Sand-Pit Capture Between White Oak and Caney Creeks
8/16/24 – Today, thanks to an anonymous tip by a fisherman, I observed an instance of sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks in the headwaters of Lake Houston.
The sand pit in question used to be known as the Triple PG Mine, but is now being operated under a different name.
Alleged environmental violations caused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to sue the mine and its owners through the Texas Attorney General’s Office in 2019.
The conditions that exist today are virtually identical to those that existed in 2018 when I previously observed another instance of sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks in the same location.
Then as now, instead of following its normal course, White Oak Creek flows in one side of the mine and out the other into Caney Creek.
Pictures Taken 8/16/24
Pictures taken today show that two new breaches happened in the same locations (see below) as 2019.
I do not know the exact date the breaches occurred.
There is one visible difference though. The pond where the two breaches occur today has been sealed off from other ponds in the mine by an internal dike that is not visible in earlier satellite photos.
The Texas Attorney General sued the mine in 2019 for a million dollars plus $25,000 per day for every day the breaches remained open.
Guniganti has denied all charges by the TCEQ and Attorney General.
Multiple Changes in Ownership Delay Trial
However, through a series of legal maneuverings that included multiple changes in attorneys and ownership (through shell companies), the case in Travis County District Court still has not come to trial five years later. After all this time, we are pretty much right back where we started – with pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks.
Prabakar Guniganti, a cardiologist from Nacogdoches, has transferred ownership of most of the mine to shell companies. The Montgomery County Appraisal District shows that the Guniganti 1999 Children’s Trust and the Guniganti 1992 Credit Shelter Trusts now own most of the mine. Some parcels rotated through different shell companies three times within two years.
The portion of the mine where the breaches occurred in 2019 and 2024 is in Harris County, just inside the Montgomery County Line. The Guniganti Children’s 1999 Trust now owns that.
Change in Mine Operator, Too
The sign at the mine entrance now reads “Texas Fracsand Materials,” a company reportedly hired to operate the mine. Sam Kurre serves as CEO of Texas Frac Sand Materials Inc. It was established in 2019, the same year as the AG’s lawsuit against Guniganti.
Entrance sign shows operator of the mine owned by Guniganti shell companies.
Kurre claims his company operates mines with more than a $100 million in reserves. But real estate records show the mine claims ag and timber exemptions.
Thus…
The Montgomery County Appraisal District gave a net appraisal of just $74,800 to one 809-acre parcel within the mine.
The mine’s area exceeds 1,000 acres in total.
In stark contrast, a 10-acre sliver of the mine within Harris County does not get the ag/timber exemption and appraises for virtually the same amount – $78,829.
No wonder Montgomery County attracts so many sand mines! Compared to Harris County, 800 acres of prime, income producing land are going untaxed.
Sand Subsidized by Other Property Owners
Kurre’s website claims he produces 2 million tons of sand annually from Guniganti’s location. However, appraisal district records show that Montgomery County classifies most of it as pastureland.
Guniganti should be able to afford some pretty good lawyers with numbers like these. Maybe that’s why he’s strung this out for five years…despite no lasting improvement to the dikes.
Meanwhile, people downstream of the sand-pit capture between White Oak and Caney Creeks complain of rapidly building sediment in their rivers and streams. They fear it could lead to flooding. As a consequence, they are clamoring for more costly dredging. But, it will be up to ordinary folks in a different county to subsidize that!
Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/16/2024
2544 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
