Google Earth shows a massive breach in the southernmost pond of the Hallett San Jacinto West Fork mine in a satellite image dated February 19, 2024.
Google Earth image from 2/19/2024. Breach circled in red.
Here’s how the same area looked today from a drone.
Hallett Breach. Looking WNW from over San Jacinto West Fork on 4/10/24.
And here’s how it looked from a boat just hours earlier.
River-level shot shows height of shoreline. But river level was up because of rain last night.
A Harris County Flood Control Gage at Highway 99, slightly upstream from this location, showed the river level was up approximately 9 feet when I took the drone photo above this afternoon.
That puts the river-level photo, taken by a resident who prefers to remain anonymous, in a whole new light. The amount of water that escaped from the pond went from near the top of the bank (which you can see) to approximately another 9 feet lower (which you can’t see in these photos).
Breach Open for More than Two Months
Photographing this area is difficult. It is impossible to reach by public roads. And it’s at the edge of my drone’s range.
However, I do have photos that show it happened sometime between January 28 and February 5, 2024.
One drone photo shows the dike intact on January 28. A second, on February 5, shows the breach.
Color of Pond Changes After Breach
The color of the pond is dramatically different in the two photos. Before the January 28 photo and the January floods, the pond was an ghostly off-white color. By February 5, it returned to a more natural brown color.
How Much Wastewater Entered the River?
Google Earth shows the pond measures approximately 182 acres. The difference between the vegetation line around the pond and today’s water level appears to be about 6 feet. But as we saw above, the river was up about 9 feet nearby. If you add another 9 feet to the 6-foot estimate, it’s conceivable that the pond level dropped as much as 15 feet after the breach when floodwaters receded.
But let’s say, to be conservative, that it only dropped 10 feet. That would mean that 1,820 acre feet of wastewater entered the San Jacinto West Fork and made its way downstream to the source of drinking water for two million people – Lake Houston. That equals 593 million gallons – more than half a billion!
If my estimates for the Hallett breach are correct, it exceeds the LMI breech by 10X.
Estimating Escaped Sediment More Difficult
I documented at least three other leaks from other Hallett ponds during the January flood. No telling how much sediment escaped from this pond and the others.
A side-scanning sonar survey shows that the West Fork is now only 1-2 feet deep near River Grove Park. The Army Corps dredged that area in December 2018 and Kayden Industries dredged it again in 2020.
And let’s not forget the new City of Houston dredging program. It will remove another 800,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment between Kings Point and FM1960.
To be fair, some of that sediment could have originated from river-bank erosion, other mines, upstream developments under construction, and even smaller tributaries.
Perhaps Hallett would like to chip in what they feel is their fair share for dredging. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t. Only time and the courts will tell.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/10/2024
2416 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
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This morning, City of Houston contractors began clearing access points for the Tree Lane Bridge repairs in Kingwood next to Bear Branch Elementary where more than 600 students attend classes.
The City announced the kickoff of the project on February 21, 2024, but work actually started today.
Photo on 4/9/2024. Step one: lumberjacks clearing access for Tree Lane bridge repair work.
Extent of Damage
This is actually the second round of repairs. The City made some rudimentary efforts in 2020 that ultimately proved ineffective. Four years later, erosion under the bridge is more extensive now than then.
I took all the pictures below on 4/7/24.
Tree Lane Bridge before start of Round 2 repairs. Collapse of East retaining wall.
The forensic report blames the damage on “failure of riprap.” Riprap is boulders placed in the stream designed to reduce erosion by slowing the flow of water, breaking it up, and providing a protective barrier.
However, the forensic analysis indicates that water flow in Bens Branch undermined the rip rap.
Soil beneath riprap can be eroded if the rock was just placed on top without any buffer between the layers such as a geotextile fabric or smaller riprap (crushed stone).
In this case, erosion removed more than a foot of soil behind the concrete walls, under the base, and under the existing riprap.
Tree Lane Bridge before start of Round 2 repairs. Downcutting under bridge.
You can see from the exposed utilities that the creek has downcut. This downcutting extends several hundred feet upstream of the bridge. And that’s part of the problem. It allowed water to get behind and under the existing channel linings.
Headward erosion downstream on west side and exposed utilities.
Construction plans call for:
Removing all the existing material under the bridge and on the sides of the banks
Installing a new concrete channel (bottom and sides) that will maintain the flow line of the stream.
Repairing outfalls.
The engineer’s report claims the proposed U-shaped channel will hold the current side slopes of the bridge and allow for the drop in the flow line.
For pictures of how the bridge looked after the last round of repairs, see this post from 3/31/2020.
For pictures of a flood responsible for much of the damage, see this post from 1/29/23.
A Silver Lining
The damage to the Tree Lane bridge has been so rapid, that it occurred twice within the time many Bear Branch students attended the adjacent elementary school. Perhaps it will inspire curiosity about flooding among some of these students, spur them to pursue engineering careers, and perhaps prevent such dangers in the future.
Safety Precaution
The City hopes to complete the Tree Lane bridge project sometime this summer, weather permitting. Please observe traffic warning signs, cones and flags for the duration. And keep curious children away from heavy equipment which will be maneuvering in tight spaces with limited visibility.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/9/2024with help from Chris Bloch of the Bear Branch Trail Association
2415 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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In the latest episode of the Northpark Entergy saga, last week, Entergy finally began erecting new power poles outside of the Northpark Drive expansion right of way. While this is a huge improvement after four years of no Entergy activity, don’t get too excited.
In its quest to help develop an all weather evacuation route for 78,000 people, Entergy managed to erect four poles in five days. And there’s no sign of progress near Entergy’s transformer by the Exxon station at US59 either.
In other Northpark news:
The extra northbound turn lanes at 59 seem to be complete almost all the way back to Chick-Fil-A.
At Russell Palmer and Northpark, the crossover closure will take longer than expected.
Construction of the four decorative planting areas in the two stormwater retention-basins at US59 is now complete and contractors have filled in dirt behind the retaining walls.
See photos and details below.
Last of four decorative landscaping areas (right) is now complete and backfilled.
Entergy … La La, La La La!
On 4/2, I reported that Entergy had delivered new power poles to Northpark in preparation for moving their lines out of the City right of way.
Five days later and four years after first being notified, Entergy appears to have erected a grand total of four poles while others remain scattered on the ground.
The four Entergy power poles erected along Northpark during the week of April 1, 2024
Here’s what two look like from the ground.
See new poles on the right.Entergy has not yet placed equipment on any poles, nor has it relocated wires.
Meanwhile, many of the poles they delivered to the job site last week remain scattered on the ground.
Looking E. Northpark Drive (on right). UP Railroad Tracks out of frame on the bottom.
Moving the poles back will make room to construct turn lanes from Northpark onto Loop 494.
As I photographed Entergy’s underwhelming progress, I was reminded of what American ingenuity can achieve when companies put their shoulders into projects.
For instance, the transcontinental railroad took six years to build. Even more impressive is what the companies could achieve in a day…without modern equipment.
The Union Pacific once laid eight miles of track in a single day. Stung by the competition, “the Central Pacific concocted a plan to lay 10 miles in a day. Eight tracklayers put down 3,520 rails, while other workers laid 25,800 ties and drove 28,160 spikes in a single day.”
Compare that to Entergy’s four poles in four years. I guess that’s what happens when you give companies a monopoly in an area.
On February 6, the City of Houston gave Entergy an ultimatum to have the project completed by March 8. Tomorrow will be April 8.
Entergy appears to have put its A Team on the project. Speaking of A Teams, it only took three years to invent the atomic bomb, test it, deliver it, and conclude World War II.
But of course, Entergy is dealing with electricity and there are safety issues involved.
Entergy transformer at US59 still unmoved.
The Entergy transformer will require some study. To inspire public confidence, Entergy reportedly is putting its top engineers on the project.
Northbound Turn Lanes onto US59
On a happier note, traffic is now using new northbound turn lanes at US59, temporarily eliminating a huge bottleneck…until new pavement will go down for the existing lanes.
Looking W from 59 toward 494. North is left.
A new schedule posted by the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority shows that most work in the next month will focus on underground utilities. Those include water lines, storm drains, and box culverts on both sides of the street.
According to the schedule, Harper Bothers Construction will also install the giant reinforced box culverts in the median of Northpark toward 59 for the rest of the month.
Before pavement goes farther east, more underground work is needed. Note culvert lined up in front of businesses.
Russell Palmer Crossover Work Delayed
The work near the Russell Palmer intersection must be taking longer than expected. Originally it was supposed to be finished by tomorrow morning at 5AM. But the new schedule shows it being completed by next Friday, 4/12/24.
A flashing sign along Northpark this morning warmed motorists to expect daily lane closures. However, there were none this morning. And contrary to earlier announcements, motorists were making it through the intersection.
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
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Hallett Breach Sends Hundreds of Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Downstream
Correction: This sand pit in this post was sold by Hallett to Riverwalk Porter LLC on January 23, 2024.
Google Earth shows a massive breach in the southernmost pond of the Hallett San Jacinto West Fork mine in a satellite image dated February 19, 2024.
Here’s how the same area looked today from a drone.
And here’s how it looked from a boat just hours earlier.
A Harris County Flood Control Gage at Highway 99, slightly upstream from this location, showed the river level was up approximately 9 feet when I took the drone photo above this afternoon.
That puts the river-level photo, taken by a resident who prefers to remain anonymous, in a whole new light. The amount of water that escaped from the pond went from near the top of the bank (which you can see) to approximately another 9 feet lower (which you can’t see in these photos).
Breach Open for More than Two Months
Photographing this area is difficult. It is impossible to reach by public roads. And it’s at the edge of my drone’s range.
However, I do have photos that show it happened sometime between January 28 and February 5, 2024.
One drone photo shows the dike intact on January 28. A second, on February 5, shows the breach.
Color of Pond Changes After Breach
The color of the pond is dramatically different in the two photos. Before the January 28 photo and the January floods, the pond was an ghostly off-white color. By February 5, it returned to a more natural brown color.
How Much Wastewater Entered the River?
Google Earth shows the pond measures approximately 182 acres. The difference between the vegetation line around the pond and today’s water level appears to be about 6 feet. But as we saw above, the river was up about 9 feet nearby. If you add another 9 feet to the 6-foot estimate, it’s conceivable that the pond level dropped as much as 15 feet after the breach when floodwaters receded.
But let’s say, to be conservative, that it only dropped 10 feet. That would mean that 1,820 acre feet of wastewater entered the San Jacinto West Fork and made its way downstream to the source of drinking water for two million people – Lake Houston. That equals 593 million gallons – more than half a billion!
Back in 2019, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality cited the LMI Moorhead mine (upstream from Hallett) for the unauthorized discharge of 56 million gallons of white goop into the San Jacinto West Fork. It literally turned the West Fork white.
If my estimates for the Hallett breach are correct, it exceeds the LMI breech by 10X.
Estimating Escaped Sediment More Difficult
I documented at least three other leaks from other Hallett ponds during the January flood. No telling how much sediment escaped from this pond and the others.
I also documented huge amounts of sand suddenly appearing downstream.
A side-scanning sonar survey shows that the West Fork is now only 1-2 feet deep near River Grove Park. The Army Corps dredged that area in December 2018 and Kayden Industries dredged it again in 2020.
And let’s not forget the new City of Houston dredging program. It will remove another 800,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment between Kings Point and FM1960.
To be fair, some of that sediment could have originated from river-bank erosion, other mines, upstream developments under construction, and even smaller tributaries.
Perhaps Hallett would like to chip in what they feel is their fair share for dredging. Then again, maybe they wouldn’t. Only time and the courts will tell.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/10/2024
2416 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
City Begins Tree Lane Bridge Repairs
This morning, City of Houston contractors began clearing access points for the Tree Lane Bridge repairs in Kingwood next to Bear Branch Elementary where more than 600 students attend classes.
The City announced the kickoff of the project on February 21, 2024, but work actually started today.
Extent of Damage
This is actually the second round of repairs. The City made some rudimentary efforts in 2020 that ultimately proved ineffective. Four years later, erosion under the bridge is more extensive now than then.
I took all the pictures below on 4/7/24.
The forensic report blames the damage on “failure of riprap.” Riprap is boulders placed in the stream designed to reduce erosion by slowing the flow of water, breaking it up, and providing a protective barrier.
However, the forensic analysis indicates that water flow in Bens Branch undermined the rip rap.
Soil beneath riprap can be eroded if the rock was just placed on top without any buffer between the layers such as a geotextile fabric or smaller riprap (crushed stone).
In this case, erosion removed more than a foot of soil behind the concrete walls, under the base, and under the existing riprap.
You can see from the exposed utilities that the creek has downcut. This downcutting extends several hundred feet upstream of the bridge. And that’s part of the problem. It allowed water to get behind and under the existing channel linings.
Construction plans call for:
The engineer’s report claims the proposed U-shaped channel will hold the current side slopes of the bridge and allow for the drop in the flow line.
For More Information
See the Report of Findings, construction plans, and the City’s official Engage Houston web page.
For pictures of how the bridge looked after the last round of repairs, see this post from 3/31/2020.
For pictures of a flood responsible for much of the damage, see this post from 1/29/23.
A Silver Lining
The damage to the Tree Lane bridge has been so rapid, that it occurred twice within the time many Bear Branch students attended the adjacent elementary school. Perhaps it will inspire curiosity about flooding among some of these students, spur them to pursue engineering careers, and perhaps prevent such dangers in the future.
Safety Precaution
The City hopes to complete the Tree Lane bridge project sometime this summer, weather permitting. Please observe traffic warning signs, cones and flags for the duration. And keep curious children away from heavy equipment which will be maneuvering in tight spaces with limited visibility.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/9/2024 with help from Chris Bloch of the Bear Branch Trail Association
2415 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Northpark Entergy Saga: New Power Poles Slowly Going Up
In the latest episode of the Northpark Entergy saga, last week, Entergy finally began erecting new power poles outside of the Northpark Drive expansion right of way. While this is a huge improvement after four years of no Entergy activity, don’t get too excited.
In its quest to help develop an all weather evacuation route for 78,000 people, Entergy managed to erect four poles in five days. And there’s no sign of progress near Entergy’s transformer by the Exxon station at US59 either.
In other Northpark news:
See photos and details below.
Entergy … La La, La La La!
On 4/2, I reported that Entergy had delivered new power poles to Northpark in preparation for moving their lines out of the City right of way.
Five days later and four years after first being notified, Entergy appears to have erected a grand total of four poles while others remain scattered on the ground.
Here’s what two look like from the ground.
Meanwhile, many of the poles they delivered to the job site last week remain scattered on the ground.
Moving the poles back will make room to construct turn lanes from Northpark onto Loop 494.
As I photographed Entergy’s underwhelming progress, I was reminded of what American ingenuity can achieve when companies put their shoulders into projects.
For instance, the transcontinental railroad took six years to build. Even more impressive is what the companies could achieve in a day…without modern equipment.
The Union Pacific once laid eight miles of track in a single day. Stung by the competition, “the Central Pacific concocted a plan to lay 10 miles in a day. Eight tracklayers put down 3,520 rails, while other workers laid 25,800 ties and drove 28,160 spikes in a single day.”
Compare that to Entergy’s four poles in four years. I guess that’s what happens when you give companies a monopoly in an area.
On February 6, the City of Houston gave Entergy an ultimatum to have the project completed by March 8. Tomorrow will be April 8.
Entergy appears to have put its A Team on the project. Speaking of A Teams, it only took three years to invent the atomic bomb, test it, deliver it, and conclude World War II.
But of course, Entergy is dealing with electricity and there are safety issues involved.
The Entergy transformer will require some study. To inspire public confidence, Entergy reportedly is putting its top engineers on the project.
Northbound Turn Lanes onto US59
On a happier note, traffic is now using new northbound turn lanes at US59, temporarily eliminating a huge bottleneck…until new pavement will go down for the existing lanes.
A new schedule posted by the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority shows that most work in the next month will focus on underground utilities. Those include water lines, storm drains, and box culverts on both sides of the street.
According to the schedule, Harper Bothers Construction will also install the giant reinforced box culverts in the median of Northpark toward 59 for the rest of the month.
Russell Palmer Crossover Work Delayed
The work near the Russell Palmer intersection must be taking longer than expected. Originally it was supposed to be finished by tomorrow morning at 5AM. But the new schedule shows it being completed by next Friday, 4/12/24.
A flashing sign along Northpark this morning warmed motorists to expect daily lane closures. However, there were none this morning. And contrary to earlier announcements, motorists were making it through the intersection.
For More Information
For more information about Northpark expansion, visit the project pages of the LHRA/Tirz 10 website. Or see these posts on ReduceFlooding:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/24
2413 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.