Charles Jones, a Lake Houston Area resident and business man, has developed a presentation that examines the role of the FM1960 bridge in Harvey Flooding. The small openings in the bridge, he says, constrict the flow of floodwaters, much like sand gets pinched and backed up when moving through an hourglass.
The following three slides sum up the heart of Jones’ theory.
Most of the flooding during Harvey happened above the FM1960 bridge on the East and West Forks.The bridge is mostly a causeway. It has two small openings that total 1700 feet.The two openings restrict the flow compared to other bridges and create a backwater effect.
Discussion of FM1960 Theory
Jones’ presentation is a deliberately “high level”, simplified discussion targeted at a general audience. Parts of it seemed a bit OVERsimplified at times.
For instance, at one point he describes the FM1960 bridge as the cause of sediment build up in the mouth bar area on the West Fork. But if that’s the only cause, why isn’t there a similar build up on the East Fork?
Another example: he describes the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge as 3700 feet in length. That’s true. But so much sand is stacked up on the downstream side of the bridge that it effectively narrows the opening. See sand in the treetops below.
Looking north toward Kingwood’s Kings Harbor. The West Lake Houston Parkway bridge is on the left. Photo taken two weeks after Harvey. In the foreground, sand now reaches the tree tops and is virtually as high as the bridge itself. Water used to flow under the bridge and through the area in the foreground during floods. Now it is forced north.
However, put those observations aside for the moment and ask two simple questions:
Are the principles behind Jones’ theory generally true?
Are there any direct observations available that support the theory?
The answers are yes and yes.
“There’s Always a Bottleneck Somewhere in Every System”
I had a client for 35 years that made plastics. The company was one of the largest and most respected in the business. They built plants around the world. A process engineer in that company, whom I highly respected, once told me, “There’s always a bottleneck somewhere in every system.” The FM1960 bridge is ONE of those bottlenecks.
A Google Earth satellite image taken DURING Harvey shows water swirling above the bridge looking for a way to get downstream. In the photo below, see how the bridge disrupts the different colors in the flow.
Note the different shades of brown near the FM1960 Bridge and how the flow within those colors is disrupted by the bridge, especially by the smaller eastern opening.Satellite image from 8/30/17 DURING Harvey.
So pardon the pun, but I think Jones’ theory holds some water. It certainly merits further investigation. I would certainly like to know the answers to the following questions:
Did someone actually measure the difference between the high water marks on each side of the bridge during Harvey?
If so what was it? Can the backwater effect of the causeway be quantified?
Is there photographic evidence of any difference?
If the backwater effect is significant, how much would it cost to modify the bridge? Would the benefits justify the cost?
Thank you, Mr. Jones, for bringing this matter to the public’s attention. You’ve made a valuable contribution to our understanding of Harvey.
And On a Side Note…
What’s that nasty brown stuff flowing out of Luce Bayou on the upper right in the photo above? At first I thought I might be the shadow of a cloud on that particular day, but it shows up consistently in other photos. See below, for instance. It starts about the time construction on the Luce Bayou project started. That’s the project designed to bring water to Lake Houston from the Trinity River. Mmmmmm!
Satellite image from 12/30/2014 shows purple/brown effluent coming from Luce Bayou.Note the three distinct sediment colors in this photo: light brown in the West Fork on the left, medium brown from the East Fork at the top, and dark brown from Luce Bayou on the right.Most recent Google Earth image from 2/23/19 shows that water coming from Luce Bayou is more normal in coloration now. Construction on the Interbasin Water Transfer Project is required to be complete this month. Let’s hope that’s the last we see of that purple stuff.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/14/2019
654 Days After Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Portholes.jpg?fit=1978%2C1396&ssl=113961978adminadmin2019-06-14 08:22:022019-06-14 14:32:28New Presentation Looks at Role of FM1960 Bridge in Harvey Flooding
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has enhanced its Flood Warning System at www.harriscountyfws.org.
Flood Warning System Enhancements
The system can now provide:
Residents of Harris AND surrounding counties…
The ability to receive CUSTOMIZED water level AND rainfall alerts…
From ANY gage or gages IN THE ENTIRE REGION…
Via TEXT message, EMAIL, or BOTH.
When signing up, consider the gages nearest you plus those upstream. Upstream gages can give you more warning time.
How to Sign Up for Warnings
Sign up for the new flood warning system at www.fwsalerts.org. Create your free account, then customize your preferences. You can request notifications from more than 250 gage locations across the region. Gages are located in or operated by:
Harris County
Brazoria County
Fort Bend County
Montgomery County
Galveston County
Waller County
City of Mont Belvieu
City of Sugar Land
The Woodlands
San Jacinto River Authority
Residents will need to create an account and can then choose which gages they want to receive information from, i.e., those nearest them and those upstream from them. You can create custom alerts for various water levels, channel depths, rainfall intensities, and so forth. You can also default to four standard alerts.
1 inch of rainfall in 15-minutes
4 inches of rainfall in 1 hour
Channel flooding is possible (3 ft below bankfull)
Channel flooding is likely (bankfull)
When defined rainfall or water level values are reached indicating a potential for flooding, the new flood warning system will begin sending alerts that match your preferences.
Response to Harvey
“One of the biggest takeaways from Hurricane Harvey was the need for automated notifications to be delivered in a timely manner. This enhancement will help do that,” stated Jeff Lindner, Director of Hydrologic Operations and Meteorologist for the Flood Control District.
“Residents can use the new alerts feature to make timely, informed decisions on how to protect themselves, their families, and property,” said Lindner.
More Information
HCFCD has optimized the flood warning system for both desktops and mobile phones.
HCFCD encourages residents across the region to establish an account and sign up for alert notifications at www.fwsalerts.org.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/2019
653 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/FWS-Signup.jpg?fit=1500%2C1009&ssl=110091500adminadmin2019-06-13 17:20:242019-06-13 17:20:38Flood Control District Enhances Flood Warning System with Customizable Alerts
Geologic change happens so slowly, most people won’t live or stay long enough in one place to perceive it. Then something happens to make you crank up the Wayback Machine and look more closely. Yesterday was one of those days for me. The Army Corps announced that it was going to begin dredging part of the West Fork mouth bar area.
That raised the question, “Which part?” That wasn’t announced. So I asked Tim Garfield, retired chief geologist for one of the world’s largest oil companies, what he would do. He felt it was important to re-establish the river’s natural channel. So I asked him where it was. (Spoiler alert: It’s between the mouth bar and Atascocita Point.) But in the process of figuring this out, I learned many more things about the mouth bar and a river I take for granted. I’ll save those for the end.
70 Years of Change on the River
Garfield led me to the Perry-Castañeda Map Collection of Texas Topographic Maps at the UT Library Online. He found this map from 1949 of Moonshine Hill. It’s exactly 70 years old! The 1949 date means we can see where the river was before the dam and lake were built in 1955.
The San Jacinto in 1949 before Lake Houston was impounded in 1955.For a higher resolution version of this map, click here. This map shows what geologists call “the relict channel.”
Kingwood, Atascocita and Huffman Before Settlement
This map shows areas that would eventually become Atascocita, Kingwood, and Huffman. It includes the area where the mouth bar has formed between Kings Point and Atascocita Point.
You can tell a lot by looking at this map. You can tell even more when you superimpose it over a satellite view of the area today in Photoshop. Suddenly, you see how the landscape has changed. In fact, it changed so much that I had problems aligning the two images.
Map Superimposed Over Satellite Image At Varying Opacities
However, the county line and 1960 are still in the same location. So I used those as reference points. Then I varied the opacity in the top layer (the old map) so that you could see more and more of the current landscape. At different percentages, you can see how various features have changed over time.
Here’s what the sequence looks like starting with 1949 and today. I started by cropping tighter on the area of interest, the West Fork where the Corps is dredging. I include several different opacity ratios because some changes become more apparent at one ratio than another.
100% opacity for 1949 map.0% 1949 and 100% today.60% 1949 and 40% today.50% 1949 and 50% today.33% 1949 and 67% today.25% 1949 and 75% today.
Most Visible Changes
Starting from the left:
In the 33/67 image, notice how the river once meandered near US59 and how much further south it was.
In the 50/50 image, notice how much of the Romerica land was swamp in 1949…and still is.
In the 75/25 image, notice how much the river migrated north just north of Kings River estates.
In the 25/75 image, notice how much area the lake claimed.
In the 33/67 image, notice how far north the river has shifted under the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge.
In the 33/67 image, notice how Atascocita Point has grown past the relict channel.
In the 60/40 image, notice how the mouth bar grew at the confluence of a relict stream bed within the lake and the relict channel of the West Fork. You can also see this pretty clearly in the 25/75 image.
In the 25/75 image, notice how the relict West Fork channel used to hug Atascocita Shores.
Key Map
This image shows locations referenced above for those who may not be familiar with them.
Key to locations
Do you see other things that I did not? Please let me know through the contact form on this web site.
As the dredging program moves forward, these maps may also help inform dredging strategy. Stay tuned.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/2019
653 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/50-copy.jpg?fit=1500%2C990&ssl=19901500adminadmin2019-06-13 00:32:172019-06-16 09:32:21Living Landscape: San Jacinto River Before Lake Houston and Now
New Presentation Looks at Role of FM1960 Bridge in Harvey Flooding
Charles Jones, a Lake Houston Area resident and business man, has developed a presentation that examines the role of the FM1960 bridge in Harvey Flooding. The small openings in the bridge, he says, constrict the flow of floodwaters, much like sand gets pinched and backed up when moving through an hourglass.
You can download and review the entire presentation here. It will be stored permanently under the Other Flood Mitigation tab of the Reports page on this web site.
Summary of Jones’ Theory
The following three slides sum up the heart of Jones’ theory.
Discussion of FM1960 Theory
Jones’ presentation is a deliberately “high level”, simplified discussion targeted at a general audience. Parts of it seemed a bit OVERsimplified at times.
For instance, at one point he describes the FM1960 bridge as the cause of sediment build up in the mouth bar area on the West Fork. But if that’s the only cause, why isn’t there a similar build up on the East Fork?
Another example: he describes the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge as 3700 feet in length. That’s true. But so much sand is stacked up on the downstream side of the bridge that it effectively narrows the opening. See sand in the treetops below.
However, put those observations aside for the moment and ask two simple questions:
The answers are yes and yes.
“There’s Always a Bottleneck Somewhere in Every System”
I had a client for 35 years that made plastics. The company was one of the largest and most respected in the business. They built plants around the world. A process engineer in that company, whom I highly respected, once told me, “There’s always a bottleneck somewhere in every system.” The FM1960 bridge is ONE of those bottlenecks.
Other Support for Theory
But what about the direct observations?
So pardon the pun, but I think Jones’ theory holds some water. It certainly merits further investigation. I would certainly like to know the answers to the following questions:
Thank you, Mr. Jones, for bringing this matter to the public’s attention. You’ve made a valuable contribution to our understanding of Harvey.
And On a Side Note…
What’s that nasty brown stuff flowing out of Luce Bayou on the upper right in the photo above? At first I thought I might be the shadow of a cloud on that particular day, but it shows up consistently in other photos. See below, for instance. It starts about the time construction on the Luce Bayou project started. That’s the project designed to bring water to Lake Houston from the Trinity River. Mmmmmm!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/14/2019
654 Days After Hurricane Harvey
Flood Control District Enhances Flood Warning System with Customizable Alerts
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has enhanced its Flood Warning System at www.harriscountyfws.org.
Flood Warning System Enhancements
The system can now provide:
How to Sign Up for Warnings
Sign up for the new flood warning system at www.fwsalerts.org. Create your free account, then customize your preferences. You can request notifications from more than 250 gage locations across the region. Gages are located in or operated by:
Residents will need to create an account and can then choose which gages they want to receive information from, i.e., those nearest them and those upstream from them. You can create custom alerts for various water levels, channel depths, rainfall intensities, and so forth. You can also default to four standard alerts.
When defined rainfall or water level values are reached indicating a potential for flooding, the new flood warning system will begin sending alerts that match your preferences.
Response to Harvey
“One of the biggest takeaways from Hurricane Harvey was the need for automated notifications to be delivered in a timely manner. This enhancement will help do that,” stated Jeff Lindner, Director of Hydrologic Operations and Meteorologist for the Flood Control District.
“Residents can use the new alerts feature to make timely, informed decisions on how to protect themselves, their families, and property,” said Lindner.
More Information
HCFCD has optimized the flood warning system for both desktops and mobile phones.
For more information, consult this Flood Warning System Brochure or just sign up.
HCFCD encourages residents across the region to establish an account and sign up for alert notifications at www.fwsalerts.org.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/2019
653 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Living Landscape: San Jacinto River Before Lake Houston and Now
Geologic change happens so slowly, most people won’t live or stay long enough in one place to perceive it. Then something happens to make you crank up the Wayback Machine and look more closely. Yesterday was one of those days for me. The Army Corps announced that it was going to begin dredging part of the West Fork mouth bar area.
That raised the question, “Which part?” That wasn’t announced. So I asked Tim Garfield, retired chief geologist for one of the world’s largest oil companies, what he would do. He felt it was important to re-establish the river’s natural channel. So I asked him where it was. (Spoiler alert: It’s between the mouth bar and Atascocita Point.) But in the process of figuring this out, I learned many more things about the mouth bar and a river I take for granted. I’ll save those for the end.
70 Years of Change on the River
Garfield led me to the Perry-Castañeda Map Collection of Texas Topographic Maps at the UT Library Online. He found this map from 1949 of Moonshine Hill. It’s exactly 70 years old! The 1949 date means we can see where the river was before the dam and lake were built in 1955.
Kingwood, Atascocita and Huffman Before Settlement
This map shows areas that would eventually become Atascocita, Kingwood, and Huffman. It includes the area where the mouth bar has formed between Kings Point and Atascocita Point.
You can tell a lot by looking at this map. You can tell even more when you superimpose it over a satellite view of the area today in Photoshop. Suddenly, you see how the landscape has changed. In fact, it changed so much that I had problems aligning the two images.
Map Superimposed Over Satellite Image At Varying Opacities
However, the county line and 1960 are still in the same location. So I used those as reference points. Then I varied the opacity in the top layer (the old map) so that you could see more and more of the current landscape. At different percentages, you can see how various features have changed over time.
Here’s what the sequence looks like starting with 1949 and today. I started by cropping tighter on the area of interest, the West Fork where the Corps is dredging. I include several different opacity ratios because some changes become more apparent at one ratio than another.
Most Visible Changes
Starting from the left:
Key Map
This image shows locations referenced above for those who may not be familiar with them.
Do you see other things that I did not? Please let me know through the contact form on this web site.
As the dredging program moves forward, these maps may also help inform dredging strategy. Stay tuned.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/13/2019
653 Days after Hurricane Harvey