📊 Environmental Assessment Report

This comprehensive report analyzes both flood risk and industrial pollution exposure for this property. The assessment combines multiple data sources including USGS elevation, FEMA flood zones, historical storm modeling, and EPA Toxic Release Inventory records.

🌊 Part 1: Flood Risk Analysis

Property Overview

This section shows the fundamental characteristics of the property, including its elevation above sea level, FEMA flood zone designation, and our calculated overall flood risk rating based on historical data and topographic analysis.

Address

8826 ORCHARD LN LA PORTE 77571

Building Size

2,166 sqft

Total structure area from HCAD building records.

Elevation

22.35 ft

Height above sea level from USGS data.

FEMA Flood Zone

Moderate to Low Risk - Outside 500-year floodplain

Overall Risk

Very Low

Risk based on FEMA zone and simulation.

Risk Assessment Outputs

These detailed metrics show the technical outputs from our flood risk model. They include predicted water depths at the property during a 5000-year flood event and estimated flood damage based on USACE methodology.

Risk Rating

Very Low

Flood Depth

0 ft ±0.5 ft

No flooding at current water level.

Water Surface Elevation (WSE)

N/A

Water surface elevation data not available.

Area Inundated

N/A

Data not available

Nearest Bayou Stage

N/A

No nearby bayou within monitoring range

Depth-Damage Estimate (HCAD Valuation)

Property not flooded at current water level. No damage to calculate.

Depth-Damage Estimate (Neighborhood Comparison)

Property not flooded at current water level. No damage to calculate.

Analysis Method

COG Bathtub Model

Raster-based flood inundation query

Flood Simulation

This simulation shows whether the property would flood based on a 5000-year flood event with 3m (9.84ft) water level. Use the interactive tool to explore different scenarios.

✅ Property Would Be Safe

Safety Margin: 12.35 feet
Severity: Safe

Adjust Flood Simulation

The analysis above uses default settings (5000-year flood, 3m/9.84ft water level). To explore different flood scenarios with interactive maps, return to the main tool:

Open Interactive Analysis Tool

Flood Risk Recommendations

Based on the property's flood risk profile, here are specific action items to consider.

FEMA Zone X (minimal hazard) - flood insurance available at preferred rates.
Review the interactive flood simulator to understand how different rainfall events could affect this property.
Contact Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) for drainage projects and flood information.

🏭 Part 2: Industrial Pollution Exposure

Property Pollution Ranking

Moderate

Higher pollution than 58% of Houston homes

This ranking compares pollution levels within 2 miles of this property against 10,000 randomly sampled Houston metro properties. Lower percentiles indicate higher pollution exposure.

Industrial Pollution Nearby (Last 10 Years)

31 thousand lbs

Above Typical

4.8x more than typical Houston property
≈ 2 dump trucks of chemicals within 2 miles

Total chemical releases from all industrial facilities within a 2-mile radius over the past decade (2014–2024). Data from EPA's Toxic Release Inventory tracking air, water, and land discharges.

💨 Air Pollution (Last 10 Years)

31 thousand lbs

Above Typical

6.5x more than typical Houston property

Chemicals released into the air from nearby facilities over 10 years. Includes both fugitive emissions (leaks, evaporation) and stack emissions (smokestacks, vents). May affect local air quality.

💧 Water Pollution (Last 10 Years)

0 lbs

None

Chemical discharges to surface water (bayous, streams, drainage) from industrial facilities within 2 miles over the past decade. May impact local waterways and drainage systems.

❤️ Why It Matters

High chemical activity nearby can indicate industrial zones, truck traffic, or potential odor and noise issues. These factors may affect air quality, long-term property desirability, and neighborhood character. This data helps you understand the industrial footprint around your property.

🏙️ Houston Metro Benchmarks

Comparison with typical Houston properties (based on 10,000 randomly sampled homes). All measurements are for chemicals released within a 2-mile radius.

Period	Total	Air
Typical Houston Property (2014-2024)	6,524 lbs	4,822 lbs
This Property (2014-2024)	31,423 lbs	31,423 lbs
Typical Houston Property (2024 Only)	2 lbs	1 lbs
This Property (2024 Only)	498,582 lbs	3,713 lbs

📊 How This Property Compares to Houston Metro

Based on a random sample of 10,000 Houston properties, this chart shows the distribution of pollution levels across the metro area. The highlighted bar indicates where this property falls compared to other homes. Lower percentiles mean higher pollution exposure.

0-9thMost Polluted

9.9%

10-19th

10.1%

20-29th

9.9%

30-39th

10.1%

40-49th

9.7%

50-59th

10.2%

60-69th

70-79th

5.8%

80-89th

4.3%

90-100thLowest Pollution

34.2%

Higher pollution than 58% of Houston homes

Each bar's width represents the percentage of Houston homes in that pollution range. This property ranks in the 40-49th percentile (slightly higher than average).

Top chemicals released near this property (past 10 years):

Methanol, Certain glycol ethers, n-Hexane, Propylene oxide, Dimethylamine

View the full list of 17 chemicals below.

Chemicals Released (2014-2024, 10-Year Total) (17 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs, 10yr)	Total (lbs, 10yr)
1	Methanol	67-56-1	6,130 lbs	12,657 lbs
2	Certain glycol ethers	N230	9,455 lbs	9,456 lbs
3	n-Hexane	110-54-3	7,167 lbs	7,167 lbs
4	Propylene oxide	75-56-9	1,968 lbs	1,968 lbs
5	Dimethylamine	124-40-3	1,745 lbs	1,745 lbs
6	Ethylene oxide	75-21-8	1,369 lbs	1,369 lbs
7	Nonylphenol	N530	1,013 lbs	1,013 lbs
8	Nonylphenol Ethoxylates	N535	1,008 lbs	1,008 lbs
9	Maleic anhydride	108-31-6	611 lbs	611 lbs
10	Cyclohexane	110-82-7	480 lbs	480 lbs
11	Nitric acid	7697-37-2	201 lbs	201 lbs
12	Bifenthrin	82657-04-3	149 lbs	149 lbs
13	Diphenylamine	122-39-4	87 lbs	87 lbs
14	Cyanide compounds	N106	5 lbs	58 lbs
15	tert-Butyl alcohol	75-65-0	23 lbs	23 lbs
16	Oxyfluorfen	42874-03-3	10 lbs	10 lbs
17	Toluene	108-88-3	2 lbs	2 lbs

Top chemicals released near this property (2024 only):

Methanol, Nonylphenol Ethoxylates, Certain glycol ethers, n-Hexane, Nonylphenol

View the full list of 9 chemicals reported within 2 miles for 2024.

Chemicals Released (2024 Only) (9 chemicals)

#	Chemical	CAS#	Air (lbs/yr)	Total (lbs/yr)
1	Methanol	67-56-1	1,847 lbs	414,734 lbs
2	Nonylphenol Ethoxylates	N535	131 lbs	81,533 lbs
3	Certain glycol ethers	N230	961 lbs	1,125 lbs
4	n-Hexane	110-54-3	607 lbs	631 lbs
5	Nonylphenol	N530	1 lbs	224 lbs
6	Propylene oxide	75-56-9	38 lbs	202 lbs
7	Dimethylamine	124-40-3	113 lbs	113 lbs
8	Maleic anhydride	108-31-6	8 lbs	14 lbs
9	Ethylene oxide	75-21-8	7 lbs	7 lbs