Houston City Council Member Dave Martin will host a town hall meeting, Tuesday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m., at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, TX 77345. At this meeting, announcement is expected on whether FEMA and the Army Corps will include the mouth bar in the current West Fork dredging project.
The community is invited to attend and hear from city and community representatives about this and a variety of other ongoing projects related to the Kingwood and Lake Houston areas of District E.
Flood Mitigation Update from Costello and Odum
Residents will hear from Stephen Costello, City of Houston Chief Resiliency Officer and Marvin Odum, Chief Recovery Officer, on the progress made to rebuild the City post-Harvey. A spokesperson for Council Member Martin’s office stated that Costello intends to address issues crucial to the Lake Houston area, including additional dredging, upstream detention and floodgates. As part of his discussion, the spokesperson said that Costello will update the community on the status of removal of mouth bar.
The “Mouth Bar,” a giant sand bar that blocks the West Fork of the San Jacinto, backing the river up into Kingwood and Humble. The mouth bar is within the scope of the current Army Corps dredging project, but officials have been trying to get FEMA and the Corps to include it. Water depth is generally 1-3 feet around this bar. Max channel depth in places is just 5 feet.
Experts believe that this giant sand bar at the mouth of Lake Houston is creating a backwater effect that contributes to flooding in the highly populated Humble/Kingwood/West Fork corridor. The bar grew exponentially during Harvey, but is not within scope of the current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency West Fork Dredging Project.
If an expansion of scope or follow-on project cannot be arranged before contractors for the current project leave the river, taxpayers’ $17 million investment in mobilization would be lost. Any future projects would need to re-incur those costs all over again, adding to the total cost of dredging.
Martin has had a series of meetings recently with Governor Abbott, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA, Senator Cruz, Senator Cornyn and Congressman Poe. However, everyone is tight-lipped about the progress of negotiations. It’s still not clear whether the bar will be removed, and if so, who would remove it, or how it would be paid for.
Turner to Address Ballot Referendums on November 6
This fall’s town hall meeting will also include a presentation from Mayor Sylvester Turner who will speak on the Rebuild Houston and fire salary referendums that will appear on the November 6 ballot. All registered voters within the boundaries of the City are urged to attend.
Other Speakers
Stan Sarman, the Chair of the TIRZ 10 board will provide information on a variety of projects including the Northpark Drive Mobility Improvement Project, and the status of area intersection improvements. There will be an update on the Lake Houston Debris Removal Project provided by a member of the City of Houston Solid Waste Department Team. State Representative Dan Huberty is confirmed to provide insight on the upcoming legislative session.
Doors Open at 5:30 for Info Tables on Other Projects
For those who arrive early, there will be information tables available starting at 5:30 p.m. staffed by:
Harris County Precinct 4 to discuss their upcoming projects in Forest Cove
Texas Department of Transportation to educate residents on the expansion of TX Loop 494
Houston Parks Board to provide information on the upcoming San Jacinto Greenway Project
Houston Department of Neighborhoods
Houston Police Department’s Kingwood Division
For More Information
Please contact Council Member Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 6, 2018
403 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Harvey-SanJac_437exposureadj.jpg?fit=2000%2C1054&ssl=110542000adminadmin2018-10-06 22:37:062018-10-06 22:40:49Announcements Expected at October 9 Town Hall on Additional Dredging, Detention and Floodgates
In the last two days, several people have reported dredging near the US59 Bridge. What they actually saw, however, was not a dredge; it was dredge pipe, booster pumps and other related equipment being positioned to pump spoils to Placement Area #2, the Eagle Mine just south of Kingwood College on Sorters Road.
Here’s where things stand a little more than two weeks since the launch of the first dredge on August 20, 2018.
Both the Army Corps and Council Member Dave Martin swear that the scope of the project has not changed. The original scope covered approximately 2.1 miles of the West Fork from River Grove Park to Chimichurri’s just east of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Illustration from US Army Corps’ contract plans for West Fork Dredging showing project scope.
Army Corps personnel scouting area between Placement Area 2 and the command site last week.
This week, the Corps started pre-positioning pipe, booster pumps and other equipment up the West Fork between the Command Center and Placement Area #2. Below are several pictures taken this afternoon that show what’s happening where.
This is the booster pump mistaken for the dredge. It is anchored between the railroad bridge and the northbound feeder lanes for US59.
Additional equipment started towing pipe up the West Fork past the confluence of Spring Creek, just west of USt59.
Dredge #1 also started to move farther downstream, closer to the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Taken from West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge looking west, upstream.
Placement Area #1 started receiving sand and was already partially filled when photographed late afternoon Friday.
Placement Area #1 south of the river behind the apartments on Townsend is already receiving spoils.
This portion of the old sand pit has already filled back up with sediment. Notice the slight curvature of the surface. It’s higher on the right than on the left. Wading birds are already picking over the sand looking for a meal that may have been dredged up from the river.
At the opposite end of the pit, water drains out and back to the river after sediment has settled out.
Dredge #2 is scheduled to launch by October 15, according to Lt. Col. Mark Williford with the US Army Corps of Engineers. As of today, though, dredge #2 was still docked at the command site in its usual place.
Dredge #2 is still anchored at the command site as of Friday afternoon, 10/5/18 at 5pm.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/5/2018, with photographic help from Kevin Rehak.
402 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/DredgingDredging-10.5.18_070_3.jpg?fit=1800%2C1024&ssl=110241800adminadmin2018-10-05 22:16:032018-10-06 19:51:25Mistaken Reports of Dredging Near US59 Bridge; Where Things Really Stand
I’ve added a new page to ReduceFlooding.com called “Submissions.” The Submissions page will be the place where images related to Harvey – specifically, the storm, flood, evacuations, shelters, trash, cleanup, repairs, etc. – will reside on this website. I hope the new page will become a Lake Houston Area community family album for all things related to Harvey.
Harvey flooded 6 of 9 buildings at Lone Star College/Kingwood, and cost a total of $60 million.
Please Share Your Images On Submissions Page
If you have images that you would like to share with the world, please submit them. In this way, people will never forget the horrible impact of Harvey. Perhaps your pictures will underscore the need for mitigation projects and urge elected officials to move faster on them. Perhaps they will help convince Lake Conroe residents that temporarily lowering the lake level isn’t such a bad thing after all.
On the Submissions page, you will find an email address to which you can send your images.
Requirements for Submissions
Please make sure they are in JPG or .PNG format and a reasonable size. Then I will post them. Please…no more than ten megs per email.
In your email, please remember to include captions for your submissions. Tell us the date, time, and location. Put the images in context. Keep it brief. Just a sentence or two is usually enough to explain what we are looking at. Specify whether you would like to have your name added to the caption in the credits.
By sending images, you acknowledge that you consent to have them published and that you are the owner of the images.
Don’t Wait; Send Them Now
I’ve already added two pages of images that people have sent me. Please dig through your own album and see if you have some images you would like to share. Thanks!
Posted October 4, 2018, by Bob Rehak
401 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Flooded-Sign.jpg?fit=936%2C590&ssl=1590936adminadmin2018-10-04 14:15:302018-10-04 14:15:30New Submissions Page Added to ReduceFlooding.com
Announcements Expected at October 9 Town Hall on Additional Dredging, Detention and Floodgates
Houston City Council Member Dave Martin will host a town hall meeting, Tuesday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m., at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, TX 77345. At this meeting, announcement is expected on whether FEMA and the Army Corps will include the mouth bar in the current West Fork dredging project.
The community is invited to attend and hear from city and community representatives about this and a variety of other ongoing projects related to the Kingwood and Lake Houston areas of District E.
Flood Mitigation Update from Costello and Odum
Residents will hear from Stephen Costello, City of Houston Chief Resiliency Officer and Marvin Odum, Chief Recovery Officer, on the progress made to rebuild the City post-Harvey. A spokesperson for Council Member Martin’s office stated that Costello intends to address issues crucial to the Lake Houston area, including additional dredging, upstream detention and floodgates. As part of his discussion, the spokesperson said that Costello will update the community on the status of removal of mouth bar.
The “Mouth Bar,” a giant sand bar that blocks the West Fork of the San Jacinto, backing the river up into Kingwood and Humble. The mouth bar is within the scope of the current Army Corps dredging project, but officials have been trying to get FEMA and the Corps to include it. Water depth is generally 1-3 feet around this bar. Max channel depth in places is just 5 feet.
Experts believe that this giant sand bar at the mouth of Lake Houston is creating a backwater effect that contributes to flooding in the highly populated Humble/Kingwood/West Fork corridor. The bar grew exponentially during Harvey, but is not within scope of the current U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency West Fork Dredging Project.
If an expansion of scope or follow-on project cannot be arranged before contractors for the current project leave the river, taxpayers’ $17 million investment in mobilization would be lost. Any future projects would need to re-incur those costs all over again, adding to the total cost of dredging.
Martin has had a series of meetings recently with Governor Abbott, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA, Senator Cruz, Senator Cornyn and Congressman Poe. However, everyone is tight-lipped about the progress of negotiations. It’s still not clear whether the bar will be removed, and if so, who would remove it, or how it would be paid for.
Turner to Address Ballot Referendums on November 6
This fall’s town hall meeting will also include a presentation from Mayor Sylvester Turner who will speak on the Rebuild Houston and fire salary referendums that will appear on the November 6 ballot. All registered voters within the boundaries of the City are urged to attend.
Other Speakers
Stan Sarman, the Chair of the TIRZ 10 board will provide information on a variety of projects including the Northpark Drive Mobility Improvement Project, and the status of area intersection improvements. There will be an update on the Lake Houston Debris Removal Project provided by a member of the City of Houston Solid Waste Department Team. State Representative Dan Huberty is confirmed to provide insight on the upcoming legislative session.
Doors Open at 5:30 for Info Tables on Other Projects
For those who arrive early, there will be information tables available starting at 5:30 p.m. staffed by:
For More Information
Please contact Council Member Martin’s office at (832) 393-3008 or via email at districte@houstontx.gov.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 6, 2018
403 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Mistaken Reports of Dredging Near US59 Bridge; Where Things Really Stand
In the last two days, several people have reported dredging near the US59 Bridge. What they actually saw, however, was not a dredge; it was dredge pipe, booster pumps and other related equipment being positioned to pump spoils to Placement Area #2, the Eagle Mine just south of Kingwood College on Sorters Road.
Here’s where things stand a little more than two weeks since the launch of the first dredge on August 20, 2018.
Both the Army Corps and Council Member Dave Martin swear that the scope of the project has not changed. The original scope covered approximately 2.1 miles of the West Fork from River Grove Park to Chimichurri’s just east of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Illustration from US Army Corps’ contract plans for West Fork Dredging showing project scope.
Some confusion arose over that when the first dredge anchored WEST of the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge for almost two weeks. The dredge anchored near the overhead electrical lines in the middle of section C-102.
Last week, the Corps continued to position dredge pipe and booster pumps between the first dredge and the command site just south of Forest Cove. Additionally, Corps engineers scouted out the route upstream to Placement Area #2.
Army Corps personnel scouting area between Placement Area 2 and the command site last week.
This week, the Corps started pre-positioning pipe, booster pumps and other equipment up the West Fork between the Command Center and Placement Area #2. Below are several pictures taken this afternoon that show what’s happening where.
Additional equipment started towing pipe up the West Fork past the confluence of Spring Creek, just west of USt59.
Dredge #1 also started to move farther downstream, closer to the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Taken from West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge looking west, upstream.
Placement Area #1 started receiving sand and was already partially filled when photographed late afternoon Friday.
Placement Area #1 south of the river behind the apartments on Townsend is already receiving spoils.
This portion of the old sand pit has already filled back up with sediment. Notice the slight curvature of the surface. It’s higher on the right than on the left. Wading birds are already picking over the sand looking for a meal that may have been dredged up from the river.
At the opposite end of the pit, water drains out and back to the river after sediment has settled out.
Dredge #2 is scheduled to launch by October 15, according to Lt. Col. Mark Williford with the US Army Corps of Engineers. As of today, though, dredge #2 was still docked at the command site in its usual place.
Dredge #2 is still anchored at the command site as of Friday afternoon, 10/5/18 at 5pm.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/5/2018, with photographic help from Kevin Rehak.
402 Days since Hurricane Harvey
New Submissions Page Added to ReduceFlooding.com
I’ve added a new page to ReduceFlooding.com called “Submissions.” The Submissions page will be the place where images related to Harvey – specifically, the storm, flood, evacuations, shelters, trash, cleanup, repairs, etc. – will reside on this website. I hope the new page will become a Lake Houston Area community family album for all things related to Harvey.
Harvey flooded 6 of 9 buildings at Lone Star College/Kingwood, and cost a total of $60 million.
Please Share Your Images On Submissions Page
If you have images that you would like to share with the world, please submit them. In this way, people will never forget the horrible impact of Harvey. Perhaps your pictures will underscore the need for mitigation projects and urge elected officials to move faster on them. Perhaps they will help convince Lake Conroe residents that temporarily lowering the lake level isn’t such a bad thing after all.
On the Submissions page, you will find an email address to which you can send your images.
Requirements for Submissions
Please make sure they are in JPG or .PNG format and a reasonable size. Then I will post them. Please…no more than ten megs per email.
In your email, please remember to include captions for your submissions. Tell us the date, time, and location. Put the images in context. Keep it brief. Just a sentence or two is usually enough to explain what we are looking at. Specify whether you would like to have your name added to the caption in the credits.
By sending images, you acknowledge that you consent to have them published and that you are the owner of the images.
Don’t Wait; Send Them Now
I’ve already added two pages of images that people have sent me. Please dig through your own album and see if you have some images you would like to share. Thanks!
Posted October 4, 2018, by Bob Rehak
401 Days since Hurricane Harvey