12/21/24 – West Fork dredging spoils are being pumped across the East Fork and up Luce Bayou to where it joins the Inter-basin Transfer Project.
Left side of red line is current location of dredge. Box on right is placement area, about four miles east.
Just Outside of Floodplain
The first question I had after learning of the location was, “Is it out of the floodplain?”
Comparing drone photos taken today to FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer and Harris County Appraisal District records shows that the placement area is just outside of the 500-year floodplain (shown as the tan-color below).
HCAD Parcel boundaries relative to floodplain boundaries. Boundaries are approximate.FM2100 runs N/S on right.
Part of Area Still Under Construction
As you can see above, the placement area was heavily forested before the start of dredging. DRC and its sister company, Callan Marine, are still clearing about half the land.
Note additional berms already being built upamong cleared trees.
As you can see below, DRC and Callan have constructed a series of berms around the perimeter to hold the spoils. Phase One, (the finished basin) measures approximately 35 acres. Phase Two (the area being cleared and/or still populated by trees) occupies another 35 acres, according to Eric Bushnell, Callan Marine’s project manager.
Wide shot looking east shows extent of placement area as of 12/21/24. Luce Inter-Basin Transfer Project Canal on left.
The interior dikes in the pond above slow the water down so that sediment drops out of suspension. Once “clarified,” gates visible to the right of the 18-inch pipe above can be opened to let the water out.
Note height of wallsand how quickly sediment drops out of suspension. Looking East. Note the channel cut into the trees to right of the Inter-Basin Canal. That channel returns “clarified” water to Luce.Looking ESE. Note height of berm around edge of pond. Callan is not excavating to create the pond area.
Sending Clarified Water Back to the Lake
After heavy particles of sediment, such as sand, drop out of suspension, DRC and Callan need to return water to Lake Houston. They do that by opening the gates discussed above. Then, they drain the water down the channel, which you can see in the bottom left of the picture below.
Looking WSW. Note return channel for water in lower left. Luce Bayou (upper right) joins Lake Houston (upper left).
Meaning of “Clarified” in this Context
“Clarified” is a relative term. The water isn’t perfectly clear like an ice cold pitcher of tap water. But it is much clearer than before. Large particles of sediment get trapped in the pond.
Remaining particles, usually clay, are so fine, they will likely never settle to the lake bed. Instead, they will float out into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. They pose little to no flood risk.
Looking ENE. For reference, Palm Drive on right ends just below the frame near the western edge of the pond.
Ownership of Land
According to Harris County Appraisal District, the parcel of land shown above extends all the way from the west end of Palm Drive to FM2100. FM2100 is concealed by the tree line in the upper part of frame.
Contrary to rumor, DRC and Callan did not purchase this land. According to Bushnell, they have an agreement with the landowner. Harris County Appraisal District shows the owner is 157 Huffman LTD.
It’s unclear at this point what 157 Huffman LTD plans to do with the land when the dredging project is complete in two years. The owner has not shared that information with Callan or DRC.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/21/24
2671 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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12/20/2024 – Just in time for the holidays, the City’s new dredging program on Lake Houston finally launched this week, but with some changes.
The placement area for the spoils will now be near Luce Bayou, not Spanish Cove as previously reported.
This phase of dredging will be restricted to 181 acres on the West Fork. In a previous Town Hall meeting, presenters hinted it might also include East Fork sediment.
According to Dustin Hodges, Chief of Staff for District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger, delays earlier this year in the long-awaited dredging program had to do with the search for an optimal placement area.
DRC, the City’s contractor, and its sister company, Callan Marine, will dredge 876,672 cubic yards of West Fork sediment and pump it four miles to property they bought near Luce. Their objective: to restore the river to its pre-Harvey profile, thereby reducing the potential for flooding.
Depth of the dredged area will vary. But today, the contractor was working at an average depth of 7-8 feet when I visited the operation.
Funding Success Tied to Location
Funding for the program comes from FEMA via U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. The City will use money left over from the West Fork Mouth Bar dredging. As a consequence, this phase of dredging will be limited to the West Fork to meet FEMA requirements.
However, an agreement to use property near Luce Bayou for placement of the spoils may be fortuitous for future East Fork dredging programs. The proximity of the disposal site to the East Fork could lower pumping costs and make dredging there more affordable.
Callan’s General Pershing Dredge working today on West Fork.Sediment will be pumped from the drill bit through this 18″ pipeline up Luce Bayou on the far side of the East Fork.
Mayor John Whitmire and City Council Members Fred Flickinger and Twila Carter have pushed this program since taking office.
Partially submerged drill bit at work.
When Whitmire was elected, he said he wouldn’t forget Kingwood. And he hasn’t.
Key to Reducing Flood Potential
The City’s new dredging program should reduce the potential for future flooding by increasing the conveyance of the river through this critical area.
It is here that water slows down as it meets the standing water in Lake Houston. That causes suspended sediment to drop out of suspension. When enough piles up as it did with the mouth bar, it can back water up into homes and businesses.
The West Fork Mouth Bar as it existed after Harvey. It has since been removed. The current dredging program will focus on areas beyond the mouth bar.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/20/24
2670 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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12/8/24 – Callan Marine moved its dredge down the San Jacinto West Fork to a location between Atascocita Point and Royal Shores more than two weeks ago. But it hasn’t moved yet. Reasons for the delay are unclear at this point.
Still Anchored in Same Spot
This morning, the rain let up long enough to get some drone shots. Unfortunately, it appears that the dredge hasn’t moved since November. It’s anchored in the same spot in the same position as on November 23, 2024. To borrow a phrase from track and field, it hasn’t gotten out of the starting blocks.
There was no sign of any dredge pipe south of FM1960, where Callan had reportedly purchased some property for a disposal site according to a City spokesperson.
The dredge was anchored with its bit up, surrounded by tugs and pontoons.
Tugs and pontoons with supplies and an excavator surround the dredge.Dredge was anchored with bit up between Royal Shores and Atascocita Point on West Fork.
Callan has welded several sections of dredge pipe together. They are strung out along a channel that connects the East and West Forks south of Royal Shores.
See one long section of pipe on the left and two shorter sections on right.Atascocita Point on far shore.
Reason for Pause Uncertain
A source familiar with the dredging industry suggested that delays might have to do with the placement area not yet being ready to receive spoils. But that’s speculation. I hope to learn more in coming days.
Purpose of Project
The purpose of the project is to help remove sediment that restricts the conveyance of the river system and also to help restore some of Lake Houston’s dwindling volume.
Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello outlined the program approximately a year ago. The City plans to spend $34 million to remove almost 900,000 cubic yards of sediment east of Atascocita and south of the convergence of the East and West Forks.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/8/2024
2658 Days since Hurricane Harvey
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11/23/24 – Callan Marine now has a dredge in place to begin the City of Houston’s latest dredging operation. Last month, the City said it hoped its latest Lake Houston dredging program would start in December and now it looks like it will.
Callan’s dredge, the General Pershing, is currently anchored on the West Fork San Jacinto south of where the previous Mouth Bar dredging program ended. And this morning, I spotted a tug pulling lengths of dredge pipe into position.
Program First Announced in 2023
The City of Houston first announced its new Lake Houston dredging program last year. The focus: between Kings Point and FM1960 where the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto come together.
For months, Callan’s General Pershing dredge, was anchored south of the Forest Cove Pool on the West Fork San Jacinto at the old Army Corps mobilization site. Yesterday, Callan moved the General Pershing and its dredge pipe downriver to the starting point of the dredging program.
See the photos below taken this morning with the exception of the last one, which I shot last night.
Start of 2024 dredging between Kings Point (right) and Atascocita Point (left). Looking upstream toward West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge in far upper left.Looking downstream toward FM1960 bridge and Lake Houston Dam in distance.Tug pulling sections of dredge pipe into positionfor use.Reverse angle showing pipe and dredge.Only two or three sections of pipe remained upstream last night at the mobilization site south of the Forest Cove Pool.Area between FM1960 and Kings Point currently has one of the largest sediment build-upson the lake.
The dredge program was first announced in October 2023 at former City Council Member Dave Martin’s last town hall meeting.
Former City Flood Czar Stephen Costello outlined the program at that time. East of Atascocita and south of the convergence of the East and West Forks, the City plans to spend another $34 million to remove almost 900,000 cubic yards of sediment.
At the time, Costello said the City hoped to recoup some of its costs by reselling sand that it recovers from “hilltops” in the lake. Dredging will target areas that have sand which can be used for concrete, agriculture and other beneficial uses. At one point, the City reportedly also considered using spoils in the Ike Dike.
Costello showed the heat map above. Notice the heavy sediment concentrations in the lake’s headwaters. This is because sediment drops out of suspension where rivers slow down as they meet standing bodies of water.
Increasing Water Supply Capacity, Reducing Flood Risk
In addition to reducing the water storage capacity of Lake Houston, the sediment increases flood risk. It reduces conveyance of the rivers and lake forcing water up and out during floods.
According to a City of Houston source, the contractor will reportedly pipe the spoils south and east to an area near Spanish Cove. See map below.
The new disposal site (bottom right) is closer to the dredging than another site south of River Grove Park previously used for disposing of the spoils. That should reduce pumping costs.Location is approximate.
Since its construction in the mid-1950s, Lake Houston has lost nearly 20% of its capacity due to sedimentation. The City estimates it currently loses another 360 to 460 acre-feet per year.
This dredging program will help restore some of that capacity and create more room for floodwaters.
Mobilization for the next phase of San Jacinto West Fork dredging is underway. The City of Houston and its contractor DRC (a subsidiary of Callan Marine) are already staging equipment in two places on the West Fork.
The program, funded by FEMA, will remove an estimated 800,000 cubic yards of silt and sediment between the original location of the West Fork Mouth Bar and FM1960. The contractor will use primarily hydraulic dredging and the program will take approximately two years, according to District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger.
West Fork Dredging Project Dates Back to Dave Martin Era
Flickinger credits his predecessor, former Council Member Dave Martin, and Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello’s tireless efforts in protesting the initial amount proposed for dredging by FEMA back in 2019. FEMA’s initial proposal, based on a four-page, table-top study produced by the Army Corps, called for dredging 283,000 cubic yards.
Martin strongly disagreed with the Corps’ report and appealed it while the City produced its own 94-page technical report. It showed a much higher volume deposited by Harvey. Remember: Harvey funds could not be used to address sediment deposited before Harvey. The City report produced by Tetra Tech relied extensively on core samples. Tetra Tech proved that Harvey laid down the sand in the mouth bar and that the dredging volume should be closer to a million cubic yards.
The new West Fork dredging program should be ready to go within weeks. DRC is currently bringing in the equipment that they will need.
DRC plans to use primarily hydraulic dredging. They will attack the area between where the mouth bar was (south of Scenic Shores in Kings Point) and the FM1960 Bridge. See map below.
Map from City study showing area of focus.Hydraulic dredge being assembled at old Army Corps mobilization site south of Forest Cove pool. Photo taken 4/1/24.DRC is also starting to stockpile mechanical dredging equipment such as these pontoons on Berry Madden’s property south of River Grove Park (top center).
This is good news. The new West Fork dredging will help ensure that water doesn’t back up like it did before. It’s not a guarantee against flooding. Dredging is only one part of a multi-faceted mitigation program that also includes more upstream detention and new floodgates on the Lake Houston dam. More news on those topics to follow.
Posted by Bob Rehak
2407 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/20240401-DJI_20240401153614_0090_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-04-01 19:21:112024-04-01 21:31:29City Mobilizing for More West Fork Dredging
The Army Corps has refused to release documents that explain key decisions, delays and plans related to West Fork mouth bar dredging, and a potential placement area for the spoils. At issue are the Corps’ decisions to dredge only 500,000 cubic yards from the area of the mouth bar and to delay approval of the City’s proposed placement area for long-term dredging.
As a result of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to these decisions, I also learned that the Corps:
Is dredging near the mouth bar without a plan
Is almost done with the mouth bar project and hopes to have a plan before it finishes
Has repeatedly delayed a decision on a new placement area that could have saved millions of tax dollars.
Meanwhile, the Corps continues sending sediment to a mine that leaks it back into the river. That mine – in the floodway – has a dubious environmental record at best. This seems to be a case of Government Gone Wild.
Dueling Studies Offer Different Opinions of Harvey-related Mouth Bar Volume
The City of Houston and Army Corps have reportedly argued for a year or more about how much sediment Harvey deposited in the mouth bar. Late last year, FEMA required the City to perform a core-sample study using something called the Stockton Protocol. The City hired Tetra Tech to do it. And Tetra Tech concluded Harvey deposited 1.4 million cubic yards. Here is their study.
The Corps, however, evidently did not buy the results. The Corps conducted another study for FEMA using a different protocol. It concluded Harvey deposited 500,000 cubic yards.
The Corps, however, refused to release the results of that study for public review.
FEMA and the Corps went ahead and hired Great Lakes to dredge that volume from the mouth bar. That job is now more than half complete.
While inventorying the documents that the Corps DID send me, I also discovered that they are now dredging the mouth bar area – without a plan. I know this because I requested the plan and they did not supply it. A Corps representative then explained that they are still working on the plan. They hope to have it done before they complete the $17 million job.
At the current price of diesel (about $3/gallon), that’s about $15,000 per day for fuel alone. More than $100,000 per week. And more than $400,000 per month. Waaaaay more than the limit on my gas cards. So what does the Corps get for all that?
A year ago, this same mine was caught on camera deliberately sending its process water straight into the West Fork.
Video provided to ReduceFlooding.Com. Source wishes to remain anonymous.
Yet, while approving this site, the Corps reportedly has environmental concerns over a much closer disposal site that would require less fuel and fewer boosters. It’s also on higher ground and out of the floodway. It’s Berry Madden’s property in Humble immediately west of Kings Lake Estates between the West Fork and 1960.
Five different proposed placement areas on Madden property avoid wetlands (the cross-hatched areas).
The Corps may or may not have good reasons for disliking the property, but they won’t reveal them whatever they are.
After more than a year of environmental and archeological studies costing Madden more than $100,000, the Corps still has not approved or rejected his property. Nor have they explained delays in approving or rejecting it. The documents that the Corps DID supply show that they are throwing one obstacle after another in Madden’s path. Despite the fact that he’s on higher ground and farther from the river than the current placement area.
Meanwhile, the Corps subsidizes the sub-optimal sand mine/placement area above. Go figure!
Potential Setback for Future Dredging
One of the consequences of NOT having an approved site to store additional spoils is that it could delay future phases of dredging. Those potentially include:
Additional mouth bar dredging
59 to River Grove Park
Maintenance dredging
Mouths of ditches such as Ben’s Branch
FOIA Scorecard
I filed my Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Army Corps 50 days ago. I requested:
Their plans for mouth-bar dredging
Conference reports of meetings where the mouth bar was discussed
Documents relating to the approval of Berry Madden’s property in Humble as a potential storage site.
About a month ago, they requested a clarification. “What do you mean by ‘plans’?” Seriously! The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needed to have the concept of plans explained????!!!
After more delays and excuses, five days ago, I received a compact disk in the mail with approximately 800 total pages of material. The Corps:
OMITTED any mouth-bar plans.
OMITTED the Corps study that contradicted the Tetra Tech study.
WITHHELD 118 pages of material that could have explained their decision.
REDACTED key correspondence relating to Madden’s property.
SUBSTITUTED dredging status reports from contractor meetings for conference reports of meetings among City, State and Federal officials where decisions about the mouth bar were considered.
Government Gone Wild
After several phone calls in which I tried to cajole them into supplying the Corps’ study, I received another email from the Corps. It said that they considered my original FOIA request closed. They then asked me to submit another one for the same material that I requested in June. They seem to be treating this as a national-security issue, not a public-safety issue. Why?
Unfortunately, that does not allow informed discussion among the public, whose safety is at stake. Nor does it recognize the fact that they have already made a decision, i.e, to dredge 500,000 cubic yards and have half-completed the project. So how does this qualify as “pre-decisional”?
That leaves the State, County, City and the public in the lurch. Maybe a Congressional investigation could sort this out. That’s what it will take.
At this point, it’s not clear how, when or if the mouth-bar job will be finished. Five hundred thousand cubic yards is a small fraction of what needs to be removed to restore conveyance to the river.
It’s also not clear how many more hurdles the Corps will put in the way of a placement area farther from the river on higher ground. Or why.
A curtain of secrecy has descended upon this job. I will continue to follow the story. The public has a right to know.
Open Offer to Corps to Rebut Criticisms
If the Corps feels I have criticized it unjustly, I invite a spokesperson to explain the Corps point of view. I promise to reprint the rebuttal verbatim.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/9/2019
710 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts in this post represent my opinions on matters of public interest and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/ACEO.jpg?fit=1500%2C1069&ssl=110691500adminadmin2019-08-08 23:19:482019-08-09 16:25:54Government Gone Wild: Army Corp Refuses to Release Dredging Documents that Explain Decisions, Delays
