Hurricane Harvey Update 12:00 noon on Tuesday

[dan_s]

Finally some really good news!

Now that the Brazos River crest forecast has been reduced from 59 feet to 57.5 feet all of the areas that are listed as "Voluntary Evacuation" areas in First Colony s/b fine.

We live in the Commonwealth area (First Colony LID #2).

I talked to the chief engineer at the pump station by our home at 11:30. One of our neighborhood board members was also there. The pump station pumps rain water from our largest retention pond into the Brazos River. The retention pond is down 18 inches from this morning and there in no fear of it going out of its banks. The retention pond only holds rain water that accumulates in Commonwealth, none of it is Brazos River water. Even if the retention pond overflows (and it is at least six feet from the top), it will only cause street water with almost no risk of the water coming into homes.

The really good news is that he told me that the Brazos would have to crest at over 60 feet to threaten our levee district. He thinks if the Brazos River crests at 57.5 ft. that most of First Colony should be OK.

The only levee for our district that is in direct contact with the Brazos River is the one directly beyond the pump station. That levee and the one on the other side that protects Avalon were built to protect us from a 60 foot crest on the river.

Our only risk now is that if Riverstone totally fills to the levee that is between FC LID#2 and Riverstone the water could come over into Commonweatth. The engineer does not expect that to happen since the levee between Riverstone and the Brazos River is also high.

We just need it to stop raining and that is expected to happen by noon on Wednesday.