Developer Bringing Fill Dirt into West Fork Floodway, Floodplain

12/9/25 – City of Houston regulations prohibit bringing fill dirt into floodways and floodplains. Chapter 19 Div. 2 Sec. 19.34 states:

No fill may be added to a 100-year floodplain.
Any loss of floodplain-storage volume must be mitigated onsite.

Floodways enjoy even more protection. Chapter 19 Div. 3 Sec. 19.43(a-b3) states:

“No floodplain development permit shall be issued for a development to be located in any floodway…”
“The development will not impede the flow of floodwaters.”
“The development will not result in an adverse effect on the conveyance capacity during the occurrence of the base flood.”

And yet this morning, within the space of a half hour, I observed six giant dump trucks bringing fill to a construction site at Sorters-McClellan and Savell Roads near the US59 bridge over the San Jacinto West Fork. The entire site sits in a floodway or floodplain.

The six trucks I witnessed today were reportedly part of a parade of dump trucks during the last few weeks. Photos taken this morning and on Sunday, December 7, 2025 show large volumes of fill in both the floodway and floodplain.

Rationale for Regulations

Regulations prohibit bringing fill into floodways and floodplains because it raises floodwater for someone else, creates dangerous conditions, and jeopardizes public safety.

The irregularly shaped area is approximately 20 acres near the confluence of Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork.

New Development by 59 and West Fork — *Approximate location of new project is in yellow outline. The area is approximately 20 acres.*

It’s not clear what the owner plans to build there. No permits were visible from the road.

FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer shows that this area lies ENTIRELY WITHIN floodways and floodplains. See below.

*Floodway = crosshatched. 100-year floodplain = aqua. 500-year = brown. Note date on map: 2014: is pre-Harvey.*

Expect Worse Picture When Maps Updated

When new flood maps are finally released based on Atlas-14 data compiled after Harvey, those floodplain and floodway areas will reportedly expand 50-100%. As a rule of thumb, Harris County Flood Control District urges developers to plan on the floodway expanding to the far edge of the 100-year floodplain and the 100-year floodplain expanding to the far edge of the 500-year floodplain.

Pictures of Site Showing Fill

Below are a dozen pictures that show the extent and height of fill brought into the construction site, and how flood prone the area is.

*Note hight of fill next to channel in center. Also note piles of fill left of center and bottom right of center. San Jacinto West Fork is at top of frame and runs under the US59 bridge, top left.*

*Fill extends all the way to the confluence of Spring Creek and West Fork (top right).*

*Where the development reaches the West Fork (lower left). Note height of fill at river’s edge.*

*Higher on the property, near where the floodway and floodplain meet, a parade of massive dump trucks was bringing in fill today.*

*As one truck was pulling in, two more dumped their loads.*

*Note height of fill relative to trees on left.*

*A bulldozer could not keep up with the trucks depositing their dirt.*

*Note previous loads in foreground still waiting to be spread.*

*Photo taken on Sunday 12/7/25 shows height of fill relative to surrounding area. Erosion shows fill in this area has been there for some time.*

*Site entrance at Sorters McClellan and Savell Roads.*

*Homes damaged in same area during previous floods. See next photo.*

*Same area as above. Photo taken on 1/30/23 before peak of minor flood. Note site entrance in upper right.*

*Same area on 1/25/24. Water came up even higher on this day.*

*Three months later on May 3, 2024, floodwater reached higher* *still.*

Entire Area Inundated During Harvey

Google Earth images show that Harvey inundated the ENTIRE area far BEYOND the site entrance.

I’d hate to be the engineers that approved this project. What were they thinking? Will people never learn?

Plopping thousands of cubic yards of fill dirt here will just make floodwater higher somewhere else. Like Deerbook Mall. The new West Fork High School. Lone Star College. Kingwood Hospital. Benders Landing. Or the 59 Bridge. Remember what finding alternatives to the 59 Bridge was like after Harvey?

I-69 repairs — *TxDoT rebuilt I-69 southbound lanes for almost a year while residents endured massive traffic jams.*

This may be the last place in Houston that you want to raise floodwaters.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/9/2025

3024 Days since 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.

Rationale for Regulations

Expect Worse Picture When Maps Updated

Pictures of Site Showing Fill

Entire Area Inundated During Harvey

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