On Thursday, October 11, Council Member Dave Martin attended a follow up meeting to discuss Harvey recovery needs in the Lake Houston area, including the mouth bar. Regulatory agencies including the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with staff from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office and the City of Houston also attended the meeting. At one point, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd reportedly told people he wasn’t going to let them leave until they reached agreement. The meeting lasted nine hours…without lunch. But at the end of the day, we’re a big step closer to removing the giant sand bar blocking the mouth of the San Jacinto River. Here’s how things reportedly played out.
Although not officially approved yet, regulatory agencies reacted favorably to adding this to the original STAR request. However, two hurdles still exist.
Two Hurdles Remain for Mouth Bar Project
Before the mouth bar can be removed, two more hurdles must be cleared:
Identifying and permitting a disposal site
Complying with environmental regulations.
TDEM agreed to complete this additional work under an emergency request similar to the one that jumpstarted the initial dredging.
Said Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, “All parties involved are ready to make this work.”
Humble Land a Possibility
Barry Madden, an Humble landowner, with substantial acreage near the river and the mouth bar, has already met with officials about using his property as a potential disposal site. If acceptable, the proximity could save millions of tax dollars. Madden already has “fill” permits in place. So there may really only be one hurdle to clear.
Property owned by Barry Madden just west of Kings Lake Estates and south of the San Jacinto West Fork
Thank You to…
As discussed at the Kingwood Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, October 9, this mouth bar and other Lake Houston area projects could not happen without the continuing efforts of TDEM, in particular Chief W. Nim Kidd; Governor Abbott’s Chief Operating Officer, Reed Clay; City of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner; Chief Resiliency Officer, Stephen Costello; and Chief Recovery Officer, Marvin Odum.
How You Can Help
Many residents continue to ask Council Member Martin what they can do to help. Council Member Martin encourages residents to send their thanks to several key officials for assisting District E. Please click here for their mailing addresses.
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 10/12/18
409 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Madden.jpg?fit=1800%2C1358&ssl=113581800adminadmin2018-10-12 16:50:432018-10-12 16:59:26Meeting in Austin to Include Mouth Bar in Dredging Scope Ends Well, But Two Hurdles Still Exist
At Houston City Council Member Dave Martin’s Kingwood Town Hall Meeting on October 9th, residents received encouraging news on the removal of a giant sand bar at the mouth of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The aptly named “mouth bar” forms a dam behind the dam. The encouraging news is a meeting in Austin on Thursday, October 11, that will be attended by all the key decision makers who have a say in removing the giant bar.
High Stakes Meeting
Residents and experts fear that – if not removed – the mouth bar could back water up and contribute to flooding again in the heavily populated Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita corridor.
Also, as Martin pointed out, if the mouth bar can be included in the current U.S. Army Corps project, taxpayers will save approximately $17 million in mobilization and demobilization costs on a separate project.
Attendees at the meeting in Austin should include:
Nim Kidd. Chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which screens funding requests for FEMA.
FEMA, which will most likely be the source of matching funds for the City’s contribution to the project
Regional Head of the Army Corps of Engineers and his staff
Governor Abbott and his staff including Reed Clay, Tommy Williams, Luis Saenz, and Steven Schar
Stephen Costello, Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Houston
Marvin Odum, Chief Recovery Officer for the City
Russ Poppe, Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control
Carter Smith, Executive Director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Turner’s letter then continues, “The City willutilize $15-$20 million dollarsof the existing Grant funds for this project,specifically to remove silt debrisfrom Lake Houston. Useof the Grant fundswould allow the City to address the silt deposits and other debriswhich remain in the watersof the San JacintoRiver and Lake Houston post-Hurricane Harvey. This debris must be collected and disposedof as soon as possible in the interestof the health, safety and welfare of Cityof Houston residents.”
The Ask
According to Martin, the City will use the funds mentioned by the Mayor as the City’s 10% match for a $100 million ask from FEMA.. The request is to remove all the sand and silt in all sections (A, B, C, D) from the initial value engineering report of the U.S. Army Corps of engineers. See below.
Stages initially identified by the US Army Corps of Engineers for dredging in its Value Engineering Report.
How Dredging Dovetails with Other Area Flood Mitigation Efforts
Other Flood Mitigation Projects for the Lake Houston Area
Next phases of dredging (proposed). Center portion is current project. Mouth bar would come next. Rest of West Fork would come third.
Costello also discussed turning over maintenance of Ben’s Branch to Harris County. This is part of an agreement between the City and County whereby the County will assume maintenance for all above ground drainage and the City will assume maintenance for all underground drainage.
The delay on this project has to do with tracking down deeds and easements that were never properly transferred and recorded when the City annexed Kingwood. The portion outlined in purple is still under investigation. The yellow, green and blue portions have been resolved.
Three different portions of Ben’s Branch currently under review by City Attorney’s office. Purple is still a problem.
Where the Money Will Come From
Marvin Odum, Chief Recovery Officer for the City, then led a discussion of where the money will come from for all these projects. More on that to follow. For now, I’ll just tease you with this chart.
Where the money will come from.
Let’s wish Council Member Martin and the others from Houston “Good Luck” tomorrow. It’s unclear at this point whether they will be able to seal the deal on the mouth bar, but it appears tonight as though they will have everyone in the room who needs to say “yes.” And that’s encouraging. It has taken months of work to get to this point.
Posted October 10, 2018 by Bob Rehak
407 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Costello-Flood-Resilience-in-Kingwood_Page_6.jpg?fit=1120%2C728&ssl=17281120adminadmin2018-10-10 22:53:172018-10-11 09:21:16Crucial Meeting Thursday in Austin on Mouth Bar
As tonight’s town hall meeting with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Council Member Dave Martin, Chief Resiliency Officer Steve Costello and Chief Recovery Officer Marvin Odum approaches, it’s important to understand that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is NOT currently scheduled to dredge the mouth bar at the confluence of the West Fork and Lake Houston.
The scope of the current West Fork Emergency Dredging Project includes 2.1 miles between River Grove Park and Chimichurri’s. The Corp will remove 1.8 million cubic yards of sand clogging the river in that area. However, they will leave two to three times that much sediment at the mouth of the West Fork – between King’s Point and Atascocita Point…unless something changes soon.
The “Mouth Bar,” a giant sand bar that blocks the West Fork of the San Jacinto, backing the river up into Kingwood and Humble. Water depth is generally 1-3 feet around this bar. Max channel depth in places is just 5-8 feet.
Tim Garfield and RD Kissling, two local retired geologists, first sounded the alarm about this blockage. Since then, many people have been working to bring the mouth bar within the scope of the current project. Garfield and Kissling have also continued to review Corps survey data and developed additional insights.
Tonight Garfield and Kissling shared these thoughts.
You could walk along the red line from Scenic Shores to Kings River Estates, and except for crossing the paleo channel at five to eight feet, you would not even get your shirt wet. It should be approximately 25 feet deep in this area.
Shallowest path follows red line.
The Corps survey data is in the background. The red line represents the shallowest points of the lake/river.
Without removing the mouth bar, water will have to flow uphill approximately 40 feet between the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge and Lake Houston.
Water will have to rise approximately 40 feet between West Lake Houston Parkway and the Mouth Bar to reach Lake Houston. Subtract five or six feet for the deepest parts of the channel on either side of the bar.
If the city dropped the lake level 12 feet overnight – but the mouth bar remained – you would see an earthen dam 6 feet higher than the lake, behind which West Fork floodwater would still back up and flood our neighborhoods.
Adding flood gates without removing the mouth bar will not protect us from flooding.
With those happy thoughts, let’s hope that the City has some good news to share tonight re: removal of the mouth bar. Council Member Martin and others have been working diligently with the County, State, and Federal Governments to include the mouth bar in the current dredging project or fund it as a second project that follows the first closely.
Doing so could save taxpayers $17 million in mobilization costs.
The meeting will be held Tuesday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m., at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, TX 77345.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 9, 2018
406 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Slide1-cropped.jpeg?fit=1286%2C760&ssl=17601286adminadmin2018-10-09 00:30:522018-10-09 15:47:25The Mouth Bar: A Dam Behind the Dam
Meeting in Austin to Include Mouth Bar in Dredging Scope Ends Well, But Two Hurdles Still Exist
On Thursday, October 11, Council Member Dave Martin attended a follow up meeting to discuss Harvey recovery needs in the Lake Houston area, including the mouth bar. Regulatory agencies including the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with staff from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office and the City of Houston also attended the meeting. At one point, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd reportedly told people he wasn’t going to let them leave until they reached agreement. The meeting lasted nine hours…without lunch. But at the end of the day, we’re a big step closer to removing the giant sand bar blocking the mouth of the San Jacinto River. Here’s how things reportedly played out.
City Requested Expansion of Scope
The City of Houston asked FEMA to give the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) an emergency directive to remove siltation caused by Hurricane Harvey at the mouth of the West Fork of the San Jacinto. Further, to expedite the project and save remobilization fees, the City requested that this work piggyback on the original State of Texas Assistance Request (STAR).
Although not officially approved yet, regulatory agencies reacted favorably to adding this to the original STAR request. However, two hurdles still exist.
Two Hurdles Remain for Mouth Bar Project
Before the mouth bar can be removed, two more hurdles must be cleared:
TDEM agreed to complete this additional work under an emergency request similar to the one that jumpstarted the initial dredging.
Said Houston City Council Member Dave Martin, “All parties involved are ready to make this work.”
Humble Land a Possibility
Barry Madden, an Humble landowner, with substantial acreage near the river and the mouth bar, has already met with officials about using his property as a potential disposal site. If acceptable, the proximity could save millions of tax dollars. Madden already has “fill” permits in place. So there may really only be one hurdle to clear.
Property owned by Barry Madden just west of Kings Lake Estates and south of the San Jacinto West Fork
Thank You to…
As discussed at the Kingwood Town Hall Meeting on Tuesday, October 9, this mouth bar and other Lake Houston area projects could not happen without the continuing efforts of TDEM, in particular Chief W. Nim Kidd; Governor Abbott’s Chief Operating Officer, Reed Clay; City of Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner; Chief Resiliency Officer, Stephen Costello; and Chief Recovery Officer, Marvin Odum.
How You Can Help
Many residents continue to ask Council Member Martin what they can do to help. Council Member Martin encourages residents to send their thanks to several key officials for assisting District E. Please click here for their mailing addresses.
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 10/12/18
409 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Crucial Meeting Thursday in Austin on Mouth Bar
At Houston City Council Member Dave Martin’s Kingwood Town Hall Meeting on October 9th, residents received encouraging news on the removal of a giant sand bar at the mouth of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The aptly named “mouth bar” forms a dam behind the dam. The encouraging news is a meeting in Austin on Thursday, October 11, that will be attended by all the key decision makers who have a say in removing the giant bar.
High Stakes Meeting
Residents and experts fear that – if not removed – the mouth bar could back water up and contribute to flooding again in the heavily populated Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita corridor.
Also, as Martin pointed out, if the mouth bar can be included in the current U.S. Army Corps project, taxpayers will save approximately $17 million in mobilization and demobilization costs on a separate project.
Attendees at the meeting in Austin should include:
As Martin said, “Everybody but President Trump.”
Letter From Turner to Abbott about Mouth Bar
Martin began the Town Hall Meeting by reading a letter from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to Governor Gregg Abbott, requesting Abbott to support the removal of the mouth bar. The letter states in part, “To address additional Harvey related debris strategies, the City proposes to remove Section A silt deposits located at the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston as part of the existing FEMA eligible debris removal projects for the City.”
Turner’s letter then continues, “The City will utilize $15-$20 million dollars of the existing Grant funds for this project, specifically to remove silt debris from Lake Houston. Use of the Grant funds would allow the City to address the silt deposits and other debris which remain in the waters of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston post-Hurricane Harvey. This debris must be collected and disposed of as soon as possible in the interest of the health, safety and welfare of City of Houston residents.”
The Ask
According to Martin, the City will use the funds mentioned by the Mayor as the City’s 10% match for a $100 million ask from FEMA.. The request is to remove all the sand and silt in all sections (A, B, C, D) from the initial value engineering report of the U.S. Army Corps of engineers. See below.
Stages initially identified by the US Army Corps of Engineers for dredging in its Value Engineering Report.
How Dredging Dovetails with Other Area Flood Mitigation Efforts
City of Houston Chief Resiliency Officer Stephen Costello later gave a brief presentation about how the mouth bar project dovetails with other flood mitigation projects and additional dredging.
Other Flood Mitigation Projects for the Lake Houston Area
Next phases of dredging (proposed). Center portion is current project. Mouth bar would come next. Rest of West Fork would come third.
Costello also discussed turning over maintenance of Ben’s Branch to Harris County. This is part of an agreement between the City and County whereby the County will assume maintenance for all above ground drainage and the City will assume maintenance for all underground drainage.
The delay on this project has to do with tracking down deeds and easements that were never properly transferred and recorded when the City annexed Kingwood. The portion outlined in purple is still under investigation. The yellow, green and blue portions have been resolved.
Three different portions of Ben’s Branch currently under review by City Attorney’s office. Purple is still a problem.
Where the Money Will Come From
Marvin Odum, Chief Recovery Officer for the City, then led a discussion of where the money will come from for all these projects. More on that to follow. For now, I’ll just tease you with this chart.
Where the money will come from.
Let’s wish Council Member Martin and the others from Houston “Good Luck” tomorrow. It’s unclear at this point whether they will be able to seal the deal on the mouth bar, but it appears tonight as though they will have everyone in the room who needs to say “yes.” And that’s encouraging. It has taken months of work to get to this point.
Posted October 10, 2018 by Bob Rehak
407 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The Mouth Bar: A Dam Behind the Dam
As tonight’s town hall meeting with Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Council Member Dave Martin, Chief Resiliency Officer Steve Costello and Chief Recovery Officer Marvin Odum approaches, it’s important to understand that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is NOT currently scheduled to dredge the mouth bar at the confluence of the West Fork and Lake Houston.
The scope of the current West Fork Emergency Dredging Project includes 2.1 miles between River Grove Park and Chimichurri’s. The Corp will remove 1.8 million cubic yards of sand clogging the river in that area. However, they will leave two to three times that much sediment at the mouth of the West Fork – between King’s Point and Atascocita Point…unless something changes soon.
The “Mouth Bar,” a giant sand bar that blocks the West Fork of the San Jacinto, backing the river up into Kingwood and Humble. Water depth is generally 1-3 feet around this bar. Max channel depth in places is just 5-8 feet.
The “mouth bar” which we have talked about extensively in previous posts forms a dam of sorts behind the Lake Houston dam. It backs water up into the heavily populated Humble/Kingwood/Atascocita corridor.
Tim Garfield and RD Kissling, two local retired geologists, first sounded the alarm about this blockage. Since then, many people have been working to bring the mouth bar within the scope of the current project. Garfield and Kissling have also continued to review Corps survey data and developed additional insights.
Tonight Garfield and Kissling shared these thoughts.
Shallowest path follows red line.
The Corps survey data is in the background. The red line represents the shallowest points of the lake/river.
Water will have to rise approximately 40 feet between West Lake Houston Parkway and the Mouth Bar to reach Lake Houston. Subtract five or six feet for the deepest parts of the channel on either side of the bar.
With those happy thoughts, let’s hope that the City has some good news to share tonight re: removal of the mouth bar. Council Member Martin and others have been working diligently with the County, State, and Federal Governments to include the mouth bar in the current dredging project or fund it as a second project that follows the first closely.
Doing so could save taxpayers $17 million in mobilization costs.
The meeting will be held Tuesday, October 9 at 6:30 p.m., at the Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods, Kingwood, TX 77345.
Posted by Bob Rehak on October 9, 2018
406 Days since Hurricane Harvey