Jim Blackburn, the noted environmental lawyer and Rice professor, will hold a meeting to review new ideas on storm surge protection in and around Galveston Bay. If you or one of your loved ones works at one of the petrochemical plants or refineries near the Bay or Ship Channel – or if you use the […]
Letter to the Editor RE: “Caution: SB 2126 Opens Door to Sand Mining in Rivers” Bob, Thank you for your work with Reduce Flooding to raise awareness about flooding and flood-related issues since Hurricane Harvey. You have done a tremendous job of helping to educate the public on the causes of flooding and providing status updates on […]
Best management practices for sand mining in many states say that miners should avoid clearing land until they’re ready to mine it. The roots of trees and grasses help stabilize soil during floods. Land Cleared, Then Three 500-Year Storms However, on Caney Creek in Porter, a sand miner cleared 60 acres right before three 500-year […]
Engineering firm Freese & Nichols claims that “Incorporating tunneling into Houston’s stormwater portfolio could significantly reduce flood damages and improve the reliability of existing conveyance and detention infrastructure.” Tunneling technology, the firm says, has improved dramatically in the last 30 years, making projects possible that were once deemed impossible. Rapid Growth Limits Mitigation Possibilities Houston’s […]
On April 17th, the Texas House of Representatives Environmental Regulations committee heard testimony on a bill that would double fines for illegal sand mining, HB907. No illegal sand miners spoke against the bill, so this one has a pretty good chance of passing. Key Points in Huberty’s Testimony The bill’s author, State Representative Dan Huberty […]
As I’ve been posting a lot about sand mining legislation, a friend sent me this doc today about the reasons for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) permitting program. TPWD regulates mining in rivers; TCEQ regulates mining in flood plains. Difference in Tax Rates Between Rivers and Flood Plains Flood plain mining has a 2% […]
Senate Bill 2126, which allows sand mining in rivers – without permits or royalties – was voted out of the Senate Water and Rural Affairs committee last night. The committee left the bill pending during the previous day’s testimony after four of the seven members expressed concerns about it. Changes in Committee Substitute SB 2126 […]
As of April 15, almost all of the Emergency West Fork Dredging Project was complete. The map below shows the current status. As of April 15, the Corps and its contractors have dredged a total of 1,564,000 cubic yards of sediment. The Great Lakes dredge has completed its segment (shown in red) and returned to […]