More than a decade after one San Jacinto West Fork sand mine stopped mining, the abandoned mine is still:
Inundated by floods
Leaking silty water into the river from multiple locations
Littered with mining debris
Unrestored.
That Was The Good News
Worse, it has little hope of ever being restored. The West Fork has captured one of the mine’s main pits as predicted two years ago. Now, process wastewater leaks from an upstream mine into the abandoned mine, and from there, into the river.
TACA fondly says that mines CAN be repurposed into lakes that make recreational amenities for residential developments. That’s true. If miners cared. If someone was watching. And if we had regulations that forced reclamation.
Last week, I published a story about an abandoned Texas Concrete Plum Grove plant on the East Fork. Today, I focus on a West Fork mine that used to be operated by River Aggregates as the Porter Sand and Gravel Plant. See below.
Landsat image from 10/28/2017. Comparison of this satellite image and the one below, both from Google Earth, shows that the area inside the large red circle was a settling pond in danger of being captured by the river. And it was.See below.Google Earth image from 12/1/2019, thirteen months later. Mine is outlined in red. Circles represent breaches that I will discuss below.New development on right is Northpark Woods.
The mine in question lies between Sorters-McClellan Road and the West Fork, and just north of the Northpark drainage ditch. It sits immediately west of the new Northpark Woods subdivision. The last image in Google Earth that shows active mining was dated 2008.
Current Images Show Lasting Leaks
Looking southeast. Both ends of the main pond (adjacent to the Hallett mine) have sprouted leaks. This is on the northwest side of the mine.Photo taken 4/21/2019.Looking southwest. The Hallett Mine, above the mine in satellite photos above, is almost overflowing in this image taken on 4/21/2019. It sometimes does overflow. See below.Looking northeast. Top circle shows where the Hallett Mine sometimes leaks into the mine in question. Bottom circle shows where the second mine then leaks into the West Fork (in the right foreground).Photo taken 4/21/2019.At the other (southeastern) end of the same pond, river migration cut into the wall that separated the mine from the West Fork. The pond now constantly leaks into the West Fork.Photo taken 4/21/2019.Here’s how it looks from the reverse angle. Looking east toward Northpark Woods development in upper right next to Northpark Drainage Ditch Photo taken 4/21/2019.Compare this with the photo below.
River Migration Led to Transformation
On September 14, 2017, I photographed the same mine from the same angle. Here’s how it looked then. Note that a narrow strip of land only a few feet wide separated the mine from the river at that time.
As the images above show, sometime between 10/28/2017 and 12/1/2019, the West Fork migrated into the mine’s settling pond. The breach then allowed the mine’s wastewater and wastewater from surrounding ponds to drain into the West Fork.
In 2018, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, I discussed the mine above in a post about river migration. The post said, “At the current rate, without human intervention, river migration should capture the mine … in about three years.” It took less than that.
The abandoned mine will not be much of an amenity for buyers in Northpark Woods. The forests and wetlands that once made this area such an ecologically rich place to explore are gone forever. So are the deer and the fish.
But downstream residents have it worse. They receive all the sediment flowing out of such mines and clogging the river. They must spend hundreds of millions of dollars to restore conveyance of the river so their homes and businesses don’t flood.
There are two lessons to take away from this and other abandoned mines. We need legislation that mandates:
Greater setbacks from rivers for mines. Get them out of the meander belt.
Posting of performance bonds the guarantee reclamation before miners start mining.
Miners can and do sometimes simply ignore the promises they made to restore the land before they got their permit to start mining. When they do, they leave us with a barren moonscape. Littered with craters. And a lasting legacy of loss.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/11/2020
986 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/2020/05/20200421-RJR_1003.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-05-11 09:16:482020-05-11 18:37:49Abandoned Sand Mines Leave Lasting Legacy of Loss in Southeast Texas
Aerial photos taken on April 21, 2020 show that Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) finished its Rogers Gully project in the Walden area of Lake Houston south of FM1960. However, a significant mouth bar remains in the portion of the ditch owned by the City of Houston.
Looking west from shoreline of Lake Houston. Harris County Flood Control excavated accumulated sediment earlier this year in the visible portions of Rogers Gully.Looking east from same position, shows work still remains in the City-owned portion of Rogers Gully.
Project Did Not Extend to Lake Houston
The channel repair project extended from Trophy Place to approximately 1,400 feet downstream. Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of HCFCD, said “We had worked this location a year ago, and the sediment accumulated in this spot again very quickly, so we had to come back.”
However, he added, “We won’t be getting the mouth bar.” The mouth bar is yet another one of the jurisdictional issues that plague homeowners around Lake Houston. The map below shows the HCFCD right-of-way in yellow. City of Houston (COH) is the red (actually COH owns all of the lake area even though it doesn’t show up on the map).
HCFCD excavated the yellow portion of Rogers Gully.
Zeve also said, “The mouth bar will have to be handled by another dredging contract that will come after the COH executes the $30 million program.” The $30 million program refers to the Huberty Amendment to SB500 passed during the last legislature.
The April photo of the mouth bar above was taken after a large rain when the lake level was up slightly. When the level is down, here is what the problem looks like.
The Rogers Gully mouth bar still appears to have the potential to back water up and contribute to neighborhood flooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/10/2020
985 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 234 after Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200421-RJR_1184.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-05-10 14:27:342020-05-10 14:29:32HCFCD Finishes Clean-Out of Its Portion of Rogers Gully; But Mouth Bar Remains
Bright blue/green pond in foreground is part of Triple PG’s wastewater pit.
Likely Cause is Chloride Buildup
What is it then? “When you wash sand and gravel,” he said, “you often get very blue water. Most times it is high in chlorides. The chlorides discourage bacterial growth, or for that matter any life. The water is just too salty.”
Sand going to a big “washing machine.” The wastewater is then channeled to……a pond where silt settles out of the chloride-laden wastewater.Over time, the chloride concentration builds up and causes water to change color.
“Once a mine’s ponds get super saturated, they are no use to miners. That’s because they can’t wash the sand and gravel clean any more and they have to get rid of the water.”
Water-quality expert
“If it’s not chloride free,” he continued, “they can’t sell the sand because the chlorides will attack steel, such as rebar and girders, used to reinforce concrete. They also have to wash the sand used for pipeline bedding. If it’s not chloride free, the chlorides will attack the steel in the pipe over time.”
A construction manager for a major Houston refinery confirmed that chloride pitting and chloride cracking are indeed major concerns for pipelines. Not even stainless steels are immune.
Another part of the main wastewater pond at Triple PG mine
Saltwater Once Covered Entire Area
Where did the chlorides come from? The water-quality expert said, “This was a marine environment at one time, covered by saltwater. Over time, evaporation concentrated the chlorides and they were trapped by a confining layer…probably clay. Now that they are mining and washing material, the chlorides are the only thing left,” he continued.
“We used to see mines create dikes that were designed to fail in the event of a flood or heavy rain. If the chloride concentration got too high before a rain event, they would simply pump the salty water over the dike at night. Then they would replace it with fresh water and start the washing process over again. Dilution is the solution to pollution.”
Rapidly Changing Color Could Reveal Unauthorized Discharge
“If you continue to monitor this mine and the color disappears overnight, it’s a problem,” said the water-quality expert. That’s what I used to see often. The pond would become saturated and no longer usable. Then they would flush it out and it was usable again.”
The Triple PG mine currently operates under a temporary injunction and heightened scrutiny.
A Travis County judge set the trial date for June 22, 2020.
Flimsy Fixes to Other Dikes Remain
While the mine waits for trial, it has sealed those two breaches. But other prior breaches sport flimsy fixes that could wash out in the next large rain and discharge this water into the surrounding creeks. The mine has also been photographed pumping wastewater onto neighboring properties.
On 12/3/2019, I photographed the mine discharging waste water from what is now the blue pond onto neighboring properties.Site of repeated breach into Caney Creek from Triple PG mine (background), photographed on March 3, 2020.Site of another repeated breach into Caney Creek (left)from Triple PG mine, also photographed on March 3, 2020.
Potential Trouble Regardless of Cause of Color Change
Whether the color is due to high chloride content or cyanobacteria, it still poses a threat to drinking water. Chlorides would still need to be filtered out of drinking water pulled from Lake Houston. Cyanobacteria are worse. They often create toxins.
A World Health Organization (WHO) book called “Toxic Cyanobacteria in Water: A guide to their public health consequences, monitoring and management” claims WHO has found no documented cases of human deaths due to cyanotoxins. However, there have found many documented cases of animal poisonings. The most likely result of human exposure: dermatitis, “swimmer’s itch,” and severe oral and gastrointestinal inflammation. They also say cyanotoxins promote tumors in mice.
The Triple PG mine underscores the danger of allowing sand mines to operate in floodways and flush their wastewater downstream into the drinking water of 2 million people.
I will continue to monitor the color of the water to see if it changes rapidly.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/9/2020
984 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 233 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.
This is a rare, off-topic post. Flooding is one of the most heart-breaking things that families can experience. But this morning, I received two emails from my daughter-in-law, Dr. Aylin Ulku, that are even sadder. They describe health care delivery in the Four Corners area. The first email contained photos of doctors making rounds in a motel. The second was a link to a post by her colleagues called “I’m Sorry.” It describes the plight of a people and their caregivers in poetic terms. Make sure you read all the way to the end. Warning: Keep Kleenex handy.
Delivering Health Care in Motels from Sidewalk
Dr. Ulku is a professor of medicine at the University of California/San Francisco. She is currently helping to deliver COVID-care in Gallup, NM, as part of the University’s HEAL Initiative. If you’ve never been to Gallup, it borders the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni Nations.
She and her fellows currently work in four locations: Gallup; Fort Defiance, AZ; Chinle, AZ; and Shiprock, NM. In Gallup, which is the largest of those towns and on Interstate 40, she and her team are delivering heath care in motels.
She writes, “I attached a few photos of my colleague, Bassem (from UCSF) and Michelle (a Navajo nurse) as we make rounds on patients in the motels. We check in on their symptoms and about once a day transfer back to the ED (emergency department) as they get sicker. It’s amazing and complicated…an incredibly satisfying, but bizarre kind of community work.”
“This is the process in general: knock on door, find out how someone is doing, fill any meds needed and get them delivered, check oxygen, rarely examine fully with listening to lungs or examining wounds.”
Bassem, one of Dr. Ulku’s fellows with Michelle, a Navajo nurse at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup
The initial greeting
Checking on patients from the doorway
Health care delivery from a backpack
Why the motels? It seems many unhoused, unsheltered folks have no other option. Many live in multi-generational homes and are afraid of exposing loved ones. Some are not sick enough to be in a hospital yet, but are still symptomatic. And some simply don’t have a way home.
“I’m Sorry”
Two of Dr. Ulku’s colleague’s wrote this incredibly powerful and moving story published in Medium. Samuel Percy, MD, is an anesthesiologist and Carlie Field, MD, is an obstetrician and gynecologist. They also currently work on Navajo Nation.
Written by HEAL Fellows Samuel Percy, MD and Carlie Field, MD
Dear beautiful girl,
I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was the first face you saw when you were born. I’m sorry I was the one to welcome you into the world wearing a white space helmet with a motor whirring to keep any trace of you from touching me. I’m sorry you only felt the semblance of human embrace through the double-layered dullness of my sterile gloved hands. I’m sorry we took you away from your mother. I’m sorry your head first lay on the firm bed of an incubator rather than your mother’s warm chest.
I’m sorry you heard the harsh beeps of our machines instead of the delicate coo of your mother’s voice singing the lullabies she learned from her grandmother. I’m sorry you spent your first seconds, minutes and hours down the hall from her with strangers robed in disposable, blue, plastic gowns. I’m sorry we were the first to bathe you, scrubbing away any remaining signs of the woman who brought you into this world. I’m sorry they told us it was to keep you safe.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry there wasn’t running water in your house so your grandmother couldn’t wash her hands. I’m sorry your lights flickered off when food was more important than gas to power the generator. I’m sorry we were culturally blind to how deeply togetherness and family are woven into the bedrock of your community making physical distancing illogical.
I’m sorry your mother couldn’t tell you the stories she learned from your cheii. I’m sorry the hospital was two hours away. I’m sorry the rutted, dirt road washed out when it rained. I’m sorry your resilient grandmother had to know so much suffering. I’m sorry there weren’t enough jobs where you live. I’m sorry your uncle had to work in the city. I’m sorry he had a cough.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry Dr. Li Wenliang’s warnings were forcibly silenced. I’m sorry we knew this was coming and chose to do nothing. I’m sorry we didn’t act fast enough. I’m sorry we ignored the recommendations of public health experts. I’m sorry we didn’t take this seriously. I’m sorry we didn’t have enough tests.
I’m sorry the President of the United States called it fake news. I’m sorry spring break on the beach was more important. I’m sorry this wasn’t just like the flu. I’m sorry there weren’t enough masks. I’m sorry we couldn’t flatten the curve. I’m sorry we were too late. I’m sorry that 100,000 deaths was a job well done.
I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was the last one to talk to your grandmother. I’m sorry the virus was so infectious. I’m sorry she had a fever on the day you were born. I’m sorry she couldn’t catch her breath. I’m sorry there was no effective treatment. I’m sorry I was so scared, yet she was so brave. I’m sorry I had to place a breathing tube. I’m sorry I pushed her onto the waters of the Lethe, but couldn’t guide her to the other shore.
I’m sorry there weren’t enough nurses. I’m sorry that it was too hard to prone her. I’m sorry she was alone when she died. I’m sorry she stepped out of the world just days after you stepped into it. I’m sorry she was just one of 1,864 deaths that day. I’m sorry they called me a “hero.”
I hope. I hope you never let us forget. I hope the schools reopen and you learn what we couldn’t. I hope the cafeteria is bustling with the laughter of children at lunchtime. I hope you get a chance to play basketball. I hope fans crowd in and cheer loudly for your games. I hope they drill you a well for your home. I hope there are more jobs when you grow up and you don’t have to choose between food and electricity.
I hope you have children and grandchildren. I hope you sing them lullabies. I hope you tell them we tried. I hope you tell them we could have done better. I hope you know you were the light that kept us going. I hope people tell you about your grandmother. I hope you know she was proud of you. I hope they tell you she cried when she heard you were born. I hope you know she loved you.
In solidarity,
Your doctors
COVID In the Navajo Nation
Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States with approximately 170,000 Navajo people living within its borders. As of this writing, there are 1,675 cases of COVID-19 in Navajo Nation making it one of the hardest-hit areas in the United States per capita and the numbers continue to rise. Teams are working hard to control the virus, but because of poorly funded health systems, long-standing structural violence, and the high prevalence of comorbidities that increase susceptibility to COVID-19, the disease’s spread is unrelenting. Please consider making a donation to support Navajo and Hopi families during this challenging time at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/NHFC19Relief
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/8/2020
983 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Peek.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=17201280adminadmin2020-05-08 12:42:572020-05-08 16:20:06Sadder Than Flooding: “I’m Sorry”
Harris County Flood Control District’s final report on the May 7, 2019, storm indicates that 415 homes flooded in all of Harris County. It also indicates that 380 of those bordered Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village development across the county line in Montgomery County.
That’s a whopping 91.5% of all flooded homes in the most populous county in the State. And the third most populous in the nation.
Report Cites Sheet Flow from Woodridge Village as Potential Cause
The heaviest rain that day fell on northeast Harris and southeast Montgomery Counties. However, the report also cited “large volumes of sheet flow” from Woodridge Village as the potential cause of flooding for those bordering the development. A jury in Harris County will decide the cause in two months.
At the time, Perry Homes’ contractors had clearcut virtually the entire 268-acre development but had only completed about 7% of the detention ponds.
High-water rescues in progress the night of May 7, 2019, on Shady Maple in Elm Grove Village, Kingwood. About one block south of Woodridge Village.
For official reports on this and other storms, see the Reports Page of this website. Click on the Major Storms tab.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/8/2020
983 Days after Hurricane Harvey and 367 Days after the May 7th Storm
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Waist-e1588946935147.jpg?fit=1200%2C1057&ssl=110571200adminadmin2020-05-08 09:34:062020-05-08 10:04:56One Year Ago: 415 Homes Flooded in All of Harris County; 380 of Those Bordered Woodridge Village
May 7th is the anniversary of the first large-scale flood in Elm Grove history. On that day, more than 200 homes flooded on the streets south of Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village and the Montgomery County line. Homes that did not flood, even during Harvey.
According to the gage at West Lake Houston Parkway and the West Fork, it started between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Then it picked up again between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. when we got about 2.5 inches of rain. Then we got slammed between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. when we got another 2.2 inches. Altogether, we got 5.64 inches before midnight.
Rainfall one year ago today.
Atlas 14 rainfall figures for Kingwood area.
The bulk of the rain, about 5.5 inches, fell in about a 12 hour period. That would make May 7th about a 5-year storm. The one-hour peaks during the storm never significantly surpassed the one-hour peaks during Harvey. Yet Elm Grove did NOT flood during Harvey and flooded disastrously on May 7th.
And that helped trigger hundreds of lawsuits. Over the next year, hundreds of posts would piece together a series of missteps by the developer that turned a heavy rain into a disaster. Contributing factors included:
All of these factors would come into play when Elm Grove flooded again during Tropical Storm Imelda on September 19.
The judge in the lawsuits set a trail date for July 13, 2020. But COVID may delay that. Meanwhile, Harris County is trying to buy Woodridge Village from Perry Homes with the help of the City. We should have a final answer on that within two weeks.
Images from That Awful Day
While we wait, here are some pictures of that awful day and the immediate aftermath.
High-water evacuation in middle of night on Shady Maple DriveHFD High-Water RescueHumble ISD school bus attempting to return kids home as sun started to set.Erosion where S2 detention pond should have gone.Log spearing warning sign at north end of Village Springs in Elm GroveDumpsters filled driveways for blocks as people gutted their homes.Keyframe from Jim Zura drone video showing where S2 detention pond should be. Instead, only a muddy river.Families carted precious belongings to the curb.
Keith Jennings bewildered dog as flood waters rose in his kitchen.
Encore Performance Just as People Moving Back Into Homes
As tragic as all these images are, the whole scene would repeat itself again in September, just as many people were moving back in to repaired homes. Except in September, 2x-3x more homes flooded.
Since then, many people have waited to repair their homes a second time until they can be sure that the source of the flooding has been fixed.
The hearts and prayers of the entire community go out to those who flooded so needlessly.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 7, 2020 with images from flood victims
982 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 366 since last May 7th
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/2019/05/Escape-e1588895116724.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2020-05-07 18:30:022020-05-07 18:46:02One Year Ago Today, Streets of Elm Grove Turned into Rivers for First Time
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has assessed a penalty of $19,063 against the Texas Concrete Plum Grove Plant at 7530 FM1010 in Cleveland, TX. The complaint stems from three incidents in 2019 and alleges unauthorized discharge of 40 million gallons of process wastewater; failure to keep proper and accurate water sampling records; and lack of soil stabilization at the site before abandonment. The complaint also alleges that one breach in the mine’s dike was 20-feet wide.
Unstabilized soil at abandoned Texas Concrete Mine. Photo taken April 21, 2020.Comparison with satellite images shows equipment has not moved since 12/1/2019.
Terms of “Proposed Agreed Order”
A “Proposed Agreed Order” dated April 14, 2020, spells out the basis for the alleged violations. Such orders represent a way for both Texas Concrete and the TCEQ to avoid the cost of litigation. The goals of the order: to reach a fair settlement under Texas law and force Texas Concrete to take corrective actions.
Unless Texas Concrete signs the order and pays the fine within 60 days, TCEQ will forward the case to its litigation division. The settlement offer then becomes void.
More Recent Alleged Violations
The enforcement action is in addition to a more recent investigation launched on April 28th of this year. The investigation alleged unauthorized discharge of water and lack of stabilization at the site. A TCEQ letter in response to an inquiry by State Representative Dan Huberty indicated that the investigator could not gain access to the site because no one was there. However, the investigator made limited visual observations from the property boundary. No processing activity was noted. There is no signage. And portions of the Site appear overgrown with vegetation.
The letter also indicates that TCEQ has tried to contact the site’s owner to gain access to the property for a proper investigation.
However, all communication efforts since April 28 have been unsuccessful.
Case Demonstrates Need for Performance Bonds for Reclamation
Calls to Texas Concrete’s headquarters in Houston by ReduceFlooding.com received a similar response. The person answering the company phone claimed they had no plant in Plum Grove. The person also said that she had never heard of Mr. Somaiah Kurre, the person listed as President of Texas Concrete Sand and Gravel, Inc. on the company’s permit. The phone of the plant’s manager had been disconnected.
The company’s web site indicates the Plum Grove Plant is still in operation, even though equipment on the site has not moved since December 1, 2019.
Ironically, Pit & Quarry magazine, and industry trade publication, featured the Texas Concrete Plum Grove Plant as a model for how to adapt to change. The article was dated January 16th of this year.
In the meantime, the plant represents a safety hazard to area children. The gate presents no real barrier to someone intent on trespassing. Pits on such mines can be 90 feet deep according to industry sources. And perimeter roads often collapse.
Such problems underscore the difficulty of getting operators to reclaim a mine when it becomes unprofitable. That’s why Texas should establish performance bonds that guarantee reclamation before the State grants a permit to begin mining.
“We will make sure they fix this,” said State Rep. Huberty. Huberty’s staff is already drafting more sand mining legislation for the session next year.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/7/2020
982 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200421-RJR_1225.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2020-05-07 13:03:272020-05-07 13:03:50TCEQ Levies $19,063 Fine Against Texas Concrete Plum Grove Plant
In the last week, contractors have finally started excavating the N1 detention pond at Woodridge Village. Work on the excavation of N2 continues. It also appears that they may have started prep work for excavating the N3 pond. See photos below.
The next Commissioners’ Court Meeting is set for May 19. The agenda for that meeting should be posted May 15.
Excavation Begins on N1 Pond (First Pond on Northern Section)
On May 5, 2020, Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident, noticed excavation activity near the Webb Street entrance to Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village. Engineers designated this area for the N1 (first northern) detention pond.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Miller from Webb Street Entrance in Porter taken on 5/5/2020 shows excavation beginning on N1Closer photo by Miller from Webb Street Entrance also taken on 5/5/2020Wider shot by Miller on same date shows additional prep work on N1 site
Miller also shot this video on 5/6/2020, showing the progress contractors have made on the excavation in one day.
Video by Jeff Miller, Elm Grove resident on 5/6/2020.
N2 Excavation Continues
I took the shot below on May 1 with a telephoto lens from the north end of Village Springs in Elm Grove. It shows excavation work continuing on the N2 pond.
Excavation work on N2. Photo taken on 5/1/2020.
Additional Work in Area of N3 Pond
Additional work near area of N3. This excavator was loading up three dump trucks on May 1, 2020. The dump trucks hauled dirt back to the soupy portion of the Woodridge Villages northern section, then circled back.
On May 5th, Jeff Miller photographed the N3 area from a closer vantage point. It appears only the surface layer has been scraped off so far.
Photo of N3 area courtesy of Jeff Miller taken on 5/5/2020.
Putting New Work in Context of Entire Project
Here’s the layout for the five Woodridge Village Detention Ponds. Contractors finished work on the two southern ponds earlier this year.
Woodridge Village has five detention ponds at various stages of completion.Northern ponds are now under construction. Southern ponds are completed.At the time of last year’s May flood, only S1 was complete. S2 was substantially completed by September’s flood. The northern ponds had not yet been started.
When the northern detention ponds are complete, the detention system will still not be fully functional because there are no streets or storm drains yet to funnel water into them. Still, some detention is better than no detention with hurricane season three weeks away and an above average season predicted.
The County hopes to meet with the City next week to discuss the donation of land. The County also reportedly feels that the four days between Perry Homes’ extended deadline (May 15) and the next commissioners’ court meeting (May 19) will not present a problem if the the City meets the conditions.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/6/2020with thanks to Jeff Miller
981 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/2020/05/Detention-Ponds-Numbered-copy.jpg?fit=1500%2C1191&ssl=111911500adminadmin2020-05-06 17:23:192020-05-06 17:48:30Contractors Begin Excavation of N1 Detention Pond at Perry Homes’ Woodridge Village
Much of Romerica’s land lies between the Barrington in foreground and San Jacinto River in background. All 283 homes in Barrington flooded during Harvey.
Of the ten concerns listed in a letter to the permit applicant, only one had to do with flooding. And that came from Harris County Flood Control, not the City. Nine other concerns had to do with street spacing and layouts or labelling.
Half of Land in Floodway
Half of Orchard Seeded Ranches is in the floodway (below red line) of the San Jacinto West Fork. That line will shift north on new flood maps.
Half of the land lies in the floodway of the West Fork. The other half lies in the hundred-year floodplain. The development would be built on the same property that Romerica tried to get approved last year. The company wanted to build a series of high rises and 5,000 condominiums. That proposal drew a record 770 letters of protest to the Army Corps. Despite all that…
The Planning Commission document indicates that the City Engineer had no comments on the proposal.
Only Harris County Flood Control Raises Serious Objections
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) recommended deferral of any approvals until the master drainage plan for the development is reviewed. HCFCD also said, “This area has historically been prone to flooding with numerous home buyouts immediately to the west. The Flood Control District, City of Houston, Montgomery County, and San Jacinto River Authority are working on a planning study to reduce flood risk in this area.”
Part of that plan will include new flood surveys. They will likely show the floodway expanding to take in an even greater percentage of Romerica’s property.
Gear Up for Another Lengthy Fight
It should not take the developer much time to address City’s concerns. It’s unclear at this time whether the City will heed the HCFCD’s concerns.
As a result, this controversy could wind up back in the hands of the Army Corps and/or the US Fish and Wildlife Service again. Last year, the Fish and Wildlife Service wrote an uncharacteristically frank recommendation to the Corps, urging the Corps to deny Romerica’s permit. Their reasoning had to do with the value of wetlands on the property and the presence of American Bald Eagles, a protected species.
Bald eagle photographed adjacent to Romerica property in February, 2020.
In the meantime, the developer may realize that it still faces an uphill struggle even with City approval. Perhaps they will come to their senses and sell this land to a group or groups that wish to preserve it as green space for flood control and recreation.
Light pole by westernmost Romerica property as Harvey receded. Photo by Jim Balcom.
As if to underscore the value of that proposition, the Bayou City Initiative today announced a virtual meeting to discuss the difficulty of mass evacuations and sheltering during the hurricane season as the COVID crisis continues. Remember that most of this land was under 20+ feet of water during Harvey.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/5/2020
980 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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More than one engineer has told me that sand mine dikes appear as though they are designed to fail. Part of the problem is that the State sets no standards for their construction; the State simply says they must be “effective.” But there are only minor penalties if they prove ineffective.
How Sand Mines Use Water
Mines use water to separate sand from silt by spinning the mixture through a centrifuge. The large sand particles go to a stockpile. The smaller silt particles return to a settling pond. If left long enough, the water clarifies and can safely be released.
Water and silt go one way, sand the other. The constant inflow of silty water in the settling pond creates a deltathat raises the water level.
Constant Battle Against Silt and Water
The problem, however, is the buildup of silt and water over time.
The fine sediment often does not have enough time to drop out of suspension before water in the settling pond begins to overflow. That’s when dikes often break and sediment laden water is released into the river.
Sadly, this is not an isolated problem. I have documented breaches in most San Jacinto River mines.
Road Disappears as Dike Gets Higher
Since then, aerial photos show that LMI is building dikes higher to prevent future releases. But as the thin dikes made out of sand/silt get higher, they also get narrower. They seem designed to fail at some point.
Process waste water leaks through them into surrounding wetlands and the West Fork. To keep the dikes from failing, the mine even appears to be pumping water out of its pit into the wetlands.
A large rain could easily overwhelm these dikes and cause another failure. As a starting point, review the satellite photo below from Google Earth. It was taken about a month after a major breach from another part of the mine. Note the perimeter road around the entire pond. It disappears in aerial photos taken a few months later.
Satellite photo from 12/1/2019 shows a drivable road around the entire eastern perimeter (right) of the LMI Moorhead mine.
Now compare that to this series of helicopter photos taken on 4/21/2020. The series starts in the upper right of the satellite photo and heads south (toward the bottom of the satellite image). This area of the mine is far from public view, except from a helicopter..
Note the difference in elevation between the pond in the mine and the pond outside of it.Note the partially buried pipe between the two ponds. A siphon?Looking south along the eastern perimeter. you can see how the road now disappears and the wall of the dike gets thinner. Zooming out, you can see how the far this condition existsand why I ask the question, “Are these dikes designed to fail?”Tracking south to the next grove of trees, you can see water leaking through the narrow dike as it approaches the top. Comparing the dike to nearby tree trunks, I estimate the dike is no more than 2-3 feet wide.
Where 56 Million Gallons Allegedly Entered River
The same condition exists on another pit at the same mine. The dike shown in the foreground is the one that the TCEQ says failed last year. Note water ponding on the narrow road. See photo below.
Note the difference in the color of the water in the pond and in the river in the photo below. The pond color has not changed during the eight months I have been documenting these sand mining operations from the air.
Same dike, photographed from a different angle, looking north. West Fork is in foreground. A newArtavia drainage ditch in the background now funnels water from more than 2000 acres straight toward mine.The mine blames Artavia for the November discharge.
No Texas Regulations Govern Dike Construction
Unfortunately, the State of Texas has no regulations that address construction of dikes.
No standards exist for height, width, composition, compaction, or reinforcement.
I asked Ramiro Garcia, head of enforcement for the TCEQ, this question. “Does Texas have regulations for sand mines that affect the width, height, slope, compaction, and materials used in perimeter dikes or barriers?“
His reply: “The Industrial Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit requires the use of pollution prevention practices that can effectively protect the water quality in receiving waters, or that are necessary for remaining in compliance with the general permit. The GP states that “the permittee shall evaluate and use appropriate measures and controls to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation in areas of the facility with demonstrated or potential soil erosion and sedimentation” (Part III.A.4(c)). There are no specific requirements for width, height, slope, compaction, or materials for dikes or barriers.“
So the permittee gets to determine what’s “appropriate”!
Designed to Fail?
The lack of regulation is how we get strips of sand a couple feet wide holding back hundreds of millions of gallons of waste water. One big rain, a flood, and the wastewater buildup is gone. Conveniently!
If the TCEQ discovers an unauthorized discharge, the mine pays a “slap on the wrist” fine. They average about $800. That’s why I ask, “Are sand mine dikes designed to fail?” It seems cheaper and easier to pay the fine than build earthworks that protect the source of drinking water for 2 million people.
State Rep. Dan Huberty tried to implement effective sand mining regulations during the last legislative session. Unfortunately, most of the mining bills he sponsored died in committee. I’m using the time before the next session to document mining practices on the San Jacinto. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a better case next year.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/4/2020
979 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.
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