West Fork Only 2.4 Feet Deep at Hallett Mine, Nearby Trees Dying From Pollution
9/7/2026 – A fisherman out on the San Jacinto West Fork during the Labor Day weekend reports that the river depth is a mere 2.4 feet adjacent to the giant Hallett Mine in Porter. Normally, he says, the river is 8-10 feet deep at that location. However, that’s not the only problem.
Hundreds of nearby trees are dying where Hallett’s settling pond leaked pollution for more than a year before the TCEQ investigated the problem. Ultimately, TCEQ issued no fines but required Hallett to fix leakage around the perimeter of its settling pond.
River One-Quarter Its Normal Depth
The pictures below show the loose sediment that Hallett used to build up the dike around the western portion of its settling pond in March of this year.
The result?
The river that was 8-10 feet deep before the repairs is now 2.4 feet deep.
Local fisherman
The dirt has eroded into the river. See depth-finder screen below.
Rains since March have eroded some of the dirt shown above down into the river, decreasing the river’s depth. However, additional sediment may have also come from other sources. For instance, just upstream, the West Fork has migrated through a Hallett pit and flowed through it since at least April of 2024.
Trees Dying by Year-Long Hallett Leak
At the eastern edge of the same settling pond, sediment was escaping across a perimeter road for more than full year.
For a better view, see this YouTube video linked below.
To play the YouTube video, click here or on the image above.
According to a nearby resident, hundreds of the trees shown above are now dying. “Waste water from the settling pond is killing all the pine trees,” he said. “Over half are dead already and the other half are dying. It’s killing them all.
Contributing to Problem but Not Solution
As the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District begins its planning, the board may want to work with Montgomery County Authorities and the State to closely monitor mines such as Hallett. As photos above show, they certainly contribute to the problem, but they pay nothing to help clean it up.
Why is this important? When rivers become clogged with sediment, they lose their conveyance capacity. Then, when floods come along, stormwater winds up in living rooms instead of staying where it should.
At the very least, the State should require larger setbacks from rivers for sand mines. Other states require setbacks ranging from 100 feet to more than a 1000. But not Texas. We let miners operate right up to the edge of rivers and streams…so they can profit and you can pay for the cleanup.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/7/26
3296 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.
