Cedar Bayou Floodplain-Fill Operation Shifts into Higher Gear

2/23/26 – Harris County Engineering and the County Attorney appear to have stopped enforcing floodplain regulations. On February 5, 2026, I photographed TXDoT contractors excavating dirt to form a giant detention basin adjacent to the FM2100 expansion project in Huffman. From there, they trucked the dirt to a farm north of Huffman Eastgate Road, where they dumped it inside of the Cedar Bayou 100-year floodplain.

Despite violating county regulations, the floodplain fill operation has shifted into a higher gear. See details and pictures below.

Path of fill — *TXDoT contractors are moving fill from upper left to lower center of this satellite photo near Hargrave High School (lower right).*

Here’s what that means in terms of floodplains.

*Dirt is moving from outside the floodplain to inside it and from one watershed to another.*

When I reported the dumping in early February, the County told me that it violated floodplain regs. The regs became effective July 9, 2019 shortly after Harvey. They prohibit the addition of fill to floodplains without 1:1 compensatory mitigation in the same floodplain, and preferably on the same property. I reprinted the relevant text below verbatim. To see the entire document, click here.

Section 4.07(e) on Page 45

“Any reduction in floodplain storage or conveyance capacity within the 0.2 percent or 500‐year floodplain must be offset with a hydraulically equivalent (one‐to‐one) volume of mitigation sufficient to offset the reduction. The reduction may result from development or the placement of fill within the 0.2% floodplain or 500‐year floodplain.”

“Such mitigation shall be within the same watershed and shall be provided on the same property or within the same hydrologic sub‐watershed or at an alternate site meeting the approval of the County Engineer. A full hydrological and hydraulic analysis must be submitted to support a request for mitigation outside the boundaries of the property being developed. This requirement does not apply to Coastal Areas where floodplain fill mitigation is not an issue.”

According to the Harris County sources, the contractors don’t have a permit. And to get one they will have to perform mitigation as described above.

Pace of Fill Activity Doubles Compared to Feb. 5 Post

I saw a dozen trucks enter the dump site within a 20-minute period today. That’s roughly double the pace I observed on 2/5/26. I took all the pictures below after lunch today.

*Cedar Bayou Floodplain Fill Operation by TXDoT. As three trucks were leaving site, more were entering.*

*They would open a hatch in the belly of the bed and spread their fill while driving in a circle* *to return to the excavation site without stopping.*

*It was a constant parade. As one truck left, another would enter. I counted a dozen trucks in 20 minutes.*

*The dump site lies near the Luce Inter-Basin Transfer Canal (lower left).*

*Note fill reaching treetop level at the rear of the property. Portable lights let the operation continue after dark according to nearby residents.*

Photos Taken Minutes Later at Excavation Site

A little more than 3 miles to the northwest, up FM2100, the pace of fill activity was even more evident. Today, I saw two lines of trucks waiting for fill at the excavation site.

*First of two lines at the excavation site had eight trucks lined up loading or leaving for the dump site.*

*The second line had nine trucks lined up.*

Where Has Enforcement Gone?

Operations this big can’t be overlooked by accident. Sources familiar with Harris County Engineering say they still review plans and issue permits, but they rarely, if ever, check on compliance under the current administration. And the County Attorney rarely prosecutes these cases; he’s running for a new job.

So, the source says, people in both offices collect paychecks, but rarely bother to work. I mention this, because it’s an election year and we have a chance to change that.

Why Adding Floodplain Fill is Prohibited

It seems as though the current administration has already forgotten why county commissioners revised the regulations in 2019. Almost half the 154,170 homes that flooded during Harvey in Harris County were outside mapped floodplains. That was largely a function of a) fill added to floodplains combined with b) hopelessly out-of-date flood maps.

As one of the most seasoned engineers in the region told me, the “bathtub effect” was real. “Put enough fill in the floodplain and it will displace water, flooding someone else’s property.” He also said, “The fill can also disrupt flow patterns, forcing floodwater onto neighbor’s property.”

He cited the case of one family nearby that floods constantly now because of fill added to a neighbor’s property. But he sees issues like this all over the region.

Coming Next

More on that and similar cases tomorrow when I talk about the expensive “Flood-Mitigation Treadmill.” Most people don’t realize how expensive correcting problems like the one above are compared to preventing them in the first place. Sometimes it’s hard for mitigation to keep up with the people constricting floodplains. Don’t miss it.

Harris County did not return phone calls or emails today in response to enquiries about the floodplain fill shown above.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/23/26

3100 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.