On Monday, June 11, two representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will meet Kingwood residents to discuss dredging of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The meeting, sponsored by the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative, will start at 6:30 PM at the Kingwood Community Center. The emergency dredging will be one of the first flood mitigation projects related to Hurricane Harvey to be implemented in the entire Houston area.
Some Details Known, Many Yet to be Revealed
The Corps finished survey work for the West Fork Dredging Project in April. Since then, Corps members have been busy evaluating their findings, determining project specifications, soliciting bids, and planning logistics. Initial estimates indicated they would move enough sand to fill the Astrodome two and a half times.
The Corps currently expects to open bids within a week of the Kingwood meeting and quickly make a selection. Bidders have been notified that they must start the project within five days. They must also staff the project so that they can finish within six months.
Bid documents indicate dredging will extend from River Grove Park to slightly past the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge. Residents have raised questions about additional dredging in other areas, including near Lake Houston and on the East Fork.
The Corps has identified two disposal sites for the sand. Both are existing sand pits. The first is south of the river and east of US59; the second is north of the river and west of US59. Details pertaining to mobilization, removal methods, and the extent of dredging have not yet been revealed. At the time of bidding, two removal alternatives were under consideration: mechanical and hydraulic dredging.
Meet Two Corps Representatives
Featured speakers include two representatives from the Corps who will present details of the project and field questions from residents. They are Eduardo Irigoyen, the Project Manager, and Michael Garske, a hydraulic engineer and certified floodplain manager. Both are with the Corps of Engineers’ Galveston District office.
Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Manager
Eduardo Irigoyen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager
Eduardo (Eddie) Irigoyen currently serves as the Emergency Dredging Project Program Manager for the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Irigoyen has served as a Project Manager within the Corps since May 2015. He has extensive experience within USACE ranging from programs to construction management, operations and maintenance.
His current duties include managing the planning, scope, development, design, construction, and direction of several projects along the Texas Gulf coast.
Irigoyen is a native of Brownsville, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Brownsville in 2004.
Michael Garske, Hydraulic Engineer
Michael Garske, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologist
Michael Garske has served as a Hydraulic Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager for USACE since September 2014.
As one of the District’s lead hydraulic modeling engineers, he’s produced inundation mapping for White Oak, Brays, and Buffalo Bayou projects, helping local officials make accurate flood mitigation decisions.
He provided critical emergency modeling data during the Tax Day, Memorial Day and Harvey floods. He has also helped design dredging templates, ecosystem mitigation banks, and water storage systems; and demonstrated their effects on flood levels.
Garske grew up in Clear Lake. In 2014, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Maritime Systems Engineering and an Associate of Arts degree in Maritime Administration from Texas A&M University-Galveston.
Boating Safety Measures During Project
Boaters need to be aware of dredging activities. Ultimately, the project will restore navigation on the river to pre-Harvey conditions and allow the boat launch at River Grove Park to reopen. However, until completion of the project, boaters need to avoid work sites and dredging lines for their own safety.
Agenda Including Other Speakers
The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center 4102 Rustic Woods and last until 8. It will include:
Mark Micheletti, one of the two new SJRA board members from Kingwood, giving updates about SJRA flood mitigation projects.
Bill Fowler, co-chair of the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative and a real-estate tax expert, will talk about revised valuations from the Harris County Appraisal District.
Bob Rehak, host of ReduceFlooding.com, (or a representative from Harris County Flood Control) will give a brief overview of the upcoming Harris County flood bond.
Irigoyen and Garske will make brief presentations and take questions from the audience. Please attend and show the Corps your appreciation for their hard work and long hours on this project.
A representative from FEMA will also be there to answer questions about how communities can extend projects like dredging over the long term.
The meeting is free and open to the public, so please plan to attend.
Do Not Confuse This with Flood Bond Meeting
Please note: there has been some confusion between this meeting and the Harris County Flood Bond meeting because of their dates. The County Flood bond meeting, originally scheduled for June 14, is being rescheduled for July so that County Judge Ed Emmett can attend. A new day for that meeting has not yet been determined. The meeting with the Army Corps will happen as planned on Monday evening, June 11.
Posted June 8, 2018 by Bob Rehak
Thanks to Dianne Lansden and Jacque Havelka for Planning this Meeting
283 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-06-08 07:06:302018-06-08 20:20:23Mark Your Calendar: Meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Monday Night
In several places on this website, I’ve talked about sand mines on the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto River. Now, the sand miners are talking about this website – in Austin – to state legislators via their trade group, TACA also known as the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association.
Fresh sand deposits after Harvey coming out of the sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note that the height of the dune is engulfing several medium sized trees.
In the document, TACA makes direct references to photos and a presentation that appear on this website. “One might look at an aerial image or fly over these operations,” they say, “and errantly [emphasis added] speculate that these operations are a potential source of sediment in a stream or river.” Later they say, “…not all sand operator stock piles were flooded in the recent storm.” They also claim, “…sand operations help to mitigate flooding.”
Sand mine in Porter next to Caney Creek covers approximately 600 acres. This stockpile covers approximately 34 acres. Note erosion patterns from Harvey in this shot taken on 9/14/17. Thirty acres of Kingwood’s East End Park, just downstream from here, was covered with sand dunes up to ten feet high during Harvey.
Sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note what appears to be a breach of the dike between the mine on the left and the river about two-thirds of the way up the left side of the photo. Also notice how close the dikes are to each side of the river bank. They leave little room to accommodate flood waters.
Sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood.
Harvey’s floodwaters breached dikes surrounding the sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto. This let sand escape. It was carried downstream and deposited in Humble, Forest Cove, Kingwood and Atascocita.
Please Read White Paper Carefully and Closely
I urge you to read The Societal and Environmental Benefits of Sand and Gravel Mining in its entirety and draw your own conclusions. I ask only that you read it very carefully and closely, as you would a contract, because in a sense, what we are talking about IS a social contract.
Sand mines are given a license to operate next to the source of drinking water for millions of people. Are these particular sand mines operating responsibly?
In upcoming posts, I will discuss research I’ve done into best management practices for sand mining.
Posted June 7, 2018 by Bob Rehak
282 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-06-07 02:53:382018-06-07 04:28:59TACA Spells Out Industry Position on Societal and Environmental Benefits of Sand Mining
Yesterday, I published on this website the 32-page Final Hurricane Harvey Flood Report from Harris County Flood Control. Today someone asked me, “What was the biggest surprise in it?” Talk about pressure! Harris County packed lots of meat into those 32 pages! I pondered the question all morning and connected the following dots.
Five Times the Average Flow of Niagra Falls
For me, the biggest surprises were the volume of water going over the Lake Houston Dam and where it came from. At the peak of the storm, the amount of water going over the dam exceeded the volume ofNiagra Falls on an average day by 5X. The final figures actually show more water than previously thought going over the spillway: 491,800 cubic feet per second (cfs) vs. 450,000 cfs previously estimated, an increase of almost 10 percent.
More Flow From East Fork than West
When you look at where all that water came from, there was another surprise. More came from the East Fork than the West! See page 12.
In the East Fork numbers, include Peach Creek, Caney Creek and Luce Bayou; In the West Fork numbers, include Spring Creek and Cypress Creek.
One Third of West Fork Flow Came From Lake Conroe Dam Release
Roughly 240,000 cfs came down the West Fork. Seventy-nine thousand cfs came from the release at the Lake Conroe Dam, according to SJRA estimates. So ONE THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork at its peak was from the release. That’s important for the following reason.
Previously, SJRA indicated the Conroe release was approximately 15 percent of all the water going into Lake Houston. While technically true, this observation clouds the picture of what happened on the West Fork. The West Fork sustained 2.5x more damage than the East Fork and the main body of the lake COMBINED. (See Page 14). Survivor interviews suggest that much of that damage did not happen until the release from Lake Conroe!
Conclusion: Multiple Mitigation Measures Needed
That extra 79,000 cfs underscores the need to:
Temporarily lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season
Enhance the carrying capacity and velocity of the West Fork through dredging
Add upstream retention that helps offset Lake Conroe releases
Add flood gates to Lake Houston.
The last item would increase the release rate of the Lake Houston dam during a major storm. The additional discharge capacity of the ten gates proposed by Mayor Turner could easily equal the 80,000 cfs discharged from Lake Conroe, eliminating a bottleneck on the river.
Of course, if we get another Harvey, many people will flood. No surprise there. But these measures should help reduce the damage, and perhaps eliminate it when we have smaller events, such as the Tax and Memorial Day Floods of 2015 and 2016.
Posted 6/5/2018 by Bob Rehak
280 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2018-06-05 23:40:182018-06-05 23:40:18Surprise in Final Harvey Report
Mark Your Calendar: Meet U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Monday Night
On Monday, June 11, two representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) will meet Kingwood residents to discuss dredging of the West Fork of the San Jacinto River. The meeting, sponsored by the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative, will start at 6:30 PM at the Kingwood Community Center. The emergency dredging will be one of the first flood mitigation projects related to Hurricane Harvey to be implemented in the entire Houston area.
Some Details Known, Many Yet to be Revealed
The Corps finished survey work for the West Fork Dredging Project in April. Since then, Corps members have been busy evaluating their findings, determining project specifications, soliciting bids, and planning logistics. Initial estimates indicated they would move enough sand to fill the Astrodome two and a half times.
The Corps currently expects to open bids within a week of the Kingwood meeting and quickly make a selection. Bidders have been notified that they must start the project within five days. They must also staff the project so that they can finish within six months.
Bid documents indicate dredging will extend from River Grove Park to slightly past the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge. Residents have raised questions about additional dredging in other areas, including near Lake Houston and on the East Fork.
The Corps has identified two disposal sites for the sand. Both are existing sand pits. The first is south of the river and east of US59; the second is north of the river and west of US59. Details pertaining to mobilization, removal methods, and the extent of dredging have not yet been revealed. At the time of bidding, two removal alternatives were under consideration: mechanical and hydraulic dredging.
Meet Two Corps Representatives
Featured speakers include two representatives from the Corps who will present details of the project and field questions from residents. They are Eduardo Irigoyen, the Project Manager, and Michael Garske, a hydraulic engineer and certified floodplain manager. Both are with the Corps of Engineers’ Galveston District office.
Eduardo Irigoyen, Project Manager
Eduardo Irigoyen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager
Eduardo (Eddie) Irigoyen currently serves as the Emergency Dredging Project Program Manager for the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, which is funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Irigoyen has served as a Project Manager within the Corps since May 2015. He has extensive experience within USACE ranging from programs to construction management, operations and maintenance.
His current duties include managing the planning, scope, development, design, construction, and direction of several projects along the Texas Gulf coast.
Irigoyen is a native of Brownsville, Texas. He received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Texas at Brownsville in 2004.
Michael Garske, Hydraulic Engineer
Michael Garske, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hydrologist
Michael Garske has served as a Hydraulic Engineer and Certified Floodplain Manager for USACE since September 2014.
As one of the District’s lead hydraulic modeling engineers, he’s produced inundation mapping for White Oak, Brays, and Buffalo Bayou projects, helping local officials make accurate flood mitigation decisions.
He provided critical emergency modeling data during the Tax Day, Memorial Day and Harvey floods. He has also helped design dredging templates, ecosystem mitigation banks, and water storage systems; and demonstrated their effects on flood levels.
Garske grew up in Clear Lake. In 2014, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Maritime Systems Engineering and an Associate of Arts degree in Maritime Administration from Texas A&M University-Galveston.
Boating Safety Measures During Project
Boaters need to be aware of dredging activities. Ultimately, the project will restore navigation on the river to pre-Harvey conditions and allow the boat launch at River Grove Park to reopen. However, until completion of the project, boaters need to avoid work sites and dredging lines for their own safety.
Agenda Including Other Speakers
The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the Kingwood Community Center 4102 Rustic Woods and last until 8. It will include:
The meeting is free and open to the public, so please plan to attend.
Do Not Confuse This with Flood Bond Meeting
Please note: there has been some confusion between this meeting and the Harris County Flood Bond meeting because of their dates. The County Flood bond meeting, originally scheduled for June 14, is being rescheduled for July so that County Judge Ed Emmett can attend. A new day for that meeting has not yet been determined. The meeting with the Army Corps will happen as planned on Monday evening, June 11.
Posted June 8, 2018 by Bob Rehak
Thanks to Dianne Lansden and Jacque Havelka for Planning this Meeting
283 Days since Hurricane Harvey
TACA Spells Out Industry Position on Societal and Environmental Benefits of Sand Mining
In several places on this website, I’ve talked about sand mines on the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto River. Now, the sand miners are talking about this website – in Austin – to state legislators via their trade group, TACA also known as the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association.
Things You Never Knew About Sand Mines
Read the TACA White Paper On The Societal and Environmental Benefits of Sand And Gravel Mining. I’m publishing it here verbatim because it is not posted publicly on the group’s own website.
Fresh sand deposits after Harvey coming out of the sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note that the height of the dune is engulfing several medium sized trees.
In the document, TACA makes direct references to photos and a presentation that appear on this website. “One might look at an aerial image or fly over these operations,” they say, “and errantly [emphasis added] speculate that these operations are a potential source of sediment in a stream or river.” Later they say, “…not all sand operator stock piles were flooded in the recent storm.” They also claim, “…sand operations help to mitigate flooding.”
Sand mine in Porter next to Caney Creek covers approximately 600 acres. This stockpile covers approximately 34 acres. Note erosion patterns from Harvey in this shot taken on 9/14/17. Thirty acres of Kingwood’s East End Park, just downstream from here, was covered with sand dunes up to ten feet high during Harvey.
TACA states that one of its objectives is to promote sustainability and environmental stewardship.
One of my objectives is to promote understanding.
Sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood. Note what appears to be a breach of the dike between the mine on the left and the river about two-thirds of the way up the left side of the photo. Also notice how close the dikes are to each side of the river bank. They leave little room to accommodate flood waters.
Sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto adjacent to Kingwood.
Harvey’s floodwaters breached dikes surrounding the sand mines on the west fork of the San Jacinto. This let sand escape. It was carried downstream and deposited in Humble, Forest Cove, Kingwood and Atascocita.
Please Read White Paper Carefully and Closely
I urge you to read The Societal and Environmental Benefits of Sand and Gravel Mining in its entirety and draw your own conclusions. I ask only that you read it very carefully and closely, as you would a contract, because in a sense, what we are talking about IS a social contract.
Sand mines are given a license to operate next to the source of drinking water for millions of people. Are these particular sand mines operating responsibly?
In upcoming posts, I will discuss research I’ve done into best management practices for sand mining.
Posted June 7, 2018 by Bob Rehak
282 Days since Hurricane Harvey
Surprise in Final Harvey Report
Yesterday, I published on this website the 32-page Final Hurricane Harvey Flood Report from Harris County Flood Control. Today someone asked me, “What was the biggest surprise in it?” Talk about pressure! Harris County packed lots of meat into those 32 pages! I pondered the question all morning and connected the following dots.
Five Times the Average Flow of Niagra Falls
For me, the biggest surprises were the volume of water going over the Lake Houston Dam and where it came from. At the peak of the storm, the amount of water going over the dam exceeded the volume ofNiagra Falls on an average day by 5X. The final figures actually show more water than previously thought going over the spillway: 491,800 cubic feet per second (cfs) vs. 450,000 cfs previously estimated, an increase of almost 10 percent.
More Flow From East Fork than West
When you look at where all that water came from, there was another surprise. More came from the East Fork than the West! See page 12.
In the East Fork numbers, include Peach Creek, Caney Creek and Luce Bayou; In the West Fork numbers, include Spring Creek and Cypress Creek.
One Third of West Fork Flow Came From Lake Conroe Dam Release
Roughly 240,000 cfs came down the West Fork. Seventy-nine thousand cfs came from the release at the Lake Conroe Dam, according to SJRA estimates. So ONE THIRD of the water coming down the West Fork at its peak was from the release. That’s important for the following reason.
Previously, SJRA indicated the Conroe release was approximately 15 percent of all the water going into Lake Houston. While technically true, this observation clouds the picture of what happened on the West Fork. The West Fork sustained 2.5x more damage than the East Fork and the main body of the lake COMBINED. (See Page 14). Survivor interviews suggest that much of that damage did not happen until the release from Lake Conroe!
Conclusion: Multiple Mitigation Measures Needed
That extra 79,000 cfs underscores the need to:
The last item would increase the release rate of the Lake Houston dam during a major storm. The additional discharge capacity of the ten gates proposed by Mayor Turner could easily equal the 80,000 cfs discharged from Lake Conroe, eliminating a bottleneck on the river.
Of course, if we get another Harvey, many people will flood. No surprise there. But these measures should help reduce the damage, and perhaps eliminate it when we have smaller events, such as the Tax and Memorial Day Floods of 2015 and 2016.
Posted 6/5/2018 by Bob Rehak
280 Days since Hurricane Harvey