Yesterday, I posted about the hidden costs of flooding. Here’s another one: infrastructure repairs. And another one: re-doing infrastructure repairs. Like those to the Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch.
Tree Lane was already a pinch point in the Ben’s Branch floodway. That and the combination of even more water during the Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey, May 2019, and Imelda floods all took a toll. The picture below shows what the bridge looked like on December 1, 2019. Hundreds of kids cross this bridge on their way to Bear Branch Elementary every day.
The Before Shot: Taken November 31, 2019
After taking the shot above, I emailed it to the City. To their credit, they sent crews out right away to repair it. Heavy equipment sat at the site for 2.5 months.
After the Repairs
About two weeks ago, the last piece left the job site. So today, I drove by to get an “after” shot. See the improvements below.
The After Shot: Taken 2/29/2020, three months later.
The City put rip rap across the creek to reduce erosion from water shooting out from the storm sewer in the upper right. They also broke up some of the large slabs of concrete to form additional rip rap.
However, it appears that they:
Have done little to stabilize the bridge supports.
Left slabs of concrete leaning against an exposed pipeline.
Threw a traffic sign and traffic cone into the creek.
Left about 50 bags of sand on the large slab at the left.
Someone else could have dumped the construction materials and sign. Crappy looking areas always encourage illegal dumping.
Enlargement of detail from previous shot showing sand that has been left behind or dumped.
I’m guessing that the rip rap may help reduce erosion from the storm sewer. But…
I see little here to stop erosion from upstream of Tree Lane or reduce danger to the pipeline. More important, the City did nothing to increase conveyance under the bridge.
The Tree Lane Bridge still forms a pinch point that restricts conveyance of Ben’s Branch.
Of course, the City may handle the conveyance issue in a second job. That could help build a case for doubling those drainage fees.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/29/2020
914 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/BB-Bridge-BeforeAfter.jpg?fit=891%2C1200&ssl=11200891adminadmin2020-02-29 13:17:592024-08-11 20:20:23Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch: Before and After Repairs
When we think about flooding, most of us don’t think beyond the repair costs of homes. But there are more costs to communities that can remain hidden for years. Erosion, for instance, is one of the hidden costs of flooding that we rarely talk about.
You’ve heard me talk about the eroded sediment from sand mines that winds up downstream in the mouth bars of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto.
The City, County, State and Federal Government have already spent more than $100 million to remove eroded sediment that is blocking the West Fork of the San Jacinto and much more remains.
Ben’s Branch became virtually blocked with sand after Harvey. Harris County Flood Control is now removing the excess sediment to restore conveyance of the channel.
We’ve all seen how such eroded sediment can back water up and raise flood levels. And we’ve all seen how much that can cost. Not just from the initial flood, but in terms of remediation.
Look At the Cost of Erosion From the Upstream Side, Too
Ditch erosion can affect homeowners in other ways, too. By threatening their property and community property. Lost property is yet another one of the hidden costs of flooding.
Ditch erosion in Commons on Lake Houston.Photo from January 2019.
In Deer Ridge Estates, ditch erosion is creeping inexorably toward back yard fences.
Kingwood diversion ditch where it crosses past Deer Ridge Estates just north of Deer Springs Drive.Photo from Jan. 2019.
On a recent flight down the San Jacinto West Fork, I spotted erosion threatening the back yards of homes still under construction in the new Northpark Woods subdivision.
Erosion can threaten pipelines, too.
Pipelines undermined by erosion at Liberty Materials Mine near Conroe.
Let’s Play Hot Potato
Who is responsible for repairing the upstream erosion when it happens? In Harris County, we’re lucky, we have a flood control district that has assumed responsibility for that. But the ditch two photos above is in Montgomery County. So are the pipelines in the photo above.
Who is responsibly for repairing erosion in these cases? The County? The homeowners? The homeowner association? The developer? The sand mine? The pipelines? A flood control or drainage district? Everyone wants to assume it’s someone else’s problem. No one wants to assume responsibility.
But without someone stepping up, these homes will eventually be threatened. And with the exception noted above, few people or groups are stepping up.
Paul Crowson, a Montgomery County flood activist has posted about this subject on Facebook. Says Crowson, “The county, the flood control district, the neighborhood HOA, the POA, the City, the State, the developers, the engineers … all are passing the blame and responsibility around to each other.”
“These poor people (in the court case) have lost most of their yard, and are in danger of losing their home to the ravages of the drainage easement nightmares,” says Crowson. “Those nightmares are growing every day and will eventually swallow them and their home. Why does it matter to you? I’m thinking right now of Roman Forest, Tavola, New Caney, and Montgomery County.”
It’s Easier to Keep Up Than Catch Up
I would argue that it’s cheaper to prevent a disaster in the making than to remediate a disaster after the fact. Remember those homely homilies your parents and grandparents tried to instill in you? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A stitch in time save nine.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw says the Navy Seals have a similar saying for those who fall behind on those long training runs they take. “It’s easier to keep up than catch up.” They’re all true! And the same holds true for deferred maintenance.
When Deferred Maintenance Turns into a Disaster Area
Montgomery County does not have a flood control district. Nor does it seem especially eager to address problems, such as those in the photo above.
As we saw with the mouth bar on the West Fork that had been building up under water for decades, maintenance can be deferred for only so long.
Then a monster flood comes along like Harvey. It finds the weak points in systems…and boom. Deferred maintenance turns into a disaster area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/28/2020 with input from Paul Crowson
913 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/20200213-RJR_7905.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-02-28 12:39:172020-02-28 12:44:11Hidden Costs of Flooding
On February 20, NOAA announced computing upgrades that will enable new and improved weather and climate forecasting. Significant upgrades to supercomputing capacity, storage space, and interconnect speed of its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System will keep the agency’s supercomputing capacity on par with other leading weather forecast centers around the world.
Why We Need More Supercomputing Capacity
As good as weather forecasting has become, it can still go much further. That’s why this item caught my eye.
Triple Capacity, Double Storage and Interconnect Speeds
This increase in high-performance computing will triple the capacity and double NOAA’s storage and interconnect speed. It will help NOAA create better forecast model guidance. The keys: higher-resolution and more comprehensive Earth-system models that use larger ensembles, advanced physics, and improved data assimilation.
“We will restore America’s international leadership with the best weather forecasts, powered by the fastest supercomputers and world-class weather models,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.
Two new Cray computers, an operational primary and backup, will be located in Manassas, Virginia, and Phoenix. The computers each have 12 petaflop capacity. They will become operational by early 2022 after code migration and testing.
New Total of 40 Petaflops
Coupled with NOAA’s other research and development supercomputers, which have a combined capacity of 16 petaflops, NOAA’s new prediction and research computing capabilties will reach 40 petaflops.
A petaflop is a unit of computing speed equal to one thousand million million (1015) floating-point operations per second.
Earth Prediction Innovation Center
The new computers will help advance research and development under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). They should make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.
“Through EPIC, we have an opportunity to regain our footing as a world leader in global weather prediction. The system will foster partnerships with university and industry scientists and engineers to advance U.S. numerical weather prediction,” added Jacobs.
EPIC will make it easier for developers across all sectors to collaborate on improving the nation’s weather and climate models. It leverages combined skills and resources and lowers barriers for interaction. It does that through the use of cloud computing and a community modeling approach called the Unified Forecast Systemoffsite link.
Current Acquisition Will Lay Ground for Future Advances
“The National Weather Service ran a competitive acquisition to ensure we have the supercomputing power needed to implement all the great modeling advancements we anticipate over the next several years,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “This is an exciting time for all of us in the weather research and operations community, with bold changes on the horizon. We are making sure NOAA is ready.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information provided by NOAA
912 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Digital-Globe.jpg?fit=1200%2C744&ssl=17441200adminadmin2020-02-27 18:27:082020-02-27 18:32:29NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity for Weather, Climate Forecasting
Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch: Before and After Repairs
Yesterday, I posted about the hidden costs of flooding. Here’s another one: infrastructure repairs. And another one: re-doing infrastructure repairs. Like those to the Tree Lane Bridge over Ben’s Branch.
History of Issue
Upstream development in Montgomery County with insufficient and un-repaired detention pond capacity started dumping excess water into Ben’s Branch. It didn’t take long for the area under the Tree Lane bridge next to Bear Branch Elementary to start eroding badly.
Tree Lane was already a pinch point in the Ben’s Branch floodway. That and the combination of even more water during the Tax Day, Memorial Day, Harvey, May 2019, and Imelda floods all took a toll. The picture below shows what the bridge looked like on December 1, 2019. Hundreds of kids cross this bridge on their way to Bear Branch Elementary every day.
After taking the shot above, I emailed it to the City. To their credit, they sent crews out right away to repair it. Heavy equipment sat at the site for 2.5 months.
After the Repairs
About two weeks ago, the last piece left the job site. So today, I drove by to get an “after” shot. See the improvements below.
The City put rip rap across the creek to reduce erosion from water shooting out from the storm sewer in the upper right. They also broke up some of the large slabs of concrete to form additional rip rap.
However, it appears that they:
Someone else could have dumped the construction materials and sign. Crappy looking areas always encourage illegal dumping.
I’m guessing that the rip rap may help reduce erosion from the storm sewer. But…
I see little here to stop erosion from upstream of Tree Lane or reduce danger to the pipeline. More important, the City did nothing to increase conveyance under the bridge.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/29/2020
914 Days after Hurricane Harvey
Hidden Costs of Flooding
When we think about flooding, most of us don’t think beyond the repair costs of homes. But there are more costs to communities that can remain hidden for years. Erosion, for instance, is one of the hidden costs of flooding that we rarely talk about.
You’ve heard me talk about the eroded sediment from sand mines that winds up downstream in the mouth bars of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto.
Likewise, many of you have seen the work being done now to remove approximately 80,000 cubic yards of eroded sediment from Ben’s Branch.
We’ve all seen how such eroded sediment can back water up and raise flood levels. And we’ve all seen how much that can cost. Not just from the initial flood, but in terms of remediation.
Look At the Cost of Erosion From the Upstream Side, Too
Ditch erosion can affect homeowners in other ways, too. By threatening their property and community property. Lost property is yet another one of the hidden costs of flooding.
We’ve seen how ditch erosion destroyed riding trails in the Commons on Lake Houston.
In Deer Ridge Estates, ditch erosion is creeping inexorably toward back yard fences.
On a recent flight down the San Jacinto West Fork, I spotted erosion threatening the back yards of homes still under construction in the new Northpark Woods subdivision.
Erosion can threaten pipelines, too.
Let’s Play Hot Potato
Who is responsible for repairing the upstream erosion when it happens? In Harris County, we’re lucky, we have a flood control district that has assumed responsibility for that. But the ditch two photos above is in Montgomery County. So are the pipelines in the photo above.
But without someone stepping up, these homes will eventually be threatened. And with the exception noted above, few people or groups are stepping up.
Paul Crowson, a Montgomery County flood activist has posted about this subject on Facebook. Says Crowson, “The county, the flood control district, the neighborhood HOA, the POA, the City, the State, the developers, the engineers … all are passing the blame and responsibility around to each other.”
The problem exists everywhere. Crowson points to the case of Fort Bend County homeowners who are petitioning the Court there to assign responsibility for maintenance of drainage easements.
“These poor people (in the court case) have lost most of their yard, and are in danger of losing their home to the ravages of the drainage easement nightmares,” says Crowson. “Those nightmares are growing every day and will eventually swallow them and their home. Why does it matter to you? I’m thinking right now of Roman Forest, Tavola, New Caney, and Montgomery County.”
It’s Easier to Keep Up Than Catch Up
I would argue that it’s cheaper to prevent a disaster in the making than to remediate a disaster after the fact. Remember those homely homilies your parents and grandparents tried to instill in you? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. A stitch in time save nine.
Congressman Dan Crenshaw says the Navy Seals have a similar saying for those who fall behind on those long training runs they take. “It’s easier to keep up than catch up.” They’re all true! And the same holds true for deferred maintenance.
When Deferred Maintenance Turns into a Disaster Area
Montgomery County does not have a flood control district. Nor does it seem especially eager to address problems, such as those in the photo above.
As we saw with the mouth bar on the West Fork that had been building up under water for decades, maintenance can be deferred for only so long.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/28/2020 with input from Paul Crowson
913 Days after Hurricane Harvey
NOAA to Triple Supercomputing Capacity for Weather, Climate Forecasting
On February 20, NOAA announced computing upgrades that will enable new and improved weather and climate forecasting. Significant upgrades to supercomputing capacity, storage space, and interconnect speed of its Weather and Climate Operational Supercomputing System will keep the agency’s supercomputing capacity on par with other leading weather forecast centers around the world.
Why We Need More Supercomputing Capacity
As good as weather forecasting has become, it can still go much further. That’s why this item caught my eye.
The paths of tropical storms can be notoriously fickle. Harvey, for instance, made landfall three times. Hurricane Rita caused officials to order the mass evacuation of 3.7 million Houstonians, only to have the storm veer east at the last minute. The evacuation created a disaster in itself. Forecast inaccuracies also lower the confidence of those contemplating lowering the level of area lakes in advance of approaching storms.
Triple Capacity, Double Storage and Interconnect Speeds
This increase in high-performance computing will triple the capacity and double NOAA’s storage and interconnect speed. It will help NOAA create better forecast model guidance. The keys: higher-resolution and more comprehensive Earth-system models that use larger ensembles, advanced physics, and improved data assimilation.
“We will restore America’s international leadership with the best weather forecasts, powered by the fastest supercomputers and world-class weather models,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator.
Two new Cray computers, an operational primary and backup, will be located in Manassas, Virginia, and Phoenix. The computers each have 12 petaflop capacity. They will become operational by early 2022 after code migration and testing.
New Total of 40 Petaflops
Coupled with NOAA’s other research and development supercomputers, which have a combined capacity of 16 petaflops, NOAA’s new prediction and research computing capabilties will reach 40 petaflops.
Earth Prediction Innovation Center
The new computers will help advance research and development under NOAA’s emerging Earth Prediction Innovation Center (EPIC). They should make the U.S. Global Forecast System the best model in the world.
“Through EPIC, we have an opportunity to regain our footing as a world leader in global weather prediction. The system will foster partnerships with university and industry scientists and engineers to advance U.S. numerical weather prediction,” added Jacobs.
EPIC will make it easier for developers across all sectors to collaborate on improving the nation’s weather and climate models. It leverages combined skills and resources and lowers barriers for interaction. It does that through the use of cloud computing and a community modeling approach called the Unified Forecast Systemoffsite link.
Current Acquisition Will Lay Ground for Future Advances
“The National Weather Service ran a competitive acquisition to ensure we have the supercomputing power needed to implement all the great modeling advancements we anticipate over the next several years,” said Louis W. Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “This is an exciting time for all of us in the weather research and operations community, with bold changes on the horizon. We are making sure NOAA is ready.”
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/2020 based on information provided by NOAA
912 Days since Hurricane Harvey