UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2018: While helping an HLECC Board member, in charge of dams, I and have personally walked through the inspection with TCEQ and I have written the Emergency Action Plan for Dan Summy and TCEQ.
Holiday Lake Estates was established as a subdivision community, in Polk County Texas, in the early 1960’s by CJ Gerlach. During the development of this community, several Dams and 1 Spillway was built. There were also several ‘run-off’ areas established during that construction. They were referred to as ‘Reserve’ areas. Sadly, some of those have gone on to private ownership and that could put their homes/property at risk during major flooding. Hurricane Harvey thoroughly tested all of these systems and, in my humble opinion, left many residents in a very sad situation. Like so many other subdivisions in east Texas, many of our residents had severe damage from flooding and were counting their blessings just to be evacuated, safely. It is heartbreaking, for me, to know that many of those residents will not be rebuilding because of the prohibitive cost and lack of funds/help to do so.
I wanted to get a post out here for the residents that will give them info about our dams and the spillway (see additional post). They are privately owned but TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) does do periodic inspections on the spillway. Sadly, they did not do the 2017 inspection (although an HLECC Board member requested it multiple times). Now, ‘post-Harvey’, it is very important that we get this inspection done. TCEQ is currently backlogged because of the Harvey damage, but we need to try to do all we can to get them out here. I have suggested that maybe a resident petition could move things along, especially with those who lost their homes to Harvey signing it. If anyone else has a better solution, please comment here or on the HLERG Facebook group.