Four Corner - Texas Water Development Board

Conclusions
• Ground subsidence in the eastern part of Fort Bend County is associated with general
subsidence found in the greater Houston area. In general, the farther east one goes,
the greater the total subsidence. Subsidence has been attributed to groundwater
withdrawals which is still the main source of water for Fort Bend County and
southwest Harris County. Total subsidence in the Four Corners area is about two to
three feet and less than one foot in the Cummings Road area.
• Large tracts of wooded land along with mostly rural residential properties are the
predominant use of land in the Four Corners area. The area also contains some
commercial and industrial properties along with at least two public schools. Streets
were usually asphalt pavements with roadside drainage ditches and appeared to be in
good condition. Concrete pavements with curb and gutter along with at least one
gravel road, Oleta Lane, were also observed. Electrical power was generally carried
by overhead lines along the roads. Other utilities such as cable and telephone
appeared to be carried by overhead and buried lines. Other features in the area
include a levee protecting residential properties at the western end of Oleta Lane and
an easement containing overhead power transmission lines and buried pipelines.
• Rural residential properties provided the predominant land use in the Cummings Road
area. Other properties were used for agricultural purposes. Streets were asphalt
pavements with roadside drainage ditches and appeared to be in good condition.
Overhead lines along the roads carried electrical power and appeared to carry
telephone and cable utilities as well. An easement containing overhead power
transmission line was observed along the southern boundary of the area.
A review of the available geotechnical data indicate that the site soils are typical of the Beaumont
Formation in the Four Corners area and Quaternary alluvial deposits in the Cummings Road area.
The soils should not present any unusual problems. We expect mostly clay soils interlayered
occasionally with granular layers. The alternating layers may be more frequent in the southern
portion of the Four Corners area and in the Cummings Road area. Since some of the borings
reviewed for geotechnical information were drilled at distances up to about 5 miles from the
project areas, we are uncertain of soil conditions at specific project locations. We recommend
that soil borings be drilled along proposed water and sewer alignments and at structure locations
to confirm soil stratigraphy and to provide in situ geotechnical information for detailed design.
Reviewed documents indicated groundwater depths below ground surface ranging from 1 0 to 15
feet in the Four Corners area and 31 to 35 feet in the Cummings Road area. However, several
borings with depths up to 20 feet in the Four Comers area and 15 feet in the Cummings Road
area were dry. Based on the data reviewed, we expect well point dewatering may be needed in
some locations for trenches deeper than about 13 feet.
Where no surficial evidence of active faulting was observed during the field reconnaissance, it
does not preclude the presence of active faults.
Based on our review of available geotechnical reports, HVJ Associates found no other
geotechnical or geologic reason to exclude these areas from consideration.
LIMITATIONS
This report is an instrument of service of HVJ Associates, Inc. The report was prepared for and
is intended for the exclusive use of Rust Environment and Infrastructure, Inc. (REI) and Fort
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