Arrest Warrants Issued in Floodway, Floodplain Fill Case
2/21/26 – A person believed responsible for illegally placing massive amounts of fill in the floodway and floodplain of the San Jacinto West Fork near the intersection of Savelle and Sorters-McClellan Roads has yet to pay fines or remove the fill. He has also failed to appear at multiple hearings on the case, resulting in warrants being issued for his arrest.
New Aerial Photos Show Fill Not Yet Removed
Aerial photos taken on 2/20/26 show the site has not changed since Houston Public Works and the Houston Police raided it in December and caught several large trucks dumping their loads. Heavy equipment has been removed, but the fill has not.
Yesterday, the gate was locked. High, solid fences blocked views of the property from the roads. And a gate now blocks the entrance to a public street on the south side of the property.
Response from City About Status
District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s Chief of Staff Dustin Hodges responded as follows to my inquiry as to the status of enforcement actions against the owners. I have reprinted it verbatim below.
“Here’s the latest I received from Floodplain Management on the Savell Rd property.”
“We have continued to monitor the site on a weekly basis and have issued citations to Mr. Rene Martinez each week. I have not had any further communication with Mr. Martinez since our last meeting on December 19, 2025.
“Mr. Martinez has failed to appear at his scheduled arraignment dates, resulting in two warrants being issued for his arrest and three failures to appear.
“I have sent certified notices to both Mr. Martinez and the property owner of 139 Lakeside Street, whom I believe may also be involved in the illegal fill dirt activity. Additionally, the residents of 139 Lakeside Street have installed a gate across the public roadway, which has blocked our access to the site.
“We will continue our efforts to bring the property into compliance and welcome any assistance from the Houston Police Department or the City of Houston Legal Department that can be provided to help resolve this matter.“
History of Issue
I first posted about this issue in December after a citizen sent me a tip about unusual truck traffic at the site. The very next day, Houston Public Works and the Houston Police Department raided the site. They found multiple violations and caught several trucks dumping their loads.
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.
Filling floodplains and floodways is dangerous because it constricts and displaces floodwaters, flooding properties somewhere else, such as Costco and Main Event on the other side of the river.
What Regulations Say
And that’s why 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.”
The City says the property owner(s) did not have a permit to place the fill.
At this point, we do not yet know where the fill came from or whether the owner(s) have the ability to remove it. More news to follow. Harris County Appraisal District Records show that the area being filled belongs to at least two couples, who have acquired multiple properties within it.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/21/2026
3098 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.
