Tag Archive for: mobilization

Activity at Army Corps Dredge Command Site Kicking into High Gear

The countdown to D-Day (dredging day) continues. Preparation for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Dredging Project on the West Fork is kicking into high gear. Here are some pics from the job site and the latest schedule for when various activities will start.

Schedule for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers West Fork Emergency Dredging Project

Dozens of trucks are delivering equipment to the mobilization site.

Traffic management at the site is a major concern, prompting the Corp to request the public stay a safe distance away.

Thousands of sections of dredge pipe have been delivered to a massive “pipe farm.”

Two Poseidan dredges are being delivered in sections and will be assembled on site. Shown here: some platforms being unloaded. Here’s a link to the Poseidon site that shows how the equipment is set up.

Contractor and Army Corps representatives review dredging plans at mobilization site headquarters.

Actual dredging should begin within the next two weeks. While staff and material are being organized for the dredging operation, clean up crews will remove more dead trees and other debris from the river and placement sites.

Example of debris removal from Lake Houston before dredging. This shot actually shows a city-contracted crew working on the East Fork during July. Corps crews will be conducting similar work.

Difference Between City Dredging and Corp Dredging

(NOTE: THIS POST HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH THE FOLLOWING INFO SINCE THE ORIGINAL POST) What is the difference between the city debris removal and the debris removal that the corps is doing? I went back into the contract requirements. Division 2, Section 02 41 01.01 45 stipulates, “General debris consists of trees and other vegetation within limits of dredging in the river, under the West Lake, Houston Parkway bridge, and upland areas that are to be dredged or excavated. General debris may also include, but is not limited to, metal bands, pallets, pieces of broken cable, rope, concrete rubble, construction materials, broken piles, etc. and may be encountered in the same area as above.”

So I see three main differences. The Corps subcontractor will: 1) only be working within the area to be dredged, 2) remove other types of materials that the city did not, 3) Also be responsible for cleaning up the placement areas, which the city did not.

Section 1.3.2 of the same document stipulates how they are being paid. Basically, it’s by the ton, but they are also being compensated for the cost of equipment, labor and material. The government is inspecting the scales. The complete contract requirements and plans are posted on the Reports page of this web site under Sedimentation/Dredging/Army Corps.

Additional Info About Army Corps West Fork Dredging Project

Below are some videos posted by the Corps that explain how we got to this point and how the project will progress.

The first explains how the Corps conducted the site survey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvQNwKOOmeA

The next shows an aerial tour of the project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu4-cwsdFNc

And the final one explains their value engineering process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2se5YdNRGdA

Posted by Bob Rehak on August 14, 2018

350 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Mobilization in Full Swing For Army Corps Dredging Project

The countdown has begun to D-Day – Dredging Day. D-Day is still a month away, but things are changing on the ground. Finally. Mobilization has begun for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Emergency Dredging Project on the West Fork of the San Jacinto.

During the last week, the winning bidder has been out surveying the lake, planning the job, and ordering equipment and materials. Now the hard work has started.

Roads are being built to the staging area. Equipment is being installed. Pipeline is being laid. For all those who doubted this day would ever come, here are the pictures that prove it’s happening.

Building a road to the launch site. All photos courtesy of the US Army Corps of Engineers

Grading the road.

Dock area shaping up.

Containers and heavy equipment arriving.

Generators in tow.

Heavy equipment and dredge pipe.

What to Expect When

Right now, crews are setting up the staging area. This week, pipeline arrives and crews will begin installing it. By August 18, two dredges will arrive in pieces by truck. Crews will then begin assembling and launching them.

On August 20, general debris removal will begin. By September 1, the dredges should be sucking sand out of the river and pumping it into placement sites. That process will continue until next April.

Phase Two?

At that point, unless funding has been approved to extend the dredging to include the mouth bar, the contractor, Great Lakes Dredge and Dock will begin removing its equipment from the river and cleaning up after themselves.

The cost of mobilization and demobilization – $17,900,000 out of approximately $69,800,000 – represents almost exactly 25% of the contract. The time also represents about 25% of the total time allotted.

For Your Own Safety…

For safety reasons, the Army Corps respectfully requests the public to stay away from the staging area. The amount of heavy equipment in use and the fast pace of work make this important. The Corps is not publishing details of the staging area’s location, though that will soon become apparent due to the increase in traffic. Just remember, these people have a large job to do and little time to do it. Please respect the demands on their time and respect the perimeter of the job site for your own safety. In the next eight months, they will move enough sand to fill up the Astrodome and then some.

Posted by Bob Rehak on July 31, 2018

336 Days since Hurricane Harvey