Rogers Gully Mouth Bar Gone!
Almost three months to the day since dredgers moved from the East Fork San Jacinto to Rogers Gully, dredgers have totally removed the above-water portion of the stream’s mouth bar. Aerial photos taken on 6/2/22 show dredgers now deepening the channel up to the limit of the HCFCD’s excavation of Rogers Gully in 2020.
Geologists use the term “mouth bar” to describe a sand bar that forms at the mouth of a stream. Where moving water meets standing water, the velocity slows and sediment drops out of suspension, forming a mouth bar. Mouth bars reduce the conveyance of a stream, forcing water up and out during floods. Removal of mouth bars reduces flood risk.
After Harvey, Rogers Gully had the largest mouth bar on the perimeter of Lake Houston with the exception of the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto. Jessica Beemer with Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s office said they do not yet know where the dredgers will go next.
Before Picture
It didn’t really take three months to dredge this blockage. Dredgers literally had to dredge their way to the channel, according to State Representative Dan Huberty, who secured funding for additional dredging. The dredging started more than 1,000 feet out into the lake.
Today
A marina on the east side of the lake has been converted to a temporary placement area. From there, truckers haul the dirt out of the floodplain to areas where it’s needed to elevate homes or roadways.
Put another one in the win column. Many people who flooded near Rogers Gully will face less risk this hurricane season as a result of this project.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/2/22
1738 Days since Hurricane Harvey
