Update 5/27/26 – With 100% of voting locations reporting, Mealer beat Cain by more than a 2:1 margin.
5/26/26 – According to multiple news reports, Alexandra Mealer beat State Representative Briscoe Cain in a landslide tonight in the GOP primary runoff election for the newly redrawn Texas Congressional District 9. CD9 runs from the Ship Channel, Deer Park, Pasadena, and Baytown up the east side of Houston all the way to Liberty County. It even takes in the Lake Houston Dam.
The newly re-drawn CD9
From West Point to Afgan to Harvard to CD9
I first met Mealer in 2022 when she ran for Harris County Judge. However, she narrowly lost to Lina Hidalgo then. We reconnected in late 2025/early 2026 when she announced her candidacy for CD9.
I have nothing but admiration for Mealer. I endorsed her in both races. For those who have not met her in person, she is a force of nature, gifted with a keen intellect and seemingly inexhaustible supplies of energy.
Mealer graduated from West Point, then completed advanced training at the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school. As a young lieutenant, the Army selected her ahead of her peers to form a new EOD company for a planned surge in Afghanistan. She prepared her team in half the time usually required by the Army then deployed to a forward operating base in Afghanistan.
While there, Mealer was again selected ahead of her peers to lead the EOD Headquarters Company, consisting of 600+ personnel deployed to 40+ locations throughout Afghanistan. For her 14-month deployment, Mealer was awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal.
After honorably completing military service, Mealer obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. She then went on to leverage her degrees as an oil & gas investment banker in Houston. She specialized in capital markets and merger/acquisition consulting in the oilfield services sector.
Mealer is also a wife, mother and business owner when she isn’t running for Congress.
Mealer Always Looking Forward
Within one day of her 2022 loss in the county judge race, Mealer began crafting legislation that would have expanded the geographic scope of the Harris County Flood Control District. Here is a white paper that Mealer wrote on the subject.
Even though Kingwood is not technically part of CD9, she is extremely familiar with flooding issues here and throughout the region.
Mealer in 2025 learning about Kingwood Town Center flooding issues along Bens Branch on a rainy day.
According to unofficial election results reported in The Texan, New York Times, and Fox News, Mealer held 69 percent of the voting returns reported early Tuesday evening. So, congratulations, Alex Mealer!
Mealer will face Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in the November election. But the new CD9 reportedly leans heavily to the R side now. So Mealer is expected to have a strong advantage in November.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/26/26
3192 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/20250831-DSC_3263.jpg?fit=1100%2C733&ssl=17331100adminadmin2026-05-26 22:08:452026-05-27 09:52:46Alex Mealer Defeats State Rep. Cain in GOP Primary Runoff for New CD-9
5/24/26 – What’s wrong with this picture? It shows the confluence of Spring Creek (l) and the San Jacinto West Fork (r).
Confluence of Spring Creek (l) and West Fork on 5/24/26 after several rounds of heavy rain in previous 3 days.
I took it at approximately 3PM today. It has not been retouched. You are looking at the actual color difference in the water coming down the two streams after several days of rain.
However, the heavy rains were almost equally distributed between the two watersheds according to the Harris County Flood Warning System. So, what accounts for the difference? This is important. After all, that’s the drinking water for more than two million people you’re looking at.
20 Square Miles of Sand Mines in a 20 Mile Reach of the River
A quick look at Google Earth Pro will show a huge difference. There is very little (if any) sand mining upstream on the left, but approximately 20 square miles of sand mines in a 20 mile reach of the river upstream on the right.
And in several mines, the West Fork runs right through active or abandoned sand pits, a phenomenon known as “pit capture.”
So, I drove upstream to learn more. Here’s what I saw.
Water flowing out of a former Hallett pit now owned by Riverwalk Porter LLC. The West Fork enters the pit out of frame to the right.See next shot.Where the West Fork now flows into the Riverwalk pit. Hallett mine in background. River used to flow out of frame in the sandy area on the right, which now totally blocks the river.
Farther upstream, but still at the Hallett mine…
The West Fork flows through another captured pit.Northpark Woods subdivision in background. Pond on the left is an active Hallett pit. Pond in center was formerly owned by Hallett’s parent, the Rasmussen Group, but is no longer actively being mined. Despite that, notice discolored water flowing out of center pit into West Fork.The Hallett Mine exposes several square miles of sediment to erosion.
Another source of sediment from the mine is repairs to its dikes. A local fisherman supplied me with this photo taken today. It shows how repairs to a dike near the processing plant are slumping into the river. I originally posted about the repairs several months ago.
Photo taken on 5/24/26 near Hallett processing equipment.
Here’s what that area looks like from the air.
Note loose, unconsolidated sediment dumped into river near center of frame
Externalizing Operational Costs to Taxpayers
The sand-mining industry in Montgomery County helps power growth there. The bulk of the mines are located close to the Harris County line. So Montgomery County gets the benefit. And Harris County gets the cleanup costs in the form of dredging, water treatment, and medical bills.
TCEQ monitors this mine for Nitrate + Nitrite N, total suspended solids, pH, and hazardous metals including Arsenic, Barium, Cadmium, Chromium, Copper, Lead, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Selenium, Silver, and Zinc.
Ask your favorite AI program what the health risks of exposure to those chemicals are.
This is what economists call an “externality.” The full cost of providing the sand is not reflected in the bills that purchasers receive. Miners pass their clean up costs on to taxpayers downstream in order to provide an artificially low cost to the actual consumers.
And in my opinion, that’s what’s wrong with the picture.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/24/2026
3190 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/2026/05/DJI_20260524145751_0210_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2026-05-24 19:21:342026-05-25 09:33:44What’s Wrong with This Picture?
5/23/26 – Earlier this week, contractors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 finished paving the surface lanes across the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. Two surface lanes both east- and westbound will border the bridge being built over the tracks and Loop 494. They will provide turning capabilities at the intersection as well as access to local businesses.
Note fresh pavement in lower right.
All that remains to be paved is a narrow strip just a few feet wide adjacent to the tracks (see above). The strips will be paved after crossing gates and traffic signals are installed and coordinated with other railroad crossings up and down the tracks.
That means the only unpaved section of roadway in Phase I (not counting the bridge) is a tiny section in front of the dry cleaners on the west side of Loop 494 (see below). Light poles were finally cleared out of there this week and paving was scheduled for today. However, heavy rains disrupted that.
Last unpaved area is in lower right corner of intersection.
Elsewhere along Phase I:
Work continues on excavating and lining the entry ponds that bracket Northpark at US59
Contractors are busy installing light poles
New traffic control signal control box at Russell Palmer has been installed and should be operational soon
Work on Loop 494 appears complete
The last major item, construction of the bridge, will pick back up when the new surface lanes become operational and traffic can be moved out of the center lanes.
See pictures below.
Photos Taken May 16-23
Work on north entry pond on 5/16/26Excavation of south entry pond continues, but was delayed by heavy rains this week.New temporary traffic signal being installed in rain on morning of 5/20/26 at Northpark/Loop 494.Old traffic signal pole being removed on same day from last area to be paved.
Four traffic officers kept traffic moving smoothly during the change of signals.
The concrete junction boxes staged lower center/right of the image above will connect drainage across Northpark under the old roadway once traffic switches from the center to the new feeder roads.
Ditch One will be hydro-mulched when contractor returns to hydro-much road shoulders and plant sod in medians of NorthparkPaving has been completed up to the eastern bridge abutment and pavement underlayment on abutment itself has started.Work on Loop 494 is finished except for traffic lights and crossing gates.Contractors are still using the closed off section to stage equipment.
Street Light Installation
Street light foundations usually consist of an 8’ deep concrete column. Contractors use an auger to bore the hole. Then they install rebar and pour concrete. The process goes quickly.
However, due to right-of-way constraints, Northpark has six locations where storm water laterals run approximately four feet below grade behind the curb. So, typical street light foundations won’t have enough clearance. Instead, they use “spread-foot foundations” at those locations.
Spread-foot foundations run parallel to grade, horizontally instead of vertically. If you look at the image below, you will see most of the foundation will be underneath the adjacent sidewalk.
In parts of the City that experience frequent inundation, such foundations are common because they can resist the forces of floodwater pushing against them.
Majority of the street light foundations on Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive between Bagby and Shepherd Drive are spread foot.
A Look Ahead at Bridge Construction
I asked Project Manage Ralph De Leon when he expected bridge construction to pick back up. He replied, “As soon as the feeder roads are open +/- June 23rd. Ford, Knox, Royal Crossing and Northpark are interconnected. All four intersections have been updated, and the testing is currently underway. All four have to be operational before UPRR will let us open the Northpark feeder roads.”
Alex Mealer Defeats State Rep. Cain in GOP Primary Runoff for New CD-9
Update 5/27/26 – With 100% of voting locations reporting, Mealer beat Cain by more than a 2:1 margin.
5/26/26 – According to multiple news reports, Alexandra Mealer beat State Representative Briscoe Cain in a landslide tonight in the GOP primary runoff election for the newly redrawn Texas Congressional District 9. CD9 runs from the Ship Channel, Deer Park, Pasadena, and Baytown up the east side of Houston all the way to Liberty County. It even takes in the Lake Houston Dam.
From West Point to Afgan to Harvard to CD9
I first met Mealer in 2022 when she ran for Harris County Judge. However, she narrowly lost to Lina Hidalgo then. We reconnected in late 2025/early 2026 when she announced her candidacy for CD9.
I have nothing but admiration for Mealer. I endorsed her in both races. For those who have not met her in person, she is a force of nature, gifted with a keen intellect and seemingly inexhaustible supplies of energy.
Mealer graduated from West Point, then completed advanced training at the Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) school. As a young lieutenant, the Army selected her ahead of her peers to form a new EOD company for a planned surge in Afghanistan. She prepared her team in half the time usually required by the Army then deployed to a forward operating base in Afghanistan.
While there, Mealer was again selected ahead of her peers to lead the EOD Headquarters Company, consisting of 600+ personnel deployed to 40+ locations throughout Afghanistan. For her 14-month deployment, Mealer was awarded the Combat Action Badge and Bronze Star Medal.
After honorably completing military service, Mealer obtained an MBA from Harvard Business School and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. She then went on to leverage her degrees as an oil & gas investment banker in Houston. She specialized in capital markets and merger/acquisition consulting in the oilfield services sector.
Mealer is also a wife, mother and business owner when she isn’t running for Congress.
Mealer Always Looking Forward
Within one day of her 2022 loss in the county judge race, Mealer began crafting legislation that would have expanded the geographic scope of the Harris County Flood Control District. Here is a white paper that Mealer wrote on the subject.
Even though Kingwood is not technically part of CD9, she is extremely familiar with flooding issues here and throughout the region.
According to unofficial election results reported in The Texan, New York Times, and Fox News, Mealer held 69 percent of the voting returns reported early Tuesday evening. So, congratulations, Alex Mealer!
Is her win a big deal? Absolutely. It’s crucial for the success of the region. If CD9 were a country, it would have approximately the 20th largest economy in the world, according to Mealer.
Mealer will face Democrat Leticia Gutierrez in the November election. But the new CD9 reportedly leans heavily to the R side now. So Mealer is expected to have a strong advantage in November.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/26/26
3192 Days since Hurricane Harvey
What’s Wrong with This Picture?
5/24/26 – What’s wrong with this picture? It shows the confluence of Spring Creek (l) and the San Jacinto West Fork (r).
I took it at approximately 3PM today. It has not been retouched. You are looking at the actual color difference in the water coming down the two streams after several days of rain.
However, the heavy rains were almost equally distributed between the two watersheds according to the Harris County Flood Warning System. So, what accounts for the difference? This is important. After all, that’s the drinking water for more than two million people you’re looking at.
20 Square Miles of Sand Mines in a 20 Mile Reach of the River
A quick look at Google Earth Pro will show a huge difference. There is very little (if any) sand mining upstream on the left, but approximately 20 square miles of sand mines in a 20 mile reach of the river upstream on the right.
And in several mines, the West Fork runs right through active or abandoned sand pits, a phenomenon known as “pit capture.”
So, I drove upstream to learn more. Here’s what I saw.
Farther upstream, but still at the Hallett mine…
Another source of sediment from the mine is repairs to its dikes. A local fisherman supplied me with this photo taken today. It shows how repairs to a dike near the processing plant are slumping into the river. I originally posted about the repairs several months ago.
Here’s what that area looks like from the air.
Externalizing Operational Costs to Taxpayers
The sand-mining industry in Montgomery County helps power growth there. The bulk of the mines are located close to the Harris County line. So Montgomery County gets the benefit. And Harris County gets the cleanup costs in the form of dredging, water treatment, and medical bills.
Ask your favorite AI program what the health risks of exposure to those chemicals are.
This is what economists call an “externality.” The full cost of providing the sand is not reflected in the bills that purchasers receive. Miners pass their clean up costs on to taxpayers downstream in order to provide an artificially low cost to the actual consumers.
And in my opinion, that’s what’s wrong with the picture.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/24/2026
3190 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 Surface Lanes across UPRR Tracks Virtually Complete
5/23/26 – Earlier this week, contractors for the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority/TIRZ 10 finished paving the surface lanes across the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. Two surface lanes both east- and westbound will border the bridge being built over the tracks and Loop 494. They will provide turning capabilities at the intersection as well as access to local businesses.
All that remains to be paved is a narrow strip just a few feet wide adjacent to the tracks (see above). The strips will be paved after crossing gates and traffic signals are installed and coordinated with other railroad crossings up and down the tracks.
That means the only unpaved section of roadway in Phase I (not counting the bridge) is a tiny section in front of the dry cleaners on the west side of Loop 494 (see below). Light poles were finally cleared out of there this week and paving was scheduled for today. However, heavy rains disrupted that.
Elsewhere along Phase I:
The last major item, construction of the bridge, will pick back up when the new surface lanes become operational and traffic can be moved out of the center lanes.
See pictures below.
Photos Taken May 16-23
Four traffic officers kept traffic moving smoothly during the change of signals.
The concrete junction boxes staged lower center/right of the image above will connect drainage across Northpark under the old roadway once traffic switches from the center to the new feeder roads.
Street Light Installation
Street light foundations usually consist of an 8’ deep concrete column. Contractors use an auger to bore the hole. Then they install rebar and pour concrete. The process goes quickly.
However, due to right-of-way constraints, Northpark has six locations where storm water laterals run approximately four feet below grade behind the curb. So, typical street light foundations won’t have enough clearance. Instead, they use “spread-foot foundations” at those locations.
Spread-foot foundations run parallel to grade, horizontally instead of vertically. If you look at the image below, you will see most of the foundation will be underneath the adjacent sidewalk.
Majority of the street light foundations on Allen Parkway and Memorial Drive between Bagby and Shepherd Drive are spread foot.
A Look Ahead at Bridge Construction
I asked Project Manage Ralph De Leon when he expected bridge construction to pick back up. He replied, “As soon as the feeder roads are open +/- June 23rd. Ford, Knox, Royal Crossing and Northpark are interconnected. All four intersections have been updated, and the testing is currently underway. All four have to be operational before UPRR will let us open the Northpark feeder roads.”
For More Information
For more information, search this website using the key word “Northpark,” visit the project pages at LakeHoustonRA.com. Or consult this 3-week lookahead schedule.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/23/26
3189 Days since Hurricane Harvey