Erosion exposed five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids through the Liberty Materials mine in Conroe. Photo from December 3, 2019.
Repairs Now Underway
Several local engineers who saw the problem leaped into action and immediately reported the issue to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission. Four of the five pipelines were interstate and therefore regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. TRRC forwarded the complaints to them.
When I flew over the same mine on January 20, 2020, workers were busy shoring up the pipelines to protect the public.
Pictures from January 20, 2020, Flyover
From the materials stockpiled on the site, it appears that large drain pipes under the HVL pipelines will be part of the fix. These drain pipes appear to be as tall as the pickup truck parked next to them.
Looking south, you can see drain pipes and riprap stockpiled on the left. Looking south again. Workers appear to be creating an even deeper trench under the pipelines and pumping out groundwater.Reverse angle, looking north. Water drains down from the northern portion on the mine through wetlands, under the pipelines, and then into the main southern part of the mine.From there, it makes its way to the San Jacinto River, out of frame behind the camera position.Looking southwest. You can see wetlands draining from the northern portion of the site to the problem area in the upper left.Looking north, you can see the scale of the drain pipes relative to the vehicles parked next to them.The pipelines look less bowed than in the first shot from last December. However, there is still a pronounced dip between the left and right sides of at least two pipelines in the photo.
Situation at Triple PG Mine in Porter
These same pipelines run through the Triple PG mine in Porter to the southwest. See the utility corridor under the electric lines in the photo below. I reported on them in December also. The pipelines have not yet been exposed at this point, but no effort has been made to stop the erosion before it creates another safety issue.
Looking NW. The same pipelines cut through the Triple PG mine in Porter. Erosion from Harvey and Imelda has eaten away the ground on either side of the pipelines. They could be exposed in the next large storm.Photo taken 1/20/2020.
During Harvey and Imelda, Caney Creek rerouted itself through this mine in a process called pit or river capture. Floodwater eroded a new path from the top of the photo above to the bottom. The pipelines have not yet been exposed, but easily could be by the next large storm. The inverted v-shaped cut you see in the photo above grew by almost 1000 feet since 2017.
This reverse angle shot shows the proximity of erosion from the north to the utility corridor with the 5 HVL pipelines. The pond at the right now actually touches the utility easement.This satellite image in Google Earth also shows erosion at the edge the utility/pipeline corridor.The streaks of sand across the corridor show the direction of water flow during Imelda.
Because of the Triple PG Mine’s proximity to the source of drinking water for 2 million people, this erosion probably represents an even greater threat than erosion at the Liberty Mine in Conroe. Caney Creek flows through this mine during floods. And Caney Creek empties directly into the East Fork and Lake Houston.
This pipeline used to carry natural gas for Kinder Morgan. Triple PG mined too close to it also. Then erosion during Harvey and Imelda exposed it – twice. KM abandoned this line and filled it with inert gas. They then drilled a new line 75 feet under the mine.But this exposed pipeline stands as a mute reminder to the safety hazard.
It all comes down to sand vs. safety. It’s their sand. Your safety.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/27/2020
881 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 130 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/2020/01/20200120-RJR_6558.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-01-27 16:06:302020-01-27 17:00:23Pipeline Bed Repairs Now Underway at Liberty Mine; At Triple PG Mine, No Progress
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
Pipeline Bed Repairs Now Underway at Liberty Mine; At Triple PG Mine, No Progress
In December, I reported on how sand mining on both sides of pipelines contributed to erosion underneath them. Such erosion exposed five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL) through one of the Liberty Materials mines in Conroe. The pipelines sagged across the gap like clotheslines. See below.
Repairs Now Underway
Several local engineers who saw the problem leaped into action and immediately reported the issue to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Railroad Commission. Four of the five pipelines were interstate and therefore regulated by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. TRRC forwarded the complaints to them.
When I flew over the same mine on January 20, 2020, workers were busy shoring up the pipelines to protect the public.
Pictures from January 20, 2020, Flyover
From the materials stockpiled on the site, it appears that large drain pipes under the HVL pipelines will be part of the fix. These drain pipes appear to be as tall as the pickup truck parked next to them.
Situation at Triple PG Mine in Porter
These same pipelines run through the Triple PG mine in Porter to the southwest. See the utility corridor under the electric lines in the photo below. I reported on them in December also. The pipelines have not yet been exposed at this point, but no effort has been made to stop the erosion before it creates another safety issue.
During Harvey and Imelda, Caney Creek rerouted itself through this mine in a process called pit or river capture. Floodwater eroded a new path from the top of the photo above to the bottom. The pipelines have not yet been exposed, but easily could be by the next large storm. The inverted v-shaped cut you see in the photo above grew by almost 1000 feet since 2017.
Because of the Triple PG Mine’s proximity to the source of drinking water for 2 million people, this erosion probably represents an even greater threat than erosion at the Liberty Mine in Conroe. Caney Creek flows through this mine during floods. And Caney Creek empties directly into the East Fork and Lake Houston.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/27/2020
881 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 130 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.
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.