Correction on 7/4/2020: The article below was based on a City of Houston District E newsletter. It inferred that the City “applied for” five grants (in bullet points below). Other entities, such as the SJRA, applied for those. Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin personally supports them.
The City of Houston has submitted several applications to the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for Flood Infrastructure Fund dollars. Among the projects was one for Taylor Gully Flood Damage Reduction. It consists of evaluating flood reduction alternatives plus design, permitting, and construction of a detention basin located on a 278 acre site to the north of the Elm Grove subdivision.
Looking SW atWoodridge Village as of 6/16/2020
Woodridge Project One of Six Apps
Other applications include:
San Jacinto River Sand Trap Development
Spring Creek Watershed Flood Control Dams Conceptual Engineering
Upper San Jacinto River Basin Regional Sedimentation Study
Lake Conroe-Lake Houston Joint Reservoir Operations Study
Harris County MUD #153 Siltation Reduction
“All of these projects submitted for funding promote regional resiliency and future sustainability in an effort to protect life and property from future flooding,” said Mayor Pro Tem and District E City Council Member Dave Martin. “The ability to submit these projects to the TWDB for funding would not be possible without State Senator Brandon Creighton’s writing of Senate Bill 7. We continue to applaud the Senator for his forward thinking and hope to receive funding for these projects. State Representative Dan Huberty has also been a vocal proponent for resiliency within our area and just beyond the City boundary. We are thankful to have him as a local engaged leader.”
Looking NW from US59 (foreground) over San Jacinto West Fork at the confluence of Spring Creek (left) and the West Fork (right). Spring Creek splits off to left. Its watershed contains several natural areas that might make candidates for flood control dams.
Neither Martin, nor his office, provided additional details on any of the grant applications.
However, from the wording of the release, it sounds as though state leaders are fully aligned and engaged to support the projects.
Woodridge Village Project Has Long History
The grants, if approved, could help reduce flooding throughout the Lake Houston Area.
Both the City and County have been silent on any deal since then. The County refused a Freedom of Information Act request to release the text of the motion, which was approved in a public meeting. They even protested release of the information to the State Attorney General.
Putting Application in Historical Context
The following is speculation, but speculation based on the historical context. It appears that when County Commissioners voted to demand that the City come up with half the the purchase AND construction costs, the City found it hard. The grant application, if successful, is a way for the City to help the people of Elm Grove, who flooded twice last year after Perry Homes cleared 268 acres of adjacent land.
At the time of the floods, less than 25% of the planned detention pond capacity was in place. Perry has since developed additional detention ponds that provide the other 75%.
A joint reservoir operations study seems necessary. Currently, FEMA is funding a preliminary engineering study to add additional gates to the Lake Houston Spillway. If FEMA also approved the money for construction of the gates, they will be a game changer.
The Spring Creek Watershed flood control dams would provide additional upstream detention. Community leaders identified that as a high priority after Harvey. They would reduce the amount of water coming downstream during a flood.
Sand bar blocking mouth of Rogers Gully has backed up water and contributed to flooding. Photo taken 6/16/2020.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/3/2020
1039 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200616-RJR_4383.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-07-03 11:55:542020-07-04 14:02:25City Applies for TWDB Grants to Turn Woodridge Village Into Detention Basin and More
As far as I can tell from the presentation, the new tactic is the use of the Internet. Wowsers! That’s quite an insight!
In the presentation, they specifically mentioned ReduceFlooding.com. I’m sure I anger these people as much as they anger me. I have met with them five times now. None of the meetings resulted in any change of industry practices. Or even a genuine willingness to explore them.
The Boy Scout Connection
In Austin during the last legislative session, a House committee member (evaluating a bill to establish best management practices for the industry) asked whether TACA had engaged with communities they affected. Mr. Rob Van Til (a mine owner and TACA spokesperson) looked at me waiting to testify, and said, “We’d prefer to talk to the Boy Scouts.” And just like that, the bill died in committee.
TACA sees people trying to protect their communities as the enemy. Instead of engaging with “the opposition” and trying to reform damaging mining practices, they rally support among neutral third parties.
How concrete supports Texas’ growth by providing essential infrastructure materials
Why “WeRTexas”
Teacher and school workshops they sponsored
Legislative and staff tours they promoted
Chamber of Commerce mixers
Quarry Days
They also patted themselves on the back for bicycle donations to a children’s charity in San Antonio.
Millions in Back-Door Political Contributions
TACA has also donated millions of dollars to legislators and state officials through a back-door political-action committee called TACPAC. Meanwhile, TACA has refused to acknowledge damaging practices and resisted all attempts to develop meaningful best management practices that address them.
Delivering Air Cover for Members
It’s tough for trade associations to tell members what to do. Loss of members means loss of funding for the association. For the most part, members want air cover from associations. And that’s what TACA delivers.
Communication experts on controversial issues divide the world into three camps: pro, undecided, and anti.
Conventional wisdom says you target messaging to pro and undecided groups. And that’s exactly what TACA is doing. Because you rarely swing anti’s.
For the record, I like concrete. I DON’T LIKE the irresponsible production of it. And what TACA never shows people and avoids talking about. So I will redouble my efforts. And continue advocating for responsible aggregate and concrete production.
Explain These to The Boy Scouts and Kids Clubs
Below is a tiny sampling of more than 10,000 aerial photos I have taken in the last eight months along the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto in southern Montgomery County.
Let’s turn these into murals at the State Capitol for TACA Day next year. Just so legislators get the full picture.
20 square miles of sand mines to the left up the West Fork.One of eight breaches at Triple PGin October 2019. This one on Caney Creek.Second of eight breaches at Triple PG in October 2019. This one on White Oak Creek.Pumping wastewater into the West ForkConfluence of West Fork (right) and Spring Creek on 11/4/2019.The Day the West Fork Ran White. TCEQ traced this back to the LMI Mine upstream.More pumping into the West Fork.One part of a double breach at the Hallett Mine that blew out the sand bar on the opposite side of the West Fork.Five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids undermined at the LMI River Road mine.Massive breach barely patched and ready to let loose again.Equipment abandoned in floodwayLMI Moorehead mine. TCEQ traced white-water incident to here.River Aggregate Mine on West ForkLMI River Road Minepouring into surrounding wetlands.Pipe that automatically sends wastewater from mine into surrounding forest when level gets high enough.Wastewater from LMI River Road mine leaking across neighbor’s property……where it enters sewer system under road and then empties into West Fork.LMI Moorehead Mine pumping wastewater into surrounding forest where it can’t be seen by road or river. Eventually this drains back into West Fork……which can be seen here (top) where it joins Spring Creek at 59.Ditches or small streams go along the sides of every mine on the East and West Forks. Breaches and pumps are common along these. They make a secluded way to send water to the river.River mining without a permit at Spring West Sand and Gravel on West ForkThat blue water is either high in chlorides or cyanobacteria.Another wastewater leak from LMI River Road mine where it enters West Fork.
Unsolicited Advice to TACA
Dear TACA. If you want to protect your organization from community opposition, start cleaning up your act. That would be a new and truly effective tactic.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/3/2020
1039 Days after 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/2020/07/20191002-EF-WF-Aerial_632.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-07-02 21:26:222020-07-02 22:01:40How TACA is Winning the Battle to Continue Pillaging Your Environment and Polluting Your Water
Humble ISD says the target opening date for the new transportation center is 2021. Having an additional transportation center will save an estimated $2 million in operating costs, they say, due to shorter routes and improved response times.
Transportation Centers Use Lots of Concrete
This video shows what the old bus center looks like. Lots of concrete! It is a giant parking lot. But the District does have two small detention ponds for the 29-acre site (see below).
Old Humble ISD transportation center at Will Clayton and Wilson. Note detention ponds and bottom and right of photo. Source: Google Earth.
Residents Question Whether Site Will Add to Flooding
There is some good news, however. According to USGS, there were no wetlands on this site. Nor does FloodFactor.com for FEMA show that the Transportation Center is any danger of flooding, unlike its neighbor, Woodridge Village, to the west.
New Transportation Center property is by red pin. Woodridge Village is to left, across Ford Road.Source: FloodFactor.com.
Some residents have questioned whether the new transportation center will add to their flood woes. That’s unclear. It depends on whether the District puts detention ponds on the site.
Construction Photos As of 6/16/2020
Recent construction photos below suggest that they will, but the District has not yet responded to a request for a drainage analysis and site plan. See the status of construction below. All photos taken on 6/16/2020.
The cleared space on the right is the northeastern section of Woodridge Village. The one in the upper left by the cell tower is the new Humble ISD transportation center. Looking southeast toward Lake Houston in background.Tighter shot of new transportation center shows clearing is complete. Area between cell tower and top corner looks like it could become a detention pond.Even closer shot shows them laying stormwater sewers toward back corner.Close shot of drain pipe.From the size, it looks as though they expect a lot of runoff.It also looks like they are pouring a concrete bed for the pipe.
New Ag Barn Just Blocks Away
The District’s new ag barn will also be in the same vicinity, about two blocks south – right where Ford Road turns into Mills Branch Road. During the last bond election, shortly after Harvey, the District decided to relocate the ag barn from Deer Ridge Park for the safety of students and animals.
The District has just started clearing land for that project.
The high rate of development in this area makes it imperative that everyone adheres to drainage best practices to prevent flooding. As more information about these and other projects becomes available, I will post it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 7/2/2020
1038 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 286 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/20200616-RJR_4378.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-07-02 08:32:562020-07-02 08:33:17Humble ISD Constructing Transportation Facility Next to Woodridge Village
Mere days after the Texas Attorney General (AG) filed a lawsuit against Triple P.G. Sand Development, the mine’s owner transferred ownership of the mine. Even though the transfer was recorded in October, the attorney general says the papers were dated for the prior January — before the unauthorized discharges from the mine that triggered the AG’s lawsuit.
Hundreds of Millions of Gallons of Wastewater Discharged
Two unauthorized discharges from the mine in Porter during May and September last year let hundreds of millions of gallons of sediment-laden wastewater escape into the headwaters of Lake Houston, the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
The putative ownership transfer was recorded in October, days after the lawsuit was filed. But it was dated for the prior January—before the May and September discharges that triggered the law suit!
The AG didn’t allege any motives. But the suspicious ownership transfer may have been an attempt to shield assets from prosecutors. People often set up multiple companies, trusts and partnerships to shield assets in one from lawsuits in another.
Prabhakar R. Guniganti, as Director of Triple P.G. Sand Development, L.L.C.
Prabhakar R. Guniganti, as sole manager of Guniganti Family Property Holdings, L.L.C.
Guniganti Children’s 1999 Trust.
TCEQ Surprised by “Different Operator” at Facility
The Attorney General’s amended petition states, “In or around May 2020, prior to expiration of the Temporary Injunction, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) investigators conducted a site visit and were informed that a different operator had taken over operations at the Facility.”
Ironically, instead of shielding assets (if that’s what he was trying to do), Guniganti exposed more of his family’s holdings. Now they’re all part of the lawsuit.
Guniganti Family Property Holdings, L.L.C. was the recorded property owner at the time of the May and September 2019 breaches. However, new ownership records now show that in October 2019, Guniganti Children’s 1999 Trust owned the property.
Prabhakar R. Guniganti is the sole director of Triple P.G. Sand Development and sole manager of the Guniganti Family Property Holdings. The AG’s amended petition alleges Guniganti orchestrated the ownership transfer as the sole manager of Defendant Guniganti Family Property Holdings.
Officially, the State filed the amended petition to name additional entities that are responsible for the 2019 discharges. They also share a continuing responsibility to prevent discharges in the future by performing corrective actions to improve the site.
Basis for Lawsuit
The TCEQ cited Triple P.G. in both months during 2019 for the unauthorized discharge of millions of gallons of sediment-laden process wastewater. In May, the entire contents of the Triple P.G. dredge pond (about 180 acres in area) were released into Caney Creek. TCEQ estimates 325 million gallons of sediment-laden water exited into Caney Creek, which leads directly to the East Fork of the San Jacinto River and onward to Lake Houston. Then, more breaches occurred in September, 2019.
Triple P.G. agreed to injunctive relief last fall. The injunction required Triple P.G. to cease dredging operations, to repair breaches, and to retain an engineer who would propose a plan to ensure the berms could hydraulically isolate the process waste water from waters of the State. The Court entered the Agreed Temporary Injunction on November 25, 2019.
The AG contends that regardless of which entity owned the mine, they all lead back to the same man and they all had an obligation to ensure that process wastewater was not discharged into waters of the State.
The AG believes all entities are liable for unauthorized discharges pursuant to Texas Water Code 26.121(c), which makes it unlawful to “cause, suffer, allow, or permit the discharge of any waste” in violation of the Texas Water Code.
Dr. Guniganti At Center Allegations
“As the individual with complete management control of sand mining company Triple P.G. and with complete management control of the property on which the Facility is located, Defendant Guniganti had authority to direct activities at the site, including the authority to prohibit or modify sand mining operations on the property, to ensure Triple P.G. maintained adequate berms, and/or to maintain the berms at the Facility to ensure that process wastewater was not discharged into waters of the state,” the AG alleges.
Guniganti, a cardiologist from Nacogdoches who moonlights as a miner, could be fined up to a million dollars for the discharges.
The defendant(s) have until July 20, 2020, to respond to the amended petition.
In other developments in the case, Dr. Guniganti has requested to replace his Austin-based attorney with one from Lufkin.
Posted by Bob Rehak on July 1, 2020
1037 Days after 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/2020/06/20200616-RJR_4335.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-30 23:32:522022-05-27 13:08:05Triple P.G. Owner Transferred Ownership of Sand Mine Days After AG Filed Suit
An article in the New York Times yesterday discussed a new flood-risk website called FloodFactor.com. The article’s headline trumpeted “New Data Reveals Hidden Flood Risk Across America.” The new website was developed by First Street Foundation, which defines itself and its mission as, “a non-profit research and technology group defining America’s Flood Risk.” Past. Present. AND FUTURE. That’s your first clue as to what this new site offers that FEMA doesn’t.
According to the Times, FloodFactor estimates that 14.6 million properties are at risk from what experts call a 100-year flood, far more than the 8.7 million properties shown on federal government flood maps.
FloodFactor takes into account things like sea-level rise, increased rainfall, and flooding along smaller creeks not mapped federally.
New York Times
Purpose of This Post
This article will examine the advantages and limitations of both of the FEMA and FloodFactor sites. Together they can give property owners a fuller understanding of their flood risk. Individually, each can mislead.
That’s both good and bad. Good that information is debated. Bad that sometimes pushback from landowners and local governments distorts true flood risk. No one wants to be reclassified INTO a flood zone that would require paying more for flood insurance. And no one wants his or her property to become undevelopable or unsaleable after a map revision.
Another flaw in the FEMA system: many areas remain unmapped. That allows developers to say they are not in a flood zone when, in fact, they are. We saw that loophole exploited by LJA Engineering with Perry Home’s Woodridge Village. They showed the Taylor Gully floodplain magically stopping at Harris county line. The area on the other side of that county line had not been mapped, therefore they claimed, it wasn’t in a floodplain. That enabled the developer to follow more lenient development guidelines.
FEMA maps also do not estimate future flood risk due to factors such as climate change.
Sometimes it even feels as though FEMA’s trying to catch up with the past.
FEMA maps in Montgomery County are currently based on flood data developed during the 1980s. However, the county has been one of the fastest growing in the country. New unmapped upstream development has significantly altered downstream flood risk, as we saw in Elm Grove twice last year.
Finally, FEMA maps, at present, don’t define risk for individual properties (although FEMA hopes to introduce that capability next year). “This leaves millions of households and property owners unaware of their true risk. There has long been an urgent need for accurate, property-level, publicly available flood risk information in the United States,” says FloodFactor.com.
Pros and Cons of FloodFactor.com
FloodFactor.com addresses many of FEMA’s shortcomings. That’s a huge benefit.
During Harvey, HCFCD says that of the 154,170 homes flooded, 70,370 were outside of the 1% (100-yr) and .2% (500-yr) floodplains. 105,340 or 68% were outside the 1% (100-yr) floodplain. 64% of the homes flooded did not have a flood insurance policy in effect.
Perhaps with a better understanding of true flood risk, many more home and business owners would have purchased flood insurance and avoided financial pain.
Claims include insurance and disaster relief claims on National Flood Insurance Program policies
FEMA Individual Assistance flood claims for those who do not have NFIP policies
Disaster assistance provided by the Small Business Administration.
However, during Harvey, of the 154,170 homes across Harris County that flooded, 68% did not have flood insurance. Many of those sought government assistance. But many also did not. Most government assistance is biased against upper income households.
Regardless, FloodFactor.com claims that it:
Shows flood risk to individual properties
Calculates street flooding risk due to heavy rainfall
Incorporates areas unmapped by FEMA
Compensates for adaptations such as levees and berms that protect people from flooding
Projects future changes such as precipitation increases, stronger storms, and sea level rise
Predicts risk 30 years into the future, theoretically at least, enabling users to gage the probability of flooding during a 30-year mortgage
Intends to update its models annually
Shows risk to individual properties on a sliding scale of 1-10, instead of a yes/no, “I’m in/out of the 100-year floodplain” as FEMA does.
Shows users an estimate of risk in increments (500-year, 100-year, 20-year and 5-year floods or 0.2%, 1%, 5% and 20% annual risk).
Explains what parts of a building are affected by floods of varying depths
Presents flood mitigation solutions individuals can implement
Provides area-wide “risk overviews” and predicts how they will change in the future
FloodFactor.com Looks at Texas and Houston
FloodFactor posted a national outlook with state-by-state discussions. The discussion on Texas says, “The First Street Foundation Flood Model calculates the number of properties facing any risk of flooding in Texas as 2,116,800 over the next 30 years. Of these properties, 218,700 were categorized as facing almost certain risk, with a 99% chance of flooding at least once over the next 30 years.”
They continued, “The city of Houston has the greatest number of properties at risk of flooding in the state with 186,500 currently at risk, or 32% of its total number of properties.”
First Street Foundation
Interestingly, when FloodFactor.com modeled Texas flood risk, they used four historical storms that did NOT include Harvey. They did not explain why.
Shortcomings of Both FEMA and FloodFactor
As far as I can tell, neither FEMA, nor FloodFactor, account for upstream development in their flood mapping. However, FloodFactor does allude at one point to factoring in impervious cover. FloodFactor’s annual updates could help address that issue (if everything is really updated annually).
My background does not qualify me to critique FloodFactor’s methodology or documentation. But I have lived in the north Houston area for 35 years. So I do feel qualified to talk about their predictions for the Lake Houston area.
“Ground-Truthing” Accuracy Claims
I evaluated some areas that I know flooded during recent large storms to get a feeling for how well FloodFactor performed.
After all, if FloodFactor can’t predict the past, why should I believe it can predict the future any better?
I looked at four areas in Kingwood and SE Montgomery County. I was extremely familiar with homes and businesses that flooded or didn’t flood in each during major storms.
Elm Grove:
FloodFactor seemed to nail it. FEMA did not. FEMA shows no flooding north of the county line. FloodFactor even showed areas flooding on Perry Homes’ undeveloped property, plus around it.
North of the blue/green line, no flood map exists for FEMA to reference.FloodFactor.com more accurately shows flooding potential north of the county line. This helps explain the origin of flooding potential south of the county line.
However, the background map appears to be about 10 years old, judging by the extent of development in Woodridge Forest (lower left). Much of that area has since been built up by developers.
So has Woodridge Village (center forested area). It has been cleared for about two years now. Five large detention ponds have been constructed. And the dirt excavated from those has built up the remainder of the property. So in that sense, FloodFactor is outdated from the git-go.
It’s unclear whether Floodfactor’s predictions, say for the Taylor Gully area through Elm Grove (bottom center), take those new upstream detention ponds into account.
River Club/River Ridge:
Between FM 1314 and the West Fork just south of Northpark Drive, lie two small subdivisions called River Club and River Ridge. FEMA nailed it. FloodFactor missed. Badly.
FEMA correctly showed that almost every home in the center flooded during Harvey.
FloodFactor shows most of the homes have no flood risk.
North and South Woodland Hills in Kingwood:
Mixed results. FEMA nailed areas that flooded during Harvey, but missed some street flooding during Imelda. FloodFactor makes me scratch my head. For instance, FloodFactor showed most of North and South Woodland Hills flooding, presumably from street flooding, after climate change will make rainfalls even more intense. However, they don’t specify exactly where most of the risk comes from. These are among the two highest subdivisions in Kingwood.
FloodFactor shows North and South Woodland Hills, plus the Northpark Place Commercial area flooding worse than other areas which have experienced more flooding.
Two Better than One
Given the fact that neither FEMA, nor FloodFactor, is perfect, it’s best to use them in conjunction with each other. With a knowledge of the limitations of each, one can gain a better understanding of flood risk. There’s just no substitute for talking to people in the neighborhood.
One more example in that regard.
Northpark Commercial Area Near Woodland Hills Drive
FEMA correctly shows historical flood risk. Note the location of red dot for reference below.
FEMA flood map showing risk from Ben’s Branch. Red = floodway. Aqua = 1% annual chance. Brown = 0.2% annual chance of flooding.
The red dot above shows the location of a building that was raised 3 feet before construction, but not listed with FEMA because it was far outside the 500-year floodplain.
FloodFactor predicts this whole commercial area will flood due to environmental changes and that the building by the red dot will take on 2.2 to 2.6 feet of flooding. It doesn’t recognize the building had been raised.
One big benefit of the FEMA maps is that property owners who elevate their homes can have them reclassified out of the floodplain. It’s not clear how that might work with FloodFactor.
However, with input from both websites, if I were buying a property, I would know enough to start asking questions:
What’s happening around this area to increase flood risk? (Upstream development in the Ben’s Branch Watershed? Environmental change?)
Should I check the elevation of my property against FloodFactor’s estimate? (Yes!)
Could floodproofing or elevation strategies help my property? (Yes!)
Should I look again at getting flood insurance? (Yes!)
This is like getting a second repair estimate for your car. You are always safer with at least two estimates.
Make Your Own Comparisons
Find a neighborhood or property of interest on FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer.
The pictures below show the way the ditch near Walnut Lane was and how it looks today.
Kingwood Diversion Ditch south of Walnut Lane in 2009. Giant slabs of the slope were starting to break way and were swept downstream.It got worse after that.Notice distance to power lines in background and compare with last photo.HCFCD Diversion Ditch repairs in Kingwood in early June 2020.The “after shot.” How it looked on 6/27/2020And here’s how it looks from the air. Walnut Lane Bridge on left. Photo taken 6/16/2020.Compare how much closer the erosion eventually got to the power lines in this photo with the first photo above.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/29/2020
1035 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200616-RJR_4501.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-29 10:01:092020-06-29 10:03:59HCFCD Finishes Repair of Kingwood Diversion Ditch At Walnut Lane
Noxxe Oil and Gas, LLC owned the lease next to the Forest Cove little league fields and Townhomes. New pictures show the full extent of the toxic mess the company left behind.
Cited by the TRCC for oil spills, unpermitted discharges, contaminated soil, leaking well heads, improper construction, failure to screen open top tanks, lack of safety measures, and failure to remediate problems
Then Hurricane Harvey flooded the remains of Noxxe’s lease at 324 Forest Cove next to the little league fields. Within a month, the owner moved from Forest Cove, leaving a toxic legacy behind.
Noxxe’s Property Confiscated by State
The Texas Railroad Commission pursued Noxxe’s owner, Steve Shaffer, and finally confiscated Noxxe’s equipment.
Notice of confiscation by State of Texas on Noxxe’s lease at 324 Forest Cove Drive.
TRRC hopes to shut in Noxxe’s wells and clean up its mess this fall after the commission’s budget recycles with the new fiscal year.
More Pictures of Noxxe’s Legacy Today
Below, some new pictures show what we will live with until then.
Looking north at boundary line between Forest Cove little league fields and Noxxe lease.Note the color change in the ponds. Water in the pond closest to the leaking well is black. Other pond is lighter.Rusting tanks and broken pipes.Noxxe’s leaking, unscreened, open-top tanksWider shot shows tanks surrounded by other problems.Leaking well, rusting pipe and polluted surface water.The Noxxe Trifecta.
Several blocks west, at the Forest Cove Townhomes, Noxxe left other problems behind.
Leaking well overgrown with vegetation.Tanks ravaged by Harvey with broken pipes.Rusting tank leaking oil.Close up of same tank enlarged from photo above.
All photographs above were taken on 6/27/2020.
I have no idea how much the cleanup of all this will cost. Only one thing is clear. The public will foot the bill.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/28/2020
1034 Days after 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/2020/06/20200627-DJI_0009.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-06-28 16:45:282020-06-28 16:45:39More Photos of Noxxe Oil and Gas Devastation In Forest Cove
I smelled it before I could see it. While flying up the San Jacinto West Fork on 6/16/2020, acrid smoke from burning trees filled the air for miles. Then I saw it. The comforting, green blanket of trees that surrounds Houston had another massive gash in it. This is one of the main ways flooding starts. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to destroy nature to profit from it.
Death of a Thousand Cuts
You’ve heard it. A thousand times. “What I do on my property is my own damn business.”
Extrapolate that out a hundred years. Multiply it times millions of people. Before you know it, you have…Houston. And flooding. Often born out of lack of awareness of alternatives.
Start of a new development between FM1314, SH99 and the West Fork, adjacent to Cumberland.Red marker indicates location of pictures.North is up and FM1314 cuts diagonally through frame on upper right.The developer had trees lined up like the dead bodies of fallen soldiers on a battlefield.Perhaps someday, this will be the site of a strip center. Maybe they will call it Memorial in honor of the silent sentinels that once helped protect this land from erosion and flooding.It’s easier for contractors to work without trees. But it is possible to work around them.
How Trees Reduce Flooding
Nearby, homes in Cumberland showed that development can co-exist with nature. In fact, people pay a premium to be surrounded by nature.
Google “role of trees in reducing flooding” and you will get 240 million results. Here are some of the main ways.
Anchoring topsoil. They reduce erosion which can clog rivers and streams.
Slowing down floods.Forests create friction that reduces the speed of floodwaters. That increases the time of accumulation and reduces flood destructiveness. The runoff coefficient for a watershed is the fraction of rainfall on that watershed that becomes storm water runoff. Forests reduce it.
Breaking up heavy downpours. Leaves and forest canopies catch rain and let it drip gently to the ground, again reducing erosion.
Whole industries are set up around clear cutting. Try to build something someday. Most likely everyone from architects to engineers, land clearing companies, and building contractors will tell you that trees are a nuisance during construction. They say it’s best to get rid of them and replant when you’re done building.
I’m not a professional developer. But I did construct an award-winning office building in the forest without killing everything around me. I even managed to preserve a small patch of wetlands with a seasonal pond on the property. It became the focal point of the main entry. Deer routinely grazed outside my windows. Hawks hunted on the property. Everyone felt connected to nature.
A building that made everyone feel as though they worked in the forest.Fawn born on RCS lawn, near the red sign above.Red Tailed Hawk kept rodents away.The peaceful quiet of a December snow.Can you see the street just 75 feet away?
You Don’t Have to Destroy Nature to Profit From It
The Texas Society of Architects named it one of the top 25 buildings in Texas the year it was built. And the American Institute of Architects gave the building its highest award for Environmental Design. People loved the relaxed atmosphere of working in the building; nature has a soothing quality. My company’s productivity and profits soared. And when it came time to retire, I sold the building for a nice profit that lets me live comfortably.
All it took was a vision and the determination to build a team of contractors who shared it.
These are the kind of stories you don’t hear from people who make their money with bulldozers.
Oh, and by the way. The building never flooded. Never even came close. Nor did anyone ever say that I was making their flooding problems worse.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/27/2020 with thanks to Melton Henry Architects and Crawford Construction
1034 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/20200616-RJR_4625.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-27 19:30:362020-06-27 19:38:33You Don’t Have to Destroy Nature to Profit From It
Mysteries at the Triple PG mine in Porter are deepening. In the 19 days before I took the pictures below, we got 0.63 inches of rain at the closest official rain gage (East Fork and FM1485). During that time, the temperature soared into the nineties almost every day and wastewater inside the Triple PG mine got lower. One pond has even almost disappeared. Yet, water outside the mine on neighbors’ properties got even higher. I cannot understand how this works.
Mysteries Defy Logic, Explanation
Dr. Guniganti, the cardiologist from Nacogdoches who owns the mine, must be a genius. He’s managed to construct a parallel universe – in Porter of all places. Porter now rivals Roswell and Area 51 as centers of paranormal activity.
In this parallel universe, Dr. Guniganti can make wastewater magically disappear.
Yet in another display of Dr. Guniganti’s magical prowess and beneficence, the good Doctor makes water fall from clear-blue skies to drench his neighbor’s properties free of charge.
No wonder the community has dubbed him, “Guniganti, the Guy Who’s Got It Going.” At first, I thought neighbors bestowed that phrase on Guniganti for his talent to keep trucks running all night long under the cover of darkness…even as he operated under an injunction by the State’s Attorney General.
The Phlegm of Legend
They used to write ballads about immortals like Guniganti. He’s right up there with Pancho Villa, the Mexican general who inked a deal with a Hollywood studio to film his men in battle for 20% of the gross.
Guniganti’s also going for the gold. He will not be outdone by Pancho Villa, Ray or Egon. I can see the headlines already:
Sandman Takes on Texas
It Ain’t Dumping Unless They Catch You
Man Saved by Covid
The last headline refers to the fact that Guniganti’s case was supposed to go to trial this week. But of course, it didn’t due to the pandemic and some last-minute filings. No telling what those last minute filings are; the Travis County Clerk says it may take up to two weeks to email the documents.
Pictures of the Paranormal
In the meantime, here are more pictures of the paranormal.
Notice how low the water is in Triple PG’s main process wastewater pond (blue/green). The blue/green color is likely due to high chloride levels in the waste water or cyanobacteria.This strip of property adjacent to the mine is owned by other people. Note how high the water is after two weeks of mostly 90 degree days and less than 2/3rds of an inch of rain. It’s a miracle!Compare the height of ponding water on each side of the road. Water is almost overflowing from the neighbor’s property back into the wastewater pond.Water in the next pond over is even lower. It’s almost gone. Guniganti appears to be draining the pond in the foreground so that he can “dry mine.” An injunction has idled his dredge. But how did that water get so low? Where did it go?Can Guniganti make water evaporate in different ponds at different rates?Next to that same pond, by Caney Creek (foreground), a trail of water of various hues leads down from the mine after weeks without rain.
Great Leaping Pond Scum!
Can Guniganti really have the power to make water evaporate from different ponds at different rates? How did water form puddles on the side of that hill? Did water leap out of this mine over the road? Or is Guniganti causing it to flow uphill from Caney Creek using anti-gravity powers?
A former high-level Public Works executive for the City of Houston suggested miners sometimes pump water over the side of their dikes at night.
But I can’t believe an immortal with paranormal powers like Guniganti would need a mechanical assist. Move over Roswell. We need Hollywood to investigate.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/27/2020
1033 Days since Hurricane Harveyand 282 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/2020/06/20200616-RJR_4333.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-06-26 22:51:052020-06-27 11:00:12Triple PG Mine Case Extended While Mysteries at Mine Deepen
The official rain gage at West Lake Houston Parkway and the West Fork San Jacinto recorded 2.32 inches of rain between 7 and 9 a.m. this morning. That was officially a 1-year rain. (See Atlas-14 chart below.) As rains go, it was not a severe test; it was more like a pop quiz.
After the rain subsided, Taylor Gully in Elm Grove was less than half full.
The good news: Taylor Gully was well within its banks and no one in Elm Grove or North Kingwood Forest flooded. The bad news: Perry’s detention ponds experienced severe erosion, enough to warrant repairs and perhaps delay the schedule.
The even worse news: Harris County’s meteorologist, Jeff Lindner predicts another one to two inches of rain tonight with isolated totals of three to four.
West Lake Houston Pkwy. Gage Showed 2.32 Inches In 2 Hours
24 hour rain totals for WLHP gage showed bulk fell in 2 hours.
2.32 inches in two hours qualifies as a one-year rain according to the new Atlas-14 rainfall precipitation frequency estimates. Even if you considered the entire 3.12 inches in 24 hours, it would still only be a one year rain.
Atlas 14 Precipitation Frequency Table for the Kingwood Area.
Aerial Images Show How Perry Detention Ponds Performed
These aerial images taken shortly after noon today when the rain stopped show that:
The detention ponds are starting to do their work and hold back water.
That kept the level in Taylor Gully manageable
The overflow spillway between S2 and the concrete-lined channel was apparently not needed.
However, the images also show that:
Portions of the detention pond walls severely eroded and appear to have collapsed in places.
The water in the N1 pond overcame temporary dirt barricades sending water and silt down to N2.
The newly excavated N2 was entirely covered with water for the first time. It also received a significant amount of erosion.
N3 merges with Taylor Gully to form one large detention pond that holds water all the way from the northern end of the pond to the county line.
Rain has halted construction for the last two days and could delay it into next week.
Expanded, giant N2 detention pond was covered entirely with water for first time.Looking West toward western border of Woodridge Village.However, erosion re-deposited large amounts of soil within the pond. Looking North along Western Border of Woodridge Village.Rainwater entering the site from Joseph street in Porter (center left) shows by comparison how much silt the Perry water held. Looking north along western border of Woodridge Village.Still looking north, but farther up western border, you can see silt slumping into ditch.Looking SE toward Elm Grove and North Kingwood Forest from the NW corner of site. Water coming in N1 pond from left exited right, down the western border. Water washed out a temporary dirt barrier that appeared designed to hold water in the pond.Looking east. Note erosion from former utility corridor on left that has turned into a new drainage ditch along northern edge of property. Looking at western wall of N3 which runs along eastern border of Woodridge Village.Another portion of the western wall of N3 shows severe erosion.Standing water from rest of property is slowly making its way into detention ponds.Looking South along eastern border toward Taylor Gully. At present, N3 (bottom left) simply merges with the concrete channel by S2 (top right). It appears to have nothing to control the outflow.Looking north along eastern border. Silt fences prove inadequate at stopping erosion. In fact, most of site has no silt fences.
More Rain Likely Tonight
Jeff Lindner, Harris County meteorologist, says that today’s wet pattern should remain in place through the weekend, contrary to earlier predictions that saw rain chances ending by Friday.
Storms currently in the Gulf near Corpus Christi are tracking toward Houston late tonight and Friday morning. They will probably not be as severe as this morning’s storms. With that said…the air mass remains tropical over the region and excessive rainfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour will be possible, warns Lindner.
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service decided NOT to issue another flash flood watch for tonight, but stay alert to see if a more significant threat may develop.
Expect rainfall amounts of generally 1-2 inches tonight with isolated totals of 3-4 inches.
To Get Up-to-the-Minute Forecasts and Stream Alerts
1031 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 280 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.
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