For several weeks, I have been posting about why Senate Bill 7 (SB7) deserves our support. I focused mainly on the flood mitigation dollars it would provide and how it could accelerate projects that actually reduce flood risk.
Senator Creighton’s office provided this link to an interview that Austin television station KXAN did with him. It focuses heavily on another aspect of the bill: the development of a statewide flood plan.
The House is currently considering a bill that would do some of the same things: HB13. The Natural Resources Committee reported favorably on it, but the Calendars Committee has not yet scheduled it for debate in the House.
The low numbers on both of these bills indicate that they are high priorities within their respective chambers. I suspect at some point in the near future a conference committee will try to reconcile the best aspects of both bills.
In the meantime, Senator Creighton’s bill is out of the gate faster and farther down the road. It deserves all the support we can give it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/4/2019
583 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Creighton.jpg?fit=1500%2C1201&ssl=112011500adminadmin2019-04-03 21:23:492019-04-03 21:24:29Statewide Flood Plan: Another Reason to Support Creighton’s SB7
Since last September, the Army Corps of Engineers has had two contractors, each with approximately 30 people, working 24/7 on the the West Fork of the San Jacinto.
Moving 1.9 Million Cubic Yards of Earth
Together, they’re removing approximately 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment left behind by Hurricane Harvey that is blocking the conveyance of the river. It’s hard to move that much sand and silt without getting your hands dirty, as these pictures by the Army Corps clearly demonstrate.
One crew started at River Grove and is working downstream toward the mid-point of a 2.1 mile stretch of the West Fork. The other started at the mid-point and is working downstream toward where Ben’s Branch enters the river, just past Kings Harbor.
The Corps uses approximately 10 miles of 22- and 24-inch pipeline weighing more than 5 million pounds to pump sediment from the river back upstream to two placement areas. One is south of Kingwood College off Sorters Road, shown below. The other is off Townsend in Humble.The pipe floating in the foreground is rubber and designed to float. This gives the dredge room to maneuver. The pipe in the background with the orange flotation collars is rubber and bends a little. The steel pipe above does not bend.Farm Boy is helping to anchor the dredge while a service boat transfers crew.Looking toward the rear of the dredge. The blue part is the pump. The red containers in the background house electric motors. Cables tie the dredge to a CenterPoint substation in Forest Cove. Before dredging, this giant dune almost completely blocked the West Fork about a half mile downstream from River Grove Park. The Great Lakes Dredge and Dock crew is still working to remove it. While it looks like all sand from the air, beneath the surface, crews are encountering dead trees and roots that get caught in cutter baskets on the dredge. (Photo by Bob Rehak)When that happens, productivity slows and crews must manually pick the material from the chisels on the dredge.Note the pile of roots and sticks growing the men.Here you get a better idea of how the roots and vines can clog the intakes on the cutter head. Dredging needs to stop many times each day to remove this material.The “chisels” on the cutter head break up sand which the “cutter basket” then sweeps up. Pumps inside the steel cage suck the sand into the pipe and pump it back upstream to placement areas. Once the dredge starts pumping again, the flow must be calibrated with three booster pumps attached to each line. At least one crew member mans each booster pump to coordinate with the others. They must avoid over- or under-pressure situations. This shows a close up of one of the three booster pumps used by Great Lakes, the Army Corps’ lead contractor on the job. Callan Marine is a subcontractor to Great Lakes and also has three booster pumps.This shot gives you an idea of how massive these pipelines are……and how much sediment they can pump per minute. There’s enough sediment moving here to fill up a dump truck in less than a minute.The Eagle Sorters Mine is dredging this pit even as Army Corp contractors fill it up. Sand and silt recovered from the river may wind up in roadbeds or be used for mortar in the construction trades.
1.4 Million Cubic Yards Recovered to Date
Corps Engineers said that since Sept. 20, 2018, approximately 1.4 million cubic yards of Hurricane Harvey silt and debris have been pumped into the two placement areas. Ultimately, they expect to pump approximately 1.8 -1.9 million cubic yards to meet FEMA requirements, restore the river to pre-Harvey conditions, and to reduce flood risks.
Safety Warning
These images illustrate why boaters should stay away from the West Fork for now. It’s not safe. The FEMA funded emergency flood action should complete in early May, 2019.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/3/2019 with images courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers
582 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ECU-Burly-Guy.jpg?fit=1500%2C2250&ssl=122501500adminadmin2019-04-03 16:30:352019-04-03 18:02:48A Dirty Job, But Someone Has To Do It: Life of a Dredger on the West Fork
The Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch announced today public comments were forwarded to Romerica Investments, LLC, regarding permit application SWG-2016-00384 for a project in Kingwood, Texas.
Poster of Commercial District displayed by Romerica at Kingwood Public Meeting on 3/18/2019
Thirty Days from March 28
“We appreciate the time and effort of those concerned to meet the extended deadline,” said Elizabeth Shelton, a USACE Galveston District Regulatory project manager. “We have forwarded the public notice comments received to the applicant for response by letter dated 28 March 2019. The applicant has 30 days from the date of the letter to respond to the comments received.”
That means Romerica has until April 27 to respond to the hundreds of letters written by concerned residents and environmental groups. At this point, that means they have 24 days left to respond.
Discharge of Fill into Wetlands and Streams
Shelton said the Corps Regulatory Division’s role, in this permit application, is to evaluate, under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the proposed activity, the discharge of fill material into waters of the U.S., and the compliance of this proposed activity with other Federal laws, as applicable.
“The Division is evaluating the discharge of 68,323 cubic yards of fill material into 42.35 acres of wetlands and an estimated 285 cubic yards of fill material into 771 linear feet of streams adjacent to the West Fork of the San Jacinto River,” said Shelton.
The initial close of comment period was January 29. Corps Regulatory Division officials made the decision to allow for 30 additional days which extended the comment period to March 1.
Romerica will be giving a brief presentation at the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce BizCom meeting, on Thursday, April 4th, , 11 a.m., at Kingwood Park High School. Ms. Leah Manlove Howard, CMC, Chief Strategy Officer, VP and Program Chair of the American Advertisers Federation – Houston; and Michelle Hundley, President & CEO, Stratus Consulting will deliver the Heron Project Update, according to the Chamber.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/3/2019
582 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Herons.jpg?fit=1500%2C2000&ssl=120001500adminadmin2019-04-02 22:08:222019-04-02 22:09:10Next Countdown Clock Starts Ticking for Romerica’s High-Rise Development in Kingwood
Statewide Flood Plan: Another Reason to Support Creighton’s SB7
For several weeks, I have been posting about why Senate Bill 7 (SB7) deserves our support. I focused mainly on the flood mitigation dollars it would provide and how it could accelerate projects that actually reduce flood risk.
Senator Creighton’s office provided this link to an interview that Austin television station KXAN did with him. It focuses heavily on another aspect of the bill: the development of a statewide flood plan.
SB7 passed the Senate unanimously and was referred to the House Natural Resources Committee on March 28.
The House is currently considering a bill that would do some of the same things: HB13. The Natural Resources Committee reported favorably on it, but the Calendars Committee has not yet scheduled it for debate in the House.
The low numbers on both of these bills indicate that they are high priorities within their respective chambers. I suspect at some point in the near future a conference committee will try to reconcile the best aspects of both bills.
In the meantime, Senator Creighton’s bill is out of the gate faster and farther down the road. It deserves all the support we can give it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/4/2019
583 Days since Hurricane Harvey
A Dirty Job, But Someone Has To Do It: Life of a Dredger on the West Fork
Since last September, the Army Corps of Engineers has had two contractors, each with approximately 30 people, working 24/7 on the the West Fork of the San Jacinto.
Moving 1.9 Million Cubic Yards of Earth
Together, they’re removing approximately 1.9 million cubic yards of sediment left behind by Hurricane Harvey that is blocking the conveyance of the river. It’s hard to move that much sand and silt without getting your hands dirty, as these pictures by the Army Corps clearly demonstrate.
One crew started at River Grove and is working downstream toward the mid-point of a 2.1 mile stretch of the West Fork. The other started at the mid-point and is working downstream toward where Ben’s Branch enters the river, just past Kings Harbor.
1.4 Million Cubic Yards Recovered to Date
Corps Engineers said that since Sept. 20, 2018, approximately 1.4 million cubic yards of Hurricane Harvey silt and debris have been pumped into the two placement areas. Ultimately, they expect to pump approximately 1.8 -1.9 million cubic yards to meet FEMA requirements, restore the river to pre-Harvey conditions, and to reduce flood risks.
Safety Warning
These images illustrate why boaters should stay away from the West Fork for now. It’s not safe. The FEMA funded emergency flood action should complete in early May, 2019.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/3/2019 with images courtesy of the Army Corps of Engineers
582 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Next Countdown Clock Starts Ticking for Romerica’s High-Rise Development in Kingwood
The Galveston District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch announced today public comments were forwarded to Romerica Investments, LLC, regarding permit application SWG-2016-00384 for a project in Kingwood, Texas.
Thirty Days from March 28
“We appreciate the time and effort of those concerned to meet the extended deadline,” said Elizabeth Shelton, a USACE Galveston District Regulatory project manager. “We have forwarded the public notice comments received to the applicant for response by letter dated 28 March 2019. The applicant has 30 days from the date of the letter to respond to the comments received.”
That means Romerica has until April 27 to respond to the hundreds of letters written by concerned residents and environmental groups. At this point, that means they have 24 days left to respond.
Discharge of Fill into Wetlands and Streams
Shelton said the Corps Regulatory Division’s role, in this permit application, is to evaluate, under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, the proposed activity, the discharge of fill material into waters of the U.S., and the compliance of this proposed activity with other Federal laws, as applicable.
“The Division is evaluating the discharge of 68,323 cubic yards of fill material into 42.35 acres of wetlands and an estimated 285 cubic yards of fill material into 771 linear feet of streams adjacent to the West Fork of the San Jacinto River,” said Shelton.
The initial close of comment period was January 29. Corps Regulatory Division officials made the decision to allow for 30 additional days which extended the comment period to March 1.
The notice can be viewed at: https://www.swg.usace.army.mil/Media/Public-Notices/Article/1722068/swg-2016-00384-romerica-investments-llc-west-fork-of-the-san-jacinto-river-harr/
Romerica At BizCom
Romerica will be giving a brief presentation at the Lake Houston Area Chamber of Commerce BizCom meeting, on Thursday, April 4th, , 11 a.m., at Kingwood Park High School. Ms. Leah Manlove Howard, CMC, Chief Strategy Officer, VP and Program Chair of the American Advertisers Federation – Houston; and Michelle Hundley, President & CEO, Stratus Consulting will deliver the Heron Project Update, according to the Chamber.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/3/2019
582 Days since Hurricane Harvey