In June and July, Harris County Flood Control cleared the upper portion of Ben’s Branch near Northpark Drive and Woodland Hills. Now, excavation of the lower portion of Ben’s Branch between Kingwood Drive and the YMCA on West Lake Houston Parkway has begun.
Looking south from the Kingwood Drive Bridge over Ben’s Branch. Fuddrucker’s and Remax are out of frame to the left.
One of the Largest Drainage Features in Kingwood
Ben’s Branch is one of the major drainage features in Kingwood. The purpose of the project: to restore conveyance. The stream/ditch cuts diagonally through the center of the community from the new St. Martha Church to King’s Harbor. Thousands of homes and businesses depend on Ben’s Branch to evacuate storm water efficiently.
Prior to Harvey, the ditch had not been cleared out in decades. It had become seriously clogged from erosion. Kingwood badly needs this maintenance.
Damages Near Ben’s Branch
During Harvey, Ben’s Branch contributed to the flooding of:
Every business in Kingwood’s busy Town Center area
Every home in the Enclave
Hundreds of homes in Kings Forest, Bear Branch, Foster’s Mill and Kingwood Greens
Kingwood Country Club’s Forest Course and Golf Advantage School
The Kingwood YMCA and Library
Kingwood High School
Hundreds of apartments
Twelve seniors in Kingwood Village Estates also died as a result of injuries sustained during evacuation or the stress of dealing with condos that the storm destroyed.
Construction will last through the end of the year. HCFCD will remove approximately 77,000 cubic yards of sediment. Crews began work at Kingwood Drive and are heading downstream. They have not yet reached the point where Ben’s Branch turns east, cuts under West Lake Houston Parkway, and then curves around the Y to head south again.
The project extends from Kingwood Drive downstream to 1,800 linear feet downstream of West Lake Houston Parkway.
HCFCD project started at the red line and is heading south.
Example of how badly Ben’s Branch has become silted. Approximately 70-80% of the conveyance was lost. The little orange dot in the upper center of the frame is a member of the HCFCD survey crew. Image taken last spring, looking west from West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
Traffic and Other Impacts
Construction equipment will access the work area via the established access points from Kingwood Drive, Bens View, West Lake Houston Parkway, and Denmere. The contractor will use heavy construction equipment such as dump trucks, excavators and bulldozers. Motorists are urged to be alert to truck traffic when passing near construction access points.
In order to repair and remove sediment from Ben’s Branch, the contractor will need to remove some trees and vegetation along Bens Branch, and in areas designated for access to the channel from the public road right of way.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/BensBranch_04.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000&ssl=110001500adminadmin2019-09-12 12:31:172019-09-12 12:31:25Excavation of Lower Portion of Ben’s Branch Kicking into High Gear
This week, Harris County Flood Control is completing work on a large section of Taylor Gully between Rustling Elms and the Harris/Montgomery County line. Said Beth Walters of the Flood Control District, “Serco (the contractor) is replacing an outfall pipe Tuesday; this work should be complete in a few days. This is the last pipe to be replaced, and then all major work from Rustling Elms upstream to the county line will be completed.” The work began about two months ago.
Taylor Gully Images from Jeff Miller
Flood Control contractors inspect the old, rusted outfall pipe near Rustling Elms last week. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Reverse angle shows existing pipe before replacement.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Contractors were clearing turtles and fish from the old manhole.
Last weekend, new, 6-foot replacement pipe was standing by, ready for Taylor Gully installation. Photo taken by Jeff Miller.
New pipe fully installed. Photo taken 9/11 by Jeff Miller.
Excess dirt has been removed, ditch excavated, backslope interceptor swales restored, banks smoothed, and new backslope drains installed.Ready for the severe weather test. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
Small Amount of Clean Up Work Remains
Miller reported addition excavation work happening this morning near Rustling Elms on Taylor Gully.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller of additional cleanup work between Rustling Elms and Bassingham.
Once again, a shout-out to Barbara Hilburn who raised the alarm about clogged ditches and beat that drum for more than a year until projects like this began.
Posted by Bob Rehak with Images and Reporting from Jeff Miller
743 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/image003.jpg?fit=640%2C480&ssl=1480640adminadmin2019-09-11 18:23:482019-09-11 18:26:00HCFCD Wraps Up Taylor Gully Project Between Rustling Elms and County Line
Over the weekend, Rachel Taylor, a Lake Houston area resident who lives near the mouth bar sent me the video below. It shows an idle dredge near its starting point. The video, plus reports from boaters, fueled speculation that the mouth bar dredging had concluded. That fact was confirmed this afternoon by Houston City Council Member Dave Martin. His office issued a press release stating that FEMA had finished dredging 500,000 cubic yards of sediment from the San Jacinto West Fork Mouth Bar.
Lake Houston area resident Rachel Taylor shot this video of the Great Lakes Dredge on 9/8/2019. The dredge had returned to its starting point, fueling speculation that it had completed its mission assignment.
Said Council Member Dave Martin, “The Federal Emergency Management Administration’s (FEMA) mission assignment modification to address partial removal of the San Jacinto River West Fork mouth-bar has concluded.” The mission assignment authorized the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to remove an additional 497,400 cubic yards of debris from the West Fork near its confluence with Lake Houston. As of September 3, 2019, USACE removed 500,000 cubic yards of debris from the mouth-bar.
However, Martin never accepted the amount of debris included in the mission modification and continues to fight that number to this day.
Running, Year-Long Argument Over Volume
Council Member Martin and the City of Houston, through Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello, argued for almost a year to remove more sediment, believing that 500,000 cubic yards was much too low. But their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
According to Martin, FEMA cannot explain how 497,400 cubic yards was calculated, even while the City of Houston has provided verifiable scientific data showing the volume deposited by Harvey near the mouth bar was 1.4 million cubic yards.
During a meeting in June, 2019, FEMA representatives verified the City’s estimate was sound. That lead Martin to believe another contract extension was feasible. In August, FEMA representatives again stated, “Your (City of Houston) data is NOT bad data”, leaving Martin with lingering questions as to why no additional modification had been granted.
As a result of the most recent meeting held in Austin, Texas, with representatives from FEMA, USACE, Texas Division of Emergency Management, City of Houston, and Governor Greg Abbott’s office, Council Member Martin along with Mayor Sylvester Turner have sent a letter to our Federal Congressional Delegation requesting action be taken to address the Hurricane Harvey debris remaining in the mouth-bar. This letter urges Senator John Cornyn, Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman Kevin Brady, and Congressman Dan Crenshaw to continue to support recovery of our area through requesting an additional mission modification from FEMA. It would enable dredging another one million cubic yards of sediment related to Hurricane Harvey.
Overall, dredging in the San Jacinto removed more than 2 million cubic yards of sediment. That will help reduce the effects of potential future flooding, but it will not restore the conveyance of the river.
Granting a second mission modification allows the use of existing pre-positioned resources as well as an estimated savings of nearly $20 million for mobilization.
The City of Houston has secured a third disposal site, Barry Madden’s property south of the river, that has already received USACE permits for another 500,000 cubic yards of sediment disposal.
Request from Council Member Martin
Martin asks residents who support the request for additional dredging to contact their federal representatives. Martin says he remains committed to removing additional sediment in the mouth-bar and will continue to fight for additional dredging at that location.
Why We Still Have A Problem
Last weekend, boaters, canoeists and kayakers reported that water depth in the mouth bar was only 3-5 feet deep. Even though the Corps has so far refused to release its plans or survey results, that’s very close to the estimate I calculated when dividing 500,000 cubic yards by the acreage within the dredge area.
However, boaters also report the water upstream from the mouth bar is almost 40 feet deep in places.
This will herd water into an underwater box canyon.
As water hits that wall, it will also slow down, dropping more sediment out of suspension faster. That, in turn, will accelerate re-deposition and quickly fill in the area that FEMA just spent $90 million dredging. What a tragic waste of tax dollars!
Benefits of Additional Dredging
Creating a consistently wide and deep channel through the mouth bar that connects upstream areas with the Lake beyond FM1960 will reduce flood damages to properties regionally and provide for increased resilience to transportation systems, water treatment systems, public/private utilities, emergency response facilities, petrochemical industries, and other critical infrastructure, in the West Fork, San Jacinto River Watershed, plus Harris, Montgomery, and Liberty Counties.
Last year, the Corps estimated the flood protection benefits to be on the order of $200 billion.
FEMA regulations allow the agency to restore a river to a prior good condition if a risk to health and human safety exists.
Given that petrochemical industries in the region produce a significant amount of the nation’s petroleum-based energy products, reducing flood risks to these plants and their workers who reside in flood-prone areas will provide greater resiliency and a National security benefit.
Environmental benefits include reduced risks to water treatment plants from flooded sand mines and chemical spills which are threats to human health and safety. Non-monetary benefits include reduced risks to life, especially among residents with insufficient means.
Many readers have written to inquire about my lack of regular posting recently. No, I have not been sick. No, I have not been discouraged. And no, I have not given up the fight. But I have been distracted … in a most pleasant way. By the marriage of my son Kevin to Dr. Aylin (pronounced Eileen) Ulku, a professor of medicine at the University of California. You could say that I’ve been grappling with a different kind of flood, a flood of emotions. But these are all positive.
Dr. Aylin Ulku and Kevin Rehak exchange wedding vows and rings near Santa Cruz, CA.LTC Julian Benton, USAF, officiated.
Two Met in Kigali
In 2010, Aylin began work in Kigali, Rwanda, as an Assistant Clinical Professor for the Yale School of Medicine. Her mission: to assist in medical-education capacity-building within the National University of Rwanda (NUR) School of Medicine. Her work included teaching and supervising Rwandese medical students and residents in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. She also revised undergraduate and graduate curricula and training programs. Her interests focus on global health education and training in non-communicable diseases in limited-resource settings. And did I mention? In addition to her MD, this brilliant humanitarian also has a PhD.
Aylin and my son met at an embassy party in Kigali. Kevin was there on a Peace Corps assignment. As he tells the story, he saw her from across the room and made a beeline toward her. They started dating in Rwanda, got engaged in San Francisco, and over the Labor Day weekend, they got married. It was a story-book wedding. On a mountain top near Santa Cruz, among sequoias, flowers, families and friends.
Residing in San Francisco
The two plan to continue living in San Francisco for now. Dr. Ulku’s research and teaching interests take her back to Africa several times each year. Kevin works as a supply chain management consultant in Silicon Valley.
When they’re not traveling for business, Kevin and Aylin travel for pleasure. The two are avid outdoors people. They have hiked the remote reaches of six continents. I could not be happier for these two wonderful people. May they always walk in beauty.
Now…back to the news. And there’s plenty of it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/10/2019
742 Days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_0306-e1568149385246.jpeg?fit=1500%2C952&ssl=19521500adminadmin2019-09-10 15:50:162019-09-10 16:11:00A Flood of Emotions
A new video taken by Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller from Webb Street in Porter shows that the Woodridge developer has not yet begun excavating detention pond N1. The area has been cleared and grubbed since long before the May 7th rain that flooded more than 200 homes in Elm Grove and Porter.
Video courtesy of Jeff Miller shows the area within Woodridge Village where detention pond N1 should be.Taken 9/5/19.
This is for the historical record in case any of those tropical depressions brewing in the Gulf or the Atlantic meanders this way. It seems we’ve been here before. Detention Pond S2 had not yet been excavated when the May 7th flood hit. These Perry Homes folks are certainly connoisseurs of edge work.
Posted by Bob Rehak with video from Jeff Miller on 9/6/19.
738 days after Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/N1.jpg?fit=1500%2C802&ssl=18021500adminadmin2019-09-06 09:23:292019-09-06 09:24:17Miller Video Shows No Construction Progress on Woodridge N1 Detention Pond
My last update on Woodridge construction was 18 days ago and little has changed since then according to Elm Grove resident Jeff Miller who tracks construction progress on the site.
The culvert under the street that connects the northern and southern portions of Woodridge Village is now complete. But the street itself has no concrete or curbs.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
According to Miller, “The culvert across Taylor Gully and cement structure around it are complete and ready for the road crew to pave over it.”
The trees that used to separate the northern and southern halves of the development are gone.Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller.
“The clearing continues in the northern section. More trees are laying down and turning brown. I have seen some activity like preliminary marking of the future detention pond N1,” says Miller.
The overflow channel between Taylor Gully and detention pond S2 just north of Village Springs in Elm Grove is being lined with rocks and concrete.Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.Looking west and panning north. This clip shows that the construction company has hydromulched the berm that separates Woodridge Village from Elm Grove. Video courtesy of Jeff Miller.
“The berm, swale and backslope interceptor structures seem to be complete on the southern border with Elm Grove,” continued Miller. “They have sprayed the slopes with a green fertilizer/seed mixture.”
On the plus side, maybe the grass will help prevent more erosion.
Posted by Bob Rehak with help from Jeff Miller
735 Days since Hurricane Harvey and almost 4 months since the Elm Grove flood
The thoughts expressed in this post represent my opinions on matters of public policy 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/2019/09/Culverts-NS-Street-Woodridge.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2019-09-03 10:08:052019-09-04 04:32:53Woodridge Village Construction Near Standstill
Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has nearly completed restoration of Taylor Gully between Bassingham and the Montgomery County line. At least one drain pipe still needs to be installed and some dirt needs to be removed. But the drainage ditch itself is looking much better.
Taylor Gully Excavated, New Pipe Installed
Said Jeff Miller, an Elm Grove resident tracking the work, said, “Most all grading and sediment removal is complete. It looks like they are finishing rebuilding and installing one last backslope interceptor pipe. In all, I counted 8 new pipes and 2 cleared pipes, the majority on the west side of the gully.”
Looking south into Taylor Gully from the culvert that separates Woodridge Village and Elm Grove. This ditch had become clogged from upstream erosion.But now, HCFCD has almost totally restored conveyance. All images courtesy of Jeff Miller.
New Drain Pipe Work Nearly Complete
HCFCD reset this inlet behind Abel and Nancy Vera’s backyard. New backslpoe interceptor pipe with concrete structure not yet poured; end of metal pipe will be trimmed flush with concrete.Drain pipe exits have been cleared.Some were totally submerged in sediment.Soil near Rustic Elms still needs to be removed and replacement pipe installed.
Thank You, HCFCD!
A big shout out to the men, women and contractors of the Harris County Flood Control District for excellent work. It will help protect hundreds of homes that flooded on May 7.
Posted by Bob Rehak and Jeff Miller
734 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/IMG_2848.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=19001200adminadmin2019-09-02 09:07:042019-09-02 09:07:14Upstream Section of Taylor Gully Nearly Restored
On July 23rd, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extenstion, FEMA and Texas Community Watershed Partners held a Community Health and Resource Management workshop. Attendees included 29 officials, municipal staff, and stakeholders from Conroe, Patton Village, Montgomery County, Harris County Flood Control District, SJRA, Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District, the Bayou Land Conservance, Red Cross, United Way and more.
Community Health and Resources Management Workshop in action.
Protecting Growth from Flooding
Organizers dedicated the majority of the workshop to using a GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping platform, developed by AgriLife Extension’s Texas Community Watershed Partners. The platform allows communities to digitally draw different growth and development scenarios on a map of their community. Then they can see the implications, in real time. Which scenarios will increase or decrease disaster risk?
The organizers challenged participants to double growth without increasing flood risk. The outcomes of the workshop have real-life implications for urban planning, building codes, flood mitigation and disaster recovery.
The teams in the workshop explored strategies, such as:
Creation of more detention areas
Public Education
Flood Planning with community leaders
Filling
Public Involvement
Education on flood insurance
Messaging on flood risk
Buyouts
Apply for HUD Community Development Block Grants
Implementing higher standards
Changes in Building Codes
Collaboration with agencies, organizations
Buyouts
Future studies
And more
This presentation provides an excellent demonstration of the linkage between planning, land use and long-term-risk.
External Links in Presentation Lead to Valuable Tools
One of the most valuable parts of the presentation: links to related resources from participants and planners.
For instance, this base-flood elevation viewer contained information that FEMA’s national flood hazard layer viewer did not. Using the former tool, I was able to look up Woodridge Village in Montgomery County. I found that much of it was in the high risk 1-percent flood plain. That explains why the developer is raising it so much.
All in all, if you have five minutes to explore this presentation, it could help you connect some dots.
Posted by Bob Rehak with thanks to Paul Crowson and Bob Bagley
733 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Screen-Shot-2019-09-01-at-3.36.49-PM-copy.jpg?fit=2872%2C1712&ssl=117122872adminadmin2019-09-01 18:17:012019-09-01 18:17:09Lessons from A&M Community Health and Resource Management Workshop for East Montgomery County
Secrecy surrounds current dredging plans for the mouth bar of the San Jacinto West Fork. We know that the Corps will finish removing 500,000 cubic yards next week. However…
Unkowns at This Time
… we don’t know exactly where they are removing sediment, how wide the area is, how deep it is, and whether they will cut a channel through the sediment dam or just shave some off the top.
Mouth Bar of the San Jacinto West Fork immediately after Harvey
The Corps’ refusal to divulge plans puts residents in a bind. How can we know whether they have restored conveyance and safety? We must take their word. We don’t even have a post-dredge survey showing us how they intend to leave the river.
Two Prominent Geologist Suggest Objectives
With those caveats in mind, I asked Tim Garfield and RD Kissling what objectives they would set to restore conveyance and safety. Garfield and Kissling are two prominent area geologists who first brought the mouth-bar problems to the public’s attention. Between them, they have more than 80 years of oil field experience at the highest levels, studying river basins around the world.
Here’s how they responded: “Our overriding objectives are simple:
Restore flow conveyance of the west fork into Lake Houston
Survey the entire area being dredged for depth upon completion.
Extend the upstream dredging which ended near Kings Harbor through the mouth bar area. Said another way, don’t make water flow uphill. Eliminate the ramp.
Continue the 400’ wide, approximately 20′ deep channel past the SMB until it connects into the relict channel where it is 20’ deep or deeper near the FM1960 bridge.
Develop and implement a plan for regular maintenance dredging.
Define responsibilities, budget and source of funding for future dredging.
Define a schedule of regular depth surveys in order to determine where sediments are re-accumulating and to have a better baseline for future storm events.
Build and utilize 2D- or 3D-models to help guide future dredging decisions.
Resolve disposal issues. Identify long-term placement areas and potential partnerships with industry.”
Who Will Achieve Desired Results?
These objectives make sense to me. They describe what the river used to look like before the mouth bar set up and contributed to flooding 7,000 homes and businesses. They also describe what we need to do to keep the problem from recurring. If the Corps doesn’t achieve the desired result, I hope the City, Harris County and State can. You can help by urging elected representatives to get FEMA to designate the mouth bar sediment as Category A.
Corps May Share Results When Dredging Complete
According to Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s office, the Corps has finally agreed to share with outside sources the 1D HEC-RAS model it built. Reportedly, the Corps sent a copy of the model and data to Stephen Costello, the City of Houston’s Chief Recovery Officer. Crenshaw’s office is also trying to obtain the Corps’ dredging plans and make them public.
It will be interesting to see how the Corps’ dredging results line up with Garfield’s and Kissling’s objectives.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/31/2019
732 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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Having barely scratched the surface of the mouth bar of the San Jacinto West Fork, FEMA and the Army Corps will pack up their gear next week and call their job done. Last-ditch pleas by the City of Houston, Harris County and the State of Texas to get the federal government to extend its dredging program have fallen on deaf ears, perhaps because of the shifting of disaster relief funds to the construction of migrant detention facilities.
Mouth bar of the West Fork shortly after start of supplemental dredging. Photo courtesy of BCAeronautics.
Regardless, the bottom line is this: the Corps and FEMA will leave millions of cubic yards of sediment in place without restoring conveyance of the West Fork to a prior good condition.
The pullout caps months of arguments over how much sediment Harvey deposited. The City estimated 1.4 million cubic yards and the Corps 500,000.
According to City Council Member Dave Martin, the Corps agreed Harvey deposited 1.4 million cubic yards of sediment in the river near the mouth bar. The Corps also agreed, said Martin, that there was nothing wrong with the Tetra Tech study that arrived at that total.
Waffling by Corps
As late as last Friday, Martin said, the Corps agreed to write a letter to FEMA, recommending dredging more than the 500,000 cubic yards. The letter would say that almost a million cubic yards of Harvey-related sediment remained in the river and should be removed. However, at a meeting in Austin this Tuesday, the Corps revealed that FEMA told it not to write the letter. The Corps now intends to demobilize equipment as soon as it finishes dredging 500,000 cubic yards from the mouth bar. That should only take until next week.
With the year-long dredging program now almost complete and perhaps less than a quarter of the sediment removed that is required to restore the natural flow of the river, what will happen next? We have some hope.
The Corps has finally approved Berry Madden’s property as a storage site for 500,000 cubic yards. That should be enough to get the next phase of the program started while the City seeks additional storage sites.
The City has committed to a maintenance dredging program according to Martin.
The State and Harris County have earmarked $30 million and $10 million respectively to continue dredging.
Tell them that you support the Category A designation and see the mouth bar removal as crucial to public safety with a letter like the one below.
Sample Letter
Subject: PLEASE CLASSIFY MOUTH BAR REMNANTS AS CATEGORY A
Dear _____________:
Thank you for helping to make dredging of the San Jacinto West Fork a priority. It will help reduce flooding, protect property, save lives, and improve public safety.
However, part of the existing mouth-bar located at the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston remains.
I’m writing to enlist your support in urging the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) to designate that remaining debris as Category A for reimbursement.
Category A designation will allow the City of Houston to:
Utilize existing resources and pre-positioned contracts
Save nearly $20 million associated with mobilization
Protect life, property and safety
Field data collected by the City of Houston and provided to FEMA demonstrates that the remaining debris was directly associated with Hurricane Harvey. As of August 20, 2019, the City of Houston has proactively secured a third United States Army Corps of Engineers permitted disposal site needed for the additional debris.
Your assistance is crucial to rehabilitate the San Jacinto River to its prior good condition. Please urge FEMA to grant this Category A designation. It will let the City of Houston continue rebuilding from Harvey.
Sincerely,
INSERT
YOUR NAME
YOUR ADDRESS
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/30/2019with drone photo from BCAeronautics
731 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/BCAeronautics-Mouth-Bar-1.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125&ssl=111251500adminadmin2019-08-30 00:41:112019-08-30 00:46:32FEMA/Corps To Stop Dredging Mouth Bar Before Finishing Job; What You Can Do
