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“What’s Comin’ Down River” Flow Report
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RIVER UPDATE
By FOR's Backyard
River Hydrologist
(mostly reliable and
sometimes scientific
observations)
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UPDATE - Thu Sep 19: Elvis has stopped singing for now but he hasn't left the building. An Imelda feeder band reformed overnight and from north Houston to Beaumont those folks have gotten more than 25 inches. To the west of Houston, the upper Brazos and San Bernard watersheds have been largely spared from large accumulations. The flow at Hwy 35 is fairly light and the river level is primarily being influenced by Imelda's low pressure.
HOWEVER, the heavy rain band north of us is sagging southward and the forecast is that the western end of it may give some parts of the watershed 2 or 3 more inches this afternoon. A major river rise still doesn't look likely, but property owners are encouraged to keep an eye on the radar and if large amounts of rain should fall north of us, start watching the flood gauges. Links to the Houston radar and San Bernard flood gauges are located at the bottom of the page.
Wed Sep 18: Twenty-plus inches of rain at the mouth so far but only 4" at Hwy 35 and less than an inch at New Gulf and above. River gauges at New Gulf, East Bernard and Chesterville have not risen at all. Hwy 35 gauge is up 4 ft. and predicted to rise 1.5 ft more. At least half of the rise is due to Imelda's high tides.
The storm centered west of Houston moved very slowly overnight. It is still possible that as it moves northward we may get a rain band training over the upper part of the river. Unless and until that happens, downriver residents will only be dealing with what is falling there. Very little is coming over the dam in your direction. Keep watching the radar and the Hwy 35 gauge (links at the bottom of the page) for changing conditions.
Tue Sep 15: Keep an eye on the Houston radar and river gauge links at the bottom of the FOR home page. 5" or more over a large part of the watershed or a 5 ft. predicted rise at Hwy 35 will be indications that docks in the northern part of the watershed may flood and boat owners may want to move watercraft out from under boat lifts. It's going to be crummy boating weather this week and we live just two miles below Hwy 35 so our watercraft are coming out today before the heavy rain starts.
Note: Now would probably be a good time to review the "What Happens When It Rains" video from FOR's public education program held this past July.
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Boling Flood Gauge - no trouble from Imelda
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Note: After posting the update to "Flow Report" Thu Sep 19 above, this article may have to be revised. Watch the weather and see if Imelda comes back to sucker punch us.
Located 25 miles north of the Hwy 35 flood gauge, the Boling flood gauge on the San Bernard shows the river to be quite placid. Hard to believe since south of Hwy 35 was plummeted by Imelda’s 17 - 20 “ of rain yesterday. It's a good lesson to always watch what is happening on the entire San Bernard watershed during rainy disturbances. Sometimes the news is good!
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The San Bernard River at Boling is a tranquil 3 ft deep on Wed Sep 18th, 3:00 pm.
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Annual Meeting & Election of Directors Held
FOR President Kirk Wardlaw may tell a different tale of tangling with a sailfish but the one jumping over his head at the FOR Annual Meeting is probably the closest he’s ever get to landing one. That's a door prize raffle ticket he's holding. The winners are pictured below
President Wardlaw welcomed the over-fifty crowd (age and number) that attended the annual meeting held at Dido’s Restaurant. He then introduced the attending Board of Directors that included Mike Goodson, George Harris, Gary Kersh, Brett McManus, Vanessa Taylor, Elena Berger Vazques and Linda Wright.
Meeting speakers included two Brazoria County Commissioners, one Coastal Programs Manager and one Port CEO
Donald Dude Payne
Brazoria County Commissioner
Precinct 1
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David Linder
Brazoria County Commissioner
Precinct 4
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Chris Sallese
Coastal Programs Mgr,
Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation
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Commissioners Payne and Linder and Chris Sallese reported discouraging news about timing of reopening of the mouth. The Army Corp of Engineers is saying there is a major shortage of dredges due to the 2019 flooding of the Mississippi River area that will probably cause a delay of work starting on the mouth. Sallese said it in all probability it will push back the Spring dredging to Fall of next year.
Phyllis Saathoff
Executive Director/CEO, Port Freeport
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Suzanne Goodson
Fundraiser Auction Chairman
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Leanne & Doug Finlayson
Port Freeport Gift Basket Winner
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It was during Port Freeport CEO Phyllis Saathoff’s discussion of the port’s planned $295 million dredging project to deepen the port, that she mentioned the ro-ro (roll on - roll off) vessel The Golden Ray. It had overturned in the shipping channel off the coast of Georgia. It had recently paid a visit to the Port of Freeport. Saathoff stated that dredging Port Freeport to a deeper depth would not only make it the deepest Port in Texas but safer for larger vessels like the Golden Ray.
Upon completion of speaker messages, the two new FOR Director nominees, David Roquemore and John Swanson, spoke briefly about their history on the river and their goals for the FOR organization. Meeting attendees voted unanimously for them and the three Directors, Kevin Henry, Gary Kersh and Brett McManus who are returning for another three year term.
September Water Quality Test on San Bernard
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H-GAC Texas Stream Team volunteers Valroy Maudlin and Tim Logan, using a test kit, measure the physical and chemical parameters of San Bernard River at two locations. Valroy tests off his pier at CR 496, 1.6 miles upstream from the Churchill Bridge. Tim tests off his dock at Rio Vista, 4.5 miles downstream from the Churchill Bridge. Both tests are done within a day or so of each other.
The test reports the pH level, salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen and turbidity of the water. Two forms are shown for comparison as the data collected from the two locations can vary.
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Mouth Photo September 7, 2019
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Looking in a southwesterly direction, the mouth of the San Bernard River flows out to the Gulf through a small, narrow opening. The wing tip of photographer Bert Smith’s plane is shown as it flies above the mouth capturing the Gulf of Mexico coastline as it stretches out to the southwest.
Photo A.G. “Bert” Smith, 9-7-19
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It's Flamingle Time at the Fundraiser
If you think there are no flamingos in Texas…well think again, it’s rumored that a gazillion of them are escaping from Florida and making the San Bernard River their destination, arriving just in time to attend the FOR fundraiser.
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“Escape to the Tropics” Fundraiser
Sat Oct 5, 2019
6:00 - 10:00 pm
FOR Community Center Pavilion
20450 CR 510-B, east bank of San Bernard
Make this your destination too and come flamingle with the flamingos. Throw on some casual beachcomber duds and when you arrive you’ll receive a welcoming lei then enjoy BeachBum Barbecue and a live auction. Mark your calendar and watch for more information.
Tickets: Early (Flamingo) Bird price is $20, meal included or at the door $25. You can buy tickets at the FOR Annual Meeting, Sat Sep 14th, 4:00 pm, Dido's Restaurant.
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Ticket Order Form
If you don't buy your tickets at the Annual Meeting you can print and snail mail order form along with your check. When your order and check has been received by FOR, you'll be sent an email response that your tickets will be reserved for you at the door of the event. Your cancelled check will be your receipt. For information call 979.299.9646 |
Past Web Articles
To view past web articles, click on "View Archives" on the right >>>>>>
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San Bernard River Flood Information (two versions):
Note:"San Bernard River Near Old Ocean" and the "USCS Hwy 35 Flood Gauge" are the same, just different presentation of data
Tide Table for Freeport (subtract 30 minutes from Freeport Harbor readings for actual time at the San Bernard mouth)
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Friends of the River (F.O.R) San Bernard, Texas
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