Tag Archive for: Taylor Gully

Woodridge Village Still Silting Up Taylor Gully

Despite countermeasures, such as silt fences and rock baskets designed to catch erosion, Woodridge Village is still silting up Taylor Gully. And this comes shortly after Harris County Flood Control just cleaned out the ditch to restore its conveyance.

Nicole Black-Rudolph captured these two photos downstream from Woodridge. They show the water in Taylor Gully at the Turtle Bridge in Woodstream. The first shows what the water normally looks like. The second shows what it looks like now.

Normal/Now Photos by Nicole Black-Rudolph showing increased silt in Taylor Gully.

Where Did Silt-Laden Water Come From?

Following Taylor Gully upstream, you come to 268 clear-cut acres – Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village. All pictures below show Woodridge Village on the morning of September 7, 2020. A nearby Elm Grove resident, Jeff Miller, reported .7 inches of rain fell in his gauge on 9/5 and 9/6. That wasn’t enough to cause flooding, but it was certainly enough to erode sediment as the pictures below show.

Looking SSW across Woodridge from the top of the N3 detention pond on the eastern border. Elm Grove is at top. Everything slopes toward Taylor Gully in the upper left.
Woodridge Village, looking NW from over Taylor Gully
Looking north at N3 detention pond day after rainfall. Silty water is still flowing out of the pond.
Looking east at the concrete lined portion of Taylor Gully on the Woodridge site where water exits the site and crosses into the open channel on the Harris County side of the county line, out of frame to the right (see below).
Looking south at Taylor Gully immediately south of the county line. Note how color of water in ditch matches the color of water on the right in the side-by-side comparison photo above.

Political Ping Pong

Perry Homes’ troubled development in Montgomery County has been caught in a political ping-pong match that has delayed either its ultimate build out or conversion into a regional detention facility. The match started in February when the City of Houston said Harris County should pay for the conversion. It has continued until now. Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis keeps heaping one new condition after another on the sale of the property to Harris County Flood Control District.

Woodridge contributed to flooding Elm Grove Village in Kingwood (immediately to the south and across the Harris County line) twice last year. Perry contractors had clear cut 268 acres and filled in natural streams and wetlands that criss-crossed the property before fully installing detention ponds. When major rains stuck on May 7th and September 19th last year, sheet flow from Woodridge, coupled with water backing up in the streets of Elm Grove, flooded hundreds of homes. The area is still recovering.

Harris County Flood Control immediately started a project to restore the conveyance of the ditch which was badly silted, in part due to construction activities.

Now, despite best efforts to reduce erosion with conventional countermeasures, the exposed surface washes downstream with each rain. This re-deposits more sediment, which the Flood Control District just removed. (See two photos below from 2019.)

Taylor Gully Before 2019 Clean out.
Taylor Gully After 2019 Clean Out

Pray there’s movement on this deal soon. Perry Homes should plant grass on their property until the ping-pong match is over. Silt fences and rock baskets alone just don’t do the job.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/8/2020 with photos from Nicole Black-Rudolph and Rain Data from Jeff Miller

1106 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 355 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.

TCEQ Issues Notice of Violation to Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village Development

In response to complaints filed on October 23, 2019, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Houston Region Office issued a Notice of Violation to the developers of Woodridge Village. Figure Four Partners, LTD, a Perry Homes subsidiary, owns Woodridge Village, which contributed to the flooding of Elm Grove Village and North Kingwood Forest in May and September of 2019.

History of Uncorrected Violations by Perry Homes

The TCEQ originally investigated Woodridge Village in response to complaints filed after the May 7, 2019, flood. At that time, the Commission found that Perry Homes, et. al., had failed to implement and maintain effective Best Management Practices. They found that sediment-laden discharges had affected at least 2.5 miles of Taylor Gully. TCEQ sent that violation to its enforcement division.

Findings of a second investigation released today indicate that the violations continued after the first investigation.

Page 5 of the report states that pollution prevention measures implemented after the first investigation “did not appear sufficient to prevent sediment-laden discharge…”

The investigator observed tainted discharge 2.5 miles down Taylor Gully to the point where it disappears into woods and then joins White Oak Creek, Caney Creek, the East Fork, and Lake Houston. Said another way, the discharge appears to be polluting waters of the State of Texas and the drinking water for 2 million people.

Sediment laden water from Taylor Gulley where it joined the East Fork of the San Jacinto on January 11, 2020.

Investigations, such as the TCEQ’s, represent a snapshot in time. The investigator in this case visited the site on October 25, 2019. Unfortunately, observations by local residents indicate that the sediment-laden discharge continues.

TCEQ Requiring Structural Controls for Sediment

TCEQ is requiring Perry Homes, its subsidiaries and contractors to install sediment controls on all areas under their operational control at Woodridge. “There must be adequate structural controls to minimize sediment discharges from the site,” says the TCEQ in “Recommended Corrective Action” on page 7 of the 77 page report.

Perry Contractors Also Investigated

The release of findings today indicates that four Perry contractors at this site were also investigated by the TCEQ: D&J Construction Inc., Rebel Contractors Inc, Texassite LLC, and Double Oak Construction Inc.

No New Structural Controls Appear To Be In Place Yet

No additional structural controls appear to have been installed since the last investigation on October 25th. Sediment-laden runoff from the area of wetlands on the northern section of property continues unabated, although grass planted in other areas may be helping slightly.

Looking SE toward Taylor Gully, Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest from the northwest corner of Woodridge Village. Everything slopes toward the detention pond in the upper left, but no structural controls to reduce runoff are in place. Photo taken 1/20/2020.

Unfortunately, grass planted last summer has been destroyed by new construction activity around the southern detention ponds – the area of highest concern, where water from the site enters Taylor Gully through the double culvert seen in the picture below.

Contractors have destroyed the grass and backslope interceptor swales previously constructed around the S2 detention pond.
Erosion continues to etch the walls of the S2 detention pond which should be covered with grass by now. It was substantially complete in August of last year.
Construction of the S2 pond continues months after Perry Homes promised the City of Houston construction would be complete. The pond should have been complete by the start of December.

What Next for Troubled Perry Homes and Woodridge Village?

A story in the Houston Chronicle earlier this week reported that Perry Homes was seeking a bailout for this “floodplain property” from Harris County, Montgomery County and the City of Houston. Harris County commissioners reportedly considered the proposition in executive session on Tuesday this week. However, no decision or action has yet been announced. It should also be noted that Perry Homes’ engineering company, LJA, denies a floodplain even exists on this property.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/30/2020

884 Days After Hurricane Harvey 133 After Imelda

The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

Perry Homes’ Contractors Return to Woodridge Village, But Undo Some Previous Work, Add to Sediment-Laden Runoff

After pulling all construction equipment from the Woodridge Village site in December, Perry Homes’ contractors returned this week. They are still working on the S2 (second southern) detention pond. But the new work appears to undo some previous work, and make sediment-laden runoff worse.

Woodridge Still Far Short of Promised Detention Capacity

After about 15 months of working on the Woodridge Village site, Perry Homes still has only 23% of the detention capacity installed. And even that does not yet meet Montgomery County regulations (see below). None of the work this week focused on new detention ponds that would reduce flood risk for Elm Grove residents.

Perry Homes had promised to build three ponds on the northern section. But they have not started any of those yet.

And Far Behind Schedule

On October 17th last year, an attorney for Perry Homes, J. Carey Gray, promised the Houston City attorney that Perry would have S2 completed in no more than 45 days. It has now been 86 days since Mr. Gray sent his letter and the work is still far from complete. I’m sure this creates an embarrassment to the Mayor of Houston, especially considering that Perry Homes gave $5000 to his re-election campaign. It creates the appearance of trying to buy favors.

Still Does Not Comply With MoCo Regulations

I previously detailed seven Montgomery County regulations that Perry Homes’ detention ponds did not meet. Perry Homes did not:

  • Put 30-foot wide maintenance roads around the ponds.
  • Place backslope interceptor swales around the ponds.
  • Have effective erosion control measures in place.
  • Implement protective measures for their overflow spillway.
  • Prevent increases in downstream flood levels.
  • Prepare a geotechnical report (that they shared with Montgomery County) showing groundwater levels at detention pond sites.
  • Ensure complete drainage of the detention pond.

Detention Pond Falls Short of Promised Capacity

Calculations for the capacity of the detention ponds begin from the bottom of the pond – when empty. When partially filled with water, the calculation begins from the top of the water. The bottom 2-3 feet of S2 has retained water for months, indicating that part of the pond is below the water table. So you can subtract about 20% of capacity that LJA Engineering promised and that Rebel Contractors initially built.

Adding Maintenance Road, Subtracting Backslope Swales

The flurry of work this week centered around creating the maintenance road that regulations demand. Or perhaps Perry is just building up the lip of S2 to compensate for the water it holds. Both are potentially good things.

However, workers also started filling the backslope interceptor swales they previously built. This created a sharp slope next to neighboring residents’ property and increased runoff toward the residents during last night’s rain.

Contractors placing dirt along the southern edge of the S1 pond to build a road earlier in the week.
Elm Grove Trail on left. Woodridge Village on right of silt fence. Note how land is being sloped toward Elm Grove.

An interceptor swale collects water above slopes and diverts it to the bottom of a detention pond through pipes so runoff does not create erosion on the slopes that lead to the pond.

Perry Homes has given no reason why they started filling in the swale they previously built that complied with MoCo regulations.

Looking west from Village Springs Drive. In the foreground, you can see how workers built a road and filled in the interceptor swale between it and Elm Grove on the left.
Still looking west. From this drain pipe, you can better see the grassy swale previously created to drain water into the detention pond (right) and to keep it out of Elm Grove (left).
Reverse shot, looking east. Here you can see how workers filled in the swale and created a road three to four feet high. Residents worry about the effect.
Looking east near the entrance to Taylor Gully from the road, the change in drainage toward Elm Grove (right) becomes very apparent. Picture taken Friday afternoon before rain. Road was uncompacted except for the weight of the small bulldozer spreading dirt (see first picture above).

Same Changes Between S1 and Sherwood Trails

The same changes appear along the southern edge of S1, north of Sherwood Trails, though the road does not appear as high and there also appears to be a shallow swale.

Looking west along the southern edge of Woodridge Village S1 detention pond, toward Woodland Hills from Fair Grove.

No Effective Erosion Control Yet

Perry Homes has also failed to put effective erosion control measures in place in Woodridge Village. For instance, most pond banks do not yet have grass planted on them.

The new road covered up what little grass had grown around the ponds. And raw dirt now fills the former interceptor swale.

A one-inch rain last night swept sediment into the pond, which emptied into Taylor Gully and Caney Creek before joining the East Fork of the San Jacinto.

Massive Pollution

Boater Josh Alberson took the dramatic picture below this afternoon where Caney Creek joins the East Fork. The East Fork water looks natural, but the water coming from Caney Creek via Taylor Gully is clouded with sediment. Woodridge Village is the only large source of exposed earth up Taylor Gully at this time. (Alberson verified that this sediment-laden runoff was NOT coming from the Triple PG mine up White Oak Creek.)

Water from Taylor Gully (right) merging with East Fork water (left) on Saturday afternoon, 1/11/2020, after a 1-inch rain last night.

Posted by Bob Rehak with images from Josh Alberson, Edythe Cogdill and Nancy Vera

865 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 114 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.

HCFCD Wraps Up Taylor Gully Project Between Rustling Elms and County Line

This week, Harris County Flood Control is completing work on a large section of Taylor Gully between Rustling Elms and the Harris/Montgomery County line. Said Beth Walters of the Flood Control District, “Serco (the contractor) is replacing an outfall pipe Tuesday; this work should be complete in a few days. This is the last pipe to be replaced, and then all major work from Rustling Elms upstream to the county line will be completed.” The work began about two months ago.

Taylor Gully Images from Jeff Miller

Flood Control contractors inspect the old, rusted outfall pipe near Rustling Elms last week. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Reverse angle shows existing pipe before replacement. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Contractors were clearing turtles and fish from the old manhole.
Last weekend, new, 6-foot replacement pipe was standing by, ready for Taylor Gully installation. Photo taken by Jeff Miller.
New pipe fully installed. Photo taken 9/11 by Jeff Miller.
Excess dirt has been removed, ditch excavated, backslope interceptor swales restored, banks smoothed, and new backslope drains installed. Ready for the severe weather test. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.

Small Amount of Clean Up Work Remains

Miller reported addition excavation work happening this morning near Rustling Elms on Taylor Gully.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller of additional cleanup work between Rustling Elms and Bassingham.

Once again, a shout-out to Barbara Hilburn who raised the alarm about clogged ditches and beat that drum for more than a year until projects like this began.

Posted by Bob Rehak with Images and Reporting from Jeff Miller

743 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Upstream Section of Taylor Gully Nearly Restored

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has nearly completed restoration of Taylor Gully between Bassingham and the Montgomery County line. At least one drain pipe still needs to be installed and some dirt needs to be removed. But the drainage ditch itself is looking much better.

Taylor Gully Excavated, New Pipe Installed

Said Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident tracking the work, said, “Most all grading and sediment removal is complete. It looks like they are finishing rebuilding and installing one last backslope interceptor pipe. In all, I counted 8 new pipes and 2 cleared pipes, the majority on the west side of the gully.”

Looking south into Taylor Gully from the culvert that separates Woodridge Village and Elm Grove.
This ditch had become clogged from upstream erosion. But now, HCFCD has almost totally restored conveyance. All images courtesy of Jeff Miller.

New Drain Pipe Work Nearly Complete

HCFCD reset this inlet behind Abel and Nancy Vera’s backyard.
 New backslpoe interceptor pipe with concrete structure not yet poured; end of metal pipe will be trimmed flush with concrete.
Drain pipe exits have been cleared. Some were totally submerged in sediment.
Soil near Rustic Elms still needs to be removed and replacement pipe installed.

Thank You, HCFCD!

A big shout out to the men, women and contractors of the Harris County Flood Control District for excellent work. It will help protect hundreds of homes that flooded on May 7.

Posted by Bob Rehak and Jeff Miller

734 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Before-After Shots of Clean-Out: HCFCD Restoring Conveyance of Taylor Gully In Elm Grove

Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) is nearing completion of its project to clean out Taylor Gully. The project will restore the ditch’s conveyance through Elm Grove. The ditch had become clogged due, in large part, to erosion from months of clear-cutting and construction activities immediately upstream in the new Woodridge Village development.

After the Flood, but Before the Clean-Out

Below, several shots taken shortly after the May 7th flood.

Erosion on Woodridge Village property. Concrete culvert in background is entrance to Taylor Gully on Harris County side of Montgomery County Line.
Another shot of erosion leading to culvert, visible in upper right.
Looking north at same culvert from Harris County side of county line.
Flood debris carried downstream into Elm Grove portion of Taylor Gully
Shot taken at end of May looking south along Taylor Gully. Three weeks after the May 7 flood.

After the Clean-Out

What a difference some backhoes and bulldozers can make!

Looking south from same area today, but from opposite side of Gully. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Re-contoured backslope swale with new culvert. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Newly cleared Taylor Gulley Backslope Swale near the homes that flooded in North Kingwood Forest. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Brand new backslope interceptor structure and improved swale by HCFCD located just north of Creek Manor where it dead ends into Taylor Gulley. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.

These backslope interceptor swales reduce erosion, provide additional floodwater storage, and help prevent floodwaters from impacting structures.

One Month From Statistical Peak of Hurricane Season

Today is one month from the peak of hurricane season – September 11. Hundreds of people in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest will have an additional margin of safety thanks to HCFCD’s Taylor Gully project. Despite three months of near-perfect construction weather, Perry Homes’ contractors have only completed two of five planned detention ponds upstream. More on the construction status of Woodridge Village in my next post.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/11/2019 with photography from Jeff Miller

712 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 3 months + 4 days since the May 7th flood

Video shows Taylor Gully Restoration Reaching County Line; Giant Berm Now Separating Elm Grove and Woodridge

Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller submitted two more videos and a still photo today. They show:

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 not sure what’s going on here. It may have something to do with the countersuit by the subsidiaries of Perry Homes. They allege, in part, that the flooding on May 7th is not their fault “because Plaintiffs assumed the risk that resulted in Plaintiffs’ alleged damages.” (See Point #10, page 5). However, their lawsuit does not specify what they mean by that.

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

Excavation of Taylor Gully Began Monday

When Barry drifted east over the weekend, it helped the Kingwood Area in more ways than one. Not only did it take flooding rains elsewhere, it allowed Harris County Flood Control to begin maintenance of Taylor Gully on Monday.

Erosion Upstream Clogged Ditch with Sediment

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.

Rehab Work to Begin on Upstream Portion of Taylor Gully Monday, July 15

According to Beth Walters of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD), work on the upstream portion of Taylor Gully in Kingwood will begin on Monday, July 15, weather permitting. There’s still uncertainty regarding the local impact of Tropical Storm Barry, however, equipment has already started showing up at the job site.

Taylor Gully at the county line is half blocked with silt due to erosion from the clearcut area in the Woodridge Village development behind this culvert. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.

From Bassingham to Harris County Line

The work will extend from Bassingham to the Harris County line where the Gully meets the new Woodridge Village development in Montgomery County.

Scope of Work

This work will include the following:

  • Desilt the channel
  • Reconstruct the backslope interceptor structures
  • Install new backslope interceptor pipes
  • Regrade backslope swales
  • Install new gates
  • Install new “No Trespassing Signs”
  • Re-Set the covers of the “E type” inlets that have been damaged

Next Steps

After completing this reach of the channel, HCFCD staff will investigate Taylor Gully further downstream, where HCFCD completed a desilt job in the spring of 2019, from Bassingham to the downstream end.  HCFCD will open up any constrictions and desilt the channel if necessary.

Vital for Flood Mitigation

Approximately 200 homes near this channel flooded during the May 7th storm. According to residents, video taken during the storm, and still photos taken after the storm, overland sheet flow from Woodridge Village was the likely cause of their problems. Regardless, news of this effort will come as a great relief to Elm Grove and Woodstream residents who welcome every extra margin of safety they can get.

Kudos to the flood control district for jumping on this project. Commissioners Court approved the right of way acquisition only last Tuesday!

Work on Montgomery County Portion of Gully Also Proceeding

Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller also reported today that Woodridge has expanded a portion of Taylor Gully that runs through Montgomery County. Where the east/west portion of the ditch makes a 120 degree turn and starts heading south along the western border of North Kingwood Forest…

This corner and the portion of the ditch that extends straight down were expanded this week.

… the contractor widened the ditch and expanded the turn.

Dozens of homes flooded in North Kingwood Forest (left side of photo behind tree line) on May 7. This ditch had a tiny portion of current capacity at the time (see below). Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.

For comparison, here is what the same ditch looked like on May 12.

Same ditch as above adjacent to North Kingwood Forest (on left) but on May 12.

To see what the entire turning radius NOW looks like, see this video.

Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.

More good and welcome improvements. Just wish they had been in place before May 7th.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/13/2019 with help from Jeff Miller.

683 Days after Hurricane Harvey and Two Months after the Elm Grove Flood

HCFCD Schedules Maintenance for Taylor Gully, Other Ditches

Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident, just reported receiving a note from Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). Will Sherman, HCFCD’s Precinct 4 coordinator, indicated the following.

Plans for Taylor Gully

The right-of-way transfer to HCFCD for the upper portion of Taylor Gully (see map below) is scheduled to be on the next Commissioners Court agenda on July 9th.

HCFCD right of way access along Taylor Gully (left) should be complete by July 9.

That portion of Taylor Gully has become badly clogged with sediment due to the construction of Woodridge Village upstream just across the Montgomery County line.

Woodridge did not have erosion control measures in place when three storms in early May caused massive erosion.

Part of the erosion in the area clearcut for the new Woodridge Village subdivision. Tree line on the left is the Harris/Montgomery County Line. No erosion control measures were in place at the time of this photo during the heavy rains in early May.

Here’s what Taylor Gully looked like on 6/24/19.

Reinforced concrete box culvert on Taylor Gully at the Harris/Montgomery County Line. 10′ high culverts appear to be half clogged with sediment. Harris County is in foreground. Woodridge Village and Montgomery County are in background. Photo by Jeff Miller.

Following approval of the right of way transfer:

  • Equipment should be on-site July 11th 
  • Work should begin by July 15th. 

Regarding debris in the downstream portion of Taylor Gully:

  • HCFCD cleared debris after Harvey
  • HCFCD plans to do it again “soon” as part of a general debris removal process on multiple channels in Kingwood.
  • The wider effort should begin this August.
Blockage on lower portion of Taylor Gully. Photo courtesy of Chris Kalman. When banks erode and trees fall into ditches and creeks, the trees can catch other debris floating downstream and form “beaver dams” that back water up into neighborhoods.

Work on Ben’s Branch Expanded

Yesterday, HCFCD extended its work on Ben’s Branch west of Woodland Hills. They excavated the area between North Woodland Hills and the businesses on the south side of North Park Drive (Walgreens, Firestone, McDonalds, etc.).

HCFCD maintenance work along Bens Branch west of Woodland Hills Drive in Kingwood. Photo courtesy of Thomas Blailock.

To Report Blockages Near You

If you are aware of downed trees blocking a channel near you:

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/3/2019

With contributions from Jeff Miller, Thomas Blailock and Chris Kalman

673 Days after Hurricane Harvey