General

Steep Bank Creek – floodwater levels and supplemental pumps

The initial delivery of supplemental pumps are now online, and we have confirmed that they are pumping water!

We are beginning to see improvement on floodwater levels in the Steep Bank Creek watershed. Unofficially, the levels appear to be approximately 1 foot below the high water mark, and we continue to see increased drainage efficiency every hour.

Roads

As crews continue work at the Steep Bank Creek pump station, LJ Parkway remains closed and portions remain impassable. There is no public access to the communities south of Hagerson Road (Sweetbriar, Orchard, Shadow Glen, Lost Creek, and Millwood), and law enforcement officers have set up barricades and officers enforce the restriction on access.

Although many of the other major thoroughfares within Riverstone are now passable, at this time, Creekstone Village Drive (east of Thompson Ferry) and Oilfield Road remain impassable. Many of the smaller residential roads continue to hold water, and residents should continue to heed the County’s evacuation order for now. We are actively working with the County OEM office on when they will allow residents to return.

Brazos River Projection

The National Weather Service’s projected crest for the Brazos River at Richmond has further been reduced to 55.7 feet. The river level is currently 55.14 feet.

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=hgx&gage=rmot2

Please be advised, LJ Parkway from Thompson Ferry to the bridge at Sienna Springs will be closed for 24 hours (or more) to allow equipment trucks and work crews access to the pump station site. There will be no car, boat, kayak, and pedestrian access. PLEASE do not attempt to access these areas. We have law enforcement onsite for traffic control and public safety, and we will continue to request their presence during the duration of the work.

Supplemental Pumps

More pumps were delivered last night, and crews are still working to install.

Floodwater & Brazos River Levels

We have unofficial reports of approximately 2 inches of additional recession overnight. The pumps at Steep Bank Creek remain fully functional and continue to work at capacity in their efforts to drain the area.

The threat to safety from the Brazos River level remains – as of this morning, the River levels are officially past the highest level in its recorded history.

https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=hgx&gage=rmot2

Curfew & Evacuation

Late last night Fort Bend County imposed a curfew between midnight and 6:00 a.m. for all unincorporated areas of Fort Bend County through September 6, 2017. This applies to ALL areas of Riverstone within LID 15 or LID 19. It does not apply to the portion of Riverstone within Missouri City limits (MUD 115).

As a reminder, the County’s mandatory evacuation is still in place for both LID 15 and LID 19. While we understand your desire to return home, inspect damage, or collect valuables, congestion in our streets can negatively affect flood fighting and rescue operations. On ground crews will be re-assessing the evacuation order early this morning, and any update will be posted here.

Communications

A final word about communications. Many of you have expressed frustration about not being able to reach anyone from the LID by phone. Please understand that almost all of the LID directors, consultants, and operating crews were also affected by the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey and the accompanying rain. In the initial days of the storm, as you are aware, the widespread devastation meant that roads were impassable, many of our offices and homes were flooded or shut down without power, and individuals who would normally be able to answer calls and emails were unable to do so. However, as we recover our offices and staff each day, we hope to continue efforts to provide improved communications.

This website and the County’s OEM website have provided the primary official sources of information. Your emails and voicemails have been received (with any threats to life and safety being elevated for immediate attention), and although we cannot answer every specific question, we continue to do our best to streamline answers to the most frequently asked questions here.

All this being said, we’re working to set up a live informational session for LID 15 and LID 19 residents. Our engineers and operators continue 24-hour flood fighting operations in Riverstone, and as soon as they are able to break from operations, we will post date, time, and location here.