2/27/25 – Hallett Materials has finally plugged a year-long leak in its Porter sand mine on the San Jacinto West Fork.
According to residents who live near the leak, an investigator from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) visited the mine yesterday. For more than six hours, he sampled water leaking from the mine.
A short time later, Hallett, a self-proclaimed environmental leader, started plugging the leak. It had created a river of sludge several hundred feet wide that led straight to the drinking water supply for 2 million people…for more than a year.
History of Leak
Photos taken on February 8, 2024, show that bulldozers created the leak. Those dozer tracks in the image below certainly don’t appear accidental.
Notice where tracked vehicle shaveddown area between Hallett settling pond (far right) and road/woods, letting sediment-laden water leak out of overloaded pond.Same pond, same sludge, same leaks more than a year later on 2/23/25.
I ran a story about the year-long leak that same day. The post also took the TCEQ to task for magically overlooking the river of what I call Houdini sludge. It can escape from anything, anytime, year round, day or night – without detection by even the most eagle-eyed TCEQ investigator. Slippery stuff, that sludge!
Seriously, I’m sure Hallett will send a blind, part-time, sub-assistant foreman to some TCEQ gulag for re-education and environmental sensitivity training. That should placate the reluctant regulators.”
A note from the sacrificial sub-assistant’s ophthalmologist should also sufficiently explain the “accidental” oversight enough to get Hallett off the hook with a strongly worded apology and a ten dollar fine.
TCEQ’s Biggest Investigation Ever?
The investigator sampling the water this week wouldn’t say much except that this was “the biggest investigation he had ever been a part of.” Of course, previous TCEQ investigators couldn’t find water falling out of a rowboat with a seeing-eye dog.
Pics of Fix
Hallett reportedly parked a bulldozer near where the investigator was working. This afternoon, a resident sent pictures of a pile of dirt the bulldozer pushed against the rising tide of sludge. It was about as deep as a stack of chocolate pancakes at IHOP. See below.
Where one of the rivers of sludge cut across the maintenance roadHallet leak plugged……at least for a day or two.How long will it last?Vegas is taking odds.
Now, there’s a beautifully engineered bandaid!
What more could a TCEQ commissioner up for reappointment ask?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/25
2739 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/2025/02/20250223_0968_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-27 21:46:382025-02-27 23:20:14Hallett Finally Plugs Year-Long Leak in Sand Mine
2/26/25 – One week from today, Northpark Drive will close for three days – from March 5-7. UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will maneuver a two-hundred-foot section of track and ties – welded and bolted into a single, massive unit – into place across what will become ten lanes of traffic and two sidewalks.
Section Already Assembled, Ready, Waiting
UPRR has already assembled the massive section in the TxDOT right of way along Loop 494 that parallels the tracks. According to a UPRR consultant…
The rails, ties and hardware should weigh approximately 55,000 pounds.
That’s the average weight of 22 small cars.
The photos below show the assembly and where it will move.
Assembly area is in old northbound Loop 494 lanes currently scraped to the dirt. Note new section of track near bottom of frame below existing track.Northpark is in upper rightof frame.Track assembly.Steel plates that cradle rails and hold them in position.Looking S along Loop 494 (right). Northpark at top of frame.New rail will be centered across Northpark where old rail now crosses it. See below.Side shot shows placement of new section.
The plan for maneuvering the giant section of track into place has changed several times. The latest indication from UPRR is that they now plan to use four vehicles, one on each corner to lift and place the section.
Benefits of Single Section
The single, long section of track will provide additional stability for the high traffic area, especially where the track crosses over storm sewers, water lines and other underground utilities.
Once placed, the section will span three vehicle crossovers and two sidewalks.
One to replace the existing roadway.
Two where new feeder roads will go
Two 10-foot-wide multi-use pathways outside of each of the two feeder roads.
Next Steps
When the track crew finishes, a different crew will install temporary signals and gate arms. Once the feeder roads are constructed, they will return to install permanent signals and gate arms.
And once the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s contractor, Harper Brothers, completes drainage and utility work, they will build two new feeder roads, each containing two lanes, that cross the tracks.
Then, they will abandon the current center lanes so bridge construction can start later this year. The feeder roads will carry all traffic for the duration of bridge construction.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Track-copy.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-26 18:14:272025-03-05 11:38:17Northpark Will Close at UPRR Tracks One Week from Today for Three Days
2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.
The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.
The Fog of Disaster
Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.
HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.
But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.
I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.
Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.
Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.
Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday
Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.
The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.
First load of two piles near Bens Branch (seen in the background at top of frame) along Tree Lane.The right equipment makes it look so easy...…but its not.Note vines and smaller branches mixed with sections of tree trunks.
The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.
So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25
2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250225-DJI_20250225122804_0007_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-25 16:13:052025-02-25 16:46:43HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch
Hallett Finally Plugs Year-Long Leak in Sand Mine
2/27/25 – Hallett Materials has finally plugged a year-long leak in its Porter sand mine on the San Jacinto West Fork.
According to residents who live near the leak, an investigator from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) visited the mine yesterday. For more than six hours, he sampled water leaking from the mine.
A short time later, Hallett, a self-proclaimed environmental leader, started plugging the leak. It had created a river of sludge several hundred feet wide that led straight to the drinking water supply for 2 million people…for more than a year.
History of Leak
Photos taken on February 8, 2024, show that bulldozers created the leak. Those dozer tracks in the image below certainly don’t appear accidental.
I ran a story about the year-long leak that same day. The post also took the TCEQ to task for magically overlooking the river of what I call Houdini sludge. It can escape from anything, anytime, year round, day or night – without detection by even the most eagle-eyed TCEQ investigator. Slippery stuff, that sludge!
Seriously, I’m sure Hallett will send a blind, part-time, sub-assistant foreman to some TCEQ gulag for re-education and environmental sensitivity training. That should placate the reluctant regulators.”
A note from the sacrificial sub-assistant’s ophthalmologist should also sufficiently explain the “accidental” oversight enough to get Hallett off the hook with a strongly worded apology and a ten dollar fine.
TCEQ’s Biggest Investigation Ever?
The investigator sampling the water this week wouldn’t say much except that this was “the biggest investigation he had ever been a part of.” Of course, previous TCEQ investigators couldn’t find water falling out of a rowboat with a seeing-eye dog.
Pics of Fix
Hallett reportedly parked a bulldozer near where the investigator was working. This afternoon, a resident sent pictures of a pile of dirt the bulldozer pushed against the rising tide of sludge. It was about as deep as a stack of chocolate pancakes at IHOP. See below.
What more could a TCEQ commissioner up for reappointment ask?
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/27/25
2739 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 Will Close at UPRR Tracks One Week from Today for Three Days
2/26/25 – One week from today, Northpark Drive will close for three days – from March 5-7. UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will maneuver a two-hundred-foot section of track and ties – welded and bolted into a single, massive unit – into place across what will become ten lanes of traffic and two sidewalks.
Section Already Assembled, Ready, Waiting
UPRR has already assembled the massive section in the TxDOT right of way along Loop 494 that parallels the tracks. According to a UPRR consultant…
That’s the average weight of 22 small cars.
The photos below show the assembly and where it will move.
The plan for maneuvering the giant section of track into place has changed several times. The latest indication from UPRR is that they now plan to use four vehicles, one on each corner to lift and place the section.
Benefits of Single Section
The single, long section of track will provide additional stability for the high traffic area, especially where the track crosses over storm sewers, water lines and other underground utilities.
Once placed, the section will span three vehicle crossovers and two sidewalks.
Next Steps
When the track crew finishes, a different crew will install temporary signals and gate arms. Once the feeder roads are constructed, they will return to install permanent signals and gate arms.
And once the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority’s contractor, Harper Brothers, completes drainage and utility work, they will build two new feeder roads, each containing two lanes, that cross the tracks.
Then, they will abandon the current center lanes so bridge construction can start later this year. The feeder roads will carry all traffic for the duration of bridge construction.
For More Information
See the Lake Houston Redevelopment Authority project web pages. For a history of the project, see these select posts on ReduceFlooding.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/25
2638 Days since Hurricane Harvey
HCFCD Picking Up Last of Beryl Debris from Bens Branch
2/25/25 – Today, Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) began picking up remaining Hurricane Beryl Debris from Bens Branch in Kingwood. The cleanup effort began on Tree Lane across from Bear Branch Elementary. More than 600 children in grades K-5 attend school there.
The delayed cleanup effort illustrates the need for community leaders and Flood Control to work more closely together and document cleanup efforts, especially after disasters.
The Fog of Disaster
Beryl left a mess all across the Houston area. The massive cleanup effort involved HCFCD, the City of Houston, FEMA, private contractors, CenterPoint and more working months with little sleep. Responsibilities were inevitably bound to get mixed up on occasion and this was one of them.
HCFCD denies the piles of Beryl debris from Bens Branch were theirs, despite the protestations of local leaders who monitored cleanup efforts.
But Eric Heppen, Harris County Precinct 3’s Director of Engineering, said, “We’re past that now. We’re just going to pick up the piles.” Thank you, Commissioner Ramsey. And thank you, HCFCD.
I’m sure that will be a relief to parents who worried about the temptation the piles represented to young boys eager to test their climbing skills. One of the piles crews worked on today easily exceeded six feet in height.
Chris Bloch, a Bear Branch Trail Association (BBTA) board member, led the fight to get HCFCD to clean up piles at ten locations strung out along the forested portion of Bens Branch, which runs through the center of Kingwood.
Thirteen residents who lived near the stream died as a result of flooding during Hurricane Harvey. Ever since then, residents and the BBTA board have been hyper-vigilant about anything that could back water up in the stream. So, it is good to get this behind us.
Remainder of Piles Should Be Gone by Friday
Jessica Lazo, a HCFCD spokesperson for Precinct 3, said that HCFCD crews should remove the remainder of the debris by this Friday, 2/28/25.
The City removed two piles along Cedar Knolls last week. HCFCD will remove the rest.
The photo above shows HCFCD working on the second load of Beryl debris from Bens Branch. After the first, the crew had to drive to the other side of the county to drop off the debris for recycling. According to an employee I interviewed onsite during the operation, few places at this time can handle mixed loads like this. By mixed, he meant large-diameter tree trunks and smaller branches.
So this could be a lengthy process. I’ll let you know when they complete the job.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/25/25
2737 Days since Hurricane Harvey