Lake Conroe Seasonal Lowering Reaches Target Level at Peak of Hurricane Season

Earlier this year, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) voted to lower the level of Lake Conroe during the peak of hurricane season. The purpose: to provide an additional buffer against flooding for downstream residents until the river could be dredged. The SJRA has now reached its target of 199 mean feet above seal level (MSL).

Temporary Lowering Accommodates Dredging

The SJRA stated, “This was the target elevation established by the San Jacinto River Authority and the City of Houston to create a temporary flood mitigation benefit while dredging activities take place in the lower part of the San Jacinto River.”

The lowering happened gradually during August. To avoid downstream flooding, the  SJRA released water at the rate of 200-300 cubic feet per second. That amounted to  about an inch per day. The exact amount varied due to occasional rain and evaporation.

Lake Conroe Will Return to Normal Level After September

“Now that the target elevation has been reached,” said the SJRA, “Reservoir operators have shut off the release of water from the dam and will operate with the goal of maintaining the current elevation through the end of September. After September, any rainfall flowing into the reservoir will be held, and the reservoir will be allowed to return to the normal elevation of 201 ft-msl.”

Update on Dredging Schedule

As tropical activity heats up, this is good news. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is nearing completion of the assembly of the first of two dredges and miles of dredge pipe. The contractor for the Corps’ Emergency West Fork Dredging Project, Great Lakes, is expected to begin dredging on September 6. Dredging will extend from River Grove Park on the west to Chimichurri’s on the east. It’s not clear yet, which end the contractor will begin on. Great Lakes expects to complete the project, weather permitting, by April of next year.

Posted September 1, 2018 by Bob Rehak

368 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Sand-Mine Fines vs. Lake-Houston-Area Damage During Harvey

Numerous posts on this blog have documented how sand mines made flooding worse during Harvey. Yet the total amount of fines levied against mines in the second half of last year state-wide was less than the average repair cost for one home flooded during Harvey.

Let me state some caveats upfront in this post.

However, NO sediment should have come from any mine. It could have been easily avoided. Most mines choose to operate in the floodway…downstream from a major dam…in a flood prone region. They have other choices.

But they continue to mine in floodways. Partially as a result, millions of cubic yards of sand now clog the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto, creating higher floods on smaller rains. Meanwhile, the public, businesses, FEMA, and insurance companies are stuck with the cleanup bill and increased flood risk.

Having said that, let’s look at the scorecard.

Fines Levied Statewide by TCEQ on Sand Mines in Last 5 Years

TCEQ fines levied since passage of HB571 through end of 2017. Image scanned from TCEQ report to Texas legislature.

That’s about $800 per fine or a half-million dollars total during five years. If you look just at the last half of 2017 (after Harvey), the TCEQ levied about $140,000 in fines STATEWIDE – far less than it cost to repair ONE average home in Kingwood as a result of Harvey.

Damage to Lake Houston Area During Harvey Related to Excessive Sedimentation

  • $60 million in repairs to Kingwood High School
  • $60 million in repairs to Lone Star College/Kingwood
  • $1.4 billion for 7000+ homes flooded at estimated repair cost of $200,000 each
  • $1.5 billion in lost productivity ([100,000 people x 200 hours each] + [10,000 people times x 1000 hours each] = 30 million hours x Ave. $50 each)
  • $70 million for Phase 1 dredging of 2.1 miles out of 13 miles
  • $50 million for Phase 2 dredging allocated in County Flood Bond
  • “Billions” lost in home values and tax revenue according to City of Houston
  • 44% of Lake Houston area businesses flooded and closed for months, many closed permanently
  • Total: Estimated $5+ billion

So Much for Fiscal Conservatism

Even if you think the mines contributed only 10% of the sand in the river and are responsible for only 10% of the damage, they still came out ahead by a pretty lopsided margin, especially considering that we’re comparing statewide to local statistics and extended periods to one event. AND they are not being asked to contribute one penny to clean-up costs beyond their normal taxes. If you or I backed up into a light pole, we would probably get a bill for damaging City property. But not these lucky guys.

You would think the City, County, State, businesses and residents must be flush with cash to absorb these kinds of losses without raising a peep. So much for fiscal conservatism! Since when did Texas  replace “You Break It; You Buy It” with corporate welfare and subsidies?

But hey, we need cheap concrete to attract new residents who will make up for these losses. Right?

It’s Time to Change the Conversation

Call me unrealistic, but maybe it’s time to:

  • Prioritize taxpayers over newcomers.
  • Compare the tax revenue from mining to losses from other sources.
  • Balance public safety and private profit.
  • Put some teeth in TCEQ regulations.

Make all miners move out of the floodway and you could level the playing field for them while protecting them from liability. You could also avoid a lot of that damage, protect lives and property from unnecessary risk, avoid unnecessary losses, make the banking and insurance industries happy, reduce mitigation costs, increase savings and investment, hold down taxes, and attract newcomers. But wait. Win-win? That’s too radical a notion to succeed in politics these days.

As always, these are my opinions on matters of public policy. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.

Posted by Bob Rehak on August 31, 2018

367 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

River Migration: Another Reason for Greater Sand-Mine Setbacks

River migration can imperil sand-mine dikes and that can imperil people downstream.

In the case presented below, the San Jacinto river migrated 258 feet toward a dike in only 23 years and now threatens it. The river has eaten away at a dike by migrating an average of 12.4 feet per year. The dike is now only 38 feet wide. This a textbook case for why we need greater separation between mines and the San Jacinto river. Another dike failure could exacerbate downstream sedimentation and flooding, as it has before.

River Migration Raises Questions about Setbacks and Abandonment

This example of river migration raises serious questions about the lack of setback requirements for Texas sand mines. As rivers migrate toward mines, they can breach dikes and increase the risk of future breaches. Sediment then sent downstream can block rivers and streams, and contribute to worse flooding.

In some cases, mining companies may still be around to repair breaches. But what happens when the mine is played out and no one is there to repair the dike? Hundreds of acres of silt could suddenly be exposed to river currents and washed downstream. As more and more mines on the West Fork approach the end of their lives, this is becoming a huge concern.

Before Sand Mines

This series of satellite images from Google Earth starts in 1995, before there were any sand mines on either side of the river at this location. I created the red line in a separate layer above the satellite images. As we move forward in time, the location of the line will NOT change; but the location of the river WILL.

1/18/1995 before sand mining in this area of the West Fork

By 12/31/2001, the river had shifted slightly. We now have a sand mine on the east side of the river. Note the width of the dike and the road on top of it.

By 1/25/2004, the river had eaten away at the dike and threatened the road. 

1/14/2006: The river has almost completely shifted from its original bed and wiped out a large part of the road

1/8/2008: The dike has become dangerously thin, and the road has completely disappeared.

3/14/2014: The mining company has shored up the road by adding fill to both sides of the dike, increasing sedimentation in the river.

On 5/31/2015, the Memorial Day Flood inundated the mine and wiped out the road again. Note the large body of water at the far left. This was a new pit started on the west side of the river that year. Notice how the dike on the left has been breached and silt from the mine is flowing directly into the river.

7/31/2015: The dike on the left remains open and erosion from the Memorial Day flood has eaten the road on the right dike. Twenty years after the start of this sequence, the river has now completely migrated from its original path.

Then along came the Tax Day Flood of 2016.

By 1/23/17, we see sediment building up at the south end of the both pits from the storm during the previous year. This shows that the current was strong enough to move sand within the pits, something the miners say is impossible.

By 8/30/17, the entire area was inundated. Peak flow during Harvey actually happened the day before this photo was taken.  It was four times greater than what you see above.

On 10/28/17, two months after Harvey, the dike on the right has almost disappeared. It is now a mere 38 feet wide. The red line, which represents the original riverbed, no longer overlaps the current river bed. The pond next to the G in Google has almost completely filled in, more evidence of sediment migration within the pit.

Reckless Endangerment?

This series of river migration images shows the relentless forces of erosion. Mining in the floodway so close to the river increases sedimentation, and as a consequence, the risk of flooding.

We’re already spending tens of millions of public tax dollars to dredge the San Jacinto and restore its carrying capacity. Sediment clogged it, in large part, because sand mine dikes have failed repeatedly to protect the mines from floods.

At what point does the honorable pursuit of profit become reckless endangerment? At what point does hope that the dikes will hold become willful blindness? Since when does one man’s unfettered right to mine sand give him the right to damage others and imperil public safety? Why do legislators allow business practices that endanger neighboring communities? When will regulators see the partial truths spread by TACA for what they are – an deceptive attempt to escape liability for egregious business practices? And above all, what happens when miners walk away from the property but floods continue as they always have.

Property Rights Vs. Public Safety

Miners claim they have the right to do what they want on their property. But not at the expense of public safety. Should the owners of commercial buildings be allowed to operate without fire alarms, sprinkler systems and safety exits just because it’s their property?

Miners have choices. They don’t need to compromise safety. The meander belt of the San Jacinto stretches for miles. There’s plenty of sand out of the floodway to mine.

At the current rate, without human intervention, river migration should capture the mine on the right side of these photos in about three years. It won’t be the first time something like this has happened.

To prevent such disasters in the making and protect public water sources, other states and countries have established setback regulations from rivers. Texas should do the same.

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Bob Rehak

365 Days since Hurricane Harvey flooded the Lake Houston Area

As always this is my opinion on a matter of public policy and is protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP statutes of the Great State of Texas.

Harris County Flood Bond Approved by 6:1. What’s Next?

On August 25th, voters overwhelmingly approved the Harris County flood bond. The bond didn’t just pass, it passed overwhelmingly. 85.64 percent of the votes were FOR and only 14.36% were against. That made the margin of victory almost 6:1. Near midnight, the county clerk posted these results for the Bond

Breakdown of Vote

Not many people voted. Only 152,305 of 2,285,881 registered voters cast ballots. That’s 6.66%.

Approximately 94,000 people voted by mail or during early voting. Another 57,000 people voted on Election Day, August 25th, the semi-official anniversary of Hurricane Harvey.*

The total number of voters equaled the number of homes in Harris county that were destroyed – about 150,000 – but only half the number of cars that were destroyed – about 300,000. Perhaps everyone just assumed passage and stayed home.

Local Tallies Not Yet Available

Officials have not yet posted results by precinct. Therefore it’s not immediately clear how the Lake Houston Area voted compared to the rest of the county.

Anecdotal evidence, however, suggests the Lake Houston area had higher percentages of voters and positive voters than the rest of the county. One precinct in Kingwood had ten times more voters than an Aldine precinct and only 3% who voted against the bond. We’ll have to wait for the official results to tell more.

Everything Approved for Lake Houston

The turnout may have been disappointing, but the results were not. This will mean critical funding for projects that the Lake Houston Area needs for flood mitigation: more detention, dredging and gates. The bond also includes money to improve long neglected ditches and money to buy out homes that flood repeatedly.

Implementing Priorities

In the year since Harvey, we defined the problems, developed consensus around solutions, and secured funding.

Now starts the hard work. We actually have to implement the plans.

On Friday, August 24, the first of two dredges entered the river for the completion of assembly, The dredge is 27 feet wide, 90 feet long and weighs 270 tons. 

Additional Dredging Approved

I’m hoping that additional dredging will be one of the first items on the agenda for the Lake Houston Area. Currently, the Army Corps is about to start dredging 2.1 miles worth of “hot spots” in the river. Twenty-five percent of the cost of that project or about $17.9 million is for mobilization and demobilization. If we can launch a follow-on project to address the mouth bar before that project is completed next April, we may be able to redeploy all the equipment and dredge pipe without incurring all of those mobilization charges again.

Additional Gates Approved

The additional flood gates for Lake Houston will most likely be the next highest priority. Reportedly, the project received a very high score from the Texas Division of Emergency Management and FEMA. Engineering is already underway. However, this is a massive capital project that could easily take several years.

Additional Detention Approved

Adding more upstream detention will require a watershed survey (also in the flood bond budget) to determine the best place or places. Reportedly a vendor has already been selected and is standing by to start work the minute funding is assured.

To see the complete project list, click here and scroll down to the San Jacinto Watershed.

I contacted Matt Zeve tonight to congratulate him on the outcome of the vote. I think he was already hard at work on the projects. Within seconds, I received this response. “We are ready to deliver for everyone in Harris County.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/26/17

362 Days since Hurricane Harvey

*PS: You may note that my anniversary date is a little out of sync with what others are calling the anniversary of Harvey, My calendar started ticking when water started creeping in my neighbors homes, not when the storm first approached Corpus Christi.

Saturday: Your Last Chance to Vote for the Flood Bond

There’s still one more chance to vote for the flood bond. This Saturday. At your regular polling place.

Low Turnout So Far

At the end of early voting, turnout for the flood bond was about 4% of registered voters. That’s dismal considering that virtually everyone in the county was affected by the Harvey flood. Less than one out of three people who lost vehicles in Harvey had come out to vote. Only 40 percent of who lost homes bothered to vote.

Here are all the rational reasons to vote for the flood bond. Among other things, you’ll be protecting your investment in your biggest investment. It will cost a lot less than flood insurance, and it will actually do something to reduce your flood risk.

And yet the turnout has been low. Perhaps “Fight Flooding,” the theme of the bond’s communication campaign, didn’t have much visceral impact. For those who forgot already what Harvey was like (if that’s possible), here are some alternative ads.

 

Vote and Get Your Friends and Neighbors to Vote

Please, everyone. Vote. You’ve spent a year cleaning up or helping your neighbors to clean up. Take a few minutes to vote. Walk around your block. Knock on doors and get neighbors to the polls. Only one thing is guaranteed, If this bond fails, our flood risk will remain high.

Posted August 25, 2018 by Bob Rehak

360 Days since Hurricane Harvey

 

Flooding and Floodplains in the Houston Area: Past, Present and Future

FEMA Flood Hazard Layer Viewer. Shows Humble-Kingwood-Atascocita-Corridor on West Fork of San Jacinto. Floodway (hatched), 100-year flood plain (aqua) and brown (500-year) flood plains are superimposed.

This Friday, from 7-9pm, Dr. William Dupre from the University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences will conduct a  free Informational Workshop on flooding and flood plains sponsored by the Houston Geological Society. The event is free and open for the public.

Flooding in the Houston area over the last three years has caused residents and professionals alike to reconsider how we evaluate and respond to flood hazards in the region.
Dr. Dupre will discuss:
  • How watersheds and floodplains are defined and mapped
  • How individuals can obtain (and understand) information on local watersheds and floodplain maps
  • Recent floods, including how floods are measured and how flood frequency is calculated
  • How and why floods and floodplains in Houston have changed in the past, and are likely to change in the future
  • Possible approaches to reducing flood risk in the future.

FREE FLOODPLAIN WORKSHOP: INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS!

Where:    Kingwood Community Center, 4102 Rustic Woods Dr, Kingwood, TX 77345

When:     Friday, August 24th, 7-9 PM

Speaker: Dr. William R. Dupre’, University of Houston, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

To reserve a seat: Please call the Houston Geological Society office (713) 463-9476 before 4 pm Thursday, August 23, or send your request to jajordan@hgs.org, and put “Kingwood Reservation” in the subject line.

 

Additional Information on Bond Proposal

The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) Preliminary Draft of 2018 BOND PROPOSED PROJECTS is available at:the Harris County Flood Control District website.

The actual text of the Bond Proposal and Election can found at https://www.hcfcd.org/media/2855/bpl.pdf

This program is a community outreach effort by the Continuing Education Committee of the Houston Geological Society, the largest local geological society in the world.  The event is posted on their website.  Go to www.hgs.org; on the blue banner click on CALENDAR; on the Calendar page click on August 24.

Remember, the final day to vote for the flood bond is August 25, this Saturday, at your regular polling place. Please VOTE FOR it.

Posted by Bob Rehak on August 23, 2018

359 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Good News and Bad News about Early Voting for Flood Bond

Early voting for the Harris County Flood Bond ended Tuesday. Final voting is this Saturday, August 25th, the anniversary of Harvey.

First, the good news. Exit polling showed voters in the Lake Houston Area generally favored the bond. The other good news was that Kingwood had the highest number of voters anywhere in the county – 4133 or almost 8 percent of the total of early votes (excluding mail in votes).

County-wide, there were:

  • 52,604 early votes cast in person
  • 40,087 early votes by mail
  • 92,691 total early votes

The County Clerk does not provide a breakdown of early votes by area of the county. Breakdowns are only available for in-person voting.

Number of Lake Houston Area votes cast in person and as percent of in-person early votes:
  • Kingwood     4,133          7.9%
  • Atascocita        598          1.1%
  • Humble            980          1.9%
  • Crosby              406           .7%
  • Total                6,117       11.6%

Huffman had no early voting locations. Atascocita or Crosby would have been the closest voting locations for Huffman voters..

Now for the Bad News

For the most important election in recent memory, the turnout is miserable so far. Here are some statistics that put it in perspective.

  • Registered voters in Harris County as of 2016 = 2.235 million
  • % of voters (in person and by mail) who voted early for flood bond = 4.1%
  • Average % that early vote in non-presidential elections = 25%

We early voted at one sixth the normal turnout. But it gets even worse.

Let’s look at the number of early voters compared to the number who suffered flood damage. And let’s assume 1.5 voters per household since approximately half of all adults are married.

Lake Houston Area Structures:
  • Structures flooded in Humble, Atascocita, Huffman and Kingwood = 7,064.
  • Voters flooded in Lake Houston area = 10,596
  • Early in-person voters Lake Houston area = 5,711
  • Only about 54% of those who flooded in the Lake Houston Area bothered to vote so far.
County-Wide Structures:
  • Total structures flooded in Harris County = 154,170
  • Voters flooded in Harris County = 231,255
  • 225,000 voters flooded
  • 90,000 early voters
  • Only 40% of the people who flooded in the entire county bothered to vote so far.
Vehicles County-Wide:
  • Vehicles flooded in Harris County = 300,000
  • 90,000 early voters (in person and by mail)
  • Only 30% of all the people who lost vehicles bothered to vote so far.
FEMA claims County-Wide:
  • 47,000+ Flood Insurance Claims ($2.9B)
  • 15,800+ Small Business Loans ($1.2B)
  • 177,600 Individual Assistance approvals ($4.8B)
  • Total = 240,400 people damaged
  • 90,000 early voters
  • Only 37% of those filing FEMA claims bothered to vote so far.

I once read in a very good book…

I once read in a very good book somewhere that the creator helps those who help themselves.

This turnout is inexcusable.

Ten percent of the homes in the county flooded, but only 4% have bothered to vote so far!

Your Last Chance to Vote: This Saturday

Your last chance to vote is this Saturday, August 25th, at your regular polling place. To find your polling place, follow this link. Please vote. Get all your friends to vote. Get your relatives to vote. And drag your neighbors to the polls, too.

And please vote FOR the flood bond. Here’s a good list of all the reasons why you should.

Even if you didn’t flood, there are many reasons you should vote for the flood bond:

  • 68% of all those who flooded were outside of the 100-year flood plain. You could be next if we don’t improve drainage systems.
  • Many people are unwilling to fully rehab their homes because of fear of future flooding. Just one of those homes in your neighborhood can bring down home values for everyone.
  • Reductions in home values could result in increases in property tax rates as governments struggle to maintain a constant level of revenue.
  • Experience shows that homes near flood zones are less marketable.
  • Retailers will be less willing to invest in areas that have flooded before if they see no hope for future improvement.
  • PTFD

So please vote FOR the flood bond this Saturday. Mark your calendar now.

Post August 22, 2018 by Bob Rehak

358 Days since Hurricane Harvey

A River Ran Through It: Dr. Katherine Persson’s Harvey Experience

“This is our war room,” said Dr. Katherine Persson, President of Lone Star College/Kingwood, without a hint of emotion in her voice. She speaks in clipped tones, not wasting a word or a second. That’s my first clue about the ordeal she and her management team have been through … and the miracle they managed to pull off after the West Fork of the San Jacinto River ran through two-thirds of the campus.

Dr. Katherine Persson, President of Lone Star College, Kingwood

During Hurricane Harvey, the college lost six of nine buildings to floodwater. The floodwater was contaminated with sewage forced up through floor drains when a nearby City of Houston wastewater treatment plant upstream also flooded. Decontamination took months. Restoration won’t finish until mid-January of 2019. Even before the floodwaters had fully receded, she and her team were busy developing a completely new business plan. They had to launch it in less than three weeks.

“Altogether,” Persson says, “Lone Star College District serves almost 90,000 students. We are the largest in the state and one of the largest in the country. The average size of a community college is 5,500.”

Persson oversees one sixth of the District. Her responsibilities extend from Humble to Tarkington (near Cleveland). She is responsible for:

  • 13,000 students
  • 150 full-time faculty
  • 400 part-time faculty
  • 400 full-time support staff

“We are a major economic engine in the community,” she says. “Despite the flood, we never closed down. We never laid anybody off. We made sure everybody got a paycheck.”

This is the story of how she and her team did it.

The Storm that Just Wouldn’t End

Persson’s story begins with a series of cascading delays. “On Friday, August 25th of 2017, we closed the college in anticipation of Hurricane Harvey. By Sunday, it became apparent that the storm was headed toward Houston, so we delayed the opening of school from the 28th to the 30th. But by Monday, the 28th, we determined that that wouldn’t work either, so we announced that classes would start on September 5th.

Harvey flooded 6 of 9 buildings at Lone Star College/Kingwood and cost an estimated total of $60 million.

“On Monday night, we were a shelter and a staging place for Centerpoint. We had 20 people already staying in the gym. I got a call from Dave Martin, our city councilmember. He asked if we could become a Red Cross Shelter because Kingwood High School was flooding. I said, ‘yes,’ of course. We were a shelter for all of three or four hours. At 10:30 Monday night, we had to close down.”

Persson continued, “At 2:30 the next morning, our facilities director called and said we had water in at least five of our buildings. That was Tuesday, the 29th. Unless you had a boat, nobody could get here until the 30th. Once the roads cleared out we could see that we had massive damage to six buildings because of the SJRA release.”

“I Tried Not to Get Emotional”

“Our deans started gathering that Wednesday, August 30, at homes that weren’t flooded, trying to figure out what we would do. We drafted a preliminary plan that had us coming back by converting 16-week classes to 12-week classes  with extensive reliance on online courses. We did the first campus assessment at 4 pm that day. I wasn’t devastated emotionally at that point, I was just impressed with the power of water and what it can do.”

Classroom building at Lone Star College/Kingwood flooded during Harvey after the release of water from the Lake Conroe Dam by the San Jacinto River Authority.

“The depressing part was coming back Thursday and Friday. Everything kept smelling worse and worse. By Saturday, our facilities director got hold of a landscape crew that started cleaning the campus from one end to the other. When 250 Blackmon Mooring remediation workers started showing up, that became Good Day #1.”

“When I thanked the Lafayette volunteer group that was bringing 250 hot meals to campus for the workers, I think I freaked them out. They thought I was from the health department when I showed up in a white suit.”

“I work with miracle workers.”

By Tuesday, September 5th, classes started at all Lone Star colleges except Kingwood. Kingwood started on Monday, September 25th.

Rehak: “How did you manage that?”

Persson: “I work with miracle workers. All deans started working together in one upstairs room of the East Montgomery County Improvement District. The first thing we had to figure out was how to hold classes when we had just lost 113 classrooms. We postponed the opening again from September 5 to 25. Student services contacted everyone to tell them their schedules were going to change.”

“We told them, ‘You may have to move to a new location or go online, but just stick with us. We’ll try to make things work for you.’”

Most of the contents in six buildings had to be replaced at a cost of $19 million.

Enrollment Increases After Flood

“We actually gained students. But I think that’s because the devastation was so great in other parts of Houston. Many students couldn’t start school right away; they needed a couple extra weeks to get their lives in order. Our delay worked to their advantage and ours.”

Cataloging the Damage

“All of central receiving flooded, plus all of the trucks and everything we do to maintain the grounds. We temporarily redistributed janitorial and maintenance staff to our other colleges to keep them productive and avoid layoffs. We had no power on the campus for two weeks after Harvey; it wasn’t even safe to be in the buildings without personal protective equipment.”

“We lost six classroom buildings. The lower level of the health center was totally destroyed. So was the main central plant with our boilers, generators, and communication system. All those things that you need to fully function were flooded and contaminated. Our library was totaled and had to be gutted; water came up halfway on the monitors. You could even see the effects of current in the building.”

“Our field house was totally under water; we had tennis balls stuck in the rafters. And I’m not sure why the nature walk is still there. It had to be under 20 feet of water,” said Persson.

Tennis and soccer balls stuck in the rafters of the field house show just how high the flood got during Harvey.

First Steps on the Long Road Back

“Our first meeting was in the Presbyterian church. It was important for folks to come together to make sure that everybody was ok and to hear about our preliminary plan.”

“I told the deans to do anything they could to help the students as long as it wasn’t illegal, immoral or unethical. And they did.”

“Basically, to get classes going, we took every nook and cranny to accommodate whole departments. Our big conference center was carved up into six rooms. We made classrooms out of the women’s center. Where the students used to shoot pool, that became the geology lab.”

Makeshift classroom after Hurricane Harvey at Lone Star College/Kingwood

The Search for Classroom Space

“We also found alternative spaces throughout the community. Some classes moved to our Atascocita Center. Biology, Chemistry and Art moved to LSC/North Harris. Nursing moved to Red Oak. Occupational therapy moved to Kindred Rehab. English for speakers of other languages moved to First Presbyterian. Cosmetology moved to Farouk, Inc. And we even borrowed some space from Harris County Fire Academy.”

“The most expensive program we have is dental hygiene. It’s one of the few programs in the entire Gulf Coast area, therefore it was difficult to find alternative space for that. We wound up leasing space off of FM1314 and front-loaded all the lectures in the fall until we could build out the space for dental hygiene.”

“We still have five buildings that are not fully open. We have partial use of the Library upstairs, so we have three and a half buildings out of nine at the moment.”

“We have been delayed by interior brick walls. There was mold behind them. Everything had to be dried out and kept at over 90 degrees for 3 months after it was cleaned and disinfected.”

Massive Temporary Shift to Online Learning

Rehak: “Tell me about the shift to online education.”

Persson: “We were 23% online before Harvey. After Harvey, it jumped to 62% online. It almost tripled. Face-to-face went from 70% to 21%. And hybrid education went from 7% to 16%.”

Rehak: “Did you have to certify faculty to train online that never trained online before?”

Persson: “Yes. We had a mere three weeks to certify them. We developed an emergency certification course and doubled the number of teachers we had who were certified to teach online from 41% to 82%. Now it’s even higher – 95%.”

“None of the full-time faculty complained; they still had jobs. But we lost two or three part-time faculty; they didn’t want to learn how to teach online.”

“We also had to train some students to learn online with a mobile unit. We tutored upstairs in the conference center and at Atascocita. We really had to scramble.”

Success Rate Takes Slight Dip

“Our success rate went from 72% to 67%. That’s not bad considering the huge shift to online where the success rate is never as good.”

Rehak: “How do you define “success”?

Persson: “Success is making a grade of C or better in a class.”

Accommodating Veterans and International Students

Rehak: “Were there any other adaptations you had to make?”

Persson: “Oh yes! We didn’t know before all this that veterans could only take one online class per semester, so we had to get special permission, or they had to go elsewhere to get more face-to-face learning time.”

“Also, since 9/11, Homeland Security has to approve all sites for international students. Some of the alternatives, such as Atascocita, were not formally approved sites. So we lost some of our international and veteran students to other colleges.”

Still Under (Re)Construction

Rehak: “Where do you plan to take it from here?

Persson: “We will be fully functional and looking all new by January of 2019. On the plus side, we have had an opportunity to update things that haven’t been updated since 1984.

“Our new process technology building opened in January 2018 and our new health care teaching facility will open in fall of 2020.”

Lone Star College Kingwood is BACK!

“All of the deans are next door sharing a conference room. They could not have done what they did in such a short order if they weren’t all in the same room working together. They said that they didn’t want to go back into their silos. So in our build-back, we’re building a collaborative work center that 30 people will office out of,” said Persson.

Flood Cost $60 Million

Rehak: “How much did all of this cost?”

Persson: “We were the worst stage of contamination: Category 3 – or “black water” – meaning we had sewage in buildings. Clean-up was $11 million. Replacing contents will cost $19 million. And build-back will bring the total to an estimated $60 million.”

Rehak: “What is the most dramatic story to come out of this?”

Persson: “There was no loss of life. Not one student that we know of who planned to come here lost his or her life.”

“Harvey was a game changer; it reset expectations. There was none of the petty stuff you always get from students or employees. That totally disappeared. You have to keep a sense of humor through all this, even if it’s black humor.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on August 22, 2018

357 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Dredging Update: First Dredge Being Assembled, Miles of Pipe Being Welded

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Command Site for its San Jacinto West Fork Emergency Dredging Project is a beehive of construction activity. I spent two hours at the site this morning at the invitation of the Corps. Now I can see why the prep is taking as long as it is. I had no idea so much was involved. Last week, I posted pictures of dozens of trucks arriving with equipment and pipe. This week they are assembling the first dredge of two and welding miles of dredge pipe…even as more arrives every hour.

First of Two Dredges Nearing Completion

Because of their size, two dredges are being delivered to the site in pieces and assembled there. Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, the contractor, brought in a 300-ton crane last week to lift the biggest pieces to the water’s edge. At the moment, two smaller 70-ton cranes are completing the work – lifting pumps, motors, stabilizers and other equipment into place.

Two seventy-ton cranes lift the remaining pieces of the first dredge into place at the command post south of the river.

Worker installing safety rails.

Same dredge showing where the dredge pipe will hook in.

Massive fittings weigh thousands of pounds

More dredge pipe arrives as the first dredge nears completion.

One of the impellers that will force dredged material into the dredge pipe. These are bigger than the pallet they sit on and are made from solid steel. They are actually considered a disposable item in the dredging process because they wear out. They are  the rotor located inside the case of a pump. it increases or decreases the pressure and flow rate of a fluid. 

Miles of Dredge Pipe Being Welded and Weighted

As workers assemble the first dredge near the water’s edge, other workers weld miles of dredge pipe together from 40-foot sections in a separate staging area. Each section weighs about 4,000 pounds. And each string is 1,000 feet long – about a fifth of a mile. These longer sections will then be put together with booster pumps to pipe spoils directly from the river to placement areas.

Acres of 24-inch HDPE pipe have arrived at the job site and are being stored in a massive pipe farm. Walls of the pipe are one inch thick. Each 40-foot section weighs about 4000 pounds.

Already five larger 1000-foot sections have been assembled. That’s nearly a mile of dredge pipe.

Welding machine shaves off the end of each pipe so the joints will be clean and even.

Next the welding machine heats up the ends of each pipe to 450 degrees and fuses them into one continuous piece.

This is what a completed weld looks like. It’s as strong as the pipe itself.

Next the pipe will be weighted with these steel collars to make sure it remains submerged during dredging operations. This is important because one pump might stop temporarily during dredging while other pumps continue to pull water through. The now partially filled pipe could become buoyant and a hazard to navigation.

To attach the collars, first, two halves are chained together then sledge-hammered into place.

Then the halves are welded together to form a permanent bond. This process is repeated over and over hundreds of times until each 40-foot section has its own collar/weight. The black screen is a safety device to protect the eyes of people nearby who may not have welding goggles. The flame from welding can be as intense as looking directly into the sun. 

Safety Warning

Do not attempt to visit this site. Stay away for your own safety. Huge construction equipment is moving about the site. Operators have limited visibility and they’re focused on balancing their loads, not looking out for unauthorized visitors.

Actual dredging should start in about ten days. When it does, it won’t be safe to be in a boat between the US59 and the West Lake Houston Park Bridges.

The pipe you see above will be submerged and marked with these buoys.

Safety buoys mean submerged dredge pipe is in the area. Stay away for your own safety. Do not attempt to boat, water ski, fish, or swim in the vicinity of dredging operations. Pipe can move swiftly and without warning. 

Dredging operations will continue 24/7 until completion. There is no safe time of day or day of the week to be in this section of the river.

Pipe will extend from wherever the current dredging is to one of two placement areas. One is south of Kingwood College and the other is between the river and Townsend east of US59.

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Bob Rehak

356 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Sand Mining Best Management Practices: Louisiana vs. Texas

When it comes to communicating “best management practices” (BMPs) for sand mines, Louisiana sets the gold standard. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) and the Concrete & Aggregate Association of Louisiana, Inc. worked together to  develop BMPs. Their goals: to reduce the amount of sediment and turbidity in streams and rivers that result from sand and gravel mining and to improve water quality. 

This guide represents a realistic and open approach, which I appreciated. It’s also concise, candid and clearly written. For those who don’t have time to read the entire 41-page document, a  summary follows, especially of the parts that talk about sedimentation. I’ve inserted several images from the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto to contrast practices in Texas and Louisiana.

Importance of Sand and Gravel to Economy

The Introduction discusses the importance of aggregate (sand and gravel) to the Louisiana economy. Sand and gravel are essential resources for construction. In fact, they represent Louisiana’s second most valuable non-fuel natural resource.

Almost half (48%) of all the aggregate produces concrete. The second largest use (22%) is as a base material for highways, railways, runways, etc. 

Types of Mining

The document then discusses different techniques of mining: dry (by excavation) and wet (by dredging). Louisiana focuses primarily on wet, which is the type of mines we have along the San Jacinto with a few exceptions.

Importance of Storm Water Management

Page 4 contains a discussion of “Non-point Source Storm Water Management.” Non-point essentially means from rain, runoff and flooding. It occurs across an entire area as opposed to a specific point, such as a leaky fuel tank. Some key quotes:

“Sand and gravel mining operations can potentially cause off-site impacts to water quality if site planning and BMPs (Best Management Practices) are not factored into every aspect of the mining operation.”

“Sand and gravel mining operations disturb land and soil…”

“Good site planning and operation can reduce the likelihood of sediments moving off of the opera­tion…”

“The purpose of the BMP Manual is to provide informa­tion on the types of BMPs that should be utilized during every phase of the mining operation in order to prevent pollutants from leaving the mining operation.”

Dangers of Not Following BMPs

Page 5 discusses the dangers if miners do not follow best management practices.

“Siltation is considered the highest nonpoint source priority of concern in wetland areas and the second highest priority affecting lakes (1992 Report to Congress). Mining related activities have been estimated to cause 7 percent of the nation’s nonpoint source impacts to lakes and 17 percent to coastal waters. Sediments from mining operations could consist primarily of biologically inert materials which could potentially adversely affect the water body’s designated uses. Inert suspended sediments have the follow­ing detrimental impacts to the aquatic habitat:

  • Sediments smother lower forms of aquatic life in the bottom of a stream. This can destroy the aquatic life in a stream because it kills the food supply. If sedimentation continues with a high concentration of suspended solids, the stream will fail to recover. Sediment deposition may also cover fish eggs and break the life cycle; thereby, destroying the fishery uses of the stream;
  • A continued cloudy condition of a stream will deter its use for almost all recreational purposes;
  • Directly or indirectly, it can change the characteristics of a stream channel and in many instances can limit boat usage and cause additional flooding hazards;
  • In rivers that are utilized for drinking waters, silt creates an additional expense upon the water treatment and purification process for both domestic and industrial users; and
  • It decreases photosynthetic action and thereby reduces the capacity of a stream to assimilate organic matter.”

Recommendations for Soil Conservation

Page 11 marks the start of the discussion about specific BMPs. The first BMP addresses soil conservation. “Sediment loads discharged to streams must be minimized, if not eliminated altogether,” they say. “There are basically two types of controls: vegetative and structural.”

Streambank BMP Recommendations

Regarding the Streambank Best Management Practice (BMP), they say: “When native vegetation is used to maintain streambanks, there are many benefits provided to the public and environment. Near the waters’ edge, herbaceous and wetland plants help filter pollutants from the water and prevent bank erosion during high flow periods. These plants also provide habitat for fish and natural predators of mosquitoes as well as increasing aesthetical appeal. Spatial balance between native trees and shrubs on the streambank provides stability and shading. Shading from trees lowers water temperature and improves water quality by conserving the oxygen in the water.”

Note the images below. The first represents the ideal and was pulled from the Louisiana BMP guide. The others are from sand mines on the West Fork of the San Jacinto and Caney Creek in Texas.

Image of ideal stream bank from Louisiana Sand Mining Best Practices Guide.

West Fork sand mine that has been been repeatedly inundated. Note dikes which have been breached and repaired.

Another portion of the same mine that has been repeatedly inundated. Note width of dike, steepness of slopes, and lack of vegetation to retard erosion. This area is no longer actively being mined.

West Fork sand mines on 8/30/17, one day after the peak of the Hurricane Harvey flood. Note how flood water breached dikes and flowed through mines on both sides of the river. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.

Reducing Erosion through Vegetation

“Vegetation is an inexpensive and effective way to protect soil from erosion,” Louisiana says. “It also decreases erosion from flowing water by reducing its velocity. Roots hold soil and increase infiltration. Topsoil should be added where existing soils are not suitable for adequate vegetative growth.”

Vegetative controls include:

  • Maintaining buffer zones between mine and river
  • Sod stabilization techniques
  • When installed and maintained properly, sodding can be more than 99 percent effective in reducing erosion.
  • Protection of trees involves preserving and protecting selected trees that exist on the site prior to development.
  • Tillage, with lime and fertilizer, to maintain adequate soil pH and nutrient content.
  • Temporary seeding
  • Permanent seeding
  • Erosion & Sediment Control Blankets
  • Surface Roughening – Creating horizontal grooves across the slope to reduce runoff velocity/erosion and aid the growth of seed. 

 Structural Ways to Reduce Erosion

Structural controls include:

  • Diversion ridges, berms or channels of stabilized soil
  • Silt fences
  • Straw bale barriers
  • Sediment basins with banks sloped at 2:1 or less
  • Dikes – Must be well compacted and vegetated, with an outlet pipe or coarse aggregate spillway 
  • Riprap protection – at the outlet end of culverts or channels to reduce the depth, velocity and energy of water so that the flow will not erode the receiving stream.
  • Check dams – Small dams less than 2 feet high constructed across swales or drainage ditches to reduce flow velocity and erosion.
  • Aggregate stabilized site entrances – at least 50 feet long to reduce sediment tracked onto public roads. Tire washing may also be needed.
  • Good housekeeping practices for fuel, debris, sediment from unstabilized areas, etc.
  • Post-construction stormwater management measures
  • Retention ponds
  • Vegetated swales and natural depressions that filter sediments from runoff with side slopes of 4:1 or less.

Best Management Practices for Land Clearing

Regarding land clearing, Louisiana recommends:

  • Disturbed areas should be temporarily stabilized or covered as soon as possible to minimize impacts on the environment.
  • Only clear acreage needed for immediate use. Clearing or grubbing too much land too early in the construction phase of the mining operation will dramatically increase the potential for environmental impacts from surface water runoff and will increase the costs to control runoff. 
  • Allow enough undisturbed buffer at property boundaries to provides sufficient lateral support of property lines. 
  • A minimum 100-foot buffer zone is required adjacent to perennial streams and water bodies in the State of Louisiana.

In a mine on Caney Creek,this 64-acre area was cleared a year and a half before Harvey, but was not mined. The lack of vegetation made it more susceptible to erosion during the flood. Photo taken 9/14/17, two weeks after Harvey.

Site Reclamation Goals and Best Management Practices

Pages 28-31 describe best practices for site reclamation. Goals include:

  • Stabilization of inactive mining pit or borrow areas with herbaceous perennial plants
  • Stabilizing the soil
  • Preventing wind or water erosion from causing on-site or off-site damage
  • Improving the aesthetic appeal
  • Ability of the site to support wildlife

Best management practices include:

  • Revegetation, mulching
  • Grading slopes 3:1 to facilitate seeding
  • Constructing diversions at tops of slopes to divert runoff away from the slope banks to a stable outlet 
  • Constructing aggregate lined chutes or equivalent to conduct concentrated flow of water to stable outlets 
  • Reclamation of abandoned roads by reshaping, recontouring, and resurfacing with topsoil and seeding for vegetative growth
  • Removal of structures 
  • Removal of sand stockpiles
  • Removal of debris
  • Grading property to minimize potential impact to waterways

Abandoned sand mine in Humble, TX. No fencing. No grading. No vegetation on slopes. Note proximity to buildings on adjoining property and road. 

Concrete crushing operation once part of sand mine in Humble, TX. 

Education Better Than Damage Control

In the conclusion on Page 32, Louisiana states:

“One of the best ways to mitigate environmental impacts from the sand and gravel industry in Louisiana is to establish a set of volun­tary best management practices for the industry to adhere. This can be accomplished by initiating good management practices, educating our operators, and taking a more proactive stance in minimizing the problems of the past that have hurt this industry’s image. We, as industry leaders, need to be actively engaged in addressing issues and taking precautions and preemptive measures. Damage control after the fact is destructive. The world is changing and we must be adaptive to these changes – good management practices in an environmentally friendly manner are synonymous with good business practice.”

I’m sure Louisiana has problems just like Texas. But I sure do like the tone of this and what they are trying to accomplish. If Texas has a similar initiative, I can’t find it.

Posted 8/19/18 by Bob Rehak

355 days since Hurricane Harvey