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.
5/17/2024 – The Hallett sand mine on the San Jacinto West Fork appears to have dug a trench across the maintenance road of its settling pond to lower the pond’s level. Murky wastewater is draining into the West Fork while the SJRA is currently releasing 10,875 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Conroe in the wake of yesterday’s heavy rains.
Sediment released from the mine is being picked up by the Lake Conroe water and carried downstream. Note below how sediment has discolored the West Fork.
Picture taken 5/17/24, at the confluence of the West Fork, Spring Creek and Cypress Creek. Cypress joins Spring slightly upstream on the left.The branch on the right is immediately downstream from 20 square miles of sand mines between US59 and I-45.
Where The Sludge is Coming From
In the last few weeks I’ve posted extensively about how the West Fork has breached the dikes of a pit formerly owned by Hallett. As of this afternoon, the river continues to run through that pit. No attempt has been made by the new owner to re-establish the dikes. And that certainly contributes to downstream sedimentation.
But this afternoon, I discovered an additional source of sedimentation thanks to a tip from a nearby fishermen who stumbled across a breach in Hallett’s settling pond. See video below.
Video supplied by fishermen.
It’s hard to get a sense of the location from the close up, so here’s the location of the breach in a satellite image from Google Earth.
General location of breach and path to river in red oval.
And here’s a more detailed look at the path the water took on its way to the river.
Looking N. Silty water leaves Hallett’s settling pond through a trench dug in the tree-line. From there it flows through an abandoned sand mine and then through another breach into the West Fork.Reverse angle shows silty water flowing out of Hallett settling pondinto abandoned neighboring mine.Detail cropped from shot above shows how heavy equipment worked the area.Looking S downstream. Abandoned mine on left, West Fork in middle and breach through another pit on right.
Timing of Release Should Raise Eyebrows
The timing of this release is suspect: Friday afternoon just before regulators headed home for the weekend.
I’ve documented a history of breaches from this pond dating back to 2019 and the fishermen say they’ve seen breaches before that.
Hallett flushed water from this and other ponds after the January floods in 2024 but via different routes.
Lest you think I’m picking on Hallett, it isn’t the only sand mine emptying its settling pond into the West Fork.
I also documented an instance when the West Fork ran white from a release at the LMI Moorhead Mine upstream from Hallett. TCEQ estimated they released 56 million gallons of sludge into the river. That pond dropped 3-4 feet according to the TCEQ.
Regular Occurrence
The montage below shows the confluence of the West Fork and Spring/Cypress Creeks from different angles on different days. In all cases, the polluted branch was the West Fork. I took these shots while photographing West Fork sand mines from a rented helicopter.
A former West Fork mine operator and a former water quality manager for the City of Houston tell me that releasing sediment-laden water under the cover of floods is standard operating procedure for many mines on the West Fork.
Who Will Bear the Cost of Clean Up, Dredging?
Think this doesn’t affect you? It affects your water quality and the cost of cleaning it up. Lake Houston supplies drinking water for more than two million people.
And if you live between the mines and Lake Houston, it probably will affect you another way.
Most sediment moves during floods. During Harvey, the West Fork swept through 20 square miles of sand mines between I-45 and I-69. According to the Army Corps, deposited sediment blocked the West Fork by 90%. That reduced the conveyance of the river and caused water to rise into homes and businesses. Almost 20,000 flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.
Since then, taxpayers have spent more than $200 million on dredging. And the City is getting ready to launch another $34 million dredging program.
However, that program won’t address the mouth of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch at the River Grove Park boat launch.
KSA has obtained bids north of $800,000 to dredge the blocked area. Spending that kind of money will be necessary to keep the KSA boat launch open. It has become badly blocked by sediment during two floods since the start of the year.
Here’s what that area looked like yesterday afternoon when the SJRA release rate was closer to 1500 CFS.Water level in river was still up about a footabove normal.
Living with sediment is all part of life on the river. But dredging intervals at River Grove have gone from 8 years before Harvey to 4 to 2 years since Harvey.
If this continues, KSA may be forced debate whether it can afford to keep the boat docks open.
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE is trying to work with upstream authorities to reduce sedimentation that can lead to flooding. But it’s an uphill slog. No pun intended.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/17/2024
2053 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Harris County and the Houston area are receiving $863 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) via the Texas General Land Office (GLO) for disaster relief and flood mitigation. So, on Thursday, April 25, 2024, GLO Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham met with a group of Lake-Houston-Area leaders to discuss the area’s flood mitigation needs.
The meeting, arranged by State Representative Charles Cunningham, also included Director Tina Petersen of the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD); Director Thao Costis of Harris County Community Services (CSD); Humble Mayor Norman Funderburk; and Dustin Hodges, Chief of Staff for City of Houston Council Member Fred Flickinger.
(L to R) Dustin Hodges; Tina Petersen; Thao Costis; Dr. Dawn Buckingham; Rep. Charles Cunningham; Norman Funderburk; Alice Rekeweg; Scott Elmer, HCFCD; and Kathleen Jordan.
Projects Vie for Funding
As reported on 4/23, Buckingham was in Houston to discuss Disaster Relief and Mitigation projects totaling $863 million. But there are more deserving projects than money to fund them all. So Buckingham, her team, HCFCD and CSD met with area leaders to discuss needs.
The GLO administers the distribution of HUD funds in Texas. Among Lake Houston Area projects discussed for funding were:
No commitments were made at the meeting, but the mood was positive and everyone left smiling.
Buckingham is still collecting information. She listened attentively, asked probing questions and left with a better understanding of the area’s needs.
Splitting the Woodridge Basin into two phases helps ensure that at least one compartment will get funded and provide enough mitigation to let the Taylor Gully Channel Improvements move forward.
Other Topics
Several other topics came up toward the end of the hour-long meeting. They included sedimentation, dredging, and the need for sand to nourish beaches along the Texas coast. The GLO needs sand to replace eroding beaches…and this area needs to remove sand collecting in streams and Lake Houston.
That raised the tantalizing possibility of collaboration for mutual benefit and solving two problems at once.
More news to follow.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/26/24
2432 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Buckingham-Meeting.jpg?fit=1100%2C413&ssl=14131100adminadmin2024-04-26 11:38:552024-08-01 16:41:46Area Leaders Meet with GLO Commissioner Buckingham
City of Houston District E Council Member Fred Flickinger addressed a group of local executives at the Kingwood Country Club this morning. He covered a wide range of topics, both in his talk and during Q&A. They included the status of five flood-related topics for the Lake Houston Area:
New Gates for the Lake Houston Dam
Seasonal Lake Lowering
Additional dredging in Lake Houston
Kingwood Diversion Ditch expansion
Last weekend’s flooding on Northpark Drive
Flickinger addressing the Kingwood Executive Group at the Kingwood Country Club on 4/24/24
Floodgate Construction Could Start in ’25 or ’26
Within two sentences of standing up, Flickinger got straight to the subject of flooding and new, bigger floodgates for the Lake Houston Dam. He said, “Obviously, the big thing is getting additional gates. That is currently pending a FEMA review and approval.”
He continued, “We have about $150 million secured for those. Much of that has come via Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s office. Also the State, thanks to Representatives Dan Huberty and Charles Cunningham, and Dave Martin, my predecessor. Stephen Costello [the City’s Flood Czar] has also all done great work. They’ve all really done yeomen’s jobs getting money for the dam gates.”
Looking S.New gates will be built in the earthen portion of the dam to the left of the four small gates you see now.
“We’re looking at construction probably in late 2025 or sometime in 2026,” said Flickinger. “That’s obviously the biggest key to reducing flooding.”
Flickinger also said that he believes the current Mayor remains committed to the project.
Seasonal Lake Lowering
Regarding lowering Lakes Houston and Conroe, Flickinger said the City and SJRA have moved to an event-driven strategy rather than a seasonal one. Automatically lowering the level of Lake Conroe twice a year to reduce flood risk in the Lake Houston Area generated pushback from Lake Conroe residents.
For some time now, the politically divisive strategy has been replaced by an “as-needed” lake-lowering policy in one or both lakes depending on where and when rain falls.
However, the “as needed” policy requires precise forecasting. And several times lately, rain has shifted at the last minute. Ironically, that supports the need for bigger gates that release water faster. They can create extra storage in Lake Houston while still reducing the lead time needed, so forecasters can be absolutely certain of the need to lower the lake.
After all, that’s the drinking water supply for more than 2 million people. You don’t want to lower it needlessly if it won’t be refilled right away.
More Dredging on Tap
Flickinger next addressed the need for more dredging. He said that the City is currently removing another 800,000 yd³ of sediment between Kings Point and FM1960.
“Again, funding for that largely came from Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s office,” he said. “Some people in the government questioned whether that was Harvey-related sediment. But we got the funding! And dredging has started. So that’s a really good thing.”
Diversion Ditch/Walnut Lane Bridge
“The next issue with flooding,” said Flickinger, “is really the Kingwood Diversion Ditch.” The ditch cuts south from St. Martha’s Catholic Church to River Grove Park through the western portion of Kingwood.
“The Walnut Lane Bridge has about a fourth of the surface area below it that the Kingwood Drive and North Park Bridges have. Because of that, it works somewhat like a dam. Crenshaw just secured $4 million to address that, but we have got to have a cost/benefit ratio of one or greater, which will be a challenge. So, we’re working on that.”
Looking north along Diversion Ditch. Notice how it narrows under the Walnut Lane Bridge.
“And that money probably won’t become available for another six months. Hopefully, we can get that cost/benefit analysis to where we need it by then and use that money to rebuild the Walnut Lane Bridge. It’s a huge deal that affects Trailwood, Forest Cove, and even people who live along Bens Branch.”
“Part of the water from Ben’s branch is actually supposed to go to the lake via the Diversion Ditch,” said Flickinger. (That’s how the ditch got its name.) However, Flickinger noted that when the Diversion Ditch backs up, water goes down Bens Branch instead.
“And we’re getting more and more of that because of the development in Montgomery County…That’s part of why Kingwood High School flooded.”
Northpark Flooding
Last weekend, Northpark Drive flooded near the construction zone.
At the time, I conjectured that one or more of the drains may have been blocked. Flickinger revealed the cause this morning.
He said the drain was never tied into the new drainage system.
“It turns out that they had a change in foremen on the job, and one of the drains was not connected to the storm sewer.”
Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger
“That is what caused that big fiasco. Now our office is going to contact the construction team every time we have a significant rain event and ask them to double check, so we don’t have any issues obstructing stormwater,” said Flickinger.
“Anytime you’ve got construction, there’s a certain amount of mess associated with it. But obviously, we don’t need somebody causing flooding by forgetting or blocking something.”
Looking E along Northpark on Sunday morning, 4/21/24 at area where drain was not tied in.
Before Flickinger had to leave for a meeting downtown, it became clear to everyone in the room that flooding was one of his primary concerns.
For someone who’s been in the job less than four months, he was very aware of the complex intricacies and interdependencies of the Lake Houston Area’s drainage problems. And that was very encouraging news!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/24/24
2430 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/COH-CM-Fred-Flickinger-at-KWCC.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2024-04-24 13:32:152024-04-24 13:32:16Flickinger Provides Updates On Gates, Dredging, Northpark, More
After being dredged twice since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the River Grove boat launch is silting in again already. Recently, boaters started sending in pictures of boats that ran aground before reaching the main channel of the San Jacinto West Fork.
Increasingly Frequent Need for Dredging
The Army Corps dredged the area by the boat launch in December 2018 to open a path for the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (which runs through the park) to reach the West Fork.
Kayden Industries dredged it again in 2020 as part of an effort to clean out sediment deposits in front of the park’s riverfront boardwalk.
Before that, the Kingwood Service Association (KSA) used to dredge the area in front of the docks every 8-10 years, according to Ethel McCormick of Kingwood Association Management.
But now, less than four years after the last dredging, KSA had to commission a new side-scan sonar survey because of increasingly frequent complaints of groundings. The survey showed the entrance to the river channel has only 1-2 feet of depth.
Current River Bottom Depths
The area immediately in front of the docks has more depth than the area where the channel reaches the river. That suggests the main source of the sediment likely came from upriver, rather than from the Diversion Ditch. See below.
Area in front of River Grove Boat Launch. River-bed depths calculated by HK Dredging in hydrographic survey dated 2/23/24. Note depths at bottom of frame.
Next Steps
KSA presented the results of the survey to its member associations at a Parks Committee Meeting on March 7, 2024. At the time of the meeting, KSA had only had time to obtain one bid. So, the committee took no action. But members agreed that something needed to be done quickly and agreed to look for additional dredging proposals.
As of this writing, KSA is exploring additional options. More news to follow as recommendations firm up. The KSA Parks Committee meets the first Thursday of every month at 7PM. In April, the full KSA Board will also have a quarterly meeting and could approve any major expenditures from the Parks Reserve Fund.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2024
2387 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240312-Screenshot-2024-03-12-at-6.51.04%E2%80%AFPM-1.jpg?fit=1100%2C656&ssl=16561100adminadmin2024-03-12 20:27:212024-03-12 20:28:13River Grove Boat Launch Silting In Again
After being dredged twice since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the River Grove boat launch is silting in again already. Recently, boaters started sending in pictures of boats that ran aground before reaching the main channel of the San Jacinto West Fork.
Increasingly Frequent Need for Dredging
The Army Corps dredged the area by the boat launch in December 2018 to open a path for the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (which runs through the park) to reach the West Fork.
Kayden Industries dredged it again in 2020 as part of an effort to clean out sediment deposits in front of the park’s riverfront boardwalk.
Before that, the Kingwood Service Association (KSA) used to dredge the area in front of the docks every 8-10 years, according to Ethel McCormick of Kingwood Association Management.
But now, less than four years after the last dredging, KSA had to commission a new side-scan sonar survey because of increasingly frequent complaints of groundings. The survey showed the entrance to the river channel has only 1-2 feet of depth.
Current River Bottom Depths
The area immediately in front of the docks has more depth than the area where the channel reaches the river. That suggests the main source of the sediment likely came from upriver, rather than from the Diversion Ditch. See below.
Area in front of River Grove Boat Launch. River-bed depths calculated by HK Dredging in hydrographic survey dated 2/23/24.
Next Steps
KSA presented the results of the survey to its member associations at a Parks Committee Meeting on March 7, 2024. At the time of the meeting, KSA had only had time to obtain one bid. So, the committee took no action. But members agreed that something needed to be done quickly and agreed to look for additional dredging proposals.
As of this writing, KSA is exploring additional options. More news to follow as recommendations firm up. The KSA Parks Committee meets the first Thursday of every month at 7PM. In April, the full KSA Board will also have a quarterly meeting and could approve any major expenditures from the Parks Reserve Fund.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/12/2024
2387 Days since Hurricane Harvey
00adminadmin2024-03-12 19:55:542024-03-12 20:21:21River Grove Boat Launch Silting In Again Already
At Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin’s final town hall meeting last night, he and Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello gave an update on the status of new, higher capacity floodgates for the Lake Houston Dam. Their talks also addressed dredging and sand traps.
City of Houston Chief Recovery Office Stephen Costello (l) and Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin at Martin’s final town hall meeting on 10/17/2023. Term limits bar Martin from running again for Council, though he is running for City Controller.
According to the latest estimate, construction of the gates now looks like it could begin in mid-2026, barring unforeseen setbacks.
The City has scheduled more dredging for the San Jacinto West Fork south of where the mouth bar used to be. Also, Costello says the City has completed opening up ditches and tributaries north of the railroad bridge and is now starting on those south of it.
Finally, Costello revealed that Lake Houston has lost almost 20% of its capacity due to sedimentation. To receive future dredging grants, the City must take steps to reduce the rate of sediment inflow. Costello revealed plans for a pilot sand-trap project in a point bar outside the Hallett mine far upstream. He said that the mine had agreed to remove trapped sediment there for free. Otherwise, he did not explain why a possibly more effective location closer to the problem area was not chosen for the pilot project.
For more details on each, see below.
Gates Details/Timeline
The purpose of adding more floodgates to the Lake Houston Dam: to lower the lake faster in advance of a flood.
The City must now start to lower the lake so far in advance of a storm that storms can veer away before they arrive. This wastes water.
The existing gates have 1/15th of the release capacity of the gates on Lake Conroe. This makes a joint pre-release strategy virtually impossible in extreme storms.
After examining and discarding the notion of adding crest gates to the spillway portion of the dam, the City is now focusing on adding 11 tainter gates to the earthen portion of the dam (east of the existing gates).
Proposed location for 11 new tainter gates.
With Mayor Sylvester Turner’s help, the City secured enough funding for construction during the regular session of this year’s legislature.
Next steps include:
3/24 – New environmental and historic preservation assessments, Army Corps permitting
12/24 – Construction plans completed
1/25 – Bidding
6/25 – Award Contract
5/26 – Begin Construction
The success of this plan will require the election of a new Mayor and City Council Representative who are committed to the project. Early voting begins next week.
Dredging Volumes, Costs
Dredging at various locations around Lake Houston will likely be a continuous effort for years to come. Sedimentation has already reduced the capacity of Lake Houston an estimated 18%. The City estimates future yearly losses in the range of 360-460 acre feet per year.
Historic and projected capacity loss in Lake Houston due to sedimentation.
One acre roughly equals the size of a football field. So imagine 400 football fields covered with sludge a foot deep. Each year!
To keep this problem in check, the City is already looking at doing additional dredging on the East and West Forks. It and the Army Corps finished major projects in both areas less than four years ago.
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.
To date, Costello estimates that dredging nearly 4 million cubic yards of material has cost $186 million.
Summary of dredging costs and volumes in Lake Houston since Harvey
The City hopes to recoup some of these costs by reselling sand that it recovers from “hilltops” in the lake. Costello showed the heat map below. 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.
In addition to reducing the volume of Lake Houston, the sediment also poses a flood threat. It reduces conveyance of the rivers and lake forcing water up and out. Sediment blockages, such as the mouth bar, can also form dams that back water up.
Costello also addressed the ongoing dredging of 17 canals around Lake Houston. He said the focus is now shifting to the southern part of the lake.
Sand Traps to Reduce Inflow
In addition to dredging sediment from the lake, Costello also emphasized the need to reduce sediment coming downstream via sand traps. This last effort may be a condition of future grants for dredging.
Costello described two pilot types of pilot projects that the City is working on with the SJRA and sand-mining industry. The first is “sand traps” dug in point bars outside sand mines. The second: in-channel traps.
The idea behind the traps: dig holes in the river or its sand bars where migrating sand can settle out of the flow before it reaches the lake.
The first project may be near the Hallett Mine on the West Fork. According to Costello, the mine has agreed to remove the sand for free, thus reducing long term maintenance costs.
During Q&A after Costello’s presentation, however, he admitted that the City has no plans to try to get sand mines to reduce illegal emissions. In one notable instance, the TCEQ documented 56 million gallons of sludge discharged into the West Fork by the LMI mine.
Controlling sediment is crucial in reducing flooding. Accumulated sediment reduces storage capacity and conveyance for stormwater. The smaller capacity means lakes and rivers will flood faster and higher.
For high res versions of all the slides shown in the Town Hall, see this PDF.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 10/17/23
2241 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/20230812-RJR_2234-copy.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-10-18 06:47:582023-10-18 15:28:45Update on Floodgates, Dredging, Sand Traps from Martin, Costello
Damn the downstream consequences, including sediment pollution, increased flood risk and monstrous dredging costs. Colony Ridge, the controversial 30+ square-mile, Liberty County development that markets to Hispanics – while flaunting drainage,environmental and fire regulations – is clearing and paving thousands of additional acres.
Not even Google Earth can keep up with the developer’s relentless expansion. On 8/12/23, I flew over Colony Ridge in a helicopter and found huge areas where 3-week-old satellite imagery was already hopelessly out of date.
Google Earth image from 7/18/23. Red/yellow highlighted areas changed radically within three weeks.
With the exception of areas protected by the Houston-Conroe and Tarkington Bayou Mitigation Banks, the highlighted areas above have largely been cleared and/or paved.
The RED area now has paving not visible in the satellite image. The YELLOW area was being cleared and paving was just starting even though the image shows none of that. So what do these areas look like from a few hundred feet?
Pictures Taken 8/12/23 over Red Area
I shot the four pictures below on 8/12/23. They represent dozens of others. The red area already has most streets, but no fire hydrants.
Pictures Taken over Yellow Area
The two pictures below show some of the development activity taking pace in the yellow area.
Looking west across newly cleared area.Looking N at part of Colony Ridge expansion.
What kind of homes will go here? To predict the future, look to the past.
Homes on Parade
Colony Ridge is the world’s largest trailer park. One Plum Grove resident who lives near a northern entrance to Colony Ridge says she routinely sees up to seven mobile homes per day going into the development – seven days per week.
It’s hard to know exactly how many new homes arrive each day, because there are other entrances. But if you assume the max for this one entrance, 50 homes a week times 52 weeks makes up to 2600 homes per year.
Manufactured home making its way through the main commercial area of Colony Ridge.Room with a view…of severe erosion.
Note the erosion in photos above and below. It will make its way downstream into the East Fork San Jacinto. These ditches are typical of Colony Ridge. The eroded sediment will reduce conveyance of the river and contribute to flooding.
Poverty: The Mother of Pollution
Ghandi once said, “Poverty is the mother of pollution.” That’s certainly the case here. But I would modify the saying. While poverty may be the mother of pollution; greed is the father.
The poverty of the residents doesn’t cause sediment pollution. But a business plan built on high-interest-rate, owner financing that targets impoverished people with few options does.
The developer seems to have found a target market that is less concerned with their environment than survival.
It’s a market ripe for exploitation where corners can be cut. Residents have few options and can’t complain.
And the developer shows little interest in changing a business model that fuels relentless expansion and growth. Damn the downstream consequences.
Colony Ridge drainage ditch.Working drainage is a luxury.
The poverty in Colony Ridge is crushing. I’ve seen people sleeping in tents trying to save enough money to buy a camper to live in.
No bathroom in sight.Do Liberty County health codes really allow this?Christmas dinner. Enlargement of this photo from Christmas 2020 shows food on the table in the foreground.One small part of Colony Ridge.The market for a piece of the American dream stretches endlessly in Liberty County.
The estimated population of Colony Ridge is now greater than the three largest cities in Liberty County (Cleveland, Dayton, and Liberty) put together. No one knows what the population is with certainty because of the large number of undocumented aliens who did not participate in the last census.
And the Colony Ridge developer is expanding into Harris and Montgomery Counties. ReduceFlooding will monitor progress of those areas to see if they, too, contribute to sediment accumulation, dredging costs, and flooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/9/23
Posted by Bob Rehak 2202 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin has announced that Houston City Council unanimously accepted an additional $29,000,000 in state grant funds to continue dredging around the canals and channels of Lake Houston. The money will also help start a pilot program to trap sediment upstream before it reaches the lake, thereby hopefully reducing dredging costs in the long run.
East Side of Lake
The additional funding will allow dredging activities to start on the east side of Lake Houston in the various canals/channels. Martin emphasized, however, that they have some touch up work to do on Rogers Gully on the west side of the lake before they move to the east side.
Once on the east side, dredging will start near FM1960 and work its way south. The City has not yet established a firm timeline.
DRC will handle the dredging. That is the same company that has handled the dredging since the Corps finished its Emergency West Fork Dredging program several years ago.
DRC will reportedly use mechanical, not hydraulic dredging. That means, they’ll be working with long-armed excavators and scooping dirt onto pontoons. See second picture below.
If successful, this could reduce long-term dredging costs. The pilot program will rely on sand miners to excavate sand from point bars outside their mines. But there are few, if any, mines upstream on Cypress and Spring Creeks, where the miners claim most of the sediment is coming from. So that could limit the replicability of the test, even if successful on the West Fork.
More than 4 Million Cubic Yards Dredged to Date
“Tremendous progress has been made since Hurricane Harvey through the completion of FEMA, Texas Water Development Board, Harris County, and City of Houston projects,” said Martin. “Since 2018, the total combined efforts of these entities have resulted in approximately 4,004,008 cubic yards of silt and sediment dredged from Lake Houston and its tributaries at a total cost of $222 million.” That money has come from federal, state, and local funding sources.
Example of canal dredging. Rogers Gully mouth bar in Atascocita before it was removed. This picture shows mechanical dredgers at work. This blockage was eventually removed, but some touch up work elsewhere reportedly remains.
Blockages like those above can back water up during storms, and flood homes and businesses.
Kudos
Martin passed out kudos to those who supported the $29 million appropriation. Martin thanked former State Representative Dan Huberty and Senator Brandon Creighton for their commitment to seeing this project through and their dedication to the long-term maintenance dredging on Lake Houston.
“Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3, Tom Ramsey, and Harris County Flood Control District have also been terrific partners,” said Martin. “I also want to thank my colleagues on City Council, Mayor Sylvester Turner for his unwavering support for Lake Houston, and Chief Recovery Officer Stephen Costello for his continued diligence on flood mitigation efforts.”
Status of Dredging District Legislation
State Representative Charles Cunningham introduced HB 5341 this year. The bill would have created a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District to handle sediment issues like these in perpetuity. The bill received a public hearing on 4/11/23, but unfortunately, it has stalled in the Natural Resources Committee since then. So has HB 1093, a bill which would have assured cleanup of abandoned sand mines.
With time running out in this session, we will likely need to recycle those bills for the next session.
More news to follow when the dredging starts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/11/2023 based on information from the Houston District E officeand Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin
2081 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/20220520-DJI_0451.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-05-11 07:50:472023-05-11 08:22:27Houston City Council Approves $29 Million More For Dredging, Sand Trap Tests
“Before” satellite photo from 2015. Note middle, greenish pond on right where road curves.File photo from February 2020 showing same pond, mostly filled. Townsendcurve in foreground.After dredging in 2021, the pond was completely filled.
A regular reader emailed me about a large volume of truck activity in the area recently. So I went there today to see what I could see. The pond was half empty again. The mystery deepened. Were they taking dirt out or putting it in?
Half empty pit photographed on 4/26/23.
Trucks Filling Pond Again, Not Emptying It
Closer inspection showed that dozens of dump trucks were depositing dirt. That deepened the mystery even more. How did the pond get half empty with trucks dumping more dirt into it?
Also photographed 4/26/23. Trucks offloading dirt and bulldozer spreading it into remainder of pond.
A gentleman drove up and engaged me in conversation as I was landing my drone. He introduced himself as the owner of the property and said that a private contractor bought the dirt left by the Corps, thus emptying the pit again.
No Intent to Build Here
I asked if he intended to build on the newly filled area and he said “no.” I also pumped him for information about where the dirt was coming from, but didn’t get anything definitive.
When I took these photos, it was the end of the workday. Trucks were scattering in all directions. The City did not immediately return calls or emails about next steps in its dredging program, if that’s where the dirt came from.
The good news for now: it appears we won’t have more building in the floodplain in this area. More news to follow when I get it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/26/23with thanks for the heads up from Eric Hayes
2066 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/20230426-DJI_0652.jpg?fit=1200%2C799&ssl=17991200adminadmin2023-04-26 19:31:162023-04-27 17:30:39Placement Area #1 Gets New Life
