Lake Meritage Drained into City Storm Sewer

4/7/25 – Last Saturday, 2.5 inches of rain turned the Meritage construction site in Atascocita into Lake Meritage. But by this morning, contractors were draining Lake Meritage into a City of Houston storm sewer.

Close examination of aerial photos shows a series of trenches cut under silt fences to let the water drain from the site quickly and bypass the usually slow filtration process that the fences provide.

Contractors had also cut a series of trenches within the site to move trapped stormwater toward the street. And an excavator was scooping muddy stormwater from the beginnings of a detention basin into yet another trench that led toward the exit rows.

Lake Meritage 24 Hours After Storm

Here’s what the site looked like 24 hours ago.

*Meritage Phase II (right) on April 6, 2025 24 hours after 2.5 inch rain*

Pictures and Videos Taken Another 24 Hours after Storm

Here’s the same area today.

*Meritage Phase II (right) 24 hours after photo above.*

Where did all the water go?

*Interior channels brought the stormwater toward the street…*

*The excavator (center left) was scooping buckets of water out of the detention basin and dumping it into another channel that led toward the street.*

…*and a series of shovel-wide trenches let water leak out from under the silt fence.*

Much of the muck flowed through a roadside swale to a storm sewer inlet. See below.

10-Second Video by Michelle Chavez, who lives next to the Meritage construction site.

But not all of the muck stayed in the swale. The next ten-second video shows part of it running down the street. There was so much at one point that contractors had to partially block it off.

Another 10-second video showing stormwater entering street. Supplied by passing motorist.

Motorist tracks overflowing silty stormwater down street for another 18 seconds until it flows into City storm sewer inlet.

When I drove by about an hour after the last video was shot, the flow through the street had ended and someone had installed a screen over the inlet that’s clearly not on the video. The screen could make them appear compliant with their Stormwater Pollution Protection Plan.

Silt Fence Repairs Not a Priority

Unfortunately, the contractors did not drain the water invading neighbors’ yards. And repairing damaged silt fences that protected neighbors from the muck was not their highest priority.

*Broken silt fence and runoff on neighboring properties as of noon 4/7/25.*

To File a Complaint

Practices like those above are usually discouraged by the Harris County Engineer and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

If you’re concerned about runoff that floods your property or potentially clogs your storm drains, please file a complaint.

Harris County Engineer

Phone: 713-274-3600 Monday Through Friday 8 AM to 5 PM

File a complaint online at: https://epermits.harriscountytx.gov/External_Complaints.aspx

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

For instructions to file a complaint, visit: https://www.tceq.texas.gov/compliance/complaints.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/7/2025

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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.