In the continuing saga of sand mining on the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto, I present the results of my January 20, 2020, flyover. I found three breaches and two near breaches between I-45 and the East Fork. See below.
Liberty Materials Mine in Conroe
Let’s start upriver on the San Jacinto West Fork near Conroe. These first two images come from the Liberty Materials Mine that the TCEQ cited for allegedly discharging 56 million gallons of white slime into the river.
In this photo you can see that road (upper right) has repairs blocking a previous breach. However, discharge continues to flow through the dike. This indicates potential structural instability that might jeopardize the dike in a major flood and cause another massive discharge.A couple hundred yards away at the same mine, there’s so little road left, driving a car across it could cause collapse of the remaining dike. That jeopardizes safety of workers and the safety of drinking water. Only four or five feet separates a massive mining pond from the West Fork in the foreground.
There sure is a lot riding on that little spit of sand. If this one blows out, I pray the TCEQ and Attorney General goes after them for gross negligence. How could they ignore this?
Hallett Mine in Porter
The next two shots come from the Hallett Mine in Porter. They show the same issue from two different angles.
Looking toward the pond.Looking toward the West Fork. Another portion of the mine lies on the far side of the river.
Abandoned Mine in Porter
This is the drainage ditch that parallels Northpark Drive before it enters the river. This mine appears to be abandoned. Regardless, sediment, seems to consistently wash out of it. This breach has been open for since 2015.
Triple PG Sand Mine in Porter on Caney Creek
The Attorney General is suing this mine for breaches that remained open for months after the May floods last year. Currently, the mine is operating (but not dredging) under a temporary injunction until the case goes to trial on June 22. While mine owners have closed other breaches on White Oak and Caney Creeks, this breach remains open. Technically, it doesn’t connect with with river until a flood. But during floods, photographic evidence shows that Caney Creek reroutes itself through the mine, raising pressure that causes dikes in other places to collapse.
The shot below shows headward erosion toward five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids.
Such breaches and near breaches create a good argument for creating minimum setbacks for mines from the creeks and rivers that supply our drinking water.
Sadly, legislation that could have done that died in committee during the last session. But there’s always next year. I will continue to monitor how well the mines do until new measures can be reintroduced. Pressure is building throughout the state to control air and water pollution from aggregate mines.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/12/2020
897 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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I have a friend who is fond of saying, “If rain falls on your roof, you need flood insurance.” Here are two telling statistics from the final Harvey report issued by Harris County Flood Control that dramatize that point. But there’s more than one type of flood insurance.
In Harvey, Two-Thirds of Flood Victims Had No Insurance
Of the 154,170 estimated homes flooded across Harris County from Harvey, only 36% had active flood insurance policies in place.
Of those 154,170 homes flooded, 105, 340 were outside the mapped 1% (100-yr) floodplain – 68%.
From these two statistics, you can tell that people thought being outside a mapped flood zone meant SAFETY. You can also see how tragically wrong they were.
Virtually ALL Humble Area Retired Teachers Have Flood Insurance
Monday morning I gave a talk to the Humble Area Retired Teachers Association (HARTA). There were probably 150-200 teachers in the room. I asked for a show of hands to see how many had flood insurance. Virtually every hand went up. Given the aforementioned statistics, this SHOCKED me.
There are two possibilities.
People learned a lesson from Harvey and Imelda.
The teachers in the room were smart!
I’m sure it’s a combination of both in this case. Teachers tend to be fast learners. But it was such a pleasant surprise. They set a great example for everyone!
FEMA needs to study HARTA to find out how to market flood insurance to the rest of the world.
Static Maps in a Changing World
How could the flood maps during Harvey have been so far off? It was a combination of things.
Of course, Harvey was a far larger-than-normal storm – the biggest ever to hit the continental US.
Second, flood maps are a stationary snapshot in time. They assume nothing changes.
But we also know that things DO change:
The river changes every time it floods.
There has been massive development upstream from us in Montgomery County in the last two decades.
Conroe has been one of the fastest growing cities in America.
That development increases runoff, shortens the time of accumulation for floodwaters, and causes higher flood peaks.
The one thing that hasn’t changed: Montgomery County flood maps. The County has not updated the data behind them since the 1980s. Parts of the county remain unmapped. And the County does not even employ a surveyor, according to an inside source.
Radical Example of Impact of Upstream Development
Uncontrolled upstream development can totally change the game. Here’s a personal example.
Back in 1980, I bought a home on Spring Creek in the Dallas area. It was built two feet above the hundred year flood plain. The next year, developers built the 250-acre Collin Creek Mall upstream from me in Plano. The creek behind my house started flooding on minor rains of less than a half inch. A three city commission between Garland, Richardson and Plano asked the Army Corps to investigate.
The Corps found that I was now 10 feet BELOW the 100-year flood plain instead of two feet ABOVE it. A 12-foot delta!
That’s how radically and quickly things can change from upstream development as the people in Elm Grove discovered.
Elm Grove’s Game Changer: Woodridge Village or what some now call “Village of the Damned“
New Flood Maps Being Developed
NOAA’s new Atlas-14 Rainfall statistics for this area are causing flood maps to be redrawn. The statistics reflect about 40% more rain for a 100-year flood. That means flood zones will expand.
When released in the next year or two, the new maps will open a lot of eyes for people who have not yet purchased flood insurance.
Net: If you don’t have flood insurance, get it.
Another Type of Flood Insurance
That brings us to another type of flood insurance not covered by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. It’s the kind of insurance that comes from situational awareness and community engagement.
The more aware we are of the causes of flooding…
The more engaged we are as citizens…
The more we insist that developers follow best practices…
…the safer we become.
NFIP insurance will partially reimburse you if you flood. But awareness and activism may keep you from flooding in the first place. We need both types of insurance. One without the other is a recipe for disaster.
We should not assume that some benevolent government agency in Montgomery County is watching over new development, protecting us. They are not. Period. They have other priorities and protecting downstream residents is rarely one of them. Even though Harris County is redrawing its flood maps, Montgomery County is not. That will make MoCo’s even MORE OUTDATED. That’s why we need vigilant, involved citizens.
Need Regional Flood Control
And even more, that’s why we need regional flood control, much as we have regional groundwater control. With groundwater withdrawals, one conservation district must get its plans approved by neighboring districts. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we had a similar arrangement for flood control?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/11/2020
896 Days after 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/20200120-RJR_7283.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-02-10 22:36:552020-02-11 11:39:35Flood Insurance: Two Types
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist but put this notice thus morning. He said wet weather will persist until mid week.
Slow-Moving Cold Front Stalls Out
A slow-moving cold front currently extends from Longview to north of Austin and is creeping southward. Ahead of this boundary a warm and moist air mass covers all of SE TX this morning. Meanwhile, north of the boundary a colder and somewhat drier air mass is in place.
Radar is fairly calm this morning with a couple of lines of showers lifting north over the region in the warm air advection pattern in place.
Surface cold front will move to near a Madisonville-to-College-Station line later this morning and then likely stall in that region today. Focus for rainfall today will be mainly across the northern half of the region closest to the front. Rainfall amounts today could average 1-2 inches north of HWY 105 as another upper level disturbance approaches from the WSW and interacts with the slow moving front.
Front Pushes South Tonight
Front will get another push this evening and likely progress southward toward the coast tonight. With the afternoon and evening short wave disturbance moving off to the ENE expect a lull in any heavier rains by late evening across the northern portions of the area.
Mainly light showers will impact the southern portions of the area this evening and overnight as the surface front stalls near the coast.
Tuesday Front Lifts Back North
On Tuesday the surface front begins lifting back northward as a warm front with a continued chance of showers over the area.
A strong upper level storm system currently digging into NW Mexico will begin to move slowly eastward and toward TX late Tuesday into Wednesday. This will result in the formation of a surface low pressure system over the coastal bend of TX Tuesday night which then moves ENE/NE across SE TX Wednesday.
Showers and thunderstorms will be likely in this period with some heavy rainfall possible.
Clearing Late in Week
This surface low will be strong enough to finally push a stronger front through the region and clear the area out for at least a couple of days before clouds and rain chances return for the weekend.
Yo-Yo Temperatures
Temperatures will be all over the place with the surface front stalling and then creeping across the area. Ahead of the front temperatures will be in the 70’s and then fall into the 60’s and possibly 50’s behind the boundary.
Rainfall 1-4 Inches, Highest to North
Rainfall Amounts:
Fairly tight rainfall gradient will setup across SE TX over the next 72 hours with much of the rainfall occurring north of HWY 105 and much lower amounts near the coast.
Storm total rainfall amounts through Thursday morning will likely average 1-2 inches over much of the region north of I-10 and 3-4 inches in the Lake Livingston area.
South of I-10 amounts of .50-1.0 inch will be possible. While the drought monitor shows dry conditions over much of the area, the time of year combined with lack of any vegetation growth and the widespread nature of the expected rains suggest rises on area creeks and rivers will be likely.
Highest impacted watersheds look to be the mainstem and tributaries of the Trinity River and the San Jacinto basin.
Currently predicted amounts are spread out enough to preclude any forecast to reach flood stage, but we will need to watch rainfall trends today and again on Tuesday especially north of HWY 105.
Should rainfall totals begin to pile up in our NE counties (Polk, Trinity, Houston, San Jacinto) a flash flood watch could be required for those areas.
Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Monday):
The Lake Houston area has only a marginal to slight risk of excessive rainfall today.
Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Tuesday):
Tuesday, the risk for excessive rainfall in our area looks mostly marginal.
Day 1-3 Forecast Rainfall Amounts:
Rainfall in the 3 day period should total 1-4 inches. Higher totals to the north. Lower to the south.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/10/2020 with thanks to Jeff Lindner
895 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/image003.gif?fit=748%2C562&ssl=1562748adminadmin2020-02-10 07:41:592020-02-10 07:47:23Rain Forecast This Week
Latest Sand Mine Breaches and Near Breaches
In the continuing saga of sand mining on the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto, I present the results of my January 20, 2020, flyover. I found three breaches and two near breaches between I-45 and the East Fork. See below.
Liberty Materials Mine in Conroe
Let’s start upriver on the San Jacinto West Fork near Conroe. These first two images come from the Liberty Materials Mine that the TCEQ cited for allegedly discharging 56 million gallons of white slime into the river.
There sure is a lot riding on that little spit of sand. If this one blows out, I pray the TCEQ and Attorney General goes after them for gross negligence. How could they ignore this?
Hallett Mine in Porter
The next two shots come from the Hallett Mine in Porter. They show the same issue from two different angles.
Abandoned Mine in Porter
Triple PG Sand Mine in Porter on Caney Creek
The Attorney General is suing this mine for breaches that remained open for months after the May floods last year. Currently, the mine is operating (but not dredging) under a temporary injunction until the case goes to trial on June 22. While mine owners have closed other breaches on White Oak and Caney Creeks, this breach remains open. Technically, it doesn’t connect with with river until a flood. But during floods, photographic evidence shows that Caney Creek reroutes itself through the mine, raising pressure that causes dikes in other places to collapse.
The shot below shows headward erosion toward five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids.
Such breaches and near breaches create a good argument for creating minimum setbacks for mines from the creeks and rivers that supply our drinking water.
Sadly, legislation that could have done that died in committee during the last session. But there’s always next year. I will continue to monitor how well the mines do until new measures can be reintroduced. Pressure is building throughout the state to control air and water pollution from aggregate mines.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/12/2020
897 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.
Flood Insurance: Two Types
I have a friend who is fond of saying, “If rain falls on your roof, you need flood insurance.” Here are two telling statistics from the final Harvey report issued by Harris County Flood Control that dramatize that point. But there’s more than one type of flood insurance.
In Harvey, Two-Thirds of Flood Victims Had No Insurance
Of the 154,170 estimated homes flooded across Harris County from Harvey, only 36% had active flood insurance policies in place.
Of those 154,170 homes flooded, 105, 340 were outside the mapped 1% (100-yr) floodplain – 68%.
From these two statistics, you can tell that people thought being outside a mapped flood zone meant SAFETY. You can also see how tragically wrong they were.
Virtually ALL Humble Area Retired Teachers Have Flood Insurance
Monday morning I gave a talk to the Humble Area Retired Teachers Association (HARTA). There were probably 150-200 teachers in the room. I asked for a show of hands to see how many had flood insurance. Virtually every hand went up. Given the aforementioned statistics, this SHOCKED me.
There are two possibilities.
I’m sure it’s a combination of both in this case. Teachers tend to be fast learners. But it was such a pleasant surprise. They set a great example for everyone!
Static Maps in a Changing World
How could the flood maps during Harvey have been so far off? It was a combination of things.
Of course, Harvey was a far larger-than-normal storm – the biggest ever to hit the continental US.
Second, flood maps are a stationary snapshot in time. They assume nothing changes.
But we also know that things DO change:
The one thing that hasn’t changed: Montgomery County flood maps. The County has not updated the data behind them since the 1980s. Parts of the county remain unmapped. And the County does not even employ a surveyor, according to an inside source.
Radical Example of Impact of Upstream Development
Uncontrolled upstream development can totally change the game. Here’s a personal example.
Back in 1980, I bought a home on Spring Creek in the Dallas area. It was built two feet above the hundred year flood plain. The next year, developers built the 250-acre Collin Creek Mall upstream from me in Plano. The creek behind my house started flooding on minor rains of less than a half inch. A three city commission between Garland, Richardson and Plano asked the Army Corps to investigate.
That’s how radically and quickly things can change from upstream development as the people in Elm Grove discovered.
New Flood Maps Being Developed
NOAA’s new Atlas-14 Rainfall statistics for this area are causing flood maps to be redrawn. The statistics reflect about 40% more rain for a 100-year flood. That means flood zones will expand.
When released in the next year or two, the new maps will open a lot of eyes for people who have not yet purchased flood insurance.
Net: If you don’t have flood insurance, get it.
Another Type of Flood Insurance
That brings us to another type of flood insurance not covered by FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program. It’s the kind of insurance that comes from situational awareness and community engagement.
The more aware we are of the causes of flooding…
The more engaged we are as citizens…
The more we insist that developers follow best practices…
…the safer we become.
We should not assume that some benevolent government agency in Montgomery County is watching over new development, protecting us. They are not. Period. They have other priorities and protecting downstream residents is rarely one of them. Even though Harris County is redrawing its flood maps, Montgomery County is not. That will make MoCo’s even MORE OUTDATED. That’s why we need vigilant, involved citizens.
Need Regional Flood Control
And even more, that’s why we need regional flood control, much as we have regional groundwater control. With groundwater withdrawals, one conservation district must get its plans approved by neighboring districts. Wouldn’t it be beautiful if we had a similar arrangement for flood control?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/11/2020
896 Days after 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.
Rain Forecast This Week
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist but put this notice thus morning. He said wet weather will persist until mid week.
Slow-Moving Cold Front Stalls Out
A slow-moving cold front currently extends from Longview to north of Austin and is creeping southward. Ahead of this boundary a warm and moist air mass covers all of SE TX this morning. Meanwhile, north of the boundary a colder and somewhat drier air mass is in place.
Radar is fairly calm this morning with a couple of lines of showers lifting north over the region in the warm air advection pattern in place.
Surface cold front will move to near a Madisonville-to-College-Station line later this morning and then likely stall in that region today. Focus for rainfall today will be mainly across the northern half of the region closest to the front. Rainfall amounts today could average 1-2 inches north of HWY 105 as another upper level disturbance approaches from the WSW and interacts with the slow moving front.
Front Pushes South Tonight
Front will get another push this evening and likely progress southward toward the coast tonight. With the afternoon and evening short wave disturbance moving off to the ENE expect a lull in any heavier rains by late evening across the northern portions of the area.
Mainly light showers will impact the southern portions of the area this evening and overnight as the surface front stalls near the coast.
Tuesday Front Lifts Back North
On Tuesday the surface front begins lifting back northward as a warm front with a continued chance of showers over the area.
A strong upper level storm system currently digging into NW Mexico will begin to move slowly eastward and toward TX late Tuesday into Wednesday. This will result in the formation of a surface low pressure system over the coastal bend of TX Tuesday night which then moves ENE/NE across SE TX Wednesday.
Clearing Late in Week
This surface low will be strong enough to finally push a stronger front through the region and clear the area out for at least a couple of days before clouds and rain chances return for the weekend.
Yo-Yo Temperatures
Temperatures will be all over the place with the surface front stalling and then creeping across the area. Ahead of the front temperatures will be in the 70’s and then fall into the 60’s and possibly 50’s behind the boundary.
Rainfall 1-4 Inches, Highest to North
Rainfall Amounts:
Fairly tight rainfall gradient will setup across SE TX over the next 72 hours with much of the rainfall occurring north of HWY 105 and much lower amounts near the coast.
South of I-10 amounts of .50-1.0 inch will be possible. While the drought monitor shows dry conditions over much of the area, the time of year combined with lack of any vegetation growth and the widespread nature of the expected rains suggest rises on area creeks and rivers will be likely.
Currently predicted amounts are spread out enough to preclude any forecast to reach flood stage, but we will need to watch rainfall trends today and again on Tuesday especially north of HWY 105.
Should rainfall totals begin to pile up in our NE counties (Polk, Trinity, Houston, San Jacinto) a flash flood watch could be required for those areas.
Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Monday):
Excessive Rainfall Outlook (Tuesday):
Day 1-3 Forecast Rainfall Amounts:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/10/2020 with thanks to Jeff Lindner
895 Days since Hurricane Harvey