Contact:
Nina Johnston
Clear Lake City Green Space Preservation Committee
Press Officer
281-480-0791
Website: www.clccl.org
April 29, 2005
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Golf Course Serves as Natural Retention/Detention Pond:
Aids Clear Lake City Flooding Issues
(Houston, Texas) – Some Clear Lake City homeowners are baffled by the proposed development of the Clear Lake Golf Club, as suggested by the current owner’s President, Mark Voltmann, of Renaissance Golf Group, LLC. They are confused because for them, living day in and day out in their homes, watching the storms (and storm waters) come and go, they can’t fathom the impact of home construction on the land behind their houses. Especially Merle Bunde.
Mr. Bunde bought his home on the golf course in 1965 and has monitored the water flow during normal rains as well as tropical storms over the last 40 years. He has diligently documented with pictures and descriptions the rain events in Clear Lake City and its impact on his street and the golf course, a treasure drove of historical data that Harris County Flood liaison Charles Tolar found fascinating.
The Clear Lake City Water Authority added two storm drains near Mr. Bunde’s home after flooding occurred in “79, “89 and “95 on Reseda at Tory Pines. The bulk of the storm waters is directed by those drains, from the street into pipes that run under the golf course parking lot and out , into the Harris County Flood Control District’s drainage ditch on the golf course behind Mr. Bunde’s house.
“A definite flood is about 4” per hour,” said Mr. Bunde, and with the current drainage, that level of rainfall creates a lake on the course behind him. He monitored Chantal (’89), Allison (‘01) and a huge unnamed rain event on Memorial day (’95), all of which flooded his home from between six inches to a foot above the door jam, as well as totalling his car. He counts at least 30 rain events that have flooded his garage or have been to the garage door.
Considering new home construction on the golf course behind his home, effectively eliminating the detention that now happens during rains, Mr. Bunde estimates that a storm dropping anything less than 4” an hour would flood his house and fill the drains to capacity. In fact, most of Oakbrook would be under water. This scenario, Mr. Bunde.
Golf Course Serves as Natural Retention/Detention (page 2)
reasons, would be played out in all of Clear Lake City, effecting capacity of Horsepen Bayou and all communities connected to that watershed.
“This golf course is much more than a golf course” said Mr. Bunde. “It is a critical part of the existing flood control system for Clear Lake City in that it serves as a natural retention/detention pond for storm drainage. The storm drains they put in on my street run water to the ditch on the golf course, to keep it out of our houses,” he said. “Concrete on that golf course puts us all under water,” he said.
Concerned citizens and homeowners can find more information regarding this issue on the Green Space Preservation Committee website: www.clccl.org.
For more information contact:
Nina Johnston
Clear Lake City Green Space Preservation Committee
Press Officer
281-480-0791
Website: www.clccl.org