3/2/26 – In one of the most hotly contested primaries in recent memory, State Rep. Steve Toth is running against Congressman Dan Crenshaw in the newly redrawn Congressional District 2. I urge you to vote for Crenshaw who has consistently delivered flood-mitigation dollars for the Lake Houston Area. But that’s not the only reason.
Speech Suppression, Refusal to Debate, Lies, Black Money
Toth’s supporters have:
Relentlessly destroyed Crenshaw signs
Rudely interfered with Crenshaw campaign workers at polling places
Loudly disrupted Crenshaw meetings
One of many Crenshaw signs destroyed in the middle of the night the day before the primary.Another destroyed earlier
Mr. Toth tears down his opponent because he has virtually nothing positive to say about himself. Toth has one of the most negative voting records in the Texas Legislature.
Understanding what Toth voted NO on gives you deeper insight into the man and his values.
In 2025, Toth voted against flood mitigation, flood-warning systems, free speech, food banks, cybersecurity, conservation, grid reliability, open meetings, transparency, ethics, border security, fraud protections, and disclosure of campaign finance information.
Toth also voted against groups, such as law enforcement, first responders, consumers, patients, motorists, veterans, educators, CPAs, dentists, dental hygienists, farmers, restauranteurs, insurers, aviators, heath-care providers, seniors, schoolchildren, whistleblowers, correctional officers, manufacturers, attorneys, college students, utility employees, people who work from home, flood victims, crime victims, and rural Texans.
Allowing people to affiliate with the political party of their choice
The Texas Ethics Commission
Sexual harassment prevention
Gulf Coast hurricane protection
Online consumer protections
Property tax relief
Combatting human trafficking
Workplace violence prevention policies
Whistleblower protection
Training programs for child-abuse investigators
Prohibiting construction of assisted-living facilities in Harris County 100-year floodplains
Reporting cybersecurity breaches
Toth voted against a majority of Republicans on every single one of these measures and hundreds more. On many of them, more than 90% of Republicans voted FOR the bills.
How Extremists Like Toth Can Hijack an Election
Voting NO so often helps Toth boost his conservative rating among some far right-leaning groups. But it also means, he has accomplished virtually nothing. He has nothing positive he can say about himself. He has NO record to run on. So, he tears down his opponent. That’s all he can do. And all he has done.
As of the end of two weeks of early voting, 8.1% of registered voters had voted. If half of those are Democrats, that means 4% of voters will determine the Republican candidate in CD-2 – unless YOU vote Tuesday, March 3rd.
Extremists like Toth represent a huge percentage of that 4%. The nut cases ALL vote.
Don’t let them determine your choices in November.
Please vote for Crenshaw if you want to continue seeing flood-mitigation improvements. He has brought hundreds of millions of flood-mitigation dollars to the Lake Houston Area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/2/26
3107 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Crenshaw-Sign-Ripped.jpg?fit=1100%2C482&ssl=14821100adminadmin2026-03-02 17:40:432026-03-02 19:17:08Toth Continues Assaults on First Amendment, Human Rights, Common Sense
3/1/26 – Travis County District Clerk records show that the state’s case against the Triple PG sand mine in Porter is now dragging into Year 8.
Meanwhile, breaches in the mine’s dikes remain open, allowing sediment-laden wastewater and stormwater to escape into the headwaters of Lake Houston, the source of water for more than two million people. The State of Texas originally sued the owners of the mine precisely because of such breaches.
The land on which the mine operates is under owned by Prabhakar R. Guniganti or one of several corporate entities that trace back to him. Guniganti is a cardiologist from Nacogdoches. The case began in 2019. And for a period, Guniganti kept shifting ownership of the mine through various shell companies and trusts to delay a trial. Finally, the state sued him as an individual.
Next came other delays related to discovery. Jury trials were cancelled in 2023 and 2024. In May 2025, a fourth amended scheduling order showed the discovery period should have ended in November 2025 and the trial should have started by February 9, 2026.
However, court records show that in December 2025, the court issued a FIFTH amended scheduling order. Ken Paxton’s office has stopped responding to emails regarding this case.
Meanwhile, erosion has created a breach into Caney Creek. It was caused by mining too close to a utility easement and now threatens pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL). It also threatens an electrical transmission tower.
Photos of Mine from 2/28/26
That particular breach has remained open at least since August 14, 2025. Here’s how it looked yesterday from several angles.
Guniganti’s mine stretches 2.5 miles from north to south. Montgomery County Appraisal District records show that he or one of his corporate entities still owns the property, despite name changes at the mine entrance on Hueni Road in Porter.
The southern part of Guniganti’s mine. Caney Creek in foreground. Note breach through utility corridor.Reverse angle shows breach more clearly. Note pipelines still exposed.Looking E. Another breach at far south end of mine. Lake Houston Park at top of frame.Farther NW, mining next to utility corridor now threatens long-distance electrical transmission towers.Breach in upper left. Caney Creek in middle. Note difference in water color in Peach Creek which joins Caney Creek in bottom right.Farther to the NW, note another breach in the northern portion of Guniganti’s mine.Closer shot of same breach shown in photo above.Caney Creek on bottom.
Guniganti doesn’t own the only mine on Caney Creek. Another exists upstream from his. But I didn’t see any breaches in that particular mine.
So, this may be a case of multiple mines or construction sites even farther upstream spoiling the water quality. Yesterday, I wasn’t able to work my way far enough upstream to see where the water color changed definitively.
Said another way, it’s not clear whether Guniganti’s mine 1) caused, 2) contributed to, or 3) played no role in this particular episode of Caney Creek sludge. However…
Impact on People and Fish
Two things are certain though. 1) The breaches let exposed sediment escape during storms. 2) The pollution is not good for people or fish.
For humans, sediment pollution increases filtration costs that show up in water bills. But for fish, sediment pollution can be fatal.
Yesterday, several fishermen told me that the white bass which usually spawn in this area are gone this year. So I asked ChatGPT how sediment pollution from sand mining and construction affect the spawning grounds for bass.
White bass, it seems, depend heavily on clean, course river substrates – typically gravel or cobble – for successful reproduction. Sediment pollution from sand mining operations and construction runoff can significantly degrade those spawning grounds through several mechanisms.
Egg suffocation by fine sediment
Filling the void spaces between stones. For many river fish, including white bass, >25–30% fine sediment content in spawning gravel begins to significantly reduce survival.
Increased turbidity disrupts spawning runs through reduced visibility and clogged gills. White bass often migrate upstream tens of miles from reservoirs or large rivers to spawn; sediment plumes can disrupt these movements.
Channel changes including bank collapse, loss of shallow riffles and channel downcutting
Burial of eggs during storm pulses. Even a few centimeters of sand can eliminate a spawning bed.
Impact on food chain. Even if eggs hatch, juveniles have a lower survival rate because sediment pollution also kills aquatic insects on which they feed.
For a deeper dive into the sediment pollution impacts from construction and sand mining on fish spawning, click here.
Volume of Sediment
Most sediment moves during storms. Scientists call these “sediment pulses.” And the bigger the storm, the bigger the pulses. One study suggests that Harvey moved 7.5 million metric tons of sediment in the San Jacinto watershed.
Loose sand in mines can dramatically increase sediment mobility.
Based on flood-damage studies and sediment-transport modeling, breaches of dikes around one large, sand pit can release 50-200 tons of sediment in a single storm.
Erosion happens naturally, even in heavily forested areas. But sand mines amplify sediment release because they:
Store unconsolidated sand directly next to the river
Remove vegetation and soil structure
Use levees that can breach during floods
Create pits that connect to the river during high water.
Relative Impact of Sediment Sources
ChatGPT compared the relative sediment contributions of several sources including:
Source
Sediment Yield
Undisturbed forest
Very low
Agriculture
Moderate
Urban construction
High
Sand mining near rivers
Very high (episodic)
Sand mines near rivers are especially problematic because:
Exposed sand is easily mobilized
Pit captures can deliver large slugs of sediment during floods
Stockpiles and haul roads contribute chronic runoff.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/1/26
3106 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.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/DJI_20260228111717_0353_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-03-01 13:34:262026-03-01 13:53:08Breaches in Triple PG Sand-Mine Dikes Remain Open as Trial Drags into Year 8
2/27/26 – Within the next week, Northpark Drive expansion contractors will likely start paving the last sections of surface road across the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks and Loop 494. The completion of surface roads will clear the way to finish demolishing the old lanes now being used to get traffic across the tracks. And once the old pavement is gone, work on the bridge can begin in earnest.
The holdup to date has been installation of the railroad traffic signals for the new surface lanes. But UPRR has almost completed that work. They will install two gates on both inbound and outbound sides (a change to meet new code requirements). Work on the signals and feeder roads should be complete by late May or early June.
In other news:
Northbound 59 once again has two dedicated right-hand turn lanes onto Northpark inbound. That eliminated a huge backup.
With the exception of some small areas near the railroad tracks and loop 494, two completely paved inbound lanes now stretch all the way from 59 past Russell-Palmer Road.
Contractors are installing street lamps.
They are also running culverts north-to-south next to the railroad tracks under where the bridge will go.
See the pictures below taken on 2/27/26 at approximately 4PM.
Turn Lanes Off Northbound 59 Feeder
On 11/28/25, I took a shot like the one below and traffic was backed up for blocks. Today, on a Friday afternoon rush hour traffic was breezing through thanks to the opening of the second inbound turn lane. See below.
Looking S. With the completion of two inbound lanes (lower left), both northbound turn lanes on the feeder could be opened.
Bridge Approaches
When complete, Northpark will feature a bridge with three lanes in each direction that carries traffic over the UPRR tracks and Loop 494. That’s in keeping with plans for Northpark to become an all-weather evacuation route.
Looking E at the six lanes where the bridge will go.Looking W toward 59. Six lanes for the second bridge approachwill go in the dirt area (center).
Railroad Crossings for Surface Lanes
In the two pictures above, you can see that the two outside feeder lanes that will parallel the bridge are already complete with the exception of the short stretch across the tracks. But move a little closer to the tracks, and you can see that Harper Brothers is paving that last surface-lane segment approaching the tracks.
After contractors complete the second outbound surface lane above, they will have less than 40 yards to complete the surface lanes to/from 59.
This shot, even closer, shows that last 40 yards.
The surface lanes will connect with the two rectangular concrete sections that UPRR installed last yearacross its tracks.Note the controller box (shiny silver in lower left) that will control inbound RR crossing gates.Comparable equipment is being installed out of frame to the right for outbound gates.The unpaved section in front of the dry cleaners on the corner of 494 and Northpark is the only other unpaved surface-road section aside from the railroad crossings.
Drainage and Lights
Culvert Installation. Photo courtesy Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority (LHRA).Pouring foundation for street light. Photo courtesy of LHRA.
If you now drive from the 59 feeder road all the way down past Russell Palmer to the end of the project, you can see that almost all the foundations are in on both sides of the street.
“For each, the contractors drill a hole, put in the rebar, backfill it with concrete, then put all the conduit and pole boxes in,” said Ralph De Leon, the LHRA project manager. “We’re getting really close to having streetlights all the way down on both sides, behind the curb.”
He added, “They’ll be LED lights. It’ll be illuminated like it’s ever been before in history.”
Toth Continues Assaults on First Amendment, Human Rights, Common Sense
3/2/26 – In one of the most hotly contested primaries in recent memory, State Rep. Steve Toth is running against Congressman Dan Crenshaw in the newly redrawn Congressional District 2. I urge you to vote for Crenshaw who has consistently delivered flood-mitigation dollars for the Lake Houston Area. But that’s not the only reason.
Speech Suppression, Refusal to Debate, Lies, Black Money
Toth’s supporters have:
Toth himself has:
Negative Voting Record, Negative Campaigning
Mr. Toth tears down his opponent because he has virtually nothing positive to say about himself. Toth has one of the most negative voting records in the Texas Legislature.
Understanding what Toth voted NO on gives you deeper insight into the man and his values.
In 2025, Toth voted against flood mitigation, flood-warning systems, free speech, food banks, cybersecurity, conservation, grid reliability, open meetings, transparency, ethics, border security, fraud protections, and disclosure of campaign finance information.
Toth also voted against groups, such as law enforcement, first responders, consumers, patients, motorists, veterans, educators, CPAs, dentists, dental hygienists, farmers, restauranteurs, insurers, aviators, heath-care providers, seniors, schoolchildren, whistleblowers, correctional officers, manufacturers, attorneys, college students, utility employees, people who work from home, flood victims, crime victims, and rural Texans.
In the previous two legislatures, Toth voted AGAINST:
Toth voted against a majority of Republicans on every single one of these measures and hundreds more. On many of them, more than 90% of Republicans voted FOR the bills.
How Extremists Like Toth Can Hijack an Election
Voting NO so often helps Toth boost his conservative rating among some far right-leaning groups. But it also means, he has accomplished virtually nothing. He has nothing positive he can say about himself. He has NO record to run on. So, he tears down his opponent. That’s all he can do. And all he has done.
As of the end of two weeks of early voting, 8.1% of registered voters had voted. If half of those are Democrats, that means 4% of voters will determine the Republican candidate in CD-2 – unless YOU vote Tuesday, March 3rd.
Extremists like Toth represent a huge percentage of that 4%. The nut cases ALL vote.
Don’t let them determine your choices in November.
Please vote for Crenshaw if you want to continue seeing flood-mitigation improvements. He has brought hundreds of millions of flood-mitigation dollars to the Lake Houston Area.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/2/26
3107 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.
Breaches in Triple PG Sand-Mine Dikes Remain Open as Trial Drags into Year 8
3/1/26 – Travis County District Clerk records show that the state’s case against the Triple PG sand mine in Porter is now dragging into Year 8.
Meanwhile, breaches in the mine’s dikes remain open, allowing sediment-laden wastewater and stormwater to escape into the headwaters of Lake Houston, the source of water for more than two million people. The State of Texas originally sued the owners of the mine precisely because of such breaches.
The land on which the mine operates is under owned by Prabhakar R. Guniganti or one of several corporate entities that trace back to him. Guniganti is a cardiologist from Nacogdoches. The case began in 2019. And for a period, Guniganti kept shifting ownership of the mine through various shell companies and trusts to delay a trial. Finally, the state sued him as an individual.
Next came other delays related to discovery. Jury trials were cancelled in 2023 and 2024. In May 2025, a fourth amended scheduling order showed the discovery period should have ended in November 2025 and the trial should have started by February 9, 2026.
However, court records show that in December 2025, the court issued a FIFTH amended scheduling order. Ken Paxton’s office has stopped responding to emails regarding this case.
Meanwhile, erosion has created a breach into Caney Creek. It was caused by mining too close to a utility easement and now threatens pipelines carrying highly volatile liquids (HVL). It also threatens an electrical transmission tower.
Photos of Mine from 2/28/26
That particular breach has remained open at least since August 14, 2025. Here’s how it looked yesterday from several angles.
Guniganti’s mine stretches 2.5 miles from north to south. Montgomery County Appraisal District records show that he or one of his corporate entities still owns the property, despite name changes at the mine entrance on Hueni Road in Porter.
Guniganti doesn’t own the only mine on Caney Creek. Another exists upstream from his. But I didn’t see any breaches in that particular mine.
So, this may be a case of multiple mines or construction sites even farther upstream spoiling the water quality. Yesterday, I wasn’t able to work my way far enough upstream to see where the water color changed definitively.
Said another way, it’s not clear whether Guniganti’s mine 1) caused, 2) contributed to, or 3) played no role in this particular episode of Caney Creek sludge. However…
Impact on People and Fish
Two things are certain though. 1) The breaches let exposed sediment escape during storms. 2) The pollution is not good for people or fish.
For humans, sediment pollution increases filtration costs that show up in water bills. But for fish, sediment pollution can be fatal.
Yesterday, several fishermen told me that the white bass which usually spawn in this area are gone this year. So I asked ChatGPT how sediment pollution from sand mining and construction affect the spawning grounds for bass.
White bass, it seems, depend heavily on clean, course river substrates – typically gravel or cobble – for successful reproduction. Sediment pollution from sand mining operations and construction runoff can significantly degrade those spawning grounds through several mechanisms.
For a deeper dive into the sediment pollution impacts from construction and sand mining on fish spawning, click here.
Volume of Sediment
Most sediment moves during storms. Scientists call these “sediment pulses.” And the bigger the storm, the bigger the pulses. One study suggests that Harvey moved 7.5 million metric tons of sediment in the San Jacinto watershed.
Based on flood-damage studies and sediment-transport modeling, breaches of dikes around one large, sand pit can release 50-200 tons of sediment in a single storm.
Erosion happens naturally, even in heavily forested areas. But sand mines amplify sediment release because they:
Relative Impact of Sediment Sources
ChatGPT compared the relative sediment contributions of several sources including:
Sand mines near rivers are especially problematic because:
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/1/26
3106 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.
Northpark Update: Rail Crossings, Bridge, Turn Lanes, Lights and More
2/27/26 – Within the next week, Northpark Drive expansion contractors will likely start paving the last sections of surface road across the UnionPacific Railroad Tracks and Loop 494. The completion of surface roads will clear the way to finish demolishing the old lanes now being used to get traffic across the tracks. And once the old pavement is gone, work on the bridge can begin in earnest.
The holdup to date has been installation of the railroad traffic signals for the new surface lanes. But UPRR has almost completed that work. They will install two gates on both inbound and outbound sides (a change to meet new code requirements). Work on the signals and feeder roads should be complete by late May or early June.
In other news:
See the pictures below taken on 2/27/26 at approximately 4PM.
Turn Lanes Off Northbound 59 Feeder
On 11/28/25, I took a shot like the one below and traffic was backed up for blocks. Today, on a Friday afternoon rush hour traffic was breezing through thanks to the opening of the second inbound turn lane. See below.
Bridge Approaches
When complete, Northpark will feature a bridge with three lanes in each direction that carries traffic over the UPRR tracks and Loop 494. That’s in keeping with plans for Northpark to become an all-weather evacuation route.
Railroad Crossings for Surface Lanes
In the two pictures above, you can see that the two outside feeder lanes that will parallel the bridge are already complete with the exception of the short stretch across the tracks. But move a little closer to the tracks, and you can see that Harper Brothers is paving that last surface-lane segment approaching the tracks.
This shot, even closer, shows that last 40 yards.
Drainage and Lights
If you now drive from the 59 feeder road all the way down past Russell Palmer to the end of the project, you can see that almost all the foundations are in on both sides of the street.
“For each, the contractors drill a hole, put in the rebar, backfill it with concrete, then put all the conduit and pole boxes in,” said Ralph De Leon, the LHRA project manager. “We’re getting really close to having streetlights all the way down on both sides, behind the curb.”
He added, “They’ll be LED lights. It’ll be illuminated like it’s ever been before in history.”
For More Information
See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority website project pages, including a 3-week lookahead schedule.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/26
3104 Days since Hurricane Harvey