State, feds seek millions from firms after toxins dumped near river

by Deborah Tedford
Houston Chronicle
February 15, 1998


      The U.S. Department of Justice and Texas Attorney General Dan Morales are seeking to recover more than $160 million from 14 companies that dumped a deadly stash of toxins into pits near the San Jacinto River.
      The 14 companies along with 21 others dumped more than 500 tons of chemical wastes at the Sikes Disposal Pits, 20 miles northeast of Houston.
      The suit seeks to recover the costs of cleanup and remediation at the 18 acre site. Although the amount is not specified, Justice Department spokesman Bill Brooks estimated the figure to be at least $160 million, $130 million for remediation plus about $30 million in interest.
      Brooks said the state of Texas would recoup about 10 percent of the total figure, or $16 million. The rest would go back into federal coffers. The Sikes project - completed in 1994 - is the largest and most expensive cleanup undertaken by a joint partnership of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission.
      Crews labored five years to incinerate the sludge and treat 350 million gallons of polluted water at a particularly crucial site - on that threatens a major recreational area, a primary food source, and the area's ground water supply.
      The sandy soil made it easy for petrochemical wastes to leech into the river, which feeds directly into Galveston Bay. The bay is a major source of seafood for area residents.
      And the site was also in the midst of the 100-year flood plain, which threatened to increase the scope of the contamination during floods.
      "The site was leeching hazardous material into the river which feeds into Galveston Bay, so the agency moved to clean up the Sikes Disposal Pits to eliminate the threat to [ublic health and the environment," said Dave Bary, spokesman for the Environmental Protection Agency.
      Contamination from the pits threatened the river's use as a major recreational area.
      The site was transformed from a pristine pine forest three decades ago when the owner of the property began allowing waste haulers to dump toxens for as little as $2 a truck load into a series of abandoned sand and gravel pits.
      From 1961 through 1967, more than 500,000 tons of contaminated sludge and about 2,000 rusty leaking barrels were deposited at the site.
      The state and federal partners used a portable incinerator to burn more than 1 billion pounds of abandoned wastes. In addition, 350 million gallons of water also were treated.
      Since the property's ownerdid not have the financial ability to remove the contamination, EPA paid for cleanup ooperations out of Superfund coffers.
      Brooks said Justice Department attorneys were negociating with the companies responsible for creating and dumping the toxins for repayment of the funds.
      However, those negociations broke down recently, making the lawsuit the only option, he said.
      The companies identified in the suit as principal responcible parties are: Are:

A spokesman for the group could not be reached.

Bentsen announces contract to remove San Jacinto River barges

Highlands-Crosby Star Courier
September 25, 1997


Washington -- Congressman Ken Bentsen (D-TX) announced that the U.S. Coast Guard today signed a final contract with BGI Enterprises,Inc of Beaumont to remove abandoned barges from the San Jacinto River.

     The contract signing is the result of a 2 year effort by Congressman Ken Bentsen to remove abandonded barges littering the San Jacinto. These barges pose a serious threat to public safety, navigation and the environment. They could drift into commercial shipping lanes or smash into river front homes, as some did in the 1994 floods, or they could leak hazardous materials into the river. The $1.4million contract calls for BGI enterprises to remove five barges abandoned along the San Jacinto. The five barges are deamed by the Coast Guard as the most dangerous to public safety on the river. The work is expected to begin within three weeks.
     "I am pleased that a contract has been signed so the we can begin the job of actually removing these dangerous barges," Bentsen said. "While I wish we could remove even more barges with the funding already allocated, removing the most dangerous barges will contribute significantly to improving public safety. I will continue to lead the effort to provide further resources ion the effort to remove abandoned barges from the San Jacinto."
     After local leaders and residents brought the problem of abandoned barges to his attention, Congressman Bentsen toured the San Jacinto River and appeared before the House of Representatives' Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation to request funding to remove the barges. Congress approved $1.5 million for the project last year.
     "This has been a community-wide effort," Bentsen said. "I want to thank and congradulate everyone who has worked so hard on this issue, including Baytown Mayor Pete Alfaro, State Rep. Fred Bosse, Harris Co. Commissioner Jim Fonteno, and representatives of the San Jacinto River Association and The Banana Bend Civic Club. Not one barge would be scheduled for removal without their efforts."


County Attorney seeks injunctions to clean-up river front businesses

Chip's RV Park, Sharkey's cited by Fleming

by Lewis Spearman
Highlands-Crosby Star Courier
July 30,1998

HIGHLANDS -- The first Highlands structures drivers see when coing from Houston on I-10 received legal action by Harris County Attorney Michael Fleming's office and the State of Texas on July 15 but a judge has yet to sign any of the papers.
     Actions include an amended agreed temporary injunction for Chip's RV park amd agreed temporoary injunction against Sharkey's Restaurant and Marina. Both businesses are alledged to have illegally discharged raw sewage onto the grounds located near San Jacinto Rive, according to 61st Judicial District documents and Cathy Sisk of the county attorneys Emvironmental Division.
     Sharkeys's owners have agreed to have the stucture examined to see if it is or can be made to meet flood plain management guidelines or they face major structural or relocation changes.
     The actions were prompted by local citizens contacting Precinct 2 Commissioner Jim Fonteno. Fonteno gathered together members of the Harris County Health Department and the County Engineers office to look into matters, according to Virgina Greenof the Commissioners Baytown office.
     Both locations were examined by county officials after the meeting and amung other findings,soil and water samples indicate the presence of sewage from small pipes leading from both of the neighboring businesses.
     The owners of Chip's RV Park has vacated the mobile homes; has agreed to stop supplying water until a certified water operator is hired and brings water into compliance and to stop operating the mobile home park until certain conditions can be met.      The court order would, if signed by the judge, require a registered professional engineer or registered sanitarian to design a functional septic system on the Chip's site; get a permit for the system and install the system in accordance with state and local regulations. The order would include wording that current water must stop being supplied "for human consumption or human contact, including but not limited to, cooking, bathing, to any individual or business."
     Sharkey's restaurant and Marina has agreed to stol discharging sewage or stop operating. The local drinking establishment has agreed to hire a registered engineer or sanatarian to analyze the septic system at the site to see if it is adequate to serve that commercial establishment and prepare a written report as to the engineers or sanatarians findings.
     If the findings are that the system is inadequate, the defendants, Ernest Funderburk and Forrest Purvis, must present a new wastewater treatment design to Harris County Permit office and get a licence for the new wastewater treatment within 30 days from the date of the order.
     Sharkey's restaurant is also to be ordered to get development permits to comply with Harris County, Texas Flood plain management; or if denied, the restaurant must be removed within 90 days after denial, according to documents.
     Sisk, of the county attorneys office said, depending on how the process went with the flood plain permit, a variety of things could happen. The restaurat could be ordered to remove all downstairs walls and structures if the second floor structures could come into compliance with the flood plain standard.


Plan would increase efforts to buy flood prone property

by Carlos Byars
Houston Chronicle
August 19, 1998

       Harris County officals are backing a plan to increase efforts by the federal government to purchase flood-prone property.
       U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Houston, said Tuesday that he will introduce legislation next month to boost the amount of money available for government to buy property that is repeatedly flooded and then repaired with federal flood insurance dollars.
       Bentsen wants to establish pre-disaster mitigation and voluntary buyout program," which he said will save tax dollars by reducing insurance payments to properties that flood repeatedly.
       "We are trying to see if a more aggressive buyout program will save the taxpayers money in the long run," Bentsen said.
       Harris County judge Robert Eckels, who supports Bentsen's efforts, said he will appoint a new flood control "working group," which he will chair.
       Eckels said the group will include representatives from the offices of Houston Mayor Lee Brown or Cuty Council members, the city's permitting department, the Harris County Flood Control District, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Flood Control Task Force.
       Bentsen said it would be more cost effective to use tax dollars for a one time purchase of flood prone property rather than for repeated payments on flood insurance claims.
       The legislation would also improve coordination and communication between federal and local agencies, Bentsen said.
       The proposed changes come in the wake of a report last month by the National Wildlife Federation. The report found that Texas leads the nation in the number of properties that have received flood insurance payments greater than the value of the homes.
       Bentsen said the study also found that from 1978-95, 132 of the nation's properties that received the highest payments for flood damage above actual value were in the Houston area.
       For example, the owner of one South Houston property received $929,680 for 17 separate flooding incidents, Bentsen said. And the owner of a property on the San Jacinto received $806,591, or 7 times the fair market value, for 16 separate floods, he said.
       The property was not included in a county buyout program because local officials were unaware of the federal insurance payments, Eckels said.
       "Under the traditional way government operates, if it doesn't affect my budget, I don't know about it. Likewise for federal government," Eckels said.
       Eckels said the flood control district already is buying properties subject ot flooding and will continue to spent about $2 million a year for this purpose.



Highlands' controversial club "Sharkys" reduced to ashes

by Gilbert Hoffman
Star-Courier
October 1, 1998

HIGHLANDS -- A tremendous fire of unknown origin swept throught the bar and club at the banks of the San Jacinto River known as Sharky's, leaving only ashes and a few charred posts sticking up from the ground.       The call of "fire" was sounded around midnight Saturday, and eventually three fire departments from Highlands, Channelview and Baytown converged on the scene.
      The location of the building is behind Chip's RV Park, at 1700 S. Main in Highlands. Due to the steep driveway down to the riverfront, and the narrow land, fire vehicles were not able to aproach properly, and hoses had to be run from a long distance from Main Street down to the fire. This inconvenience no doubt contributed to the fire getting ahead of the departments and burning so completely. It was noted that the County fireboat appeared on Sunday and Monday, and doused the smoldering remains with water, but it apparently was unavailable Saturday night when it might have helped even more.
      The owner of the building is Forrest Purvis, a resident of the Highlands area. The club, Sharky's, was run by Ernest Funderburk and the space was leased from Purvis.
      The owner indicated that there was some insurance on the building, but probably not enough to cover the complete loss. He had owned the building for less than a year, and after renovating it hoped to turn it into a first class establishment.
      As of presstime, Harris County fire marshalls Hall, Lee and Givens had not issued a determination of the cause of the blaze. Informally they had told Purvis that it didn't look like arson, and were checking the area near the entrance of the electrical service.
      The club had been controversial in the area for some time. It attracted large crowds on weekends, which were sometimes boisterous and misbehaved. Constables and Sherriff's Deputies had made numerous calls, and some arrests at the site, including the club owner.
      Accidents and a shooting were reported in the Star-Courier over the past few months involving patrons of the bar after they left the establishment.
      In addition, Harris County had recently sought a court order or temporary injunction to close both Chip's RV Park and Sharky's Restaurant and marina, because they were alleged to be dumping raw sewage into the area around the river.
      After signing consent orders to make changes, Chip's RV park closed and Sharky's stayed open. It reported that they recently changed names and were studying improvements to their plumbing system.
      Purvis did not know, when interviewed by the Star-Courier, whether he would make an effort to rebuild and reopen any type of business at this site.



Ship Channel, flood control funds okayed by Congress

Highlands Star-Courier
October 1, 1998

WASHINGTON -- House and Seate budget negociators have agreed tp provide $49 million for the Houston Ship Channel expansion project and $19 million for Harris County Flood Control projects in the coming year, U.S. Rep. Bentsen (D-TX) announced. The house passed the Fiscal Year 1999 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill last weekend.
      "These projects are vital to public safety and economic growth," Bentsen said. "This funding will keep those projects on track and even speed up much needed projection for chronically flooded areas." Bentsen has worked with collegues in the Harris County Congressional Delegation to secure and increase funding for these critical projects.
       The final bill includes $49 million for the ship Channel expansion, a compromise between $60 million in the House bill and $38 million in the Senate bill and a substantial increase from the $5 million in the President's budget.
       The funding will keep the project ona four-year timetable. The project to widen and deepen the Ship Channel will improve safety and accomodate larger vessels, helping the Port maintain it's competative edge in international trade.
       The final bill also includes funding for hte following flood control projects: $4.5 million for Brays Bayou (compared to no funding in the President's budget); $12 million for Sims Bayou (up from $9.4 million in the President's budget); $1.8 million for Clear Creek; $500,000 fpr Hunting Bayou; and $300,000 for White Oak bayou (same as the President's budget for the final three).



Lyondell becomes Global Commodity Chemical Company

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       In Dec. 1997, Lyondell formed EquiStar Chemicals as a joint venture with Millenium Chemicals, Inc., creating one of the worlds largest producers of ethylene, propylene and polyethylene. Occidental Petroleum joined the Equistar partnership in May 1998, making EquiStar the second largest producer of ethylene producer. In June 1998, Lyondell announced the purchase of ARCO (the worlds largest producer of propylene oxide), the third major deal in the past year, bringing Lyondell's businesses to a $13 billion anual revenue. Lyondell is also majority owner in Lyondell-Citgo Refining in Pasadena which is now the world's premier heavy crude oil processing facility.
       It would appear that our neighbor is a major player whose plans for a major expansion at the Channelview site is back on schedule. Everyone who loves this river needs to become better informed about and more involved with the impact of this gigantic company on our river paradise.


Champion Paper - Bought by Donohue of Canada

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       The purchase of the Champion paper mill and de-inking plant in sheldon on the banks of our river north of Banana Bend was finalized in June 1998. Donohue bought Champion's Sheldon and Lufkin mills making Donohue the 2nd largest newsprint producer in the United States.
       Donohue plans to double capacity of the Sheldon de-inking plant beginning later this year. Once again lovers of the San Jacinto River below Lake Houston Dam need to realize the impact of these world class corporations on our back door.
       The SJRA toured the Sheldon facility about 2 years ago and witnessed a de-inking process at work. Nasty stuff. Who knows what will be dumped into our river either upstream orby pipeline into the Ship Channel whose tides come in our river daily.
       SJRA plans to contact Donohue for another visit to make certain this Canadian owned company is concerned about protecting the environment here on our river.


SJRA Resumes dialogue with Lyondell on River issues

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       Four years ago immediatel before the big '94 flood, we made a settlement with Lyondell not to oppose a new permit if Lyondell would begin an ongoing dialogue with the SJRA on mutual goals to improve, preserve, protect and defent the SJR below the Lake Houston Dam.
       The first meeting under this agreement occured Sept. 22, 1994 where several proposals involving testing fo the river, reports on discharges, new permits, mitigation involving wetlands preservation, etc were discussed. The next meeting was scheduled for Oct 20th including a river tour wht the Citizen's Advisory Panel (CAPLA)
       But the Great flood arrived on October 18th and a pipeline explosion occured on October 20th. Needless to say, the 2nd meeting was postponed. It has been 4 years and we recently contacted the new and greatly expanded Lyondell to resume the long delayed dialogue. We are certain Lyondell intends to live up to this agreeement because this river, site of their mammoth expansion, needs our protection more than ever.


Have we got trouble right here in River City? Gaswell Drilling!

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

      Have you noticed the drilling rig visible from the river near the Baytown Boat Club and Tugboat Annie's?
       Apparently, Edcop has purchased mineral rights from various riverfront property owners on the Highlands side of the river all the way around the Rio Villa peninsula. Another drilling rig can be seen off Highland Shores Drive. The tornado damaged Fort, that popular riverside bar, in Highlands has been purchased as a storage tank faciillity for natural gas pumped from underneath our river paradise. More pipelines will be crossing our river -- we were running short of pipelins. Its just one exciting threat after another.


Whats going on at the I10 bridge -- with that mountain of sand?


Could it be dredging in our river?

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       Capt. Jack, alias the Houston International Barge Terminal, received a permit from the Corps of Engineers to dredge his private property to create a barge terminal just south of Riverside Inn. He promised the Galveston Bay Foundation that he would mitigate any destruction of wetlands. Capt. Jack also aquired a TNRCC permit which alleges he would not impair water quality with his operation. Is he aware that the area he's dredging is near a 30 year old toxic waste pit?
       Parking chemical barges to be cleaned on the banks of our river seems likely to do significant damage to the water quality of our river. Texas Parks and Wildlife banned commercial sand dredging in the public waters of this river in the 1970's. Their bas was resurected when the SJRA fought the Parker LAFarge dredge forcing non-renewal of his permit in 1993. Isn't the Texas Dept. of Transportation worried about a dredging operation so near the I-10 bridge? It it time to ask some questions of the local, state and federal agancies which were created to protect the public from polluters and dredgers.


Sand mining threatens river homes and wetlands near Banana Bend

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       Walker Sand located on 2100 has purchased property all around Banana Bend and the extensive removal of sand has created vast pits near homeowners and roads. Commercial sand dredging was stopped in the public waters by efforts of the San Jacinto River Association.
       Since the 1970's, sand companies have been purchasing private property along the river. They are removing so much sand that shorelines are now narrow remnants, barely separating the river from these sand pits, located near the Hwy 90 bridges. In fact, the flood of '94 washed away one of those shorelines opening up a small lake into the river just south of Magnolia Gardens going towards the dam.
       In years past, these sand pits were utilized as toxic waste dumps creating three hazardous Superfund sites on our river known as Sykes, French Ltd and the Highlands Acid pits. Soon there will be very little land along the river between the Lake Houston dam and the I-10 bridge except the thin strip of homes along Banana Bend and the Rio Villa Peninsula. Aerial photos already reveal the diappearance of land replaced by water.


Can we save our wetlands?

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       Five residents of Rio Villa who also happen to be members of the San JAcinto River Association Board of Directors attended a meeting May 7 in Baytown to help identify areas along our river which need to be preserved as wetlands. More than 30,000 acres of coastal wetlands have been lost in the Galveston Bay system over the past 40 years due to subsidence and dredging.
       The Habitat Conservation Blueprint is an inventory being developed by the Galveston Bay Foundation with input from this community regarding preservation and restoration of estuary habitats with the goal of restoring 24,000 acres by the year 2010. The National Bay Estuary Program is a national effort to restore 1 million acres across the nation. The goal of Senator Chaffee's bill is to develop partnerships among private and government efforts at all levels.
       On our lower San Jacinto River, several sites were identified as worth preserving: Tugboat Annie's Wetlands; Wallisville Road Wetlands and Rio Villa Park Wetlands (about 200 acres) on the south side of Rio Villa; Highland Shoreline, Marsh and Wetlands (about 500 acres across the river from Rio Villa) and White's Lake north shoreline across from Riverside Inn.
       Internet access to "Restore America's Estuaries" is raecoalition@estuaries.org We need to stay in contact with the Galveston Bay Foundation at 713-332-3381 so funding for preserving wetlands will remain a priority. What is at stake, is the beauty along our river as well as the value of estuaries to our Gulf Coast economy, tourism, and watersports involving millions of dollars and thousands of jobs.


TNRCC's Clean Rivers

San Jacinto River Association News News Letter
Ripples on the River
Summer 1998

       The final 1998 Clean Water Act 303(d) list was submitted to the EPA on April 23rd. State environmental officials led by Barry McBee, Chair of the Natural Resource Conservation Commission, have developed a list of rivers and waterways in Texas which do not meet the federal Clean Water Act standards. Of the 368 watersheds in Texas, 140 including our own San Jacinto River are not in compliance with state surface water quality standards. On-Site studies of these watersheds are being conducted over the next five years regarding the Total Maximum Daily Load of pollution the watersheds can tolerate and what must be done regarding point source pollution from insustries as well as non-source point pollution such as septic systems. Studies of our river below Lake Houston Dam (segment 1001) already indicate problems with mercury in the water. This can be of a concern for fish consumption while human contact recreation is a concern because the bacteria level sometimes exceeds the safe standard for such use of the river. Our river is not listed to be in the first prority studies because the simply do not have the data to identify other potential hazards. No data, no problem! We must demand to know what chemicals have been looked for in the water, the fish and the sediment in the past and what will be looked for in the future. Their approach so far is if we don't look, we won't know. Their ignorance of the water quality of this river means we enjoy this river without knowing the risks. The internet address to access their data and for public comments is http://wwwtnrcc.state.tx.us/water/quality/data/wmt/tmdl.html


Probe sought in barge damage to I-10 bridge

By Cindy Horswell
Houston Chronicle
Oct 22, 1998

      U.S Rep Ken Bentsen Jr. and Baytown mayor Pete Alfaro are seeking a federal investigation into an accident in which a barge seriously damaged the Interstate 10 Bridge over the San Jacinto River.
      The damage, inflicted early Monday on the rain swollen river, will force state highway officials to temporarily close the westbound span for repairs.
      Bentsen D-Houston and Alfaro asked the Coast Guard and the US Army Corps of Engineers to investigate.
      "We had a similar thing happen in 1994," Alfaro said. "Motorists from Baytown and many other areas that travel this interstate were inconveniences for months afterrward. Something needs to be done to prevent something like this from happening in the future. There will always be more floods."
      During a record flood in October 1994, an abandoned barge and other debris washed down river and crashed into the east bound portion of the bridge. That section, which had already been slated for reconstruction, wa repaired in about three months and federal funding later was found to remove other abandoned barges that litter the river.
      The 295 foot barge involved in Monday's accident is owned by Hines, Inc. and was attached by cables to a towboat owned by Western Towing Company.
      "I can't comment on the cause of the accident until we hear what the US Coast Guard has to say, but there were some high currents that day," Robert Goolsby, Western Towing's general manager, said Wednesday.
      The barge, carrying liquid Styrene used in the manufacture of plastic foam, sheared off a concrete piller from beneath the westbound side, but did not leak. No one was injured.
      Goolsby said it was not unusual for the towboad captain to navigate the river during such stormy weather.
      "We had passed under that bridge without any problem 10 hours earlier," he said. "That same boat makes that trip as much as two or three times a day."
      Coast Guard spokeswoman Diane Hauser said the currents were moving at about 20 knots -- four times swifter than normal -- on the day of the accident. She declined to comment on the cause of the wreck, however, saying the investigation may take a couple of weeks.
      Quincy Allen, The Texas Department of Transportation's area engineer, said the support column was cut off "like a missing tooth." He estimated that repairs would cost up to $500,000 and take two months.
      A portioin of the westbound span has remained open since the accident, but the entire span is to be closed Friday. By Monday, a shoulder and one lane of the eastbound span are to be converted into west bound lanes until the repairs are done. That will leave two lanes for eastbound traffic.
      Officials said motorists can detour around this traffic snarl by taking Texas 146 south across the Fred Hartman Bridge to Texas 225, or by going north on FM1942 to US 90



Exactly 4 years later.. Deja Vu

Floods, runaway barge damage I10 bridge

Temporarily closed, traffic detours to FM 2100; Banana Bend evacuated ... again.

by Lewis Spearman
Highlands-Crosby Star Courier
October 22, 1998

HIGHLANDS -- One hour and 20 minutes lsee than exactly 4 years since the San Jacinto River bridge was closed due to flood debris slamming into it, a barge completely took out a concrete column supporting the westbound bridge of Interstate 10. The wreck separated part of the highway, following about 4 inches of rain the night before.
      The Oct. 19 accident stopped traffic in both directions until Harris County Sheriff's Lieutenant M.J. O'Brian got official permission at 8:37am to open the eastbound side and by 9:00 am the operation to open eastbound had been accomplished. Traffic bound up FM 2100's Northbound lanes for at least the next 11.5 hours as motorists were forced to go around hte bridge to travel towards Houston.
      According to US Coast Guard reports, at 6:37 am, a barge with a load of styrene from ARCO Chemical Company, being towed by a tug named Arabian, owned by Western Towing company of Channelview, went out of control and collided with a support pillar that was holding up part of the Northeastern side where the bridge meets Highlands.
      Coast Guard officals said jetties accompanying the heavy rains may have beein contributory but an investigation continues. Officers estimate currents over three times as fast as usual during flood conditions that morning.
      Coast Guard ruled the 295 by 54 foot barge was seaworthy to continue after an examination and allowed it to be pushed to the towing company's yard. Officials reported no leakage and no environmental danger to citizens.
      Texas Department of Transportation Engineer, Quincy Allen, reported there should be enough clearancefor the opening of a West-bound lanethe day of the accident.
      At nearly 8:41, TXDoT engineers had successfully opened one lane at the juncture fo the missing pillar. The bridge opens to two lanes after the point of impact. Passage widens to normal further west. TXDoT was conducting emergency engineering meetings at press time to determine steps to be followed to correct the situation and what emergency contracting need be held to restore the bridge.
      According to LT. O'Brian, who with Captain Susan Nixon established a command center at the Highlands Storefront minutes after deputies arrived on the scene, Sheriffs personel were having "An eventful day."
      Deputies were stationed from just north of the intersection of US 90 South on FM 2100 to the Lynchburg Crossing, East to Baytown directing traffic. Additionally, Captain Nixon was organizing emergency evacuation capabilities for Banana Bend and Grace LAne in the event of rapidly rising waters cresting expectations.
      Capt. Nixon attempted to get Marine Division's into water-bound areas to prevent any crime problems only to discover that all county marine divisions et al were diverted to the West side of Houston for flooding problems there.
      Officers saw an ATV, a new pickup truck and a human attempt to cross flooded areas. The truck and the ATV became one with the river and the human gave up part of the way across.
      Long time resident, Dickie Woods, owner of Banana Bend Beach, said the river's level was up 6-8 feet on OCt 20th but 6-8 feet below the flood of 1994. "It's still rising now, I guess it has gone up 7 to 8 inches in 24 hours."
      Grace Lane's high-water built up and vented road was about 4 feet shy of being high enough this flood. Passage was blocked on the road the County improved last summer to handle flood waters.



Memorys of '94 flood resurface.

Many close to river are fleeing to shelters.

By R.A. Dyer and Paul McKay
Houston Chronicle
October 20, 1998

      The San Jacinto River rose from it's banks 4 years ago and swallowed the two story house at 2410 Northshore. Not even the chimney was above water.
      The owner had not yet finished repairing that damage when the river rose again Monday -- covering the first floor with about 4 feet of water.
      "Last time, it was flooded so bad, you couldnt come in here unless you had scuba gear," Chris Blaynay, 30 said as he waded through the flotsam in what had been a living room. "It's not as bad as it was, but it still kind of sucks."
      Blaynay could have been speaking for a lot of residents of the adjacent north Harris County neighborhoods of Northshore and Forest Cove, just north of the San Jacinto River near Humble. Even though flood waters Monday poured into more than a dozen area homes, residents said they'd seen far worse.
      But some also said the two floods -- four years apart -- seemed an odd and perhaps ominous coincidence.
      "It's kind of weird," said Forrest Cove resident Rick Wuyts as he walked through the subdivision Monday afternoon with his wife, Susan, and their dog Ginger. "It doesn't give you a good feeling."
      Wuyts said in 94 the entire neighborhood was under water. Also covered were Hamblen Road which intersects Forest Cove just north of the river, and the stores and business in the area. Other homes were lifted rfom their foundations and destroyed.
      Officials said about 40 homes were damaged by floodwaters Monday, including about a dozen in Forest Cove just north of the river. Some had as much as 4 feet of water over their first floor. Many other homes are on piers and appeared to have escaped damage.
      Officials from the Houston Fire Department, Emergency Medical Service and Houston Fire Deapartment used small boats to assist many residents. The city also dispatched to Forest Cove a large dumptruck that could negociate the flooded streets and help those residents who needed to be quickly evacuated.
      Bob Dunston, 39, appeared in high spirits Monday, even though the flood had ruined the first floor of his townhome at 1110 Marina Drive in Forest Cove. He said water began entering his house at about 4:30am Monday, and by mid moring it was high enough that a catfish was jumping in one of his newly renovated rooms.
      "I just redid the downstairs -- everything was new," he said, chuckling, as he stood in about a foot of water. "I just got it done about two weeks ago. I guess we'll just have to have another painting party. Another carpeting party."
      The devastating flood of 1994 was also a vivid memory to east Montgomery County residents taking refuge Monday at a Red Cross shelter at the New Caney Middle School gymnasium on US 59 in Porter.
Half of the 17 people who checked into the shelter Sunday as a precautionary measure were planning to stay overnight as flood prone channels such as Caney Creek, Peach Creek, the San Jacinto River and the river's east fork receded but threatened to rise again because of persistant showers.
      "I remember how bad it got in 1994 when we got water in our house, and I told my husband there was now way I was going to stay at the house with the water coming up like it was Sunday," said Marie Wallace, 38, who was staying at the Red Cross shelter with her husband, David, and their 9 year old son Ryan.
      The Wallaces live on FM 1485 east of New Caney in a house that lies between the swollen Caney and Peach Creeks. Although overflows were reported throughout Montgomery County, officials said damage to homes and other property was minor.
      Red Cross volunteer Karen Reed said most of the people staying at the Prrter shelter were there because, like the Wallaces, they didn't want to take chances.
      "People learn by getting scared to death," Reed said. "The majority of the people we're seein here are afraid because of the lesson that the flood of '94 taught them. They're not here because their homes are wiped out."
      Reed said the shelter will be shut down by noon today unless weather conditions worsen.
      The Splendora and NJew Caney School districts did not have classes Monday because roads and streets were impassable except by private boats.
      Conditions remained so unpredictable because of the light but steady rainfall Monday that school officials in the Splendora and New Caney districts were unsure if class will resume today. Officials said residents should monitor television and radio stations for reports on school closings.


Relentless downpour swamps Texans

Floodwaters soak area; more rain likely today

by Rad Sallee
Houston Chronicle
October 20, 1998

      Harris and surrounding counties struggled Monday to absorb two days of unrelenting rainfall that turned many subdivisions into lakes, swamped roads and highways and forced scores of people to leave their homes.
      The official rain gauge at Bush Intercontinental Airport measured 4.04 inches through 4 p, Sunday, breaking the record of 3.36 inches set in 1980.
      Although the same gauge Monday recorded just .5 inches, there was significantly more at other stations. At Cypress Creek near Westfield, there was almost an inch, and near Hockley 1.3 inches, the same amount that fell at Goose Creek near Baytown.
      Today's forcast is a 60 % chance of more rain.
      The worst flooding in the Houston area was along the San Jacinto River, Cypress Creek and Willow Creek. Some stramside homes were evacuated by boat Sunday, and a handful of people spent the night in emergency shelters.
      By 11am Monday, the watershed of the East Fork of the San Jacinto received 14.44 inches of rain in 36 hours, the highest total among watersheds in that area.
      The river was five feet out of tis banks alog Hamblin Road in the Forest Cove and Northshore subdivisions, where residents had to paddle over flooded streets in boats and canoes. Rising water poured into dozens of homes in the area
      The same happened downstream in the Rio Villa and Banana Bend subdivisions, where the river frequently spreads into surrounding lowland, said Frank Gutierrez, the county's emergency management operations supervisor.
      A barge broke loose early Monday on the San JAcinto River east of Houston, damaging a bridge support under Interstate 10 and briefly closing westbound lanes into the city and forcing a llonger partial shutdown.
      Flooding closed US 59 at the San Bernard River bridge on the Fort Bend-Warton County line and further south near Hungerford.
      In Liberty County, airboats were used Monday to rescue four families from homes in the Cleveland area. Three other families had been rescued Sunday.
      By late Monday, roads to the homes remained impassable, but no water was in the homes. The only road into Sam Houston Lake Estates was also impassable by most vehicles.
      Another seven families in the Oak Hi area near Cleveland reported being stranded after a culver on Tree Monkey Road washed out.
      "This happened once before and the Federal Emergency Managament Agency helped us rebuild it, but this time there won't be a disaster declaration and the county says they can't fix a private road," said homeowner Juan Lomas, 45, a diabled trucker who uses a wheelchair.
      "Our only other way out is a pasture but we would bog down in that. We'll have to somehow find the money."
      Area streams were expected to peak Monday and subside slowly over the next several days. Although most of the rain had stopped by Monday afternon, two shelters remained on standby Monday night.
      They are Rosehill Baptist Church, 18214 FM 2920 in far northwest Harris County and First Baptist Church, 25503 FM 2100 in Huffman.
      A construction worker killed in Brookshire by a tornado early Sunday was identified by police Monday as Jose Flores Alvarez, 33 of San Luis Potisi, between Monterrey and Mexico City.
      Alverez was staying at a friends trailer south of town when the twister hit. He was thrown more than 100 yards and killed instantly, investigators said. The trailer was demolished and the friend slightly hurt.
      Despite the death and tornado damage to homes in Wimbleton Estates and a Katy church, the Houston area did not sustain nearly the damage that was done Sept 11 by Tropical Storm Fransis.
      The Splendora, New Caney and Tarkington school districts did not hold classes Monday because of streets that were impassable. Because of the light but steady rainfall Monday, officials in those districts were unsure if the classes will resume today. They advised parents to monitor television and radio station for reports on school closings.
      On the barge-disabled I-10 bridge across the San Jacinto, two lanes may be in use today, said TXDoT spokesman Norm Wigington. Eastbound traffic crosses the river on a parallel span that was not damaged.
      Repairs will take several weeks, Wigington said. He advised commuters to consider taking Texas 146 south of Baytown and crossing the Fred Hartman bridge to Texas 225 (the Pasadena-LAPorte Freeway) pr taking Crosby-Lynchburg Road nort to US 90 into Houston.
      The bridge entrance ramp from Crosby Lynchburg will be closed during the repairs because it feeds into the damages lanes, Wigington said.
      Chief Petty Officer B.G. Hemker of the Coast Guard station in Houston saud the double hulled tank barge carrying liquid styrene was being pushed south by the towboat Arabian when it hit the bridge column about 7:00am. No injuries or pollution occiured, and the barge was freed about 9:30am, he said


Salvation Army seeks aid for flood victims

DALLAS (AP) -- The Salvation Army has set up a toll free line for people to call donations for Texas flood victims. The toll free number is 1-800-253-1868. The Dallas Salvation Army office can be reached by calling 214-353-2731. You can also send checks marked "Flood Relief" to:

The Salvation Army
P.O. Box 2608
Dallas, Tx 75221