A historic rainfall event hit northern Harris and south Montgomery counties overnight April 17 and into the morning of April 18, resulting in flooded neighborhoods, streets and numerous school closures.

More than 15 inches of rain fell in some areas of Houston during that time frame causing high water levels in area creeks, according to the National Weather Service. Water levels in Spring Creek south of The Woodlands remained above flood stage for several days past the initial rainfall event.

Although flooded homes were not a major issue in The Woodlands during the April 18 event, there is some concern regarding development and its relation to flooding in parts of the Greater Houston area.

“My big concern with all the growth Montgomery County is expecting is that we’ll make the same mistakes Harris County did [in] that we won’t require the right kind of detention, and we’ll destroy our wetlands and forest areas for the sake of concrete and bring more water down all these tributaries,” township Director Mike Bass said. “What is our county going to do in terms of not making the same mistakes?”

During The Woodlands Township board of directors meeting April 27, Jim Stinson, general manager of The Woodlands Joint Powers Agency, gave a presentation regarding flooding concerns related to Panther Branch and Bear Branch, two tributaries in the community.

Since The Woodlands is a master-planned community, it has a master-planned drainage system that was conceived prior to its development, Stinson said. The intent was to build a system to accommodate development without negatively affecting residents in The Woodlands or downstream.

“During a major event, all the underground pipes are full,” Stinson said. “They are not intended to function during a major event like [Tropical Storm] Allison or what we saw on April 18. The neighborhood streets become the conduit to convey stormwater.”

For some residents in the Village of Cochran’s Crossing across from The Woodlands High School, flooding is a major problem, resident Ken Gayagos said. Some homes have flooded three or four times and it is unclear where the water is coming from, he said.

Stinson said TWJPA plans to investigate what can be done to fix the problem by studying rainfall data and water elevation levels.

“For the residents who live in those properties, being flooded once is horrific, twice is a catastrophe, three times is ridiculous and fourth is enough,” township Director Gordy Bunch said. “We have one area we need to resolve quickly. We need to get that fixed.”