Busted: City Shuts Down Developer Filling Floodplain, Floodway

12/11/2025 – This morning, the City of Houston Public Works Department shut down a developer bringing fill dirt into the floodway and floodplain of the San Jacinto West Fork. City regulations prohibit such fill because it raises flood levels for other people and creates a public danger.

Ongoing Issue

I first reported on this problem on 12/9/25, based on a tip from a reader who noticed an unusual amount of dirt on the roads outside the site. Aerial photos showed that the fill operation, which was behind high fences, had been ongoing for quite some time. The fill violates multiple city regulations.

The flood-prone property sits at the corner of Sorters-McClellan and Savell Roads near the US59 Bridge over the San Jacinto West Fork. More aerial photos taken today show multiple large trucks dumping more fill just moments before City inspectors arrived.

*Three trucks were simultaneously offloading dirt in what appeared to be the floodway of the San Jacinto West Fork.*

While the trucks were still dumping, Public Works vehicles sped onto the site. City inspectors and District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s Chief of Staff Dustin Hodges jumped out of their vehicles and started taking pictures.

*Three Public Works vehicles entered the site while Houston Police stood guard outside.*

*Hodges and Public Works inspector (left) observe truck leaving site after dumping its load. Note how bed of truck was not even down yet.*

Hodges described the volume of fill dirt as “unbelievable,” “egregious,” “above and beyond.”

*Height of fill was twice as tall as inspector taking pictures on pond’s bank.*

*Fill extends all the way to San Jacinto West Fork and is higher than several small trees.*

Citations for Multiple Issues

The inspectors found multiple violations affecting multiple City departments. They include floodplains, engineering, permitting, plumbing, HVAC and more.

Hodges said that the owners of the property would be fined each day for each violation until the property is returned to its original condition. That means the owners must remove all the dirt that they brought in.

They will incur a new fine for each day for each violation as long as the violations remain.
Dustin Hodges, Council Member Fred Flickinger’s Chief of Staff

The total could be substantial, although it is not clear yet exactly what that will be.

City Will Use LIDAR to Monitor Restoration

The City will use LIDAR studies to make sure the property is properly restored to previous conditions, according to Hodges.

Developer’s Employee Couldn’t Find ID

The owners were not on site, but a representative was. That individual refused to produce a drivers license until the inspectors called in the Houston Police Department, which was standing by across the street. Then, said Hodges, the representative suddenly found his driver’s license.

I deduce from that last bit of information that the employee knew his employer should not have been doing what it was doing.

What City Regulations Say

I hope this story signals to others that it’s not safe to constrict the conveyance of floodwaters and that the City is serious about enforcing its regulations.

*The site is at the confluence of Spring Creek and the West Fork (R) across from Costco and Main Event at top of frame*. *Both businesses flooded badly during Harvey.*

Harris County Flood Warning System records show that this location had the highest flooding in the county during Hurricane Harvey – a whopping 27 feet above the normal water level.

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.”

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/11/2025

3026 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.