County making strides on Rita debris removal

Combined efforts of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Jasper County commissioners have made great progress in the debris cleanup from Hurricane Rita, according to Terry McFall, district conservationist.

In a press release Friday, June 15, McFall says, "Working with each commissioner NRCS evaluated dozens of sites where creeks and drains crossed hundreds of miles of county roads. Sites were measured and photographed, bids collected, and contracts awarded for debris clean up.

"Since that time, 1,672 tons of debris were removed from blocked drainages throughout Jasper County. Contracts totaling $1,040,000 were let, with a total value of protection estimated at $4,653,000."

Jasper County Judge Mark Allen said, "Over a million dollars in repair work would have placed an immense strain on the county budget. Fortunately, the Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) was funded at 75 percent, and the remaining 25 percent handled by the Office of rural Community Affairs (ORCA). So Jasper County provided local direction, and commissioners located an prioritized the worst problem areas in each precinct, but the county was not out any funds on these emergency projects."

"Jasper County took a lot of punishment from Hurricane Rita, but we've made a lot of headway getting back on our feet," Precinct 1 Commissioner Charles Shofner said. "That debris removal saved a lot of county roads when the record storms came in October and December of last year. We had a lot of damage, but cleaning out clogged creeks kept a lot of roads from being totally wipe out when the floods hit."

According to McFall, "The debris cleanup under contract is about finished, but there is more EWP work to be done following Hurricane Rita.

Several bridges and culverts were severly damaged during the hurricane. EQP teams designed and contracted for installation of headwalls, wingwalls and rock rip-rap for erosion control.

"The largest site was on Aldridge Road crossing Rocky Branch. There, hurricane damage jeopardized the foundation and two sixfoot tank cars under the county road."

McFall said after bids, 4- D Construction of Lufkin was selected as the contractor. Shofner built a temporary crossing for local traffic and mail delivery. When repairs were made and replacement tank cars installed to replace the original pipes, 4-D built massive headwalls on both ends, "designed to withstand many years of Rocky Branch flood waters."

"I don't know if we ever will get back to where we were before the hurricane, Shofner said, "But we've been working with NRCS to fix some of our bigger problems and are doing all we can to move forward."