On Tuesday of this week, 46 days after the flood, the Triple PG mine was finally attempting to seal off the main breach into White Oak Creek, another tributary of Lake Houston. I took all of the photos below during the afternoon of November 4, 2019.
The TCEQ had fined Triple PG in 2015. TCEQ again fined the mine in May of this year for allowing process water to escape into the City’s drinking water for weeks. That fine totaled more than $18,000. But when it happened again in September, the Texas Attorney General sued the owners for more a million dollars.
Triple PG White Oak Creek Breach Still Open on 11.4.19
After the AG suit, I thought repairs to all breaches would follow quickly. So I rented a helicopter on 11.4.2019 to check their status. That’s when I took all the photos below. What I saw should have shocked me, but sadly, it did not.
Miners had not yet sealed the White Oak breach. And a white substance was floating out of the mine through it.
Triple PG attempts to repair breach to White Oak Creek on 11/4/2019. The narrow, washed out section of the road on the right looks like it might have been a previous attempt at a repair that failed already.
Meanwhile, Repairs to Triple PG Caney Creek Breach Failing Already
Meanwhile, the breach repair (below), first photographed on October 12, appeared to be slumping into Caney Creek already. Notice how the road is collapsing near the trees at the bottom of the frame in this photo. Glad I’m not driving heavy equipment over that road! Quick call the MSHA! Notice also the difference in the water elevation on either side.
The repair to the Caney Creek breach completed last month appears to be failing already. Looking west over Caney Creek in the foreground. Erosion is already visible in this side shot of the same repairfrom a different angle.
Water appears to be piping through the dirt in the repaired breach. Note the wet appearance in several places that also exhibit erosion near the bottom of the dike. Piping is one of the major causes of dike failure. Water seeps under the dike creating channels which undermine it.
Trapped Stormwater: A Problem for Mines in Floodways
A high and constant level of the water in a such a mine creates outward pressure on dikes that invites failure. A spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration said that typically mines must find ways to get rid of excess water after heavy rains or risk breaches. Some try engineered solutions such as spillways. However, Triple PG mine also faces environmental constraints. Specifically, Triple PG cannot flush its process water into the City’s drinking water. Especially when the Attorney General is looking over their shoulder.
My conclusion. Floodways are just dangerous places to build sand mines and this mine sits in two floodways.
Six More Breaches
Here’s a second breach into Caney Creek that they haven’t even started repairing. It appears that water overflowed the pit and started traversing down the side on a diagonal. Note the tree leaning into the creek in the sandy area at the bottom.And a third breach into Caney Creek. But at least they repaired the road above this one.And a fourth breach into Caney Creek.And a second breach into White Oak Creek behind the mine’s stockpile.And the start of an exit breach along the mine’s southern perimeter where so many homes in Walden Woods flooded. To my eye, it appears that there is little or no elevation difference between the mine road and surrounding homes.So I am not even sure that this qualifies as a dike, or is just the edge of a pond.And the mother of all breaches on the north side of the mine.
Tick Tock Tick Tock
The suit filed by the Texas Attorney General seeks monetary relief of “not more than $1 million.” But here’s where it gets interesting. The Texas Water Code section 7.102 states that penalties can range up to $25,000 per day for EACH day of EACH violation. It also specifies that “Each day of a CONTINUING violation is a SEPARATE violation.”
With all of these other breaches (that the TCEQ investigators could not see when they first inspected the mine because of washed out roads), these violations could add up quickly. Let’s see. 48 days x $25,000 = $1,200,000 for each breach. If the AG amended the lawsuit, that could add up to some serious bank.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11.6.2019
799 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 48 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my 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/2019/11/RJR_4584.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-11-06 11:25:502019-11-06 11:26:00Triple PG Sand Mine Finally Starts Plugging Breach on White Oak Creek
Here’s a science lesson for the entire family. The SJRA’s peak streamflow and rainfall map for Imelda demonstrated how rain can fall heavily over one part of a watershed and barely touch another. There are huge implications for flooding.
Note how the gage at Spring Creek in Tomball recorded a peak flow of 22.7 cubic feet per second. The East Fork gage in New Caney registered 34,600 cubic feet per second. That’s a difference of more than 1500X in the peak flow rates!
Rainfall Totals Range from 0 to 30 Inches in 24 miles
The blue figures represent precipitation. That same gage in Tomball recorded none. But a little further east, they picked up more than 5 inches; almost 10 at I-45; more than 15 at I-69, and almost 30 in New Caney.
This is why you need to look at gages upstream on YOUR tributary when flooding is possible! Someday, textbooks will use this map to dramatize that lesson.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/5/2019
798 days since Hurricane Harvey and 47 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/TS-Imelda-8.5x11-reduced.jpg?fit=2200%2C1700&ssl=117002200adminadmin2019-11-05 16:57:342019-11-05 17:03:32SJRA Peak Flow Map from Imelda Shows 1500X Difference Between East/West Sides of Watershed
This will be the most important mayoral election in Kingwood’s history, but the turnout in early voting was dismal. You would think people don’t care about flooding or that it’s been fixed already. Well, they should care. It hasn’t been fixed.
Below are some photos that show the difference pre- and post-dredging in the mouth bar area of the West Fork.
Match photos of the mouth bar taken after Harvey and Monday 11.4.2019.
Before Dredging: August 2019
This is an Atascocita Point resident walking out to the dredging operation in August.
After Dredging: November 2019
The 500,000 cubic yards that the Corps removed from the West Fork mouth bar barely scratched the surface. Think that’s an exaggeration? RD Kissling took this photo Sunday, 11.3.19, 700 yards south of the mouth bar as he stood in water just a little more than one foot deep. The channel at this point should be at least 400 feet wide and 30 feet deep to match the depth near Kings Harbor.
Photo taken Sunday November 3, 2019 approximately 700 yards south of the mouth bar by RD Kissling.That’s almost half a mile. Like icebergs, the majority of sandbars exists belong the surface. Where Kissling took the shot in knee-deep water.
The Two-Year Old Controversy that Started Twenty Years Ago
So what does all this have to do with the contest for Mayor? The current mayor has been arguing with FEMA and the Corps for 798 days over how much Harvey deposited in the mouth bar. We’ve had dueling studies. Endless meetings. Countless stories. And still nothing has changed significantly in this most important region of the river.
The City has neglected its obligation to maintain this area for more than 20 years. Engineers warned for decades of the danger and not a penny of the City’s money was spent on dredging.
The City wants FEMA to remove 1.4 million cubic yards, but FEMA claims it would be funding “deferred maintenance” by the City.
Today, Bill King held a press conference in Kings Point to lay out his plan for dealing with the mouth bar. It includes a $10 million contribution from the City to increase the funds already allocated by the State and County. The money would be used to establish a permanent maintenance dredging program.
According to a television reporter and the press conference, Mayor Sylvester Turner accused King of campaign rhetoric on the mouth bar issue.
This isn’t about rhetoric. It’s about survival.
If you care about Kingwood, if you care about your home, if you’re tired of waiting…please go to the polls tomorrow and vote. I voted for King. He’s the only candidate with a workable plan to address flooding in my opinion. But please just vote for the candidate of your choice. Not voting sends a message to the Mayor that we’re happy.
After 798 days of argument, letter writing, and meetings, it’s time for results. If re-elected, Sylvester Turner will be term-limited. Without another election hanging over his head, I just don’t see much improvement in the current situation.
If you would like more background about the mouth bar itself, please review this presentation about the Mouth Bar by Tim Garfield, RD Kissling, and me. Garfield and Kissling were both senior level geologists for one of the world’s largest oil companies before retiring. They provided the content. I just helped them shape their thoughts.
Kissling also wrote this open letter to the City of Houston that spells out problems with the Tetra Tech study that the City commissioned at the Corps’ request.
Please Also Vote FOR Prop 8
Among other items on the ballot, one of the most important from a flood mitigation perspective is Prop 8. Prop 8 would make money available from the Texas Rainy Day Fund to help provide low interest loans and grants to cities and counties. The money could be used to qualify for matching funds from the federal government. The lack of local matching funds has delayed many worthy flood mitigation projects identified after Harvey. Prop 8 should help fund many mitigation projects, bring more of our federal tax dollars back to Texas, and reduce flood risk by accelerating both grant applications and construction. Vote FOR.
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 5, 2019, election day
798 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RJR_4723.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-11-04 23:38:172019-11-04 23:49:07Why You Need to Vote for Mayor Tuesday if You Haven’t Already
Triple PG Sand Mine Finally Starts Plugging Breach on White Oak Creek
In September, Imelda caused the Triple PG sand mine dikes to breach in multiple locations. As a result, the mine’s process water flushed into the drinking water for millions of people. When the owners left the breaches open for weeks, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) filed a harsh report with the Texas Attorney General. The AG then sued the mine on October 11.
While the Triple PG owners immediately rushed to seal off the most visible breach into Caney Creek on October 12, other breaches still remain open.
The TCEQ had fined Triple PG in 2015. TCEQ again fined the mine in May of this year for allowing process water to escape into the City’s drinking water for weeks. That fine totaled more than $18,000. But when it happened again in September, the Texas Attorney General sued the owners for more a million dollars.
Triple PG White Oak Creek Breach Still Open on 11.4.19
After the AG suit, I thought repairs to all breaches would follow quickly. So I rented a helicopter on 11.4.2019 to check their status. That’s when I took all the photos below. What I saw should have shocked me, but sadly, it did not.
Meanwhile, Repairs to Triple PG Caney Creek Breach Failing Already
Meanwhile, the breach repair (below), first photographed on October 12, appeared to be slumping into Caney Creek already. Notice how the road is collapsing near the trees at the bottom of the frame in this photo. Glad I’m not driving heavy equipment over that road! Quick call the MSHA! Notice also the difference in the water elevation on either side.
Water appears to be piping through the dirt in the repaired breach. Note the wet appearance in several places that also exhibit erosion near the bottom of the dike. Piping is one of the major causes of dike failure. Water seeps under the dike creating channels which undermine it.
Trapped Stormwater: A Problem for Mines in Floodways
A high and constant level of the water in a such a mine creates outward pressure on dikes that invites failure. A spokesman for the Mine Safety and Health Administration said that typically mines must find ways to get rid of excess water after heavy rains or risk breaches. Some try engineered solutions such as spillways. However, Triple PG mine also faces environmental constraints. Specifically, Triple PG cannot flush its process water into the City’s drinking water. Especially when the Attorney General is looking over their shoulder.
Six More Breaches
Tick Tock Tick Tock
The suit filed by the Texas Attorney General seeks monetary relief of “not more than $1 million.” But here’s where it gets interesting. The Texas Water Code section 7.102 states that penalties can range up to $25,000 per day for EACH day of EACH violation. It also specifies that “Each day of a CONTINUING violation is a SEPARATE violation.”
With all of these other breaches (that the TCEQ investigators could not see when they first inspected the mine because of washed out roads), these violations could add up quickly. Let’s see. 48 days x $25,000 = $1,200,000 for each breach. If the AG amended the lawsuit, that could add up to some serious bank.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11.6.2019
799 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 48 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my 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.
SJRA Peak Flow Map from Imelda Shows 1500X Difference Between East/West Sides of Watershed
Here’s a science lesson for the entire family. The SJRA’s peak streamflow and rainfall map for Imelda demonstrated how rain can fall heavily over one part of a watershed and barely touch another. There are huge implications for flooding.
Peak Streamflows West to East Vary by 1500X
Note how the gage at Spring Creek in Tomball recorded a peak flow of 22.7 cubic feet per second. The East Fork gage in New Caney registered 34,600 cubic feet per second. That’s a difference of more than 1500X in the peak flow rates!
Rainfall Totals Range from 0 to 30 Inches in 24 miles
The blue figures represent precipitation. That same gage in Tomball recorded none. But a little further east, they picked up more than 5 inches; almost 10 at I-45; more than 15 at I-69, and almost 30 in New Caney.
This is why you need to look at gages upstream on YOUR tributary when flooding is possible! Someday, textbooks will use this map to dramatize that lesson.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/5/2019
798 days since Hurricane Harvey and 47 since Imelda
Why You Need to Vote for Mayor Tuesday if You Haven’t Already
This will be the most important mayoral election in Kingwood’s history, but the turnout in early voting was dismal. You would think people don’t care about flooding or that it’s been fixed already. Well, they should care. It hasn’t been fixed.
Below are some photos that show the difference pre- and post-dredging in the mouth bar area of the West Fork.
Before Dredging: August 2019
After Dredging: November 2019
The 500,000 cubic yards that the Corps removed from the West Fork mouth bar barely scratched the surface. Think that’s an exaggeration? RD Kissling took this photo Sunday, 11.3.19, 700 yards south of the mouth bar as he stood in water just a little more than one foot deep. The channel at this point should be at least 400 feet wide and 30 feet deep to match the depth near Kings Harbor.
The Two-Year Old Controversy that Started Twenty Years Ago
So what does all this have to do with the contest for Mayor? The current mayor has been arguing with FEMA and the Corps for 798 days over how much Harvey deposited in the mouth bar. We’ve had dueling studies. Endless meetings. Countless stories. And still nothing has changed significantly in this most important region of the river.
The City has neglected its obligation to maintain this area for more than 20 years. Engineers warned for decades of the danger and not a penny of the City’s money was spent on dredging.
Lest we forget, the mouth bar forms a sediment dam behind the dam that contributed to the flooding of more than 4,000 homes behind it and approximately half the businesses in the Lake Houston Chamber.
Bill King’s Plan to Get it Done
Today, Bill King held a press conference in Kings Point to lay out his plan for dealing with the mouth bar. It includes a $10 million contribution from the City to increase the funds already allocated by the State and County. The money would be used to establish a permanent maintenance dredging program.
According to a television reporter and the press conference, Mayor Sylvester Turner accused King of campaign rhetoric on the mouth bar issue.
If you care about Kingwood, if you care about your home, if you’re tired of waiting…please go to the polls tomorrow and vote. I voted for King. He’s the only candidate with a workable plan to address flooding in my opinion. But please just vote for the candidate of your choice. Not voting sends a message to the Mayor that we’re happy.
After 798 days of argument, letter writing, and meetings, it’s time for results. If re-elected, Sylvester Turner will be term-limited. Without another election hanging over his head, I just don’t see much improvement in the current situation.
For More Information
To learn more about the flood plans of the three leading candidates, read this post.
To learn more about Kings plan to address the mouth bar, see this newsletter.
If you would like more background about the mouth bar itself, please review this presentation about the Mouth Bar by Tim Garfield, RD Kissling, and me. Garfield and Kissling were both senior level geologists for one of the world’s largest oil companies before retiring. They provided the content. I just helped them shape their thoughts.
Kissling also wrote this open letter to the City of Houston that spells out problems with the Tetra Tech study that the City commissioned at the Corps’ request.
Please Also Vote FOR Prop 8
Among other items on the ballot, one of the most important from a flood mitigation perspective is Prop 8. Prop 8 would make money available from the Texas Rainy Day Fund to help provide low interest loans and grants to cities and counties. The money could be used to qualify for matching funds from the federal government. The lack of local matching funds has delayed many worthy flood mitigation projects identified after Harvey. Prop 8 should help fund many mitigation projects, bring more of our federal tax dollars back to Texas, and reduce flood risk by accelerating both grant applications and construction. Vote FOR.
Posted by Bob Rehak on November 5, 2019, election day
798 Days after Hurricane Harvey