Following three flooding events in three consecutive years — 2015, 2016, and perhaps, most notably during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 — Kingwood High School needed major flood control efforts put in place.
In fact, after Hurricane Harvey, FEMA required flood protection and indicated it would no longer fund post-flood recovery efforts at the school without the addition of flood protection measures.
The Humble Independent School District, including Kingwood High School, required a comprehensive flood protection system. This project also included a feasibility study to set project parameters and determine a flood protect elevation. Additionally, the team identified points of exposure in the facility and determined a flood protection system to address all the features that needed to be included, and because government funding was involved, the team met with FEMA to discuss requirements. After initial design discussions, FEMA and Humble ISD settled on a flood protection system that costed $14 million, which was less than original design estimate of $35 million.
Doug Coenen, principal at Walter P Moore said this system provides relief in a critical area and allows for the next generation of students and staff to experience. Despite some challenges, including the topography around the school, which caused the buildings to need 8 feet of flood protection in front and 3.5 feet in the back; culverts that needed to be implemented without interrupting the use of athletic fields; and the system needing both active and passive components, the project is completed and working today.
According to the project team, the system was successfully tested during a severe rain event and subsequent flooding in May 2024, followed by Hurricane Beryl in July 2024.
- Location: Kingwood, Texas
- Cost: $14 million
- Size: 520,000 square feet
- Owner: Humble ISD
- Designer: Walter P Moore Contractors: Rogers-O'Brien Construction & Walter P Moore
Katie Johns
Katie Johns, editor-in-chief of Stormwater Solutions, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2016 with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish. Johns joined the Stormwater Solutions team in September 2019. Johns also helps plan the annual StormCon conference and co-hosts the Talking Under Water podcast. Prior to entering the B2B industry, she worked as a newspaper reporter and editor in Sarasota, Florida, and a magazine assistant editor in the Chicago suburbs. She can be reached at [email protected].
