According to a December 15 press release by the Texas Water Development Board, Phase 1 of Houston’s new Northeast Water Purification Plant expansion is nearing completion. Phase 1 will supply 80 million gallons per day of treated surface water to the residents of Harris County, Fort Bend County and City of Houston.
Two more phases remain. Phase 2A will deliver another 80 million gallons per day to the same areas. Phase 2B will deliver 160. So the entire complex, when complete, will deliver another 320 million gallons a day. That’s in addition to the 80 million gallons per day the original plant delivered before expansion.
Goals of Plant
The Texas Water Development Board provided $1.9 billion for the Northeast Water Purification Plant expansion project, making it one of the largest in the country.
The plant has two goals:
Provide water for a population that increases by almost a million people per decade.
Reduce groundwater usage and subsidence.
Completion Estimated in 2025
The TWDB did not provide a date for expected completion of the next two phases, but at a May 2023 community meeting, project managers estimated a completion date in 2025.
Artist’s rendering of completed project, looking NNW. Expansion area outlined in orange.Satellite photo from May with substantially complete phase outlined in red.Phase 1 in center of plant now substantially completed. Original plant is on far right.Photographed in August 2023.Phases 2A and 2B still under construction. Photographed in August 2023.Looking south.Entire plant. Looking east across older area toward new construction. Lake Houston at top of frame.Plant’s new Intake Facility.Those twin pipelines are big enough to drive pickup trucks through.
The Luce Interbasin Transfer Project is associated with the expansion of the treatment plant. The channel from the Trinity River will ensure a steady supply of water in Lake Houston as Montgomery County’s growth demands more water from Lake Conroe.
I flew over Lake Houston this morning in a helicopter. I expected to see the barren lake bed in places like you could during the 2011 drought. However, much to my surprise, the lake was virtually full.
Coastal Water Authority Shows Lake Down Only 6 Inches
The Coastal Water Authority, which manages the lake for the City of Houston, shows Lake Houston is only down a half foot.
Water was lapping at the edge of the the spillway.
Lake Houston Dam spillway. Photo take 8/12/23 at approximately 10am.
SJRA Shows Lake Conroe Down About 15 Inches
Lake Conroe is down about 15 inches from its normal conservation pool (the target level). And it hasn’t released any water downstream toward Lake Houston in months. The SJRA’s dashboard shows
Luce Bayou InterBasin Transfer Canal Bringing the Water
So what’s keeping Lake Houston full? What is offsetting drought and evaporation?
A quick check of the gages on the Harris County flood warning system shows areas far upstream have gotten small amounts of rain. But the most water we saw moving all day was coming from the Trinity River via the Luce Bayou InterBasin transfer project.
Luce Bayou Inter-Basin transfer canal bringing water to Lake Houston from the Trinity River on 8/12/23 at 9 am.
Lake Conroe got enough rain to offset some evaporation but not enough to supply Montgomery and Harris Counties.
It’s nice to have backups for Lake Houston in a drought, especially widely scattered backups that can capture rain moving through different parts of the region.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/12/23
2174 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/20230812-RJR_1744.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2023-08-12 18:56:222023-08-12 18:57:40Why Lake Houston Is So Full in a Drought
In the last legislative session, State Representative Dan Huberty sponsored an amendment to Senate Bill 500. The amendment earmarked a $30 million grant for additional dredging at the confluence of the San Jacinto River and Lake Houston. Last week, Harris County approved the grant application to the Texas Water Development Board. That will actually transfer the money so that it can be put to work.
How $30 Million Grant Would Be Spent
County Engineer John Blount explains how the money would be spent in his cover letter that accompanied the request to Commissioners.
“The approach to completing work under the grant,” says Blount, “would be for the County to receive the grant funds, make the City of Houston a subrecipient to start immediate dredging, and to develop a long-term plan for keeping the region’s raw water supply viable with adequate reservoir capacity. The County would be reimbursed from the grant for administrative and other related expenses incurred.”
County Plays Central Role In Coordinating Effort
Blount concludes, “If authorized, the County will work with the Flood Control District, Budget Office, County Attorney, City of Houston, and the State of Texas, to advance all necessary applications and agreements needed to initiate the dredging activities funded in the 2019 legislative session. Grant awards, if made, will be presented to Commissioners Court for consideration at a future date.”
Commissioners Court approved the motion unanimously in its Tuesday, December 17th meeting. And by Friday, the actual grant application had been sent to the TWDB, according to Matt Zeve, Deputy Executive Director of Harris County Flood Control. The TWDB board should consider the request at its first board meeting in January, tentatively scheduled for the 10th. Huberty expects quick approval because the Legislature earmarked the money specifically for this purpose.
As a result of sediment deposited during Harvey and Imelda, the East Fork Mouth Bar grew southward 4000 feet and now has almost reached the point where Luce Bayou and water from the Trinity River will enter Lake Houston.Photo taken 12/3/2019. Water flows from left to right.
West Fork Also Plays Role in Water Transfer
That’s also why the West Fork must remain clear. It brings water, when needed, from Lake Conroe.
Looking south across the mouth bar of the San Jacinto West Fork toward Lake Houston. Photo taken 12/3/2019.Reverse angle. Looking northwest toward the San Jacinto River and the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge. Note the submerged sand about to break through the water surface around the mouth bar.Photo taken 12/3/2019.Kayaker RD Kissling standing in less-than-knee-deep water 700 yards south of the West Fork Mouth Bar.Photo taken November, 2019.
Like icebergs, sand bars mostly exist below the surface. What you see above water is a small percentage of what exists below water.
These photos illustrate why more dredging is essential. The mouth bars form dams behind the dam that block the free flow of water and decrease reservoir capacity.
Exploring Most Cost-Effective Options for Future
Between June when the Legislature approved the money and now, the City, County and State have explored ways to work together to ensure they spend the money cost-effectively. The county hired a consultant to explore the merits of do-it-yourself dredging vs. hiring a contractor. At the moment, the partners lean toward the contractor approach. It offers long-term flexibility as they explore future needs around the lake.
In addition to the $30 million from the State, the City of Houston allocated $6 million from money left over from Harvey disaster recovery funds. The County also allocated $10 million in its flood bond for dredging.
Initial Disposal Site Already Approved
The Army Corps approved Barry Madden’s property as a disposal site for the spoils. Madden’s property is opposite River Grove Park. That puts it miles closer to the Mouth Bar than previous placement areas used by the Corps. That should reduce costs by reducing the need for booster pumps and fuel.
The pieces of the puzzle are starting to come together.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/23/2019
846 Days since Hurricane Harvey and 95 since Imelda
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/East-Fork-Mouth-Bar-at-Luce.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2019-12-23 13:24:352019-12-23 13:24:52Harris County Approves TWDB $30 Million Grant Application for Dredging at Confluence of San Jacinto and Lake Houston
Most people have heard about the Coastal Water Authority’s Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project. But few have seen it. Its size makes it impossible to see from the ground. It stretches from the Trinity River to the northeast corner of Lake Houston, where Luce Bayou enters the East Fork. The purpose of the project: to provide additional surface water supplies to end users that utilize water from Lake Houston, especially the new Northeast Water Purification Plant.
Surface Water Capacity to Manage Growth and Fight Subsidence
Studies have shown that Lake Houston and the new plant cannot meet future demand at their current capacity. Transfer of additional raw water supplies to Lake Houston will support future expansion of treatment capacity at the northeast plant and the mandatory conversion from groundwater to surface water to help reduce subsidence.
The City will eventually transport 500 million gallons per day from the Trinity river to Lake Houston through the pipelines and canals you see below.
Connecting Trinity and San Jacinto Watersheds
The Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer project includes the Capers Ridge Pump Station (CRPS) located on the Trinity River in Liberty County, 3 miles of Dual 96-inch Diameter Pipelines, and 23.5 miles of earthen Canal System. The pipeline will extend west southwest approximately 3 miles along a geological ridge (Capers Ridge). The pipeline will then outfall into the sedimentation basin at the start of the canal. The canal will outfall into the lower reaches of Luce Bayou, which flows into the northeastern corner of Lake Houston.
Originally, engineers considered using a large part of Luce Bayou itself to transport the water and minimize construction costs. However, environmental concerns nixed that idea. Today, they use only the last few hundred yards of Luce Bayou. But the name stuck.
Construction Photos Taken December 3, 2019
The pictures below start at Lake Houston and go about half way to the Trinity River.
The last part of the canal outfalls into Luce Bayou and then Lake Houston in the background. Looking southwest.A semicircle slows the water as it comes out of the canal. Note how sediment is already building up.Looking west toward FM2100. Note the drainage swales on either side of the canal.These “teeth” in the concrete outfall structure break up the water to reduce its erosive power.From the Trinity to Lake Houston, the entire system is gravity driven. The water is pumped up at the Trinity and then flows downhill all the way to lake Houston. The slope is incredibly precise and minute: only .015%. The route contains 22 inverted siphons below drainage features, roads, pipelines and 11 bridges.These are not the smallest pipes, but they’re still big enough to swallow pickups. Even larger pipelines near the Trinity contain welded-steel piping with cement mortar lining and polyurethane coating.Once past Huffman, the canals wind through farmland.The color of the water is partly a reflection of the sky and partly due to the fact that it has gone through a sedimentation basin to remove sediment before reaching this point.In several places, existing streams go OVER the IBTP.The further east you go, the more finished the canals appear.Another natural stream goes over the canal. The earth blocking the canal on either side of these inverted siphons will be removed before the system goes into service.Three million cubic yards of soil were removed to create these canals. That’s enough to fill up the Astrodome almost twice.
For More Information About Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/20191203-RJR_5899.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2019-12-17 21:36:162019-12-17 21:36:25Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Project Construction Photos
