Earlier this month, the State, Harris County and City of Houston announced the next phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging. Late last week, it got underway in earnest.
West Fork mouth bar on Monday 1.20.2020 before mechanical dredging started.
How Mechanical Dredging Works
Rachel Taylor took the ground-level pictures below earlier today from her back yard in Atascocita Point. They show mechanical excavators eating away at the mouth bar and loading the spoils on barges.
Sunday afternoon, 1.26.2020, two mechanical excavators worked the western end of the mouth bar. They loaded the spoils on waiting barges (right). Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor.Service boats then pushed the barges upriver. Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor. Barge loaded with spoils passes the Deerwood Country Club. Photo courtesy of Rachel Lavin Taylor.Barges then anchor at Berry Madden’s property on the south side of the West Fork opposite River Grove Park.That black object jutting into the photo from the lower left is the skid of the helicopter.Photo taken 1.20.2020.From there, other trucks move the spoils inland.For orientation, that water tower in the upper left is south of Kings Lake Estates.Photo taken 1.20.2020.
Mechanical dredging is slower and more labor intensive than hydraulic dredging, but can mobilize faster. In hydraulic dredging, dredgers pump the spoils to a placement area via pipelines. That is faster, but has higher overhead. It also creates more noise.
Hydraulic Dredging Options
The hydraulic pipelines can stretch miles. In the case of the first phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging, they stretched 10 miles upstream. It took five booster pumps to get the material all that way to a sand mine on Sorters just south of Kingwood Drive.
Luckily for us, the pipe from the first phase of mouth bar dredging is still at the Army Corps dock opposite Forest Cove.
Pipe from the first phase of mouth bar dredging still sits at the former Army Corps command post and could be rewelded into longer sections if needed.The Great Lakes Dredge also remains at the dock. Here you see the pieces below and behind the crane.
At some point in this project, dredging may switch from mechanical to hydraulic. The fact that the Great Lakes dredge remained here bodes well. It chewed through 500,000 cubic yards of debris at the West Fork mouth bar in less than three months. Officials expect mechanical dredging of 400,000 cubic yards to take 8 -12 months.
Additional Dredging Targets and Financing
Other targets reportedly include the East Fork Mouth Bar and several mouth bars that have formed at the mouths of ditches or streams leading into the lake.
State Representative Dan Huberty helped bring $30 million to this phase of dredging via an amendment to SB500 in the last legislature. That money will funnel through Harris County via the Texas Water Development Board. The County also included $10 million in the 2018 flood bond. And the City is applying $6 million left over from a FEMA/TDEM grant for debris removal from Harvey.
Phase One will focus on the West Fork Mouth Bar using the City’s $6 million and $10 million from the TWDB grant.
Phase Two will focus on the East Fork Mouth Bar using the remaining $20 million from the grant.
The $10 million from the County flood bond will fund surveys, formulation of specs, bidding, project management and more.
Progress Result of Pulling Together
All this is great news for the Lake Houston Area. The entire community worked since Harvey to make this happen through all levels of government.
As we look at other flooding problems in the area, it’s important not to get discouraged and to remember that we can make progress if we all pull together.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/26/2020 with photos from Rachel Lavin Taylor
880 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/01.26-7-Taylor.jpg?fit=1200%2C599&ssl=15991200adminadmin2020-01-26 18:35:112020-01-26 19:05:22Mouth Bar Dredging: First Pictures of Next Phase
Despite the fact that Perry had substantially completed S2 before Imelda, it has now taken the company 2X-3X more time than they said it would – with no end in sight.
I took all the ground-level photos below on January 25, 2020.
Looking north toward the southern edge of S2. Perry is elevating the lip of the pond which is now as high as this truck.Looking NW. The elevated lip tapers down as you move west of Village Springs. This should effectively shift the locus of the next flood.View looking west at construction work on southern lip of pond. Backslope swales were destroyed. Grass is gone.Because of lack of grass, increased slope, and lack of compaction, knee-high mud is piling up against silt fence.Edythe Cogdill, owner of the home in the background, is near tears over the lack of progress in Woodridge Village, out of frame to the right.Every home on Cogdill’s block flooded twice. This was the scene today. Six of eight homes on the block have been sold or are up for sale. S2 Pond still under construction. Photo taken 1.20.2020.
Perry Drives Families from Their Homes
I visited three Elm Grove families today. All have “snapped.” They have that 1000-yard stare.
One man kept shouting over and over again, “What are we to do?”
One woman broke down crying.
Another family is getting ready to walk away from their home.
They are not alone.
On one block I saw 25 homes for sale.
At the end of Village Springs, six of eight owners had put their homes up for sale.
On Shady Gardens Drive, a resident told me 22 neighbors had moved out.
This neighborhood has already been destroyed by Perry Homes’ broken promises. Fear paralyzes the few families remaining. Fear every time it rains. Fear for their safety. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of renovating their homes only to be flooded a third time.
Perry Homes’ Actions Mock City of Houston Leaders
Perry Homes’s inexplicable and inexcusable delays mock the City of Houston, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem and City Attorney. Their actions say with impunity, “We have nothing to fear from you. We are more powerful.”
Perhaps the City should start slow-walking Perry Homes’ permit applications until they live up to their promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2020
879 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 128 since Imelda
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/2020/01/20200125-RJR_7509.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-01-25 21:46:492020-01-26 07:14:48Perry Homes Still Not Finished with Detention Pond After 90 Days
“For a couple of weeks, I wasn’t able to work due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Kingwood resident Mike Combat Willcox. “So I documented the storm the best I could. I was thinking years into the future that we would need to remember how it happened and have something to show to our kids.”
He was right. We need this NOW as Lake Conroe residents fight to keep their lake full to the brim during rainy seasons.
A former TV producer-editor-photographer at ConocoPhillips, Willcox now runs his own real-estate photography business. Mike is also a world champion aeromodelling pilot, a skill he puts to good use in this video of Harvey.
8-Minute YouTube video courtesy of Mike Combat Willcox
I wish the SJRA would play THIS before its next board meeting so that Lake Conroe residents could see why Kingwood residents are so eager to continue the temporary, seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Then maybe we could see a video from the Lake Conroe Association about all the damage caused by the lake lowering. That might help the two sides understand each other better.
Just sayin’.
Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mike Combat Willcox for sharing his video
Mouth Bar Dredging: First Pictures of Next Phase
Earlier this month, the State, Harris County and City of Houston announced the next phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging. Late last week, it got underway in earnest.
How Mechanical Dredging Works
Rachel Taylor took the ground-level pictures below earlier today from her back yard in Atascocita Point. They show mechanical excavators eating away at the mouth bar and loading the spoils on barges.
Hydraulic Dredging Options
The hydraulic pipelines can stretch miles. In the case of the first phase of West Fork mouth bar dredging, they stretched 10 miles upstream. It took five booster pumps to get the material all that way to a sand mine on Sorters just south of Kingwood Drive.
Luckily for us, the pipe from the first phase of mouth bar dredging is still at the Army Corps dock opposite Forest Cove.
At some point in this project, dredging may switch from mechanical to hydraulic. The fact that the Great Lakes dredge remained here bodes well. It chewed through 500,000 cubic yards of debris at the West Fork mouth bar in less than three months. Officials expect mechanical dredging of 400,000 cubic yards to take 8 -12 months.
Additional Dredging Targets and Financing
Other targets reportedly include the East Fork Mouth Bar and several mouth bars that have formed at the mouths of ditches or streams leading into the lake.
State Representative Dan Huberty helped bring $30 million to this phase of dredging via an amendment to SB500 in the last legislature. That money will funnel through Harris County via the Texas Water Development Board. The County also included $10 million in the 2018 flood bond. And the City is applying $6 million left over from a FEMA/TDEM grant for debris removal from Harvey.
For more details on this next phase of dredging, see the previous post on this project.
Two Phase Project Outlined In Grant
Harris County’s proposal for the grant from the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) calls for splitting the project into two phases.
Progress Result of Pulling Together
All this is great news for the Lake Houston Area. The entire community worked since Harvey to make this happen through all levels of government.
As we look at other flooding problems in the area, it’s important not to get discouraged and to remember that we can make progress if we all pull together.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/26/2020 with photos from Rachel Lavin Taylor
880 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Perry Homes Still Not Finished with Detention Pond After 90 Days
On October 17th, a lawyer for Perry Homes’ subsidiaries and contractors promised the City of Houston that it would complete the Woodridge Village S2 detention pond in 30-45 days. Ninety days later, they still had not finished.
Perry Homes Far from Complete
Despite the fact that Perry had substantially completed S2 before Imelda, it has now taken the company 2X-3X more time than they said it would – with no end in sight.
I took all the ground-level photos below on January 25, 2020.
Perry Drives Families from Their Homes
I visited three Elm Grove families today. All have “snapped.” They have that 1000-yard stare.
They are not alone.
This neighborhood has already been destroyed by Perry Homes’ broken promises. Fear paralyzes the few families remaining. Fear every time it rains. Fear for their safety. Fear of financial ruin. Fear of renovating their homes only to be flooded a third time.
Perry Homes’ Actions Mock City of Houston Leaders
Perry Homes’s inexplicable and inexcusable delays mock the City of Houston, the Mayor, the Mayor Pro Tem and City Attorney. Their actions say with impunity, “We have nothing to fear from you. We are more powerful.”
The BBB has found that Perry Homes treats its customers with the same disdain.
Perhaps the City should start slow-walking Perry Homes’ permit applications until they live up to their promises.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/25/2020
879 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 128 since Imelda
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.
Harvey Remembered
“For a couple of weeks, I wasn’t able to work due to Hurricane Harvey,” said Kingwood resident Mike Combat Willcox. “So I documented the storm the best I could. I was thinking years into the future that we would need to remember how it happened and have something to show to our kids.”
He was right. We need this NOW as Lake Conroe residents fight to keep their lake full to the brim during rainy seasons.
A former TV producer-editor-photographer at ConocoPhillips, Willcox now runs his own real-estate photography business. Mike is also a world champion aeromodelling pilot, a skill he puts to good use in this video of Harvey.
I still have yet to see any comparable pictures of the damage to Lake Conroe homes and businesses caused by lowering the lake an average six inches beyond the normal amount lost due to evaporation.
Suggestion for Next SJRA Board Meeting
I wish the SJRA would play THIS before its next board meeting so that Lake Conroe residents could see why Kingwood residents are so eager to continue the temporary, seasonal lowering of Lake Conroe. Then maybe we could see a video from the Lake Conroe Association about all the damage caused by the lake lowering. That might help the two sides understand each other better.
Just sayin’.
Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Mike Combat Willcox for sharing his video
878 Days since Hurricane Harvey