detention capacity up to 580 acre feet. In tabular form, the steps look like this:

	Acre Feet of Stormwater Detention	% of Ultimate
Site Had When Purchased from Perry Homes	271	47%
Has as of 5/1/23	342	59%
Atlas 14 Requires	385	66%
If Sprint Excavates All 500K Cubic Feet	580	100%

Calculations based on original construction plans, HCFCD monthly reports, Atlas-14 Requirements and Sprint contract.

Calculations in the last column assume that Sprint excavates all 500,000 cubic yards. But Sprint’s contract calls for excavating UP TO 500,000 cubic yards.

A lot of flexibility exists for both parties in an E&R contract. If the demand for dirt dries up and excavation slows, HCFCD and Sprint could modify the E&R contract to complete a smaller detention basin sooner. But I assume it would still meet Atlas 14 requirements at a minimum.

Based on April performance, Sprint is currently excavating approximately 6 acre feet per month.

If demand for dirt holds, excavation should reach Atlas-14 requirements near the end of 2023.

Still Much More Work to Do

But simply excavating the dirt isn’t the end of the job. Harris County still needs to slope the sides, plant grass, and tie the new basin into the site’s existing stormwater-detention-basin network.

An engineering team is currently working on drawing up final construction plans. Simultaneously, they are looking at how Woodridge Village excavation will impact Taylor Gully needs.

At the moment, no one knows exactly how this project will end. There are simply too many variables. The site could contain one giant stormwater detention basin or several smaller ones.

HCFCD often employs a phased approach with large projects, such as Woodridge/Taylor Gully. Consider for instance, Willow Water Hole on South Post Oak at Highway 90. Or the Lauder Basin on Greens Bayou south of Beltway 8 North.

A phased approach enables residents to start reaping partial benefits sooner, with an eye toward maximizing future risk reduction as circumstances and funding allow.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/2/2023

2072 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1329 since Imelda

Rate of Woodridge Village Excavation Increases 47%

The rate of excavation for another stormwater detention basin on the Woodridge Village property picked up 47% in the last five weeks. That’s compared to the weekly average since Sprint Sand and Clay began excavating last year under the terms of its Excavation and Removal (E&R) contract with Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD).

The current weekly rate is the highest since last July.
As of:
- January 30, 2023, Sprint had excavated 80,360 cubic yards (CY)
- March 6, 2023, Sprint has excavated 93,023 CY, according to HCFCD.
Dividing the difference by five weeks, yields an average of 2,532.6 CY per week.
The weekly average since the start of excavation 54 weeks ago equals 1722.7 CY.
So, the February/early March data is an increase of more than 800 cubic yards per week compared to the long-term average, a 47% increase.

Demand for dirt under E&R contracts varies with housing starts and road construction. Housing starts have slowed greatly in recent months as interest rates have increased to cool inflation. It’s not clear yet whether the increased rate of excavation represents a temporary blip or the beginning of a turnaround in the market for dirt.

Then and Now Photos

Here’s the extent of excavation on the new pond as of January 24, 2023.

Woodridge Village Detention Pond #6 — *Woodridge Village Detention Basin #6 at the end of January 2023.* *Contractors have not yet connected the new basin* *to others.*

Here’s how the new basin looks today from approximately the same location – much longer!

*Sprint has not yet reached the end of S1, the detention basin on the right.*

*Looking south toward Kingwood. Sprint has the width of four or five more houses to go before it reaches as far as the end of S1. The tree line in the background is the Harris/Montgomery County line.*

Increased Rate is Welcome News

The increase in the excavation rate is welcome news for residents who flooded twice in 2019, thanks in large part to Woodridge Village construction practices. Perry Homes left the aborted development about 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements. Since then HCFCD and the City of Houston bought the site and are working on ways to reduce flood risk.

E&R contracts give HCFCD a low-cost head start on mitigation as engineers finalize plans. Knowing that they will need additional stormwater detention capacity, HCFCD established a flexible contract with Sprint for only $1,000. It lets Sprint remove up 500,000 CY and sell the dirt at market rates. This virtually eliminates a major construction cost and provides major savings to taxpayers.

Sprint is obligated to remove a minimum average of 5,000 CY per month and must place the dirt outside of the 100-year floodplain. The contract lasts three years.

*Sprint will excavate within the red line. If they move the total 500,000 cubic yards, they will more than double stormwater detention capacity on the site.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/6/2023

2015 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1264 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.

New Woodridge Village Detention Basin Already 2nd Largest

As of January 30, 2023, Sprint Sand and Clay had excavated 80,360 Cubic Yards of dirt from a sixth Woodridge Village stormwater detention basin under an Excavation and Removal Contract with Harris County Flood Control District. Even though the new basin is not yet complete, it is already the second largest on the site.

Sprint’s $1,000 contract gives it the right to excavate up to 500,000 cubic yards and sell the dirt at market rates to make its money back. The purpose: to get a head start on construction of another basin that could eventually double Woodridge Village stormwater detention capacity so that it will exceed Atlas-14 requirements and create a safety margin to accommodate future development.

Reason for Project

Perry Homes sold the failed development to Harris County Flood Control District in 2021 after it contributed to the flooding of hundreds of homes in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019.

Excavation began in early 2022. By the end of that year, Sprint had removed 73,745 cubic yards of soil. January’s total means Sprint is about one-sixth of the way toward its goal.

The basin already holds a considerable amount of runoff as the pictures below show. The pictures were taken on 1/24/23 after a five-year rain (3.6 inches in two hours). That’s about half the volume that fell on May 7, 2019 when Woodridge Village first flooded Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest. But at that time, only the long narrow detention basin on the lower right had been completed.

*Looking NE across the main part of Woodridge.* *Basin in foreground is the one under construction.*

*Reverse angle, looking SW* *toward Woodland Hills Drive and Kingwood Park High School.*

New Excavation Already Second Largest on Site

80,360 cubic yards equals 49.8 acre feet. Woodridge Village’s five original basins had the following capacity:

N1 = 13.2 acre feet
N2 = 154.7 acre feet
N3 = 42 acre feet
S1 = 18.6 acre feet
S2 = 42.5 acre feet

Original Detention Pond Capacity on Woodridge Village

That means the new basin already ranks as the second largest on the Woodridge Village site.

*Only N2 has more capacity at the present.* *But eventually, the new basin could double its size.*

*All basins will eventually converge into the basin in left foreground above. From there, water exits into Taylor Gully.*

*Despite the 5-year rain that fell only hours before these photos, Taylor Gully never came close to overflowing on January 24th because of the controlled release rate.*

More capacity will mean the site can safely handle much larger rainfalls.

Current detention pond capacity equals 271 acre feet. When complete, the new basin will add 309 acre feet, more than doubling the site’s stormwater detention capacity.

Funding and Next Steps

This is all part of a larger plan outlined in the preliminary engineering review for Taylor Gully that HCFCD shared with the public in December. The plan also calls for deepening a portion of Taylor Gully and replacing the twin-culvert bridge at Rustic Elms with an open-span bridge.

U.S. Representative Dan Crenshaw has already secured $1.6 million for Taylor Gully Improvements. The City of Houston also has secured a $10.1 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board to improve drainage in the Taylor Gully watershed.

Next up: final design of the improvements before construction can begin.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/31/23

1981 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 1230 since TS 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.

Progress Report New Woodridge Village Floodwater Detention Basin

A new floodwater detention basin that will ultimately more than double the capacity of Woodridge Village is expanding slowly but steadily. To date, 33,159 cubic yards have been excavated! The pictures below show progress since the start of work in late January.

Photos showing Progress

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) announced the project on 11/24/2021. Excavation started on 1/27/22.

beginning of Woodridge Village excavation — *First truckloads of of excavated material leave the southwest corner of the site on 1/27/22.* *Looking SW.*

Wider shot taken on same day looking NE looking in opposite direction. The new basin will eventually expand to cover most of the area within the road, tree-line on the left, and the ditch that bisects the property from left to right.

*Photo taken on 2/14/22 shows the excavation expanding. Looking SW.*

*Four days later.* *2/18/22. Looking SW toward entrance.*

*Basin will ultimately expand to green boundary.*

About Vendor’s Contract

The stormwater detention basin still has a long way to go before it reaches its ultimate size. HCFCD is excavating it under the terms of an E&R (Excavation and Removal) contract with Sprint Sand and Clay.

Sprint has agreed to remove up to 500,000 Cubic Yards of dirt for only $1,000. However, it has the right to sell the dirt at market rates to make a profit. But the dirt can only elevate structures outside of current floodplains.

Three Months Into Contract, Beating the Minimums

When Perry Homes finished its planned floodwater detention basins, it had enough capacity to hold a hundred year rain as defined by pre-Atlas-14 standards. But capacity fell 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements.

The addition of the new detention basin should take capacity well beyond Atlas-14 requirements and create a safety margin that accommodates additional upstream development.

Excavation under an E&R contract can have ups and downs. When construction booms, excavation moves along quickly. But when construction slows, excavation can, too. However, the contract does have minimum excavation requirement of 10,000 cubic yards per month written into it.

At 36,000 cubic yards after roughly 2.5 months, Sprint exceeds the minimum. But if that rate continues, it could take another four years to reach 500,000 cubic yards.

At some point, the county may choose to step in and pay market rates for excavation to speed things up. But until then, every truckload hauled out of Woodridge Village by Sprint will reduce the ultimate cost.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/18/2022

1693 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Dirt Excavated from Woodridge Being Used to Build Up Laurel Springs RV Resort

Sprint Sand & Clay, the company hired by Harris County Flood Control to excavate 500,000 cubic yards of dirt from Woodridge Village, began hauling some of it to the controversial Laurel Springs RV Resort near Lakewood Cove this morning.

Wake-Up Calls

My phone started blowing up before breakfast with dozens of complaints about Sprint truck traffic. So, I began investigating. I first went to the Woodridge Village site. Drone photos and on-the-ground observations revealed that Sprint was indeed hauling dirt from the Woodridge Village excavation site.

*SW corner of Woodridge Village taken Wednesday 2.9.22. Sprint trucks line up to haul off dirt.*

I followed one of the trucks all the way to Laurel Springs Lane where I observed it dumping its load. Along the way and at each end, I saw many more Sprint trucks – up to four at a time. There was a veritable parade of dump trucks making round trips along Woodland Hills Drive, Kingwood Drive, Chestnut Ridge, and Laurel Springs Lane.

*Orange truck from above enters RV site several minutes later and turns toward detention pond.*

*The orange truck dumps its load just north of the pond near an area marked as the 500-year floodplain. Other equipment spreads it out.*

Will Storm Drains Be Adequate?

*Sprint trucks had also dumped dirt near a new “north entrance” to the site.*

In the shot above, note the ponding water from 0.2 inches of rain more than a week ago. The contractor’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan describes this soil as “silty sand” to a depth of 18 inches (Page 18).

They may want to recheck that before installing more storm drains.

Other Issues Noted Today

Most trucks that I observed used what has now become the “south” entrance. The fresh load of bullrock laid down days ago has already been covered with mud. That accounts for all the dirt tracked into the street.

*While the storm sewers were still unprotected from dirt, at least a street sweeper was onsite today.*

*Another unprotected storm sewer and contractor taking water from City fire hydrant. Photo courtesy of Robin Seydewitz.*

*All the dump trucks I observed were this large size, not the kind that holds 10 cubic yards.*

Good News/Bad News

The start of serious excavation at Woodridge Village comes as welcome news to the people of Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest who flooded twice in 2019. However, it’s equally worrisome to the people of Forest Cove and Lakewood Cove. Many expressed concerns about potential flooding.

Risks from Building Up Land

Should existing residents be concerned about that? Yes, was the answer I got from one respected hydrologist who spoke on condition of anonymity. He likened the built-up area to a berm and said that “You don’t want a berm to stop overland sheet flow.”

The elevation survey shown below comes from the RV park’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. It shows that the land naturally slopes from northeast to southwest. Building up the RV property would definitely prevent water from the NE from flowing in that direction. Sheet flow would divert south along Laurel Springs and put an evacuation route at risk.

*Survey shown in developer’s Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan shows elevation going from 83.1 in the NE to 61.4 in the SW, a difference of more than 20 feet.*

East to west along the southern boundary, the elevation drops from 67 feet at Laurel Springs to 61 feet near the railroad tracks.

Another risk is that sheet flow with nowhere else to go could back up Lakewood Cove storm sewers at the same time that the RV park is trying to pump water into them to compensate for its undersized detention pond.

Texas Water Code

Chapter 11.086 of the Texas Water Code covers situations like these.

If someone sustains water damage on their property due to a neighbor’s property, questions as to who may be liable may arise. Surface water runoff — most often caused by excess rainwater — is the common culprit. Texas law holds landowners responsible for damage to neighboring property due to diversion of surface water.

If you find the legal wording in the water code difficult to understand, visit this Texas State Law Library page for resources written in plainer English.

SWPPP Plan Good for Laugh-Out-Loud Moment

I received a copy of the RV Park’s SWPPP plan today from the TCEQ. Parts of it made me laugh out loud. For instance, the section about “Receiving Waters, Wetlands and Special Aquatic Sites” said:

“No existing wetlands or other special aquatic sites have been identified at or near this site [Emphasis added].”
Page 18 of Laurel Springs RV Park SWPPP prepared by Construction Eco Services

Obviously, they didn’t glance across the southern property line or consult the National Wetlands Database. I can’t wait to read the rest of this plan to uncover more gems.

*From US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wetlands Inventory Mapper. The RV Park is going in just above the large green area labelled PF01A Future Edgewater Park.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/9/22

1625 Days since Hurricane Harvey

More Woodridge Village Excavation Started Today

In the afternoon of 1/27/22, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) contractor Sprint Sand & Clay began excavation of additional detention pond capacity on Woodridge Village. Woodridge is the former Perry Homes property implicated in the flooding of Elm Grove Village and North Kingwood Forest twice in 2019. Numerous factors contributed to the flooding. But insufficient detention pond capacity led the pack. The volume excavated by Perry contractors fell about 40% short of Atlas-14 requirements.

Initial Work Will Improve Access

The initial work will improve access to the site. Sprint says it hopes to begin excavation in earnest next week. By comparing the picture and map below, you can see that the task will be immense.

*Looking NE at main portion of Woodridge Village Site as excavation of new detention pond begins. It will extend to the pond in the upper right.*

*Excavation off the green area above will more than double the detention pond capacity on the Woodridge Village Site.*

History of Project and Contract Details

In February last year, HCFCD purchased Woodridge Village with the intention of creating additional detention pond capacity. Fast forward to November 2021. HCFCD and Sprint signed an E&R contract. E&R stands for Excavation and Removal. Under the terms of their contract, Sprint Sand & Clay will excavate material as needed.

HCFCD will pay Sprint just $1000 to excavate 500,000 cubic yards. Sprint then has the right to resell the dirt to developers, contractors and road builders at market rates and pocket the profit.

Taxpayers generally like E&R contracts, but anxious homeowners may worry about the “as needed” clause. That can slow work down if market demand falters. Nevertheless, Sprint has an obligation to remove at least 5,000 cubic yards a month. That’s enough to fill 500 dump trucks. In total, they’ll fill 50,000 before the job is done.

Covid Delayed Start

The project could have started in December, but Covid-related absences slowed the contractor. This afternoon, however, the contractor began a) clearing an access road for trucks into the site and b) clearing space for a construction trailer near the excavation. The contractor hopes to begin excavation in earnest next week. But again, they make no guarantees on that point.

Pictures Taken 1/27/22

Regardless, signs of progress are welcome. Here are pictures taken of the project just hours into it.

Sprint began by clearing a two-lane road for their trucks opposite the entrance to the Northpark Recreation Area on Woodland Hills Drive. The company plans to work around the high school’s schedule (upper right).

*The company began by clearing an area near the entrance to the largest portion of the site.*

*Dirt from the initial excavation is being stockpiled near the Woodland Hills entrance opposite Kingwood Park High School for the moment.*

The contractor appears to be shuttling dirt from the excavation area toward the entrance. It’s not immediately clear whether that dirt will be used to build up a construction road or hauled offsite.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/27/2022

1612 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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