The pictures and stories coming from Houston and other areas affected by Harvey are heart-breaking. Even more upsetting is the awareness that Houston and the surrounding area have ignored warnings from scientists and urban planners that the nearly uncontrolled development and lack of regulations have contributed to this disaster.
Last December, the Texas Tribune published an excellent article about how Houston and Harris County officials have turned a blind eye to the consequences of relaxed building regulations which allowed developers to pave over acres of native prairie land that once absorbed massive amounts of rainwater. Flooding is now a common event in many areas of Houston, but officials continue to deny that there’s anything they can do.
I encourage you to read the entire article, but here’s a particularly chilling section:
Scientists also worry that local officials are ignoring another crucial reason Houston is flooding more: what [Katherine] Hayhoe* calls “the paving of Houston.”
The region was once home to acres of prairie grass whose roots extended far underground, with a capacity to absorb water for days on end or even permanently. Most of that land has now been paved over. The Katy Prairie northwest of Houston was once about 600,000 acres of flood-absorbing land; recent development has reduced it to a quarter of that capacity, according to estimates from the Katy Prairie Conservancy, an advocacy group.
That means the rain is now falling on what are called impervious or impermeable surfaces, like concrete, preventing the ground underneath from absorbing it. So the rainfall becomes “runoff,” traveling to wherever is easiest for it to flow. The water might flow to a nearby stream, but on its way the water could flood homes, cars and businesses, or the stream might be overwhelmed by that water, causing more flooding nearby.
*Hayhoe is a climate scientist at Texas Tech University.
I travel a lot for work, which gives me the opportunity to visit many cities in the US. I love seeing different parts of the country, and I have a long list of favorite cities. Houston, unfortunately, is not a favorite because of the sprawling business district and miles of concrete buildings and highways. I never get a sense of the city proper — it’s just buildings, an occasional park, and suburbs.
Growth in Cypress and other Houston-area suburbs has been so substantial that the state plans to build a third highway loop around the city. When it’s completed in 2021, the Grand Parkway will be large enough to fit the state of Rhode Island inside of it.
Yikes.
Houston and Harris County officials are in denial that development is a problem. Not surprising, when the rapid growth has pushed Houston to the fourth-largest city in the US, and is expected to surpass Chicago within a few years for the third spot. Any effort to restrict development is met with severe resistance.
The city did pursue a law banning new development or major renovations of existing buildings in areas called floodways — the most vulnerable parts of the 100-year floodplain that are closest to the bayous. That prompted multiple lawsuits, and the law was ultimately severely weakened by the city council two years later.
Still, said Bill White, who was mayor at the time, “It was the most aggressive action that had ever been taken” against such development.
When White’s successor, Annise Parker, tried to impose a fee on city residents to pay for drainage improvements, lawsuits followed, too. The proposed fee remains in limbo.
The county’s development regulations are superior to the city’s and have been strengthened over time, said Steve Radack, a longtime Harris County Commissioner who represents the Cypress area.
But they have to be economically reasonable, he said. If the rules are too strict, developers will say “fine, to heck with Harris County. We’ll go build in Fort Bend,” the county directly west of Harris County, or wherever else, he said.
This situation highlights the importance of supporting elected officials who understand the impact of both climate change and urban development. I encourage everyone in the Houston area to review the local elections and identify candidates who support limitations on development and opening more green space. Catastrophes such as Harvey are difficult to avoid, but at least we can do what we can to mitigate the damage