pipeline repairs Archives - Reduce Flooding

Five pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL) through the utility corridor that crosses the LMI River Road sand mine in Conroe have been buried again. Repairs have almost finished. Last Friday, crews were removing construction equipment and cleaning up. This significantly reduces risk to the public from a pipeline leak, rupture or explosion.

Erosion Triggered by Mining Too Close to Utility Corridor

Erosion from the mine first exposed the pipelines in 2014. The pipelines and mine reportedly argued about the fix in court for years. But after publication in December of aerial photos showing shoddy temporary fixes and badly sagging pipelines, residents lodged numerous complaints with the TCEQ, Mine Safety and Health Administration, Texas Railroad Commission, and the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Materials Stockpiled by January

Major repairs started in January. Contractors started stockpiling culvert, riprap, sand and other construction materials onsite.

Start of repairs. Photo taken January 20, 2020.

Construction Half Done in Mid-February

Construction was well underway a month later in February.

Cleanup Begins Early March

Last Friday, it was all over but the cleanup. Of course, cleanup in a sandmen is a relative term.

*Looking north at utility corridor and pipeline repairs from over the mine’s main pit.* *This photo and those below taken on March 6, 2020.*

*Looking south toward main pit and river. Water flows from behind the camera position into these inlet pipes.* *Note the concrete overflow spillway to reduce future erosion.*

*A ditch not channels water to the new culverts. It also intercepts water flowing south toward the river (upper left).*

*Where the ditch turns toward the culvert, it appears to be 10 to 15 feet deep.*

*Reverse shot. Looking NE. Unfortunately, mining and erosion seem to have drained the wetlands.*

Clogged Culvert a Future Risk

*A big issue in the future may be sediment clogging the culverts.*

Looking at all the sediment spewing from the culverts, one has to worry a bit about those culverts becoming clogged with sand and silt. No shortage of that around here!

Sadly, the wetlands lost since this episode started might have prevented some of that erosion.

Thanks to everyone who wrote regulatory agencies and complained about this situation. It helped produce a quick, happy resolution. Let’s chalk one up in the win column.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/11/2020

925 Days after Hurricane Harvey

In the last month, workers made progress on pipeline bed repairs to two area sand mines. But repairs at one sand mine look substantial. At another, they look superficial. Triple PG in Porter is still edging into the danger zone.

Exposed by Erosion When Mining Came Too Close

In December and January, I posted about pipelines exposed when sand miners mined too close to them. Floodwaters then swept through the mines and undercut the pipelines, creating safety hazards.

*Pipelines exposed by erosion at Liberty Materials Mine in Conroe. Photo taken January 20, 2020.*

Several HVL (highly volatile liquid) pipelines (above) and one natural gas pipeline (below) were affected at mines in Conroe and Porter.

*Exposed natural gas pipeline at Triple PG mine near Caney Creek in Porter*. *Photo taken December 3, 2019.*

Here’s where things stand on repairs at both mines as of last week..

Triple PG Mine in Porter: Another Big Cover Up

The Triple PG Mine in Porter has covered up the exposed natural gas pipeline with sand. As of 2/13/2020, Triple PG had made no other visible attempts to stabilize the area, which is subject to repeated erosion. Harvey first exposed the pipeline, which Triple PG subsequently covered. Then Imelda re-exposed it. And Triple PG re-covered it.

*Fresh sand covers exposed natural gas pipeline. Will it be washed away a third time in the next big storm?*

Readers may remember that after Harvey, Kinder Morgan tunneled 75 feet under the mine and spliced in a replacement for the section that had been exposed. They then filled the cutoff section with inert gas. So the exposed section was not active.

Still, without further stabilization, the pipeline will likely be exposed again and again by future storms.

Triple PG still has made no attempt to stabilize erosion creeping toward the HVL pipelines that cross the mine in a utility corridor. The same erosion that exposed the natural gas pipeline will threaten those in future storms.

Five pipelines carry highly volatile liquids through this utility corridor. Triple PG mines sand from either side of them. During floods, Caney Creek runs through this mine creating the erosion you see here.

Liberty Materials Mine in Conroe: Fix Nearing Completion

At a Liberty Materials Mine in Conroe, a much more substantial fix is underway by the pipelines. The mine spanned both sides of the utility corridor. Water from one side, trying to get to the river on the other, washed under several HVL pipelines, exposing them.

Repairs began in January and were well under way in February. Crews first expanded the washed out area under the pipelines. Then they placed two giant culverts under the pipelines to allow water to move from one side to the other. They also cemented the culverts in place and drove vertical steel reinforcements in the ground to prevent re-exposure of the pipelines.

*Two giant culverts will now carry water under the pipelines. Shown above: the outfall.*

*Steel reinforcements rise above the level of the pipelines to help retard erosion.* *Photo taken 2/13/2020.*

*Rip rap and other reinforcements will also help retard erosion.*

*Inlets for the culverts. Photo taken 2/13/2020.*

*Looking west toward The Woodlands. San Jacinto West Fork is at far end of sand mine. Note all the sand and sediment that has washed under this area to the far side of the steel reinforcements.*

As of 2/13/2020, crews were filling dirt in under, around and over the pipelines.

The repairs here appear much more substantial than in the Triple PG mine. I just hope the volume of sand washing from one section of the mine to the other does not clog the culverts. The steel reinforcements will protect the pipelines in this location, but water has a habit of flowing around obstacles.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/2020

908 Days after Hurricane Harvey 157 since Imelda

Tag Archive for: pipeline repairs

Five Exposed HVL Pipelines Go Undercover; More Wetlands Drained