New upstream river gages will improve accuracy of forecasts and provide more warning time in advance of floods.
The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will begin installing several new river gages this month. They should improve the accuracy of forecasts and the warning time we receive in advance of floods. HCFCD plans to install four new gages upstream of the Humble/Kingwood area and one in Lake Houston. In addition, one of HCFCD’s current gages already in Kingwood will be replaced and relocated to a new position.
New Locations for River Gages
According to Jeff Lindner, Director Hydrologic Operations, Division/Meteorologist of HCFCD, the five new river gages will be installed at:
West Fork of the San Jacinto River at SH 99
Peach Creek at FM 2090
East Fork of the San Jacinto at 2090
Caney Creek at FM 2090
FM 1960 over Lake Houston
Replacement for Kingwood Country Club Gage
Lindner also says that an existing river gage on the West Fork of the San Jacinto at Kingwood Country Club will be replaced and move about a mile downstream to the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. HCFCD will remove the Kingwood Country Club gage once the West Lake Houston Parkway gage is fully operational. The country club gage has had reliability problems. Historical data from the country club gage will also be migrated to the database associated with the West Lake Houston Parkway gage.
Linked to Harris County Flood Warning System
The new river gages will give forecasters a more complete picture of what is happening within the San Jacinto watershed during floods. They will be tied into the Harris County Flood Warning System, which shows rainfall totals, channel status and water levels at different locations. The additional gages should also play a role in future enhancements of the flood warning system, such as near real-time inundation mapping and roadway flooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 10, 2018
254 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-05-10 01:21:412018-05-10 02:02:22New River Gages Will Improve Forecast Accuracy and Warning Time
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has posted a new video to YouTube that discusses the value engineering phase of its emergency dredging project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.
Galveston District Engineer Jacob Walsdorf narrates the results of a three-day event. It included hydraulic engineers, contracting representatives and project managers.
Purpose of Value Engineering
To reduce flood risks, engineers captured data from survey teams and aerial views, and utilized hydraulic modeling software to better understand areas needing dredging. In value engineering, these professionals work together to examine various scenarios that help them determine where they can achieve the greatest benefit for the lowest cost.
Previously, USACE measured sediment levels and finished field work for its initial sedimentation survey in April. It then conducted a helicopter tour of the area to provide visual confirmation of their measurements and help scope the project.
Likely Areas for Dredging
The value engineering video is less interesting for what it says than for what it shows. Approximately 48 seconds into it, the video zooms into a computer screen that shows “hot spots” referenced in earlier press releases. These represent potential dredging and disposal sites and are consistent with the problem areas identified on my helicopter tour.
The value engineering study concluded May 4, 2018. The completion of value engineering now allows Corps officials to begin the contracting process for the dredging project. See the video below.
Unconfirmed reports printed elsewhere state that USACE hopes to begin the dredging project during the second week in June.
Footage shot Mark Williford, USACE Galveston Public Affairs Chief
Posted 5/9/2018 by Bob Rehak
Day 253 since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-05-09 16:12:372018-05-09 16:51:30Army Corps Completes Value Engineering Phase of West Fork Dredging Project
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) hydraulic engineers conducted an aerial tour of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River aboard an Army Blackhawk helicopter. USACE Galveston’s hydraulic engineer Michael Garske narrates the video tour, which is fascinating for its candidness.
Objectives
The tour’s objectives: to better understand the area’s dredging needs and to scope out possible locations for storing the spoils.They identified numerous areas with excessive shoaling that contribute to area flooding and require dredging. Engineers estimate they will need to dredge from 1 to 3 million cubic yards.
Sand weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot. So a cubic yard (27 cubic feet) would weigh almost a ton and a half. Three million cubic yards of sand would completely fill two and a half Astrodomes.
Results not yet final
So where would they put all this dredged material? Nothing is final yet. But it’s interesting to hear the engineers’ comments as they fly over random locations. See the video tour here.
According to reports from Harris County Flood Control, which is coordinating with USACE, the project is slated to start on June 8 and suppliers are being told they need to complete the project within a year.
Various Possible Scenarios Previously Examined
Here are some scenarios based on data from Brown & Root’s 2000 report on dredging, courtesy of David Seitzinger, a Kingwood engineer. Seitzinger points out that Brown & Root also looked at dredging the West Fork. At the time, Brown & Root estimated that it would take 90 to 120 days to bid and mobilize the project. They estimated that one dredge could remove 5,000 cubic yards per day.
If that formula still holds true, a million cubic yards (the low end figure quoted by USACE) could be removed in 100 days using two dredges. If they need to remove 3 million cubic yards, two dredges would take 300 days.
Seitzinger looked at other options, too. Adding a third dredge cuts dredging time by a third – roughly two months to 200 days depending on volume removed.
Using 3 dredges could complete the project by mid-September – the peak of hurricane season – if they only need to remove 1 million cubic yards. That’s the best case scenario.
Worst case? Using two dredges to remove 3 million cubic yards would complete the project around the end of May in 2019.
Of course none of this considers weather stoppages for hurricanes and other flooding rains. “Obviously the more dredges they can get in the river the better,” says Seitzinger.
The Army Corps plays a central role in many of the ongoing projects that affect Lake Houston. Please note the public-facing information sources that contain updates on their projects, including those in the Lake Houston area.
New River Gages Will Improve Forecast Accuracy and Warning Time
New upstream river gages will improve accuracy of forecasts and provide more warning time in advance of floods.
The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will begin installing several new river gages this month. They should improve the accuracy of forecasts and the warning time we receive in advance of floods. HCFCD plans to install four new gages upstream of the Humble/Kingwood area and one in Lake Houston. In addition, one of HCFCD’s current gages already in Kingwood will be replaced and relocated to a new position.
New Locations for River Gages
According to Jeff Lindner, Director Hydrologic Operations, Division/Meteorologist of HCFCD, the five new river gages will be installed at:
Replacement for Kingwood Country Club Gage
Lindner also says that an existing river gage on the West Fork of the San Jacinto at Kingwood Country Club will be replaced and move about a mile downstream to the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. HCFCD will remove the Kingwood Country Club gage once the West Lake Houston Parkway gage is fully operational. The country club gage has had reliability problems. Historical data from the country club gage will also be migrated to the database associated with the West Lake Houston Parkway gage.
Linked to Harris County Flood Warning System
The new river gages will give forecasters a more complete picture of what is happening within the San Jacinto watershed during floods. They will be tied into the Harris County Flood Warning System, which shows rainfall totals, channel status and water levels at different locations. The additional gages should also play a role in future enhancements of the flood warning system, such as near real-time inundation mapping and roadway flooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 10, 2018
254 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Army Corps Completes Value Engineering Phase of West Fork Dredging Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has posted a new video to YouTube that discusses the value engineering phase of its emergency dredging project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.
Galveston District Engineer Jacob Walsdorf narrates the results of a three-day event. It included hydraulic engineers, contracting representatives and project managers.
Purpose of Value Engineering
To reduce flood risks, engineers captured data from survey teams and aerial views, and utilized hydraulic modeling software to better understand areas needing dredging. In value engineering, these professionals work together to examine various scenarios that help them determine where they can achieve the greatest benefit for the lowest cost.
Previously, USACE measured sediment levels and finished field work for its initial sedimentation survey in April. It then conducted a helicopter tour of the area to provide visual confirmation of their measurements and help scope the project.
Likely Areas for Dredging
The value engineering video is less interesting for what it says than for what it shows. Approximately 48 seconds into it, the video zooms into a computer screen that shows “hot spots” referenced in earlier press releases. These represent potential dredging and disposal sites and are consistent with the problem areas identified on my helicopter tour.
The value engineering study concluded May 4, 2018. The completion of value engineering now allows Corps officials to begin the contracting process for the dredging project. See the video below.
Unconfirmed reports printed elsewhere state that USACE hopes to begin the dredging project during the second week in June.
Footage shot Mark Williford, USACE Galveston Public Affairs Chief
Posted 5/9/2018 by Bob Rehak
Day 253 since Hurricane Harvey
Take a Video Tour of the West Fork via Helicopter with the Army Corps
Objectives
The tour’s objectives: to better understand the area’s dredging needs and to scope out possible locations for storing the spoils.They identified numerous areas with excessive shoaling that contribute to area flooding and require dredging. Engineers estimate they will need to dredge from 1 to 3 million cubic yards.
Sand weighs about 100 pounds per cubic foot. So a cubic yard (27 cubic feet) would weigh almost a ton and a half. Three million cubic yards of sand would completely fill two and a half Astrodomes.
Results not yet final
According to reports from Harris County Flood Control, which is coordinating with USACE, the project is slated to start on June 8 and suppliers are being told they need to complete the project within a year.
Various Possible Scenarios Previously Examined
Here are some scenarios based on data from Brown & Root’s 2000 report on dredging, courtesy of David Seitzinger, a Kingwood engineer. Seitzinger points out that Brown & Root also looked at dredging the West Fork. At the time, Brown & Root estimated that it would take 90 to 120 days to bid and mobilize the project. They estimated that one dredge could remove 5,000 cubic yards per day.
If that formula still holds true, a million cubic yards (the low end figure quoted by USACE) could be removed in 100 days using two dredges. If they need to remove 3 million cubic yards, two dredges would take 300 days.
Seitzinger looked at other options, too. Adding a third dredge cuts dredging time by a third – roughly two months to 200 days depending on volume removed.
Using 3 dredges could complete the project by mid-September – the peak of hurricane season – if they only need to remove 1 million cubic yards. That’s the best case scenario.
Worst case? Using two dredges to remove 3 million cubic yards would complete the project around the end of May in 2019.
Of course none of this considers weather stoppages for hurricanes and other flooding rains. “Obviously the more dredges they can get in the river the better,” says Seitzinger.
The Army Corps plays a central role in many of the ongoing projects that affect Lake Houston. Please note the public-facing information sources that contain updates on their projects, including those in the Lake Houston area.
Online: www.swg.usace.army.mil
DVIDS: www.dvidshub.net/units/USACE-GD
Twitter: www.twitter.com/USACEgalveston
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GalvestonDistrict
Posted May 5, 2018
248 Days since Hurricane Harvey