Houston fficials not sure why wastewater lines are breaking at higher than normal rate

Dry conditions are being blamed for broken water and sewer lines. However (quote from Houston Chronicle):

"What was not expected, he said, is that more than half of the calls are for broken wastewater lines. These breaks usually peak in rainy weather, he said, while water lines break most often in dry spells. Johnson said city officials aren't sure how to explain the unusual pattern. "We're just trying to get them fixed," he said. The department has been getting about 260 to 275 calls a day for both types of lines, he said. About 60 to 75 of these are duplicate calls for the same problem and another 100 problems can be fixed quickly and easily, he said. This leaves about 100 calls a day that require a work crew. Repairs are running about six days behind, Johnson said, but since the city can fix about 100 breaks a day, the backlog is not increasing. "

Link to story:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/metropolitan/427694

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 12, 2000

Answers

Thanks, Carl. Houston's one of those towns with a very positive outlook on potential problems and Y2K was one of them. Because of the petrochem industry and unavoidable emissions and effect on pipes and the really terrible condition of the infrastructure lcoally the water/sewage problem would be a mighty complex issue to address. But we've had plenty of glitches down here that aren't being given much attention. We're trying to find the thread on the pump failure in (?) California that resulted on the sewage spill that spooked the UK into worrying about pump pressure and backflow from the sewage processing plants. May be relevant.

-- mike in houston (mmorris67@hotmail.com), January 12, 2000.

Some of it may also be that Houston has sunk about 9 feet in the last 30 years due to depletion of the aquifer beneath.

Houston Sinks

-- Groundsniffer (Geog@longview.edu), January 12, 2000.

Grounsniffer, I left my glasses at work. What does that link of yorus say - Houston Stinks?

-- paul leblanc (bronyaur@gis.net), January 12, 2000.

I work in downtown Little Rock, Ar. Everyday this week there have been electric company crews pumping water out of the manholes in the streets (at least three streets that I saw myself from my vantage point). Funny, not much rain lately. Things that make ya go hmmm.

-- Lisa (lisadawn@yahoo.com), January 12, 2000.

Yes, Paul, that too ; ). But I said Houston Sinks for the link title.

-- Groundsniffer (geog@longview.edu), January 12, 2000.

Dry conditions? Not according to this.http://txwww.cr.usgs.gov/program/TX028.html

-- Different Source (Information@here.com), January 12, 2000.

Newport News has been busting a$$ working on their sewage lines since a week or two before X-mas. Crews on the main darags: Jefferson and Warwick.

Carl's link:

Urban Hydrology Study - Houston

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PROBLEM The city of Houston experiences severe flood problems associated with storm- water runoff. The quality of water discharged from urbanized areas also is of concern. Few hydrologic data are available to make adequate decisions for controlling peak runoff or for establishing land-use practices to minimize the adverse impacts of runoff water quality on receiving streams.

OBJECTIVE

To collect hydrologic data for studies to determine the effects of urbanization on flood discharge and total runoff with variations in rainfall patterns, rainfall intensity, and drainage areas; (2) to delineate actual floods to determine flood-hazard areas; (3) to provide water-quality data for selected areas of differing land use from water samples collected during runoff which differ by season and magnitude; (4) to establish techniques for predicting flood frequencies in an urbanizing area; and (5) to determine the effects of urban development on storm runoff.

APPROACH Drainage basins with different hydrologic characteristics will be instrumented to collect simultaneous rainfall-runoff data. Field surveys will be conducted to determine areas affected by unusual floods. Water-quality samples will be collected in selected areas to reflect the relation between water quality, land use, season, and flood magnitude. Regression analyses will be used to determine possible relations between flood-peak magnitude or flood-runoff volumes and drainage-basin characteristics. Mathematical models will be used to determine the effects of urbanization in this coastal area.

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For additional information contact Fred Liscum - Project Chief US Geological Survey Subdistrict Office - Houston Room 1112 2320 La Branch Street Houston, TX 77004 sfliscum@usgs.gov

---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Return to index of USGS Program in Texas, or go to the USGS in Texas homepage. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- Urban Hydrology Study - Houston (TX028) http://tx.usgs.gov/program/TX028.html

Please send questions, to webmaster@tx.usgs.gov This document was last modified Tuesday, September 29, 1998. 12:15 PM CST

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 12, 2000.