Many readers have asked what the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is doing to its bridge over the San Jacinto near US59. According to the Houston Chronicle, UP is widening the spans to reduce the potential for catastrophic damage in the event of another storm like Harvey.
If you have children or grandchildren that love trains, cranes and building things, you’ll want to share this post with them. It’s a real life example of a massive (re)construction project in the middle of difficult circumstances and a testament to the kind of brainpower and brawn that built this country.
A New Bridge Rises from the Old
These photos taken on Monday of this week (11.4.2019) illustrate how a new Union Pacific bridge is rising in the same place as the old one. With wider spans, the bridge will now also require different construction.
Wider concrete supports and a steel bed will replace the old tubular supports. UP constructed a temporary bridge next to the new bridge to hold the construction cranes.This wide shot taken on 11/4/2019 shows how much wider the new spans are compared to the old.
Problems with Old Union Pacific Bridge
Back in 2017, the supports of the old bridge caught many trees swept downstream by Harvey. As you can see in these photos, the old bridge had two or three times the number of supports. David Seitzinger, a Kingwood resident, identified the supports and the trees they caught as a contributor to flooding in this analysis of water levels, flows and timing during Hurricane Harvey.
Photo from September 14, 2017. Harvey knocked out the old bridge. It took weeks to repair and shut down northbound rail traffic.During Harvey, those old supports caught debris floating downstream that partially dammed the river and destroyed the railroad.Photo from UP report on flood.
A Marvel of Engineering Ingenuity
Current photo shows how the narrow spacing of supports for the temporary bridge are still catching debris floating downstream.When complete, the bridge will border Harris County Precinct 4’s new Edgewater Park (lower right). The wider spans should help protect the commercial areas south of the river from flooding.
The progress of this construction is another encouraging sign of recovery from Harvey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/2019 with thanks to the Union Pacific Railroad
799 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/RJR_4143.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-11-06 16:41:552019-11-06 16:42:08New Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over San Jacinto Will Have Wider Spans
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
New Union Pacific Railroad Bridge over San Jacinto Will Have Wider Spans
Many readers have asked what the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) is doing to its bridge over the San Jacinto near US59. According to the Houston Chronicle, UP is widening the spans to reduce the potential for catastrophic damage in the event of another storm like Harvey.
A New Bridge Rises from the Old
These photos taken on Monday of this week (11.4.2019) illustrate how a new Union Pacific bridge is rising in the same place as the old one. With wider spans, the bridge will now also require different construction.
Problems with Old Union Pacific Bridge
Back in 2017, the supports of the old bridge caught many trees swept downstream by Harvey. As you can see in these photos, the old bridge had two or three times the number of supports. David Seitzinger, a Kingwood resident, identified the supports and the trees they caught as a contributor to flooding in this analysis of water levels, flows and timing during Hurricane Harvey.
A Marvel of Engineering Ingenuity
This presentation explains the importance of railroads to the region’s economy and damage that Harvey did to UP.
The progress of this construction is another encouraging sign of recovery from Harvey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/2019 with thanks to the Union Pacific Railroad
799 Days after Hurricane Harvey
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