2024 Rain Thread: All Your El Nino Are Belong to Us

[Trey3216 15,349]

Lake Waco is 20 feet high right now.  Nearly 200k acre feet over full pool.   Absolutely insane.  

[utee94 15,835]

24 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Lake Waco is 20 feet high right now.  Nearly 200k acre feet over full pool.   Absolutely insane.  

I'm assuming they'll be able to bleed it down over time by releasing waters downstream?  How long might that take?  And do they generate hydroelectric from the Waco dam?

 

[Wiler77 1,566]

1 hour ago, troph said:

Buchanan up 2 ft so far and flows suggest more to come. Travis up a foot. Ground is soaked so any more rain in the next few weeks would be awesome.

 

 

If I did the math right, net inflows of ~15k cfs over a sustained 24hr period will lead to 29k acre feet of water.  That's about 3% of Buchanan's capacity.  So there could be some significant gains from this event.

[Trey3216 15,349]

1 minute ago, utee94 said:

I'm assuming they'll be able to bleed it down over time by releasing waters downstream?  How long might that take?  And do they generate hydroelectric from the Waco dam?

 

They're kind of having to wait on the waters to recede a bit downstream.  No hydroelectric on the dam for some reason.  I know yesterday both the middle and upper Bosque were flowing 100k cfs into the lake.  It was rising over 1 foot per hour for a bit.  

[troph 24,874]

16 minutes ago, Wiler77 said:

If I did the math right, net inflows of ~15k cfs over a sustained 24hr period will lead to 29k acre feet of water.  That's about 3% of Buchanan's capacity.  So there could be some significant gains from this event.

yeah I think Buchanan's rise from this event is just starting.

[Post Oak 20,246]

17 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

They're kind of having to wait on the waters to recede a bit downstream.  No hydroelectric on the dam for some reason.  I know yesterday both the middle and upper Bosque were flowing 100k cfs into the lake.  It was rising over 1 foot per hour for a bit.  

There needs to be away to pump this excess water down into the aquifer 

[Trey3216 15,349]

5 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

There needs to be away to pump this excess water down into the aquifer 

The good thing about this much water is that a lot of it will leach through the limestone down into it.  Ground is absolutely soaked.  

[Mighty fine 169]

There needs to be away to pump this excess water down into the aquifer 

I know some entities around Houston are exploring this (capturing and injecting stormwater). The difficult part is that you have do some level of pretreatment before injecting. At a minimum this would involve knocking out suspended solids to prevent fouling of the formation. Beyond this, the state regs require that the injected water be of at least as 'good' of quality as the native groundwater.

The technology is there, but the infrastructure requirements are substantial especially when considering that there may be extended periods of equipment/facility downtime.

[Brisketexan 105,160]

6 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

I know some entities around Houston are exploring this (capturing and injecting stormwater). The difficult part is that you have do some level of pretreatment before injecting. At a minimum this would involve knocking out suspended solids to prevent fouling of the formation. Beyond this, the state regs require that the injected water be of at least as 'good' of quality as the native groundwater.

The technology is there, but the infrastructure requirements are substantial especially when considering that there may be extended periods of equipment/facility downtime.
 

ASR (aquifer storage and recovery) is a thing, and it's increasingly being explored as a supply option.  But, like all new options....it has both cost and logistical hurdles.

[texasdago 7,575]

43 minutes ago, troph said:

yeah I think Buchanan's rise from this event is just starting.

There's still a lot of water flowing in...

Meanwhile in the Lake Travis watershed...

[utee94 15,835]

 

Edited May 6 by utee94

[Mighty fine 169]

ASR (aquifer storage and recovery) is a thing, and it's increasingly being explored as a supply option.  But, like all new options....it has both cost and logistical hurdles.

For sure. And it can be a hard sale as it's not a new water supply but just firms up existing supplies.

[bolverk 29,694]

30 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

37 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

ASR (aquifer storage and recovery) is a thing, and it's increasingly being explored as a supply option.  But, like all new options....it has both cost and logistical hurdles.

For sure. And it can be a hard sale as it's not a new water supply but just firms up existing supplies.

The best thing about it, not considering all the logistics, is the prevention of evaporation. Isn't there some crazy stat that something like 50% of the water is lost due to that?

[Mighty fine 169]

50% is high. It's been awhile since I looked at the averages, but I think net evap is on the order of 30-40 in/yr. But you're correct, ASR has the potential to cut those losses dramatically. That said, one of the technical challenges to ASR is protecting your stored water bubble. If the groundwater gradients are too steep (relatively high lateral movement), this can cause a portion of the stored water to move beyond the capture radius of the well, and that water is essentially 'lost'. On the most recent asr Class V injection well authorization I worked on, losses do to groundwater movement came in around 25%.

[Brisketexan 105,160]

20 minutes ago, bolverk said:

The best thing about it, not considering all the logistics, is the prevention of evaporation. Isn't there some crazy stat that something like 50% of the water is lost due to that?

 

14 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

50% is high. It's been awhile since I looked at the averages, but I think net evap is on the order of 30-40 in/yr. But you're correct, ASR has the potential to cut those losses dramatically. That said, one of the technical challenges to ASR is protecting your stored water bubble. If the groundwater gradients are too steep (relatively high lateral movement), this can cause a portion of the stored water to move beyond the capture radius of the well, and that water is essentially 'lost'. On the most recent asr Class V injection well authorization I worked on, losses do to groundwater movement came in around 25%.

Yep.  There is no magic bullet.  Everything has cost, every path involves some water loss.

ASR WILL be a part of the overall solution, but when you number-crunch for the volumes we're going to need....it just can't be a huge percentage of that solution.

More reservoirs.  More expensive transportation infrastructure (big pipes and pumps).  More conservation.  More re-use projects.  And.....climate change is still going to assfuck us.

[jimmyjazz 45,981]

23 minutes ago, Mighty fine said:

50% is high. It's been awhile since I looked at the averages, but I think net evap is on the order of 30-40 in/yr. But you're correct, ASR has the potential to cut those losses dramatically. That said, one of the technical challenges to ASR is protecting your stored water bubble. If the groundwater gradients are too steep (relatively high lateral movement), this can cause a portion of the stored water to move beyond the capture radius of the well, and that water is essentially 'lost'. On the most recent asr Class V injection well authorization I worked on, losses do to groundwater movement came in around 25%.

Damn.  Check out the big brain on Brad.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11,669]

12 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

Damn.  Check out the big brain on Brad.

I believe you mean Briskettexan.  He gets credit for Might fine's knowledge through the use of "yep." 

[Brisketexan 105,160]

19 minutes ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

I believe you mean Briskettexan.  He gets credit for Might fine's knowledge through the use of "yep." 

cosign.

[Mighty fine 169]

cosign.

Here I was assuming you were either a lawyer or an engineer. Now I know, you're the BD guy

[Hate 20,116]

I was at Lake Buchanan this weekend and it absolutely poured Saturday night. I kept checking the LCRA website for flow rates and that rain bomb could not have hit in a more perfect place for the lake. I checked before I left Sunday morning and the lake level was 995.92. That was before any of the run off from upstream had made it to the lake. It’s up over 2 feet and it will take another day at least for the streams to empty. 

 

 

[Brisketexan 105,160]

1 minute ago, Mighty fine said:

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

cosign.

Here I was assuming you were either a lawyer or an engineer. Now I know, you're the BD guy

I'm a lawyer.  But I pretend to be an engineer/hydrologist to impress chicks.

[Hate 20,116]

And for reference, I took this screenshot of the river flow rates Saturday night when the rain really began. 
 

 

[UT_OB1 2,224]

Is rain bomb the word of the day or something?  Did we need a new cool hip phrase that we can hashtag instead of just heavy rain?  

[bolverk 29,694]

10 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

Is rain bomb the word of the day or something?  Did we need a new cool hip phrase that we can hashtag instead of just heavy rain?  

Rain bomb has been part of the Shaggy/Surly lexicon for at least five years.

 

[Trey3216 15,349]

21 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

Is rain bomb the word of the day or something?  Did we need a new cool hip phrase that we can hashtag instead of just heavy rain?  

Well, on the coast it's "Atmospheric Rivers".  In Texas, it's Rain Bomb.  

[troph 24,874]

30 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I'm a lawyer.  But I pretend to be an engineer/hydrologist to impress chicks.

it works, but not as well as your doomsday cliff jumping pundit routine.

[UT_OB1 2,224]

17 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Rain bomb has been part of the Shaggy/Surly lexicon for at least five years.

 

It was dumb then and is still dumb now. 
 

Me more every day:

[jimmyjazz 45,981]

I lost $20K of hardwood floors to the Hermine rain bomb.  I'm comfortable with the term.

[Post Oak 20,246]

1 hour ago, bolverk said:

The best thing about it, not considering all the logistics, is the prevention of evaporation. Isn't there some crazy stat that something like 50% of the water is lost due to that?

A guy from the Brazos River Authority said last summer that Lake Waco was losing about half an inch a day to evaporation

 

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

42 minutes ago, bolverk said:

Rain bomb has been part of the Shaggy/Surly lexicon for at least five years.

 

2015. Wimberley flood. What a night / morning that was on Shaggy.

Jim Spencer? Probably still hasn't lost his hard-on, 9 years later. 

 

 

[texasdago 7,575]

15 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

2015. Wimberley flood. What a night / morning that was on Shaggy.

Jim Spencer? Probably still hasn't lost his hard-on, 9 years later. 

 

 

Even in Houston we got 11" of rain at our house.

But that Memorial Day flood... 

[Hate 20,116]

We ended up with 14 inches of rain Thursday-Sunday.  There are some models calling for another round of flooding rains fro SE Texas this weekend.

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

11 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Even in Houston we got 11" of rain at our house.

But that Memorial Day flood... 

 

That was simply incredible.  All the rain sounded so good until, not unexpectedly really, we started hearing stories about houses floating down the Blanco. People inside. 

[Orange&White 5,528]

1 hour ago, bolverk said:

Rain bomb has been part of the Shaggy/Surly lexicon for at least five years.

 

LCRA used the term "Rain Bomb" during the 2007 event over Marble Falls.

https://hydromet.lcra.org/Documents/2007_flood_report.pdf

 

Quote

The rain event that began in the early hours of Wednesday, June 27 fell on wet soils and swollen lakes and streams causing heavy flooding in southern Burnet County.  Rain totals over 19 inches were recorded near Marble Falls in the headwaters of Lake Marble Falls and Lake Travis. Estimated peak flow on Hamilton Creek was 56,000 cfs on June 27.  Smaller streams north and south of the Colorado River also experienced high flows.  By July 5, Lake Travis rose to a peak of 701.52 feet msl, its highest level since June 1997. Lake The mission of the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) is to provide reliable, low-cost utility and public services in partnership with our customers and communities and to use our leadership role and environmental authority to ensure the protection and constructive use of the area’s natural resources. Buchanan reached 1019.47 feet msl on July 7. This event produced approximately 1.0 million acre-feet of floodwater and ranked ninth in terms of volume produced for flood events since 1913. This event mainly affected the Highland Lakes region with only trace amounts of rain received in the lower basin. The rainfall experienced over the Hamilton Creek watershed was in excess of a 500year rainfall event for the area. This storm event will be remembered as the “rain bomb” that hit Marble Falls. 

 

Edited May 6 by Orange&White
added quoted text

[HenryJames 66,132]

1 hour ago, Trey3216 said:

Well, on the coast it's "Atmospheric Rivers".  In Texas, it's Rain Bomb.  

On Surly it's Piss.

[Orange&White 5,528]

 

In Philadelphia, it's worth fifty bucks.

[Pescado_Rojo 19,425]

4 hours ago, troph said:

yeah I think Buchanan's rise from this event is just starting.

I know some great carp spots on Buchanan once the level rises. Like fishing tailing reds on a flood tide. 

[texasdago 7,575]

15 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

 

That was simply incredible.  All the rain sounded so good until, not unexpectedly really, we started hearing stories about houses floating down the Blanco. People inside. 

I remember fighting my drains outside... they simply couldn't keep up with all the rain and at one point we got 5" in one hour and I remember just yelling "JUST STOOOOP!!!!" at the rain.

It didn't work.

Edited May 6 by texasdago

[utee94 15,835]

19 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

LCRA used the term "Rain Bomb" during the 2007 event over Marble Falls.

https://hydromet.lcra.org/Documents/2007_flood_report.pdf

 

 

Yup the 2007 Marble Falls event was the first time I ever remember hearing the term.

[Biff Tannen 45,692]

1 hour ago, troph said:

it works, but not as well as your doomsday cliff jumping pundit routine.

Ledge sitting, not cliff jumping.

[Hate 20,116]

Rain bomb speaks more to a very specific area that had a lot of rain in a short period of time as opposed to a wide spread flooding event. I think when used properly, it paints the picture correctly.

[GreenspointTexas 9,660]

Take yalls tired ass “lake travis OMG” comments to the Colorado River thread

[ChickenSandwich 9,843]

[utee94 15,835]

Just now, GreenspointTexas said:

Take yalls tired ass “lake travis OMG” comments to the Colorado River thread

No

[milkman 428]

They're kind of having to wait on the waters to recede a bit downstream.  No hydroelectric on the dam for some reason.  I know yesterday both the middle and upper Bosque were flowing 100k cfs into the lake.  It was rising over 1 foot per hour for a bit.  

This is the middle bosque on Sunday morning!

[bolverk 29,694]

2 minutes ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Take yalls tired ass “lake travis OMG” comments to the Colorado River thread

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

11 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Yup the 2007 Marble Falls event was the first time I ever remember hearing the term.

Agree. They like to backdate it now to the '81 Memorial Day flood but, yeah, Marble Falls. 

[utee94 15,835]

6 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

Agree. They like to backdate it now to the '81 Memorial Day flood but, yeah, Marble Falls. 

I spent half a day helping sandbag my friend's house that backed up to Shoal Creek, and I spent almost the entire next day helping them pump/sweep/shovel out all of the water and sludge that burst past our sad sandbagging efforts.  Ain't nobody ever said the words "rain bomb" in May 1981.

[NorthLoop 14,216]

42 minutes ago, Orange&White said:

LCRA used the term "Rain Bomb" during the 2007 event over Marble Falls.

https://hydromet.lcra.org/Documents/2007_flood_report.pdf

 

 

I remember seeing that on the radar. I thought the radar was glitching. There was just a blob of red in one spot and it didn't move for hours. 

[Wally Pryor 5,261]

1 minute ago, NorthLoop said:

 There was just a blob in one spot and it didn't move for hours. 

Memories of Katy and HornFans tailgates.