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TCEQ Accepting Public Comment on Sand Mine Practices for 30 Days

Yesterday, the TCEQ held a virtual hearing on sand-mine best management practices (BMPs). After listening to stakeholders on all sides of the issue, TCEQ agreed to allow public comment for another 30 days before making any recommendations to TCEQ commissioners.

Breakdown of Five-Hour Meeting

Yesterday’s hearing started with a description of the TCEQ rule-making process and timetable. The meeting then compared two sets of BMPs – one submitted by the Texas Aggregate and Concrete Association (TACA) and the other submitted by the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiative.

The good news: both sides agreed on most BMPs.
The bad news: Substantial disagreement remains on several crucial BMPs as well as the area(s) that the BMPs will apply to.

The TCEQ then allowed three stakeholders (Texans for Responsible Aggregate Mining [TRAM], the Bayou Land Conservancy and ReduceFlooding.com) to make presentations.

After lunch, the meeting resumed for two hours of discussion about the BMPs.

At the end of the meeting, everyone agreed to extend the public comment period from 15 days to 30, given the importance of the effort and Thanksgiving.

No decisions were made at yesterday’s meeting. The objective was purely to give all interested stakeholders a chance to express their opinions.

Disagreement over Where BMPs Will Apply

TACA wanted the BMPs to apply only to the main stems of the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto. The Flood Prevention Initiative wanted them to apply to the tributaries of the East and West Forks also. In other words, the entire watershed upstream of Lake Houston.

*The area of enforcement proposed by the Flood Prevention Initiative includes everything upstream of the Lake Houston Dam. However, TACA wants to exclude tributaries* *of the East and West forks.*

Areas of Disagreement

Overall, the two sides disagreed on 12 of 41 BMPs. Of the twelve, the Flood Prevention Initiative and ReduceFlooding.com identified three as crucial.

Minimum setbacks from rivers
Performance bonds ensuring reclamation at the end of mining
Whether compliance with BMPs should be voluntary or mandatory

For a summary of the rule making process and a complete breakdown of the differences in BMPs, see this special section of the TCEQ website set up for Sand Mining BMPs.

For more information on the three crucial BMPs mentioned above, see this presentation or read below.

ReduceFlooding.com Presentation

I started my presentation by pointing out that the San Jacinto provides:

A source of sand for a few dozen companies
Water for 2 million people

Modern life would be impossible without concrete. But surviving for even a few days without clean water would be even more impossible. We must strike a balance to protect both industry and people.

Since Harvey, I have rented helicopters almost every month and taken approximately 17,500 photos of sand mines.

I’ve never claimed that sand mining was the only source of sedimentation in the river. But it is a large contributor in my opinion.

After Harvey, huge blockages showed up in the San Jacinto, such as the one below east of River Grove Park. The Army Corps found the river was 90% blocked in this area. Before they dredged it, the park flooded six times in three months on minor rains.

Such blockages led me to study sand mining best practices from around the country ever since. I tried to identify what other states did that Texas did not do. I identified ten BMPs that could help reduce sedimentation during floods.

However, I had no success in getting TACA to adopt them. Nevertheless, Bill McCabe and Dave Feille of the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention initiative took up the challenge. Thanks to them, we are where we are today.

We have reached substantial agreement, but the sides remain far apart on three crucial measures.

*The three remaining areas of substantial disagreement*

The remainder of the presentation focuses on these issues.

Need for Greater Setbacks

Texas has no minimum setbacks for mines from rivers.
TCEQ

*Other states specify minimum setbacks of varying widths.*

*This images shows the Texas Concrete Mine in Plum Grove on the East Fork and how the floodway (cross-hatched area) covers most of the mine.*

This mine’s dikes breached in four places during Harvey and again during Imelda. Residents downstream described a sudden wave of water coming down on them as if a dam had broken.

The West Fork has far more mines. Between I-45 and I-69, a 20-mile distance, we have twenty square miles of sand mines, virtually all of them wholly or partially in the floodway. That makes the average width of the river one mile. And that increases the potential for erosion 33X.

*One of several breaches at the Triple PG mine that remained open for months in 2019.*

Because mines are so close to floodways, their dikes breach frequently. The Texas Attorney General is currently suing the mine above for more than a million dollars on behalf of the TCEQ. That’s the mine’s dredge pit in the foreground and Caney Creek in the background. The mine actually sits at the confluence of two floodways, White Oak Creek and Caney Creek. TCEQ alleges that water from one creek swept through the mine and went out to the other.

Floodwaters sweeping through mines are not the only source of sediment downstream. A mine’s dikes can also constrict floods as you see in the images below. This image shows a mine just west of I-45 and the West Fork.

*Details from the red circle in the bottom image are shown in the close-up image above it. This mine walled off half the floodway with a dike approximately 50 feet high.*

In all but the largest floods, such high dikes concentrate floodwater on the opposite side of the river above. That, in turn, increased velocity of water, accelerated erosion, and cost the businessman on the opposite shore more than seven acres of his property in ten years. Because floodwater had half the space to spread out, he floods more frequently and higher.

Regardless of the mechanism of erosion, the increased rate of sedimentation due to sand mining, has contributed to the buildup of sediment dams like the West Fork mouth bar (photographed above two weeks after Harvey). Such dams behind the dam contributed to flooding thousands of homes and businesses. They also are costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars to remove.

Greater setbacks could have easily avoided much of this expense. Sand miners are passing their cleanup costs along to the public.

Greater setbacks would help reduce flooding. They could also help improve water quality.

See below: the day the West Fork turned white.

*The TCEQ found that a dike at a mine upstream broke releasing an estimated 56 million gallons of whitish sludge into the West Fork.*

The photo above shows the upstream limit of Lake Houston. The water elevation at the I-69 bridge normally matches the water elevation at the Lake Houston dam. So this IS our drinking water you’re looking at. Removing all this sludge before it reaches your tap is a large part of your water bill every month. Greater setbacks from the river could have prevented this catastrophe as well.

Performance Bonds for Reclamation

In Texas, miners need to file a reclamation plan before they start mining. But when they are done, nothing obligates them to execute the plan.

Many miners can and do walk away from mines. A performance bond filed before they start mining would ensure that money for cleanup when they were done. If they rehabilitated the property, they would get the money back. But if they did NOT, taxpayers would not have to foot the bill or leave dangerous eyesores in their midst.

At a minimum, miners should revegetate disturbed areas to reduce the potential for erosion and sedimentation. Shown above, the Texas Concrete Plum Grove Plant after the operator walked away from it more than a year ago. No attempt has yet been made at restoration, *although TCEQ is pursuing them.*

*Shown above: (top l to r) Abandoned dredge, concrete crushing facility at abandoned mine, abandoned equipment. Bottom Left: abandoned pipe.*

Need for Mandatory, not Voluntary Best Practices

TACA would like best practices to be voluntary. Can you imagine the state of the U.S. Treasury if the IRS considered paying taxes optional?

Shown above: an abandoned sand pit on North Houston Avenue in Humble. This pit has no fencing or berms around the perimeter like it should. Worse, the steep-sided slopes break off in slabs. Erosion now threaten adjacent businesses and roadways.

West Fork mine contaminated with cyanobacteria. Cyanotoxins, sometimes formed by the bacteria, are the most potent in nature according to the CDC. CDC also says there is no known cure. I caught this mine pumping bacteria-laden water into wetlands.

*Mines that do not comply with regs put those that do comply at a competitive disadvantage.*

*Complying with safety regulations should not be optional.*

The top photo above shows what happened when the Triple PG mine mined too close to a Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline. Headward erosion during Imelda exposed it. Kinder Morgan buried a new pipeline 75 feet down. Incredibly, now the mine is mining ON TOP of the pipeline AGAIN!

The lower image shows five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids at a West Fork mine. Headward erosion exposed them, too, when LMI mined too closely. The giant pipelines sagged like clotheslines across a 100-foot gap.

Conclusion

The six images below show the confluence of the West Fork and Spring Creek near I-69. I took them from different angles during different months, but they all show the same thing: sediment coming from the West Fork where a heavy concentration of sand mines exists. If miners voluntarily complied with best management practices, these photos would have looked far different.

*West Fork from different angles is the siltier in each case.*

An attempt to legislate BMPs in the last legislature failed. But we have yet another chance. Review the TCEQ site and if you see an opportunity to improve sand-mining best practices, now is the time to comment.

If you comment, make sure you explain why you feel the way you do. Don’t just say “I like X or Y.” Give your reasons. Cite your experience. That will help the TCEQ formulate regulations that make a difference.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/11/2020

1170 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 419 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.

TCEQ Meeting on Sand Mine Best Practices Today from 9:30 to 3 CDT

The TCEQ will meet this morning with stakeholders to discuss sand mining best practices.

Date: November 10, 2020

Time: 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. CDT

Location: Virtual Meeting via GoToWebinar

Public Participation: Virtual Meeting Link

Members of the public may access the meeting via webcast by following this link: https://www.gotomeeting.com/webinar/join-webinar and entering Webinar ID 603-908-859. It is recommended that you join the webinar and register for the meeting at least 15 minutes before the meeting begins. You will be given the option to use your computer audio or to use your phone for participating in the webinar.

*The West Fork was 90% blocked at this point according to the TCEQ. That contributed to the flooding of more than 600 homes.*

For those persons without computer or internet access who would like to participate in the meeting, call 844-368-7161 and enter collaboration code 435007#.

Handouts will be available at the following webpage prior to the meeting: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/permitting/stormwater/sand-mining-rulemaking

If you are unable to attend the Virtual Meeting; the meeting information, summary, and updates will be posted on the above webpage.

Background:

The petitions were filed by the Texas Aggregates and Concrete Association (TACA) and the Lake Houston Area Grassroots Flood Prevention Initiative (LHAGFPI). The petitioners requested that the commission adopt a new rule under the Watershed Protection Rules that would establish best management practices for commercial sand mining and other lawful purposes within the San Jacinto River Watershed in Montgomery, Liberty, and Harris counties.

On August 12, 2020, the commission considered the petitions and directed staff to initiate the rulemaking process and include stakeholder involvement. Through the stakeholder process, the TCEQ will determine the appropriate best management practices that are technically supported for the sand mining industry to control pollutants within stormwater discharges. The rulemaking will define specific areas within the watershed that will be regulated and add a new chapter within the 30 TAC, Chapter 311 Watershed Protection Rules.

The original petitions for rulemaking are posted on the TCEQ website at the following links:

· TACA Petition

· LHAGFPI Petition

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/10/2020

1169 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Eta Slimes Florida With Foot of Rain So Far, Sets New Record, More Storms May Follow

After killing more than 100 people in Central America, Eta made landfall across the Florida Keys overnight and has now moved west into the SE Gulf of Mexico. Numerous curved bands continue to rotate into southern Florida where more than 13 inches of rainfall has been recorded. Eta is the 12 landfalling tropical system on the US coast this season…the previous record was 9 in 1916.

*This morning’s satellite image shows the eye of Eta visible in yesterday’s images has collapsed.*

Meanwhile, two more storms are brewing in the Atlantic. One is heading away from land. The other, which has a 50% chance of formation in the next five days is moving into the central Caribbean.

Discussion of Eta

Eta’s made landfall on the middle Florida Keys late yesterday evening and has continued westward across Florida Bay and is now over the SE Gulf of Mexico. Eta has maintained well-defined circulation. The wind field has also expanded with tropical storm force winds extending well away from the center and well north along the Florida coast.

*The official forecast from the NHC takes Eta toward north Florida*, *but much divergence remains among the models.*

ETA’s Track

Eta will move west to WSW for the next 24 hours, then meander over the SE/E Gulf of Mexico into the middle of the week. The storm could stall over the warm waters of the Gulf loop current. But by later this week, a strong upper-level trough should turn Eta north and then northeast back toward Florida. However, forecast models vary widely. Confidence is low regarding the track forecast. Large changes remain possible. Little consensus exists between weather models.

*TropicalTidbits.com shows wide divergence of models.*

*The South Florida Water Management District shows even less consensus.*

Eta’s Intensity

Even though Eta is moving over warm waters, wind sheer and surrounding dry air should keep it in check. The official forecast brings Eta to a minimal hurricane over the SE Gulf of Mexico before weakening again late in the week.

Other Storms

Two other areas of interest have developed in the Atlantic basin and 97L over the eastern Atlantic has a high chance of developing into a tropical system while the tropical wave approaching the Caribbean has a medium chance of developing later this week. The next tropical storm will break the previous record for the most tropical storms in an Atlantic hurricane season.

*Five day outlook from the National Hurricane Center*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2020

1168 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Woodridge Village: Perry Homes’ 60 Percent Solution Now Complete

When last I checked on the status of Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village project in Montgomery County north of Elm Grove, contractors were still putting the finishing touches on detention ponds. Since then, Perry has:

Erected chain-link fencing with barbed wire around the perimeter
Planted some grass to stabilize the soil
Removed all construction equipment from the site.

More Than a Year After Imelda, Still No Deal

Perry is waiting to see if Harris County and the City will be able to finalize a deal to purchase the site and turn it into a regional detention basin. The three sides have been talking for more than a year. The project twice contributed to flooding Elm Grove last year after Perry cleared the land but before they built all of the required detention capacity.

Now that they’re finished though, they still have only 60% of what they need. That’s because the company rushed to get the project permitted before new, higher Atlas-14 regulations went into effect.

In February this year, the City declined to consider purchasing Woodridge Village. The City said it was the County’s responsibility because voters passed a flood bond, even though the City had approved Perry’s plans even before LJA’s drainage analysis had been submitted.

Harris County has subsequently tried to buy the land and build more detention capacity since April. But Precinct 1 Commission Rodney Ellis has heaped new conditions on the sale every time the sides seem close to reaching a deal. Commissioners finally voted to approve negotiation of an earnest money contract in September. But then, at the October 27 Commissioners Court Meeting, Ellis hinted that he now wants the City to apply his “equity” standards to its own flood mitigation projects. “I’m going to propose that they give us a recommendation or I’ll come up with one,“ he bragged. Or threatened.

In the meantime, Perry Homes hinted to Elm Grove leaders that, “It sure would be nice if all those lawsuits went away.” Perry Homes also still has a “For Sale” sign up on the property, although the listing company does not show the property on their website.

*Entrance to Woodridge Village from Woodland Hills.*

This all reminds me of a line from one of my favorite movies. “Once the plan gets too complex, everything can go wrong.”
Walter Sobchak in Big Lebowski

At this rate, the 60% solution may stay the 60% solution for a long time. Certainly, the lawsuits show no sign of going away any time soon. The Harris County District Clerk’s website (see CAUSE NO. 2019-33415) has seen a flurry of filings in recent months.

Current Pics

Here’s how the site looks today.

*Looking east over S1 towards S2, the two detention ponds on the southern border of Woodridge Village.*

*Looking north along the eastern border toward N3, the third pond on the northern section.*

*Where the northeastern portion of the site drains into the head of N3. Note security fence around perimeter.*

*Looking south along N3 toward Taylor Gully in the background.*

*Looking east along the northern border toward Ford Road in Porter.*

*Looking west along the northern border*

*Looking southwest across the northern portion of Woodridge Village*, *with N3 on the left.*

*N1, the first detention pond on the northern section of Woodridge Village*

The massive N2 pond along the southwestern border of the northern section.

The detention ponds passed several minor tests last spring and summer, but have yet to see a major challenge.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/9/2020

1168 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 417 since Imelda

East End Park from the Air: A Wetlands Success Story

One of the most beautiful parts of Kingwood also helps protect the area from flooding: East End Park. If you’ve never seen it, you should. The park comprises 158 acres and contains about five miles of nature trails. With the help of boardwalks, the trails wind through wetlands that form the perimeter of the park.

Those wetlands help slow runoff during storms. And the park itself puts distance and elevation between the East Fork of the San Jacinto and the nearest homes.

Park Almost Became Another Subdivision During 1980s

The park was not always destined to become a park. Originally Friendswood Development wanted to build another subdivision where the park is now. As Friendswood cut streets in nearby Kings Point, they dumped the extra dirt in what is now the park’s giant meadow. That’s why it’s so much higher than surrounding wetlands.

*These meadows comprise approximately 45 acres of tall grass, an abundant food source for migrating birds.*

*Looking south. The East Fork San Jacinto is on the left. Sand damage from Harvey and Imelda at Eagle Point is in the foreground.* *Birdhouses once 10-feet up on trees are now at ankle height.*

*Looking west from the north side of the park on the left. The East Fork (out of frame to the right) and Caney Creek converge at East End Park’s Eagle Point.* *Also to the right is the 5000-acre Lake Houston Nature Park.*

*Looking south again. The East Fork on the left empties into Lake Houston in background. Trails border the river within the trees.*

But in 1988, the EPA issued a cease and desist order because they were jeopardizing the wetlands. Blocked from further development, Friendswood tried to turn a problem into an amenity that could add value to homebuyers. The company donated the land to the Kingwood Service Association to own and operate as a park for the benefit of all Kingwood residents.

Development as Nature Park in 2000s

Not much happened with the park for about a decade. Then KSA, with the help of volunteer groups, like the Boy Scouts, started building a small trail network, mostly on the north side of the park.

Around 2000, KSA debated the future of the remainder of the park. Should they turn it into more sports fields? Or keep it a nature park? The nature park faction won out. And for the next fifteen years, KSA slowly built new trails and improved old ones as money became available.

Birder’s Wonderland

The Lake Houston Nature Club has documented approximately 150 species of birds in the park, some threatened or endangered. In season, birders seem everywhere. Migrating birds munch on the abundant tall grass which seems to go to seed just in time for the migration.

In the park, I’ve spotted everything from painted buntings to majestic bald eagles. In fact, part of the park is named Eagle Point because of the frequent eagle sightings there.

Healing Power of Nature

Shortly after KSA put in the Eagle Point Trail, I encountered a man sitting in the same place on the river bank day after day. I asked him what his attraction was to that particular place. He said that it helped him heal. I asked if he wanted to explain that. He said he was undergoing treatment for cancer and the the beauty gave him the will to go on living. I suspect he’s not the only one who has found sustenance in nature there.

One often sees families walking with young children there. I also suspect kids learn to translate the love they feel from parents on such walks into a lifelong love of nature.

Living Lessons

Sadly both Harvey and Imelda completely inundated the park. Eagle Point became covered with 10-15 feet of sand which killed many of the trees there and filled in some of the wetlands. Regardless, the park remains a natural gem and a living lesson about the cycles of nature.

The pictures below show some of the natural beauty. To get to the park, take Kingwood Drive east until you run out of road. You can see the park entrance from the parking lot.

*Sunrise over Lake Houston from Kingwood’s East End Park at Otter Point. By Dr. Charles Campbell.*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/8/2020

1168 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 416 since Imelda

Army Corps to Hold Virtual Public Meetings on Coastal Protection Study

Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin issued a newsletter today about about the Army Corps’ Coastal Protection Study. The City, he says, has worked with its civic, business, state and federal partners ever since Hurricane Ike in September 2008 on this project. “Hurricane Laura, renewed the sense of urgency with our federal partners,” said Martin. “We need collectively to identify a single path forward and focus all our energy and resources into ramping that project up and moving it forward.”

Texas Ranks as Third Most Vulnerable State to Hurricanes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ranks Texas as the third most vulnerable state to hurricanes when ranked by property value.

Destruction on Bolivar Peninsula After Hurricane Ike. Looking south toward Gulf. Ike scoured infrastructure right out of the ground. Storm surge reached almost all the way to I-10 and swept buildings off their foundations more than 10 miles inland.

*Destruction on Bolivar Peninsula After Hurricane Ike. Looking north toward Bay. Nothing was left standing for miles.*

Ike went right up the throat of Galveston Bay. Had the storm come in 30 miles west, the refineries from Texas City to Deer Park, Pasadena and Baytown could have looked like the photos above. That would have been an environmental disaster of the highest order.

Corps Releases Coastal Protection Study, Seeks Public Comment

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) just released the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study Draft Report (Coastal Texas Study) on October 30th. They will accept public comment through December 14th.

The Corps will hold six, virtual, public meetings for comments. Each will require registration to participate. They will hold the first of the virtual public meetings on Monday, November 16, 2020 from 11am to 1pm.

Interested participants who cannot make the meetings, can submit comments by emailing coastaltexas@usace.army.mil. All comments must be postmarked by December 14, 2020. Written comments can be mailed to:

USACE, Galveston District

Attention: Mr. Jeff Pinsky

Environmental Compliance Branch Regional

Planning and Environmental Center

Post Office Box 1229

Galveston, Texas 77553-1229

“It is my hope,” said Martin, “that all our local representatives will submit letters of support during this comment period to the Army Corps of Engineers. Once they have expressed support for the Coastal Texas Study, local officials should work with their federal counterparts to ensure the study is approved and subsequent projects authorized once they reach Congress. That should be early in 2021.”

Martin Describes Approval Gauntlet

“At the State level, we have an excellent state sponsor for the plan in the General Land Office (GLO). The GLO serves as the local advocate for coastal communities and the state-level partner with the USACE,” says Martin “In January, the Texas State Legislature will be continuing its work towards getting a workable plan approved for our protection.”

Martin added that at the Federal level, we now have a comprehensive surge protection plan moving through the USACE approval process. This plan provides an estimated $2 of benefits for every $1 spent. That ratio makes the proposed barrier system competitive as a national priority for Congressional approval and funding, claims Martin.

Specifically, the Legislature will be looking at advancing different funding strategies for our barrier system, including using Resilience Bonds to capture value through avoided losses. These large infrastructure projects take many years to design, develop, and construct. But we are closer now than ever to having a workable solution for our region, says Martin. “The prize is at hand, and we mustn’t allow ourselves to get distracted!”

“Our local business and civic leaders must stay focused, vigilant, and engaged in the process to inform themselves of the opportunities we have,” says Martin. “They must also help educate other Houstonians on the ways we can protect our communities to make the Houston an even more desirable place to live and work.”

Where To Find the Study and Some Key Conclusions

Here’s a link to the executive summary of the proposal. Significantly, the plan is no longer a monolithic dike stretching along the entire coastline. It contains both natural and man-made elements. USACE has abandoned the plan of building a wall along SH87 that stretches from Bolivar Flats to High Island. That was dropped from the plan to minimize both social and environmental impacts. Instead, the Bolivar and Galveston beach and dune systems will be increased in size to reduce storm surge impacts.

That area is one of the richest wildlife areas in the state. Millions of birds migrate to the coastal marshes there every year. They depend on the wetlands to fish and nest.

*Tens of thousands of geese take to the wing at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge after Hurricane Ike.*

The Corps’ Coastal Protection Study lays out a plan to restore degraded ecosystems to create natural buffers that protect communities and industry on the Texas coast from erosion, subsidence, and storm losses. It includes approximately 114 miles of breakwaters, 15 miles of bird rookery islands, 2,000 acres of marsh, 12 miles of oyster reef, and almost 20 miles of beach and dune.

The plan varies by coastal region and takes in everything between Beaumont and Brownsville.

The total cost: $26 billion. But it would reduce flood damaged structures by 77% in a 1% (100-year) event, and save an estimated $2.25 billion per year during the 50-year life of the project.

If authorized and funded by Congress, subsequent phases of the project would include preliminary engineering and design; construction; and operations and maintenance. Completion of preliminary engineering and construction of the Recommended Plan would depend on Congressional approval and funding. USACE believes the recommended plan could be designed and then constructed within 12 to 20 years.

Meeting Dates, Must Register First

The Corps will hold the six meetings on:

Monday, November 16, 2020 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM and from 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Thursday, December 3, 2020 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM and from 6:00PM to 8:00PM
Tuesday, December 8, 2020 from 11:00AM to 1:00PM and from 6:00PM to 8:00PM

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/7/2020

1166 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Eta Kills At Least 57 in Central America

The National Hurricane Center estimates Hurricane Eta, which made landfall as a Cat 4 storm, dropped up to 40 inches of rain on Central America.

Shades of Harvey; Up to 40 Inches of Rain

This Associated Press story, datelined San Pedro Sula, in Honduras, brought tears to my eyes. The 20 pictures reminded me of Hurricane Harvey.

A pregnant woman in pain being carried to safety in waist deep water.
Families carrying crying babies on shoulders and hips.
Dazed elderly women and men.
Bewildered pets.
Streets and homes flooded in waist deep water.
People stranded on rooftops.
Rescue boats without motors struggling against currents.
Evacuees carrying belongings in plastic bags and baskets to higher ground.
The rescued, sleeping in pup tents.

Food Supply Jeopardized

Food supply is a real concern according to aid workers. “The country’s road network is badly damaged, airports were closed and much of the Sula valley, the country’s most agriculturally productive, was flooded,” said the story.

Sanitation will be a real issue, too. People are already struggling with Covid.

Landslides Bury Towns

In Guatemala, a landslide in the central part of the country hit the town of San Cristobal Verapaz, burying homes and leaving at least 25 dead. At least another 50 people were missing in two more slides. And government rescue teams had not yet reached the sites.

The impacts of Eta will be as far-reaching and long lasting as Harvey’s. But the people in Central America have far fewer resources to help them recover.

The International Monetary Fund lists the gross domestic product per capita of Honduras at $6,068 dollars. Nicaragua is even less – $5,681.

Please help if you can through your favorite relief organization.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/6/2020 based on an AP story

1165 Days since Hurricane Harvey

If You Thought Hurricane Season Was Over, Think Again

The 3PM CST update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Eta shows the storm emerging into the Bay of Honduras this afternoon as a tropical depression. Then it will intensify into a tropical storm, head to Cuba, and take a left turn into the Gulf. Round and round she goes, where she stops…

Near Hurricane Strength Again in Florida Straits by Monday

The NHC expects Eta to impact southern Florida and the Florida Keys with high winds and heavy rainfall this weekend before it turns into the Gulf.

The NHC does not predict more than five days out. It also says that the level of uncertainty associated with this forecast is higher than usual.

*Image courtesy of NOAA. The large cloud mass in the lower portion of the image is Eta moving back out into the warm waters of the western Caribbean.*

Then Turning into Gulf

Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist says, “It is possible that Eta may eventually transition toward a sub-tropical system as it becomes increasingly entangled with the upper level trough over the Gulf of Mexico. For now NHC brings the system to a 65mph tropical storm over the Florida straits early next week with some of the intensity guidance showing slightly stronger solutions that would be near hurricane intensity.”

As of this morning, as this WeatherNerds spaghetti model shows, forecasts were all over the place. Later forecasts suggest it may be pushed east of the Houston Region. But again, it’s still a long way off.

So keep your eye on the Gulf. As Yogi Berra used to say, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” What goes for baseball goes for hurricane season – this year especially! Remember, Eta set a record for intensifying from a tropical storm into a major hurricane within hours before slamming into Nicaragua.

This Washington Post story says winds measured 140 mph when it came ashore. But the evening before satellite data suggested the storm contained 190 mph winds near its core. The storm maxed out the scales for satellite-derived hurricane-intensity data. NHC thought it was a Cat 5.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/5/2020 based on info from the NHC, WeatherNerds and HCFCD.

1164 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Three Years Later, Above-Water Portion of West Fork Mouth Bar Virtually Gone

Hurricane Harvey deposited a giant sand bar at the mouth of the San Jacinto West Fork that formed a dam behind the dam. More than 3000 feet long and 3000 feet wide, it backed water up into thousands of homes and businesses. Ever since then, removing it has become a major focus of flood mitigation efforts in the Lake Houston Area.

As of this morning, virtually all of the above water portion was gone. So were there two excavators working on it last month. The portions that remain are so narrow that they are starting to crumble into the lake. The remainder of the job will likely have to be performed from pontoons. See the pictures below, all taken on 11/5/2020.

*Looking downstream toward FM1960 Bridge*. *At the start of the current phase of dredging, the little island on the left used to fill the entire foreground and stretch from one edge of the frame to the other.*

*As the mouth bar crumbles into the lake, workers needed railroad ties to stabilize the land long enough to get their excavator onto a pontoon.*

Looking upstream toward the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. The Mouth Bar used to fill the whole area in the foreground.

*Contractors should finish in the next week or so at the rate they have been working. There’s perhaps 50-100 feet in length and 10 feet in width left.*

What you see in the photo above is the last of an estimated 400,000 cubic yards that the City of Houston is removing.

With the above water portion of the bar removed, it will be more difficult to visualize the problem from now on. But sand bars are like ice bergs. The majority of them lurks beneath the surface. And an underwater plateau still remains. It stretches from the foreground in the photo above almost all the way to the bridge in the background.

The graph below shows what it looks like. The blue line represents the water level. The gold line represents the deepest part of the channel from where the Corps finished hydraulic dredging in September 2019 down to the FM1960 bridge.

Data compiled by RD Kissling and Tim Garfield use sonar and a 14 foot pole. The plateau stretches 3 miles. Removing the entire thing would be impossible, but a channel could be dredged through it that reconnects the river and lake.

Stephen Costello, the City’s flood czar, is working to formulate plans for the next phase of dredging and hopes to announce them this month. FEMA has said that it will pay for dredging an additional million cubic yards from the mouth bar area.

Current Spoils Going to Good Use – Expanding FM1960

Currently, the spoils are being moved upstream to Berry Madden’s property on the south side of the river, opposite River Grove Park in Kingwood. Madden has plenty of room for more. See below. He says that TxDoT will use spoils currently stored on his property to widen FM1960. That project should start in the next few days. He also says that TxDoT estimates they will use spoils at the rate that dredgers are currently bringing them to his property.

*Mouth bar spoils on Berry Madden’s property between West Fork and FM1960*

That should create even more room for storage on Madden’s property.

Next Dredging Targets

In addition to dredging a channel through the mouth bar, the City still needs to open up the mouths of several streams and drainage channels around Lake Houston. Rogers Gully, for instance, has formed it’s own mouth bar. See below.

*Rogers Gully Mouth Bar*. *Photo taken July, 2020.*

The City also needs somehow to address the dramatic growth of an East Fork San Jacinto Mouth Bar that grew 4,000 feet during Imelda.

*Looking north at East Fork Mouth Bar south of East End Park. The blue water tower in the background is on Kingwood Drive.*

Kudos to Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, State Representative Dan Huberty, State Senator Brandon Creighton, and U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw who have worked tirelessly to address these issues since Harvey.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/5/2020

1164 Days since Hurricane Harvey

GLO, City of Houston Agree to 30-Day Extension While They Work Out New Contract for Harvey Relief

George P. Bush, Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office (GLO), announced a 30-day extension of a deadline for renegotiating its contract with the City of Houston for a variety of Harvey Recovery Programs. The new contract would let the City keep some of the programs it had been working on while returning others to the GLO.

By tag-teaming remaining work, GLO hopes to expend all available funds before HUD pulls back unspent money out of the $1.3 billion it allocated for aid within the City.

Origin of Conflict Affecting Aid Recipients

Houston and GLO have fought for months over the speed of the City’s handling of aid applications.

GLO worries about the slow rate of City’s progress and whether the City can meet HUD deadlines.
The City, on the other hand, keeps insisting it is about to speed up as it falls farther behind.

When HUD attempted to pull the programs away from the City, the City filed a lawsuit to prevent that. At stake: millions in management fees for the City and hundreds of millions in aid for Harvey victims.

Last month, Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin hinted that changes could be in the wind, but refused to release details until HUD and the GLO approved them.

Homeowners Worry About Cloud Over Programs

Meanwhile the cloud hanging over the programs worries thousands of homeowners who:

Qualified for aid but were not invited to submit an application
Have not been notified of their application’s status
Can’t get phone calls or emails returned from the City.

As of November 3, 2020, the City reports $776 million in available funds not yet committed for projects.

*Note gray bar on left of circle. The City kicked off this program in January of 2019. From City of Houston Transparency site.*

Only 82 Reimbursement Checks Written Since Harvey

Three years after Harvey, the City reports it has issued only 82 reimbursement checks to homeowners for a total of $1.4 million. Either that number has not changed or the City has not updated it since October 23rd when I last posted on this subject. Neither has City updated the number of applications in its “pipeline” since August 31, 2020.

The GLO/CoH contract extension will let both sides work out a new plan that doesn’t leave disaster victims in limbo.

Statement from GLO Commissioner Bush

Commissioner Bush said: “The GLO has preliminarily agreed on the framework of an agreement with the City of Houston in the effort to help Houstonians recover from the worst natural disaster in our state’s history. The GLO has agreed to extend the current deadline for termination of the existing contract to better facilitate completion of this new agreement.”

Bush added, “The GLO’s focus continues to be making significant progress in putting federal dollars to work for the people of Houston. The GLO remains committed to helping Houston residents who are still in need of assistance with repair or reconstruction as well as moving other programs forward to successful completion within HUD’s mandatory timeline.”

GLO Still Taking Applications for Homeowner Assistance Program

In the meantime, the GLO will continue to operate the Homeowner Assistance Program to rebuild single family homes for Houston homeowners still needing assistance related to damage from Hurricane Harvey. Houston homeowners with a remaining Hurricane Harvey Housing need may find more information and apply at recovery.texas.gov/hap/houston.

*Photo by Camille Pagel. Her children helped gut the kitchen instead of going to school after the Harvey flood.*

GLO established the site above to help Harvey victims who have not yet submitted applications. Those who previously submitted applications which have become lost in space should call the numbers listed on the GLO site to determine their best course of action.

Note: the extension above affects contract negotiations between the City and GLO. It does not affect program deadlines.

Full Text of Interim Operations Agreement Between City, GLO

Neither Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, nor Mayor Pro Tem Martin, has yet released a statement on this subject. But ReduceFlooding.com has obtained a copy of the interim operations agreement signed by Mayor Turner and Deputy Land Commissioner Mark A. Havens. This determines how both sides will move forward in the next month.

Overview: Who’s Doing What in Next Month

During the Extension Period which ends on December 6, 2020, the GLO will let the City continue administering funds under the:

Homeowner Assistance Program on applications approved by the GLO on or before October 6, 2020
Multifamily Rental Program and Public Service Program for projects approved on or before October 6, 2020

During the Extension Period, the GLO will also let the City:

Operate the Homebuyer Assistance Program
Spend project delivery funds under the Single-Family Development Program, Small Rental Program, Buyout Program, and Economic Revitalization Program.
Use $15 million for Administration

Other Terms of Interim Agreement

As part of the settlement, the City must:

Provide the GLO with copies of all program information in its possession including applicant data and project files.
Dismiss its lawsuit with prejudice, including all related appeals.

Dismissing a lawsuit with prejudice would forbid the City from refiling its suit in the future. For other terms and conditions, see the full text of the proposed agreement.

Posted by Bob Rehak on November 3, 2020

1163 Days after Hurricane Harvey