The preliminary engineering phase of the project to add more gates to Lake Houston is rapidly drawing to a close. Engineers should complete their final (preliminary) report on the Spillway Improvement project next month.
At the Coastal Water Authority board meeting on 2/10/21, Chris Mueller, PhD, PE, gave an update on the preliminary engineering report being prepared by Black & Veatch (BV) on the Lake Houston Spillway Improvement Project. Because the report is still in draft form, I won’t reproduce every slide here. Nor will I list exact flood-reduction benefits, which are still being refined. I will simply summarize some of the key points which seem unlikely to change at this point.
The final preliminary engineering report should be released next month. Before then, BV and subcontractors need to finish environmental surveys and their drainage analysis. They also need to put a sharper pencil to the Benefit/Cost Analysis, and prepare scope, schedule, and budget proposals for detailed engineering. The board will consider authorizing the next steps in its March 10 meeting.
Lake Houston Spillway photographed 1/1/2021.
Top-Ranked Alternatives to Date
BV’s top ranked alternatives to date include adding (in order of preference):
1000 feet of crest gates on the Spillway (see foreground in picture above).
1200 feet of crest gates on the Spillway.
6 new tainter gates to the existing gate structure.
In evaluating alternatives, BV had to balance competing priorities. They go beyond just reducing upstream flood-reduction benefits and downstream impacts. They include all the factors shown below.
From BV presentation to CWA on 2/10/2021
Metrics that engineers and partners will use to evaluate alternatives and success include:
From 2/10/2021 presentation to CWA Board. U/S and D/S stand for upstream and downstream.
According to the BV presentation, some positive benefit revealed by the work to date include:
Benefits Revealed To Date
Engineers found that the peak of floods from Buffalo Bayou would arrive downstream much faster than water from the Upper San Jacinto Watershed above the Lake Houston Spillway. This means the peaks would not arrive on top of each other. That’s good. It helps mitigate downstream impacts.
The recommended alternative would reveal a positive benefit/cost ratio and not adversely affect downstream structures.
The recommended alternative could turn a 100-year flood into a 25-year flood.
Engineers based the flood reduction benefits on a 100-year flood, not another Harvey.
How Final Decision Be Made
The engineers and partners will consider both cost and non-cost factors in making final recommendations.
Type of Crest Gate Recommended
BV is recommending an Obermeyer gate, though they have not detailed how it would be installed. Water Power and Dam Construction Magazine says, “The Obermeyer spillway gate system is most simply described as a row of steel gate panels supported on their downstream side by inflatable air bladders.” The air level in the bladders control water levels by raising or lowering the bottom-hinged steel panels.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210101-RJR_4942.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-02-12 19:43:332021-02-12 20:01:26Mid-February Update on Lake Houston Gate Project
The Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District (LSGWCD) board once again deferred action on subsidence at its three-hour board meeting on 2/9/2021. The ostensible reason: public confusion on the issue, although that confusion may have been caused by the District’s own staff.
Several board members also launched ad hominem attacks against critics, alleging they were deliberately spreading misinformation about the board’s position on subsidence. They demanded public apologies from critics after the District’s own staff made misleading presentations.
Confusion Starts when General Manager, Counsel Fail to Articulate Real Issue
Reiter’s lack of specificity teed up a wandering, confusing and mind-numbing 90-minute presentation by Stacy V. Reese, LSGWCD’s General Counsel.
She designed the presentation to address one of the criticisms leveled against the board by critics, i.e., that a potential violation of the Open Meetings Act had occurred. According to LSGWCD watchers, LSGWCD’s board never openly authorized Beach to make that statement, which seemed to state a conclusion the Board had reached. That raised the questions, “Who authorized the statement and when?” But those were not the questions Reese addressed.
Reese’s Presentation a Masterpiece of Misdirection
Without mentioning Beach’s statement upfront or accurately summarizing critics’ concerns, Reese then tried to show that LSGWCD had investigated subsidence since 2017. But everyone already knew that. And that made a presentation which took up about half the meeting largely irrelevant while the audience drifted away.
Instead of addressing who authorized Beach’s statement and when by reviewing the LSGWCD January 12th meeting and the GMA-14 January 20th meetings, Ms. Reese instead discussed other board meetings and presentations dating back to 2017. Repeatedly skipping forward and back in time and between LSGCD and GMA 14 meetings, her presentation included so much irrelevant information, it became impossible to determine the board’s position on subsidence. One understood only that they had previously discussed it.
Not until two hours and sixteen mininutes into the meeting does Ms. Reese allude to Mr. Beach’s statement to GMA-14 about rejecting subsidence as a metric in DFCs at the bottom of a slide with eight bullet points. But she summarizes the slide in one sentence: “We’re adapting to a subsidence statement.” In other words, she shows one thing and says another.
If you didn’t know that the real issue was Beach’s statement, you might conclude from Reese’s presentation that the board was, in fact, supportive of including some sort of a subsidence statement in Desired Future Conditions. That’s the opposite of what Beach said.
Laying the Groundwork for Backpedaling?
Ms. Reese did, however, lay some groundwork for a possible reinterpretation of Beach’s statement. Although she didn’t say it outright, she implied that measuring subsidence was unnecessary because it varies with groundwater pumping rates. While a correlation does exist at times between the two variables, the assertion masks two important points:
First, without measuring subsidence, you cannot calibrate the accuracy of groundwater-pumping models.
Second, groundwater levels are reversible; subsidence is not.
The latter point deserves explanation.
Groundwater Levels Reversible; Subsidence Not
The amount of groundwater depletion depends on pumping and recharge rates. Those can vary annually depending on usage and rainfall.
But while water-well levels can rebound, subsidence cannot. Subsidence lasts forever. Once clay collapses, it stays compressed. It’s like trying to re-inflate a brownie that you’ve smashed with a sledgehammer.
Not Adopting a Subsidence Metric Would Allow Board to Defer Action on Groundwater Withdrawals for Decades
Putting these facts together, you can see how a LSGWCD board intent on unlimited pumping could cause lasting subsidence and severe damage to homes throughout the region. In a 70-year plan, they could argue through Year 60, for instance, that aquifer levels would bounce back. Without a subsidence metric in place as a check on pumping, they could continually kick the can down the road. They could say year after year that they will change regulations at some point before Year 70 to restore aquifer levels to their targets.
Mr. Beach stated this explicitly during the board meeting. At approximately 2:31 into the video, he says, “We can incorporate subsidence in the future…”
At 2:32, Jim Spigener, LSGCD’s Treasurer says it, too. “It feels like there is a rush to do something. But DFCs are a 70-year process. The danger is that we do something in the heat of a political storm and it’s the wrong thing. We’re not in any hurry to figure out how to do this right. We’re not going to figure this out in a month.”
Righto! Ms. Reese’s presentation must have put him to sleep, too. According to her, LSGWCD has worked on this since 2017.
More Questions than Answers Come from 3-Hour Meeting
Reese’s inventory of subsidence discussions skips from LSGWCD board meetings in May and June of 2020 to the GMA-14 meeting on January 20, 2021, leaving a critical six month gap. (See 2:16 in video.)
Without speculating on the motives of individuals, I would point out that actions speak louder than words. The inability or unwillingness of highly intelligent people to clearly articulate issues and address them in a straightforward manner raises many questions.
Why?
Why delay?
Why defer action?
Why not clarify the differences between measuring aquifer depletion and subsidence?
Why not elaborate on Beach’s statement for video posterity?
Why spend 90 minutes rehashing old board meetings and not one minute articulating a clear subsidence goal?
Who does the LSGWCD board represent? Residents or Quadvest?
These are important questions. Much depends on them. Perhaps even billions of dollars in potential damages.
Types of Damage Subsidence Can Cause
Differential subsidence across a county can cause bowls to develop in the landscape, such as near Jersey Village, which increases flooding. (See subsidence map below.)
The subsidence map below also shows something else. At the rate LSGWCD wants to pump, it could cause southern MoCo and northern Harris Counties to sink two feet relative to the dam at Lake Houston. Picture tilting a full bathtub two feet. Something will get wet!
Models show that excessive groundwater pumping in MoCo could create 3 feet of subsidence in Kingwood compared to 1 foot at the Lake Houston Dam.
Damage to infrastructure such as roads, sewers and buried utilities
Foundation, sidewalk, driveway, roof, and brickwork damage
Cracks in plaster, wallboard, flooring, ceilings, windows, and moldings
Doors and cabinets that refuse to open or shut properly
In some cases, homes may not even be repairable.
Slow Rate of Subsidence Masks Magnitude of Problem
The biggest problem with the subsidence problem? With a few exceptions, such as fault-line triggering, it happens over such a long period of time that many homeowners will never fully experience it.
Median duration of homeownership in the U.S. is 13 years. But in The Woodlands and Houston, owners typically stay in a home just 10 years.
At that rate, most people might not notice subsidence. I’m an exception, I’ve lived in my house almost 40 years. Stick around that long and you get a true feeling for the cost of subsidence. I’ve had my foundation leveled twice; my driveway repaved twice; my sanitary sewer lines repaired twice; my doors and windows replaced once; and my walls, cabinets, and ceilings repaired multiple times.
You don’t need to remind me about the true cost of subsidence.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/10/2021
1261 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 510 since Imelda
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Meinrath.jpg?fit=1200%2C586&ssl=15861200adminadmin2021-02-10 20:35:072021-02-11 08:32:26MoCo Groundwater Group Defers Action on Subsidence…Again, Putting Residents at Risk
Today, at 5:52PM, Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved three flood-control measures affecting Kingwood. The measures included approval to negotiate engineering contracts for improvements to the Kingwood Diversion Ditch and Taylor Gully. The third approval involved purchase of Woodridge Village from Perry Homes to build a regional floodwater detention facility in Montgomery County.
The City of Houston will purchase 77 acres of the property outright for a wastewater treatment facility. The City will then pay for its half of the remaining Woodridge property by trading land that the Flood Control District can use to reduce the cost of flood mitigation projects elsewhere.
Neither the City nor County have yet announced a closing date for the Woodridge purchase.
Seventeen months after Imelda, families in Elm Grove and North Kingwood Village will sleep easier tonight, knowing they are one HUGE step closer to safety.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20200911-RJR_1118.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-02-09 18:07:582021-02-09 18:09:46Woodridge Village Purchase and Two More Kingwood Flood Control Measures APPROVED by Harris County Commissioners Today
Three and a half years after Harvey, many flood victims are still not “getting over it.” Physically, financially, and emotionally. I’ve interviewed people who:
Can no longer sleep during rains.
Break down crying when they attempt to retell their experiences.
Exhausted their life savings, 401Ks, and kids’ college funds trying to rebuild homes.
Claim they’re “past it” with thinly disguised rage in their voices.
Turn every conversation toward their losses.
You can’t just tell such people to “get over it; move on with your life.” That simply angers them and drives a wedge between the two of you.
Residents trying to escape as Harvey’s floodwaters rose into Kingwood Village Estates, a senior living center. 12 residents died as a result of Harvey. Six from injuries sustained during evacuation and six from stress after returning to find their homes destroyed.
So, what do you tell them? The following may help.
The website Medical News Today cautions, “Trauma can have long-term effects on the person’s well-being. If symptoms persist and do not decrease in severity, it can indicate that the trauma has developed into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” a condition that afflicts approximately 6.8% of the U.S. population at some point during a person’s lifetime.
According to Janice Costa, one of Kingwood’s leading psychotherapists, “The people whose homes flooded definitely experienced trauma. Some developed PTSD and some didn’t for various reasons. “Trauma often goes against a person’s beliefs,” says Costa. For instance, the belief that you’re safe in your own home. “People react differently to traumatic events. For instance, neighbors who lived through Harvey might respond very differently to the same event,” said Costa.
“Trauma can be caused by something a person sees, physical or sexual abuse, an act of nature, the list goes on,” says Costa. “Many people who go through trauma wish they could just get over it. Some people resolve trauma without professional help, but many live with the effects until they get help.
Costa suggests that several popular treatments can help resolve trauma. They include:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) works on the basis that the way we think and interpret life’s events affects how we behave and, ultimately, how we feel.
Trauma Resolution Therapy (TRT): Desensitization to the traumatic event occurs as the client systematically faces and works through the memory repeatedly.
“One of the keys in treating trauma and PTSD is to emotionally share the experience with a person in the emotional depth that they experienced the trauma.”
Janice Costa, Psychotherapist
This, of course, works best with those who have good support networks. One of the risk factors for developing PTSD is having little support after the trauma. Other risk factors include:
Previous trauma
Physical pain or injury
Dealing with other stressors at the same time, such as financial difficulty
Previous anxiety or depression
After going through TWO of the worst floods in North American history in the last 3.5 years, I’m sure we all know people experiencing several of those who could use help “getting over it.”
Posted by Bob Rehak based on input from Janice Costa
1260 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 509 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/KVE-2017-Flood.jpg?fit=1500%2C968&ssl=19681500adminadmin2021-02-09 16:15:112021-02-09 19:11:33“Getting Over It”
“At this time we can’t support the use of DFCs for subsidence in Montgomery County,” said James Beach, an engineering consultant for LSGWCD.
It’s unclear who authorized the consultant to make this statement. Those who follow LSGWCD meetings cannot remember the board discussing such a statement in any open meeting.
Bad Timing
This comes two monthsbefore a deadline to finalize DFCs for the entire GMA and two years after the debate about subsidence started. Since 2018, LSGCD and GMA 14 partners have debated various groundwater withdrawal/subsidence scenarios.
Run D was the most popular scenario for a long time. It called for leaving 70% of groundwater in place and causing no more than 1 foot of subsidence. However, withdrawing 30% of groundwater produced far more subsidence in Harris County.
The same models showed 2.5 feet of subsidence in south Montgomery County.
GMA 14 covers most of southeast Texas. It includes 19 counties clustered into 7 groundwater conservation districts. Rules adopted by the group apply to every conservation district and county in the area.
Members of GMA 14
LSGWCD has argued in favor of virtually unlimited groundwater pumping ever since its board became elected. Quadvest, a large, private water producer in Montgomery County successfully backed candidates running for the LSGWCD board on a platform of “restoring affordable water.” Both the Board and Quadvest have argued ever since – contrary to scientific evidence – that subsidence is not an issue in Montgomery County. They even produced a study (Phase One) to prove the point. It basically amounted to a survey of scientific literature mashed up with public comments.
Compaction data of various aquifers in Montgomery County.
Not mentioning well-known limitations on use of models for Montgomery County aquifers.
Focusing more on subsidence in Harris and Galveston Counties than on subsidence in Montgomery County.
The HARC Study also points out limitations on the use of data in LSGCD’s Phase One study. For instance, the latter was:
Primarily a survey of scientific literature, not conditions in Montgomery County.
It didn’t discuss drought.
Nor did it discuss oil and gas production.
It drew unjustified conclusions from limited data.
The language was imprecise and subjective.
It relied more on public comment than scientific data.
To read the full Phase 1 report and an Executive Summary, follow the links at the bottom of their Subsidence Page.https://www.lonestargcd.org/subsidence
Two Subsidence-Related Items On LSGWCD Agenda for Tuesday
14. Receive information from District’s technical consultants regarding subsidence studies and/or discussion regarding the same –Samantha Stried Reiter and/or District’s technical consultant(s)
a) Discussion, consideration, and possible action to approve Subsidence Study Phase 2 Scope of Work.
15. Groundwater Management Area 14 – update the board on the issues related to joint planning activities and development of desired future conditions in GMA 14 – Samantha Reiter and/or District’s technical consultant(s)
a) Discussion, consideration, and possible action on any items related to Lone Star GCD’s proposal(s) to and/or participation in GMA 14.
Re: the second point, a water expert I queried said there is no way LSGWCD can opt out of GMA 14. The reference is likely to whether they want to participate financially with other groundwater conservation districts in funding the operations of GMA 14.
How to Attend In Person or Online
In-Person Participation
If you choose to participate in person, you WILL have the opportunity to provide live comments during the designated portion of the hearings or meeting.
If you choose to participate via the Zoom webinar link below, you WILL have the opportunity to provide live comments during the designated portion of the hearings or meeting.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. You can pre-register for the webinar at any time.
Password: Received via pre-registration
If you choose to participate in the webinar via the Zoom App, you will need to pre- register via the URL meeting link above to get a password emailed to you in advance of the webinar. You will use the password emailed to you during pre- registration when you log into the app to join the webinar. You WILL have the opportunity to provide live comments during the designated portion of the hearings or meeting.
Participation via the videoconference webinar is not required and only necessary if you plan to make public comment during any hearing or the meeting. If you plan to make public comment during any hearing or meeting, please contact the District at (936) 494-3436 or info@lonestargcd.org to register as a speaker during public comment.
Please indicate whether you would like to make public comment during the management plan hearing, permit hearing and/or board meeting. You must also register as a speaker when logging into the webinar by providing your name and email address. You can pre-register for the webinar. Any person participating in the meeting must be recognized and identified by a moderator before they speak.
Watching or Listening but Not Commenting
LISTENING/WATCHING BUT NO PARTICIPATION IN LIVE PUBLIC COMMENT If you do NOT want to make live public comment and/or you choose to participate in the public hearings and meeting using the conference call number or live broadcast link below, you will NOT have the opportunity to provide live comments during the designated portion of the hearings and meeting. The conference call phone number is provided for LISTENING PURPOSES ONLY, and the live broadcast link is provided for LISTENING AND WATCHING PURPOSES ONLY.
Telephone conference call phone number: +1 346-248-7799 Meeting ID: 886 2954 3383# You will then be prompted to enter a participation code or press #. Press #. You do not need a participation code. Live broadcast of the hearings and meeting via the link below or on the meetings tab on the District’s website at https://www.lonestargcd.org/meetings
One thing is for sure. The next two months will be exciting.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/8/2021
1259 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/20201120-GMA14_GCD.jpg?fit=1200%2C927&ssl=19271200adminadmin2021-02-08 21:27:442021-02-09 07:14:36LSGWCD Rejects Subsidence Limit as Any Part of Desired Future Conditions
The New York Times, Associated Press, France 24 and IndiaToday have reported a freak flash flood in northern India. It happened near the Himalayas after a portion of a glacier broke away and released pent up water.
The Times said, “Unconfirmed videos on social media showed violent surges of water heading down mountain gorges, washing away bridges and what looked like hydroelectric structures.”
Associated Press reported that the flood killed at least 9 people. They reported 140 missing. “The flood was caused when a portion of Nanda Devi glacier broke off in the Tapovan area of the northern state of Uttarakhand on Sunday morning. A video shared by officials and taken from the side of steep hillside shows a wall of water surging into one of the dams and breaking it into pieces with little resistance before continuing to roar downstream,” said the AP story.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Glacier-Flash-Flood-in-India.jpg?fit=1200%2C732&ssl=17321200adminadmin2021-02-07 10:27:592021-02-07 10:37:19More Than 140 Missing After Freak Flash Flood in India
Preliminary engineering and final design services for improvements to:
Taylor Gully
Kingwood Diversion Ditch
Purchase of Woodridge Village to build a stormwater detention basin in Montgomery County.
In case you plan to watch the meeting, all three items fall under Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD). Unless commissioners take items out of order, HCFCD projects usually come second on the agenda after Engineering. Below: exact text of each agenda item.
Agenda Item Text
Item 79:
Recommendation that the Harris County Flood Control District be authorized to negotiate an agreement for engineering services with IDCUS Inc. to provide preliminary engineering and final design services for improvements to Taylor Gully on HCFCD Unit G103-80-03.1. (San Jacinto River Watershed, Bond ID F-14, Project ID G103-80-03.1-E001, Precinct 4).
Item 82:
Recommendation that the Harris County Flood Control District be authorized to negotiate an agreement for engineering services with Neel-Schaffer, Inc. to provide preliminary engineering and final design services for improvements to the Kingwood Diversion Channel on HCFCD Unit G103-38-00. (San Jacinto River Watershed, Bond ID F-14, Project ID G103-38-00-E001, Precinct 4).
If purchased from Perry Homes, HCFCD will swap part of Woodridge Village – the northern 77 acres of the 268 total – with the City of Houston. The City wants to build a wastewater treatment plant there and has negotiated with the County to swap land elsewhere in the City that HCFCD can use to reduce the cost of flood mitigation projects. The land reportedly includes parcels along Halls and Greens Bayous. This swap represents a win/win that helps protect more people throughout the City and County.
Looking north, at most of the 268-acre Woodridge Village Property. Road connects to Woodland Hills Drive new Kingwood Park High School out of frame on left. City is interested in portion at top of frame. Flood Control would use the rest for mitigation.
Scope of Engineering Studies Still Unclear
Contracts for the engineering studies have not yet been negotiated. However, we do have clues in the Kingwood Area Drainage Assessment final report about what these projects might include. Last October, HCFCD talked about:
Widening and deepening Taylor Gully to increase conveyance and/or building the detention pond in Woodridge Village, which empties into Taylor Gully. So Woodridge and Taylor Gully are related; what happens with one will affect the other.
Widening the Kingwood Diversion Ditch all the way from St. Martha’s Catholic Church at the county line to the San Jacinto West Fork. The Diversion Ditch project also included building a detention pond to ensure no adverse downstream impacts. Finally, the Drainage Assessment recommended splitting the ditch near Deer Ridge Park. The split would convey part of the floodwaters straight to the West Fork instead of routing all through River Grove Park via a circuitous route that takes them under Woodland Hills Drive which has washed out in the past.
Red line is Bens Branch. White Line is Kingwood Diversion Ditch. Green line shows where Kingwood Area Drainage Assessment recommended splitting flow as it approached West Fork at bottom of frame. Detention pond location not yet finalized.
No Recommendations Certain Yet
Nothing is certain yet. Commissioners Court deferred the Woodridge Village purchase five times last year – in April, May, July, August and September.
And as for the engineering work, a close reading of the text above shows that HCFCD has not yet negotiated contracts. HCFCD simply wants permissionto negotiate the agreements. “Once we receive authorization to negotiate the agreements from Commissioners Court, we can meet with the consultants and develop the scope, schedule, and budget,” said Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of HCFCD.
Regardless, this is good news and welcome progress for flood-weary Kingwood residents still struggling with recovery. These projects put us three steps closer to solutions.
1256 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 505 After Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/20200911-RJR_1153.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2021-02-05 11:17:142021-02-09 11:11:52Three Kingwood Flood-Mitigation Projects on Harris County Commissioners Court Agenda Next Tuesday
The Texas Railroad Commission has finished the cleanup of leaking oil storage tanks on the Noxxe Oil & Gas lease by the Forest Cove Little League fields. Several tanks remain, but they are empty and not leaking. According to a Railroad Commission spokesperson, another individual wants to take over the lease. That person intends to use the remaining tanks to help operate one or two wells that can still produce.
However, regarding a new producer, Gilbert Herrera, a spokesman for the Railroad Commission said, “I haven’t seen any P4 (transfer of wells) come through on the Noxxe wells in Harris County, so far.”
Before/After Pictures of Two Worst Areas
Worst Area
Worst portion of lease on 1/20/2021 as cleanup started.Same area 11 days later on 1/31/2021.Tanks on right have been left intentionally for now and are empty.
Second Worst Area
Second worst area on 1/1/2020.Same area on 1/31/2021 after cleanup.Note that five storage tanks are gone.
Industrial Litter Still Clutters Site
A drilling rig, travel trailers, trucks, drill pipe and more still remain on the site. Peter Fisher, District Director for the Railroad Commission said the Commission planned to salvage/auction those items. However, he could make no promises. “Sometimes we’re successful and sometimes we’re not,” said Fisher. It depends on the market.
Abandoned pipe and more still remains on Noxxe site.
Abandoned Wells Still Not Plugged
Abandoned wells on this site have not yet been plugged. Neither have wells on the western portion of the site near Marina Drive and Aqua Vista. The Railroad Commission says that “depending on well prioritization, approvals, rig scheduling, and so on, we have an estimated time of 14 to 19 weeks” for plugging.
Note oil sheen on ponding water next to San Jacinto West Fork, upper right.Again, note the oily sheen on the water next to these abandoned wells. The San Jacinto West Fork/Lake Houston (lower left) provide water for 2 million people.
Much Work Still Yet to Do
“All eligible orphan wells for plugging will be submitted to Austin for approval. From there and dependent on the factors mentioned before, we will plug as many of the wells as possible in that area,” said Gilbert Herrera of the Railroad Commission.
Harvey forced Noxxe out of business. The company could not afford the cleanup. However, the Pew Foundation found that “So-called “orphan” oil and gas wells, which have been abandoned by defunct companies that cannot pay to plug them, are a growing problem in many states thanks to a recent slump in energy prices that has forced marginal operators out of business.”
“Nobody knows how many orphan and abandoned drilling sites litter farms, forests and backyards nationwide. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates there are more than a million of them. Unplugged wells can leak methane, an explosive gas, into neighborhoods and leach toxins into groundwater,” said Pew.
How many wells are there around the Humble salt dome? Hundreds, if not thousands. See below.
The Railroad Commission GIS database lets you toggle software switches to see which wells are active, dry, plugged, orphaned, etc. Hovering your cursor over a dot shows the current status of the well.
Once again, thanks to State Representative Dan Huberty for working with the Railroad Commission to accelerate cleanup of this area once the problems became known.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/2021
1254 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210131-DJI_0163-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=17761200adminadmin2021-02-03 13:48:012021-02-03 16:09:18Cleanup of Leaking Oil Tanks on Noxxe Lease by Forest Cove Little League Fields Complete
Last week, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began mobilizing for the restoration of the Ben’s Branch drainage ditch between Kingwood Drive and Rocky Woods. The work will involve removing accumulated sediment that has diminished the conveyance capacity of the ditch.
Engineers measure conveyance in terms of “level of service.” A 100-year level of service means that a ditch will convey a 100-year rain without overflowing. The Kingwood Drainage Analysis performed last year by HCFCD revealed that sediment had reduced the conveyance of Ben’s Branch to a 2-year level of service in places. This project will restore the ditch to its original contours.
Looking north toward Rocky Woods. Most of the land between the two roads on either side of the ditch will be removed.Photo taken January 31, 2021.
Looking WSW toward intersection of Kingwood Drive and West Lake Houston Parkway. Trucks will exit Ben’s Branch by the cell tower behind the old H-E-B. Note the orange walls of the new H-E-B in the upper left. Also note the new CVS still under construction in the upper right (yellow walls). Photo taken Jan. 3, 2021.
How trucks will exist the project. Looking northwest across two temporary bridges where the two parts of Ben’s Branch come together. Work will focus on the main part on the left. Photo taken Jan. 31, 2021.
Temporary crossing for trucks coming down the west side of Ben’s Branch toward the exit on the east side by by old H-E-B. Photo taken January 31, 2021.
Importance of Project
Along Ben’s Branch, as a result of flooding during Harvey:
Kingwood High School immediately to the west of this project flooded badly. The building suffered $67 million in damages. The school lost another $10 million in contents. Four thousand students had to be bused to another school for seven months.
Homes along both sides of the ditch flooded.
All four shopping centers in Kingwood’s Town Center flooded. Many businesses still have not returned.
Thirteen people died, included twelve seniors at Kingwood Village Estates. Six died from injuries sustained during evacuation and six from stress-related illnesses after returning and finding their homes destroyed.
Looking south from northern end of project. Kingwood High School in upper right.
History of Previous Ben’s Branch Projects since Harvey
For the current work between Kingwood Drive and Rocky Woods, HCFCD will start at the downstream end and work its way north. The work should take about five months. It involves removing more than 22,000 cubic yards of sediment, restoring the original banks of the ditch, and replacing a number of outfall pipes that have become blocked or damaged over time.
Once the work begins in earnest, HCFCD contractors will enter the northern side of the project at the end of Cedar Knolls and move south toward Kingwood Drive. There, they will exit the project behind the old H-E-B store. Crews will work around Kingwood High School start/stop times to reduce traffic snarls.
HCFCD considers this a maintenance project, not a capital-improvement project.
Expansion of the Diversion Ditch that runs from the new St. Martha Church down to Deer Ridge and River Grove Parks where it eventually enters the West Fork. The purpose of the Diversion Ditch project: to further reduce the flow of water into Ben’s Branch.
A project to reduce flooding along Taylor Gully. Two options have been discussed:
Widening and deepening Taylor Gully itself
Establishing a regional detention pond on the land owned by Perry Homes’ subsidiary Figure Four Partners.
HCFCD has not announced a timetable yet for either of those projects. Any work on Taylor Gully would depend on whether Harris County and the City are able to negotiate the purchase of Woodridge Village from Perry. Woodridge Village is the aborted development that twice flooded Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest Villages in 2019.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/3/2021
1253 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/20210131-DJI_0151-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2021-02-02 14:29:012021-02-04 14:47:14Mobilization Begins for Next Phase of Ben’s Branch Restoration
This is off-topic but it affects thousands of readers who may be delayed on their way to work or medical appointments this week. Kingwood Drive will shut down in both directions at Loop 494 from 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 4 to 7 p.m. on February 6. North-South traffic on Loop 494 will remain open.
Purpose to Widen KWD and Add Sidewalk
TXDoT and Union Pacific Railroad have agreed on the closure to accommodate roadway widening and new sidewalk. The railroad track crossing at Kingwood will also have to be widened and replaced. TxDOT can stop all train traffic to perform the work during that window.
Detours
To detour the closure, consider Northpark Drive or Hamblen Road.
Closures Subject to Change Depending on Weather
All closures are subject to change due to inclement weather. TXDOT is asking drivers to be cautious in the construction area. For more information, contact Emily Black at (713) 802-5022.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/KWD-Detour.jpg?fit=1200%2C809&ssl=18091200adminadmin2021-02-01 15:41:552021-02-01 15:41:57Kingwood Drive Closed at Loop 494 from February 4-6
