News Archives - Page 2 of 287

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.

*Area where river depth has been reduced*. *See pics below.*

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.

Hallett spill — *Dirt dumped into river from Hallett Mine in March 2026*

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.

*Fisherman’s depth finder adjacent to dirt shown above*

West Fork Migration — *The* *Hallett sediment extended approximately 50 feet into the river back in March of 2026.*

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.

Hallett Mine — *Route of leaking sludge carried it through trees between homeowners and Hallett’s settling pond.*

For a better view, see this YouTube video linked below.

To play the YouTube video, click here.

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.

Proposed New Rule Could Mean More Wetlands Lose Protection

9/5/2026 – Yesterday, the administration proposed a new interpretation for “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that could strip almost all wetlands of federal protection. Wetlands help control flooding, filter runoff, break down harmful pollutants, and provide habitat for a large share of threatened and endangered species.

education and preservation as flood-mitigation strategies — *Proud new parents. Two great egrets watch as the first chick from a new clutch of eggs hatches out.* *Photographed in wetlands near High Island, Texas.*

According to PBS, the EPA and Army Corps will accept public comments for 30 days once the new plan is published in the Federal Register, expected in the next week.

Recent Attempts to Develop Clear Definition

The new rule supposedly will provide clarity to a landscape characterized by many shades of green. It hopes to strike a balance between property rights and pollution while cutting red tape and regulatory uncertainty.

The New York Times wrote that the new rule could strip federal protections from millions of acres of wetlands. It “would significantly narrow the definition of “waters of the United States,” or WOTUS, that are protected from harmful pollution under the Clean Water Act of 1972.” The new version is more sweeping than an initial proposal released in November 2025.

The effort to redefine the rule began with a Supreme Court ruling in Sackett v. EPA back in 2023. The majority of the Court wrote that the Clean Water Act of 1977 allowed the agency to regulate only “relatively permanent” bodies of water and wetlands connected to them.

However, the Court’s opinion did not define “relatively permanent.” The NY Times article says, “In the proposal released in November, the Trump administration defined a ‘relatively permanent’ body of water as one that flowed either every day or during the ‘wet season.’ The new proposal would define it instead as one that flowed every day except for temporary interruptions like droughts lasting less than 30 days.”

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) believes the change could strip federal protection from 94 percent of the nation’s wetlands, up from 81 percent under the November 2025 proposal.

The National Wildlife Federation believes “the new plan could end protections for at least one-third of the more than 3.5 million miles of streams in the United States,” said the Times, quoting Jim Murphy, associate VP of Legal Advocacy.

But the American Farm Bureau believes it would end regulatory headaches for farmers and ranchers for unknowingly violating the law.

Provisions in Current Regulation

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service writes that under current law, “It is illegal to drain or fill a wetland without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The entire Texas coast is under the jurisdiction of the Corps’ Galveston District Office.”

“Before a permit can be granted, the requestor must show that the project has considered all viable alternatives and minimized impacts as much as possible. Any wetland loss must be compensated for by constructing new wetlands or by restoring or enhancing existing wetlands,” says A&M.

How Would Change in Definition Affect Lake Houston Area

It’s too early to tell exactly how a change in definition for WOTUS would affect the Lake Houston Area. We certainly have many wetlands near bodies of water that flow year round. But what does “connected” mean? Does it apply only to a swamp at a river’s edge? Or does it also include ponds in floodplains a hundred yards from a river?

This is not an academic abstraction; it lowers the bar for developers. And that could make it easier to build in floodplains, which could endanger lives and property…and increase the federal deficit.

Flooding likely costs the federal government roughly $15 billion to $25 billion a year on average in disaster relief, recovery and related expenditures, with costs soaring much higher after catastrophic storms. Because those expenditures generally aren’t offset by additional revenues or spending reductions, they effectively increase federal deficits. And that number could go even higher if you include pre-disaster flood-mitigation spending (as opposed to pure disaster relief).

The Scarborough Example

Scarborough, for instance, wants to build thousands of homes on 5300 acres in one of the most flood-prone areas in the Houston region…at the confluence of the San Jacinto West Fork with Spring, Cypress and Turkey Creeks.

Hydrologists say that it would be like “aiming a fire hose at the Humble/Kingwood area.” The City of Houston and Harris County have unanimously condemned the proposed development. And almost 10,000 concerned citizens in Montgomery and Harris Counties have signed a petition against it.

Add your voice to those who wish to protect the land and our future. Sign the petition on Change.org today.

Scarborough wetlands — *Many wetlands not directly connected to streams lace the Scarborough property.*

For more about this proposed development, check out the video in this post.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/5/2026

3294 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.

Government Decides NOT to appeal Addicks-Barker Upstream Case to Supreme Court

9/4/2026 – In what appears to be a victory for plaintiffs in the Addicks-Barker Upstream litigation, McGehee ☆ Chang, Feiler announced today that the government has decided not to appeal to the United States Supreme Court.

“In that case, the appellate process would be over.”
McGehee ☆ Chang, Feiler

Next Step: Determining Compensation for Victims

With that, the case will proceed to the final stage – determining the amount of compensation to each of the property owners in the Upstream area.

Addicks Barker Location — *Addicks and Barker are the huge green areas on the west side of Houston.* *Stormwater flows left to right.*

The government advised that it will be working with the law firm’s upstream team to determine and streamline an agreeable process. “The Upstream team and the government have been mediating throughout the earlier part of this year, and we are confident that a mutually agreeable method can be worked out,” said the McGehee team.

Judge Hertling previously stated and reiterated that he wants to move forward quickly and give compensation to the property owners.

Compensation Conference Coming in October

The judge will reportedly return to Houston in October and host another conference.

McGehee stated, “We are very encouraged by this development and will provide more updates as the final stage of the case progresses.”

Only three weeks ago, the government sought an extension while it considered whether to appeal to the Supreme Court. But the time for that extension ran out today.

History of Case

The Upstream and Downstream cases were split into separate groups because the cases differed fundamentally. The downstream homeowners flooded due to floodgate operation. The upstream homeowners flooded because homes were built inside the reservoirs.

The initial trial phase of the upstream case drew to a close in the second half of 2022. The judge ruled the government was liable for damages. But the government appealed on December 29, 2022. Three years later, on December 29, 2025, the Court of Appeals, after 13 months of deliberations, affirmed the trial court’s ruling on the issue of liability. It agreed that the government is liable for taking of the Upstream homeowners’ property.

The homeowners contended that when the reservoirs were built, the Corps didn’t buy enough property within them. Private developers then built homes within the reservoirs. The government warned as early as 1973 that it knew of the problem and that homes could be flooded.

*Flooded Homes in Addicks Reservoir during Harvey*

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/4/2026

3294 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Through The Eyes of a Survivor: Harvey Remembered Nine Years Later

9/3/26 – This guest post about “Hurricane Harvey Remembered” is by Kathleen Todd Jordan. Ms. Jordan grew up in Kingwood and has lived here for almost 50 years. She met the man who would later become her husband while they were both enrolled at Kingwood Middle School. So, Jordan has deep ties to the community and its residents. During Hurricane Harvey, two of her neighbors died. Many others had their homes destroyed. On the ninth anniversary of the flood, she wrote a deeply moving memoir of the event and recovery from it. Jordan is also a newly appointed board member of the Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District. She gave me permission to reprint her story below.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Pics below show our dear family-friend’s home. The living room looked as though a whirlpool picked up all of the furniture and swirled it around. Rushing water and debris had pulverized the thick, picture windows.

*The power of water moving through a living room*

Seeing people’s lives through their material objects piled high to the sky … it was just heartbreaking.

*For weeks after Harvey, debris piles lined both sides of streets in Kingwood.*

Harvey Remembered: Antibiotics, Amputation, Death and Anger

Now, this is where I have ZERO tolerance for the back talk from government entities – speech emanating mainly from Montgomery County (MoCo). When people from Kingwood hear some MoCo folks saying that we are just belly aching and no one died and “we flooded, too”…I say “Don’t go there.”

After the storm, we opened our home to a friend, who otherwise would have been packed off to the George R. Brown. We helped her muck out her home and her neighbor’s. Two doors down from where she lived, we mucked out a young man’s home with the help of his mother. She slipped and fell in the mud in his kitchen.

She cut her arm when she fell. The son asked if anyone had a first aid kit. I ran home to grab what I could. A couple of days later, we heard the mother was in the hospital with an infection.

That infection turned into MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to many common antibiotics. In a last ditch effort to save her life, the medical team decided to start AMPUTATING BODY PARTS. Think about this MoCo, City of Houston, GLO, Harris County. She still died.

Just two blocks away, a husband attempted to start his portable generator. He dropped dead from a heart attack. Two deaths within two blocks. Two lives extinguished. Arguably, the loss of life could have been avoided. More such avoidable tragedies happened beyond the immediate area where I was working.

What Montgomery County Needs to Understand

Everyone reading this outside of Kingwood needs to understand these memories and heartaches go far beyond the material losses that have changed each of us.

When we hear the uninformed – especially those from MoCo – say things like, “No one died,” “lowering the lake does not work,” “we want to use our boats,” almost 80,000 people here beg to differ in no uncertain terms.

Did you know that almost 50% of all deaths from Harvey in Harris County happened in the Kingwood/ Lake Houston area?

So again, when someone from The Woodlands says, “Well, we flooded, too,” I respectfully say, “Go to hell!” No one died there.

Be a good neighbor, MoCo. Every single time we drive through that fair county and see all the unbridled development, it terrifies us. Boatloads of cement dumped on cleared land are replacing dense forests.

It infuriates ALL of us when our elected officials ask MoCo elected officials for a little consideration and they are told to “go pound sand.” We all know it and will never forget and never forgive.

The Ultimate Day of Reckoning

Those people will answer someday for their disregard for their neighbors. Perhaps not in this lifetime. But I firmly believe they will when they meet their Maker.

Don’t be fooled by my smile in flood-mitigation meetings. I know who you are and what you have done and failed to do.

All of this is to say, there is a group of people in Kingwood fighting to protect lives, homes and businesses. This is the main reason I eagerly agreed to serve on Lake Houston’s Dredging and Maintenance District Board. From Congressman Crenshaw all the way down to the incomparable reporting from Bob Rehak to Mark Micheletti being the lone Harris County voice on the SJRA board, it will take all of us to protect our community.

Get involved Kingwood. Do not let this happen again.

*Flooded neighborhood more than a mile from San Jacinto West Fork*

*Lifetimes of memories hauled to the curb became magnets for looters and vandals.*

*Harvey Remembered. Home is where you make it, but some places are more difficult than others.*

Posted by Kathleen Todd Jordan on 9/3/26

3292 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Rainfall Roulette

9/2/26 at 4 PM – Tropical Storm Edouard to date has resembled a game of rainfall roulette for weather forecasters. Slight shifts in direction have made orders-of-magnitude differences in predicted precipitation.

Forecasters had predicted the narrow storm would hit eastern Harris County. However, it angled more north and created catastrophic flooding in Hardin County instead. Hardin lies immediately to the east of Liberty County.

Orders of Magnitude Differences Just Miles Apart

Gages in the Lake Houston Area recorded .08 inches for the last two days. Yes! Less than one tenth of an inch.

*48-hour rainfall totals during TS Edouard. Screen capture at 4 pm 9/2/26*

However, eastern Hardin County received 27.5 inches of rain – last night alone.

According to Harris County meteorologist Jeff Lindner, flooding continues in eastern Liberty County, Polk County, Tyler County, and Hardin County after very heavy rainfall this morning.

Doppler radar estimates from Lake Charles show a maximum of 25-28 inches over eastern Hardin County into southern Tyler County. Tyler lies immediately north of Hardin.

A Jefferson County Drainage District #6 rain gage in western Hardin County recorded 12.35 inches of rainfall in 6 hours this morning and a 24-hour total of 17.75 inches.

*Screen capture from RadarScope Pro at 3PM CDT on 9/2/26 showing remnants of Edouard far north of Lake Houston Area.*

Uncertainty Remains

South of Edouard, clouds have been decreasing and the air mass is warming. With afternoon heating, Lindner expects the tropical air mass to begin banding again, especially on the southern side.

According to Lindner, that could affect portions of Waller, Montgomery, Harris, Liberty, San Jacinto, and Polk Counties. Westerly flow from the circulation could bump into the southerly flow returning from the Gulf and possibly a weak sea breeze.

Lindner believes that, given the highly tropical air mass in place, hourly rainfall rates of 2-3 inches will be possible. And if this falls over areas that have already experienced significant rainfall in the last 24 hours, additional flash flooding is likely.

However, areas that have received little rainfall so far will have minimal flood risk, although some street flooding is possible. Most storm sewers can handle an inch per hour. So when rainfall rates exceed that, water can back up into streets.

Dealing with Uncertainty

The location of any additional bands remains uncertain. But models suggest banding over northern Waller and southern Montgomery Counties that sinks into portions of northern Harris County later this afternoon and evening. See predicted rainfall below for the 12 hours from Wednesday 7 pm to Thursday 7 am.

For the Lake Houston Area, Edouard was a close call. But it illustrates the need to prepare. The Harris County Flood Control District and City of Houston must accelerate their flood-mitigation activities in this area. We’ve waited long enough.

The Lake Houston Area suffered the worst flooding in Harris County during Harvey. But it has received little flood-mitigation help to date.

As of January 2026

Nine years after Harvey, we need to start building the flood-mitigation projects promised long ago. We can’t afford to keep betting on rainfall roulette.

This is an election year. If not now, when?

Posted by Bob Rehak on 9/2/26

3291 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Houston Spared Direct Hit from TS Edouard

9/1/2026 – Tropical Storm Edouard came ashore farther east than predicted today and then veered even farther east as it moved inland. The track defied the consensus of models that predicted it would hit the northeastern parts of Harris and Montgomery Counties, especially the San Jacinto East Fork Watershed.

If the storm stays on its current track it could affect Lake Livingston more than the East Fork or Lake Conroe, as predicted last night at this time.

Screen capture from Radarscope Pro as of 9pm on 9/1/2026. Red line indicated centerline within cone of uncertainty. However, every point within the cone by definition has an equal chance of being hit by the storm.

Tip of a 2500 Square Mile Funnel

Huntsville, for instance, lies at the left edge of the cone. So theoretically, the storm could still dump several inches of rain in the Lake Conroe Watershed.

*The area just south of Huntsville drains into both the Lake Conroe/West Fork watershed and the East Fork Watershed.*

So theoretically at least, there’s still a chance that stormwater from Edouard could wind up in Lake Houston. It’s important to understand that the area outlined in red above drains into Lake Houston and comprises 2500 square miles in seven counties – an area about 50% larger than Harris County itself.

So, that’s a pretty big target. And Lake Houston is at the tip of that 2500-square-mile funnel.

What Happened to Predictions?

Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s Meteorologist, had this to stay about the storm’s deviation to the east.

“Tropical storm Edouard made landfall this afternoon near Johnson Bayou, LA at 220 pm with 60mph winds.”

“Since then the strong feeder bands have contracted closer to the center and core of Edouard likely due to the interaction with land and the higher intensity at landfall. Additionally, the shorter term motion since landfall has been more toward the NNW instead of the WNW and NW,” said Lindner.

“This continued motion is being supported by the Google Deep Mind. Much of the high resolution models now take the center and heaviest rainfall more in the direction of Polk and Trinity Counties instead of just northeast of the Houston metro area.”

“While some banding on the southern side of the circulation will remain possible after midnight and into early Wednesday, the overall threat for any significant rainfall is decreasing,” continued Lindner. “Areas west of I-45 may not see much additional rainfall. Areas east of I-45 could see an additional 1-3 inches of rainfall in scattered fashion where any banding features develop.”

Lindner concluded, “Given the dry grounds that remain in place the expected rainfall amounts will likely not cause any significant flooding concerns.”

The Wake-Up Call Re: Flood Mitigation

While most people prepared for the worst and many schools and businesses closed this may come as an emotional roller coaster. However, it’s actually good news. It reminds us that little has actually been done to reduce flood potential since Harvey in the upper San Jacinto River Basin.

And that should serve as a wake-up call. With elections coming up in two months, we need to ensure that candidates remember what happened here. And how much flood mitigation work remains ahead nine years after Harvey.

Posted. by Bob Rehak on 9/1/26

3290 Days since Hurricane Harvey

NHC Issues Flood Watch, Tropical Storm Warning, City Lowering Lake

8/31/26 7 pm update – Tropical Depression 5 has become Tropical Storm Edouard. NHC predicts Edouard will move inland over southeast Texas on Tuesday night. Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional strengthening is likely before the center reaches the coast. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles (40 km) from the center.

8/31/26 – According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), a tropical depression in the Gulf about a hundred miles south of Grand Isle, Louisiana, is heading toward Galveston Bay and Houston. A tropical storm warning is in effect. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding are possible all day Tuesday. And a flood watch has been issued from Tuesday at 1 am until Wednesday at 7 am.

This animated GIF file on the NHC site shows the storm growing and starting to rotate.

Track, Rainfall, Wind Predictions

The storm will likely come ashore between Galveston Bay and Sabine Pass. At its 11 am update, NHC increased the chances of development to 80%.

Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, expects the main impacts of the storm to be east of I-45.

Lindner says to expect heavy rainfall of 3-6 inches near and along the storm’s track. That includes eastern Galveston, eastern Harris, Chambers, Liberty, Montgomery, and San Jacinto Counties. Isolated totals along the main path could reach 8-10 inches. However, rainfall amounts to the west of I-45 will average around 1-3 inches.

NHC says flash flooding is likely across the region, especially in urban areas.

While grounds are generally dry, excessive hourly rainfall rates of 2-4 inches will be possible, creating rapid run-off.

According to Lindner, the corridor of maximum rainfall looks to be fairly narrow with this system and a strong gradient of rainfall totals is likely.

“The heaviest rains should impact the San Jacinto River basin (East Fork, Peach Creek, Caney Creek) along with Luce Bayou, Cedar Bayou, Goose Creek, and Carpenters Bayou.”
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist

Significant rises may occur along these channels depending on rainfall location and eventual amounts.

Winds could reach 40-55 MPH, so expect downed tree limbs and scattered power outages.

Lake Lowering, Where to Check Roads

Coastal Water Authority will begin lowering Lake Houston 1 ft below normal pool to 41.4 ft early this afternoon. Lake Houston levels can be monitored here.

Lake Conroe is already a foot below normal pool and not releasing any water as of noon on Monday.

Check current roadway conditions and flooded roads using the Houston TranStar Traffic Map. If you encounter a flooded roadway, Turn Around, Don’t Drown. Just a few inches of moving water can sweep a vehicle away.

Consider delaying travel if conditions worsen, allow extra travel time, and monitor local forecasts and emergency alerts.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/31/26

3289 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Potential Tropical Threat Heading Toward Houston

8/30/26 update at 8 pm – NHC has increased the chances of formation to 70 percent. Tropical storm watches and warning could be posted tonight or tomorrow morning. So monitor weather closely.

*Black line is average of model tracks.*

8/30/26 update at 3 pm – NHC has increased the chances of formation to 50 percent. The system has become more organized and development is possible as the low moves slowly west-northwestward. A short-lived tropical depression or storm could form before the system reaches the Upper Texas or southwestern Louisiana coasts Tuesday or Tuesday night.

8/30/26 at 11 am – A weak surface low pressure system now south of Louisiana is heading toward Houston. It should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday. National Hurricane Center puts the chances for tropical development at 30 percent – up from 10 percent yesterday morning.

Interests along the upper TX and southwest LA coast should closely monitor this system and forecasts

*Base image by NHC. Red arrow superimposed. It represents direction of travel.*

Early morning visible satellite images (see above) show a weak and broad surface low pressure systems. It has drifted to the southwest and is now located over the open Gulf waters southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River.

According to Harris County Meteorologist Jeff Lindner, deep convection has developed and 97L appears slightly more organized than yesterday. However, ships, buoys and oil platforms over the area report that surface pressures remain relatively high (1015-1016mb).

Area of Investigation Designated as Invest 97L

The area of investigation has been designated Invest 97L. It should move slowly toward the west or WNW over the next 24 hours according to numerous models.

By 48 hours (Tuesday) 97L will approach the coast between Galveston Bay and Lake Charles. It will then continue toward the WNW inland over southeast Texas by mid week.

Models show only modest development with 97L. Wind shear in the northern Gulf has fallen into the 5-10 knot range. And water surface temperatures are in the upper 80s., So, there is some potential for more development than the models suggest.

“It is possible that a tropical system could be approaching the upper Texas coast on Tuesday or Wednesday.”
Jeff Lindner, Harris County Meteorologist

“Regardless of additional development, a surge a tropical moisture looks likely across the upper TX and southwest LA coast Tuesday-Thursday with an increasing threat of heavy to potentially excessive rainfall,” said Lindner.

Interests along the upper TX and southwest LA coast should closely monitor the progress of this system and check weather forecasts daily.

Chances of tropical formation for a second area now located near the windward islands have also increased overnight. However, that poses no immediate threat to the Texas Coast.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/30/26

3288 Days since Hurricane Harvey

NHC Monitoring Two Areas in Atlantic for Tropical Development

8/29/26 at 11am and updated at 9pm – The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an outlook this morning that highlights two areas in the Atlantic basin for potential tropical development. One in the Gulf could potentially reach the Houston area. However, NHC gives both areas a low chance of formation in the next seven days.

See more details below.

Northeastern/North Central Gulf

Disorganized cloudiness and showers over portions of the northeastern and north-central Gulf of America are associated with a weak area of low pressure centered about 100 miles south-southwest of Pensacola, Florida.

The system will move west to west-northwest along the northern Gulf coast into early next week.

Development, if any, of this system is expected to be slow while it drifts westward for the next few days. NHC gives it a 0 percent chance of formation in the next two cays. This morning NHC put the chance of development in seven days at 10 percent. But they increased it to 20 percent before the end of the day – a number still considered low.

Jeff Lindner, Harris County’s meteorologist, says that morning radar from New Orleans and Mobile showed the low roughly 100 miles south-southwest of Pensacola, FL. Shower and thunderstorm activity associated with this feature is disorganized.

Surface pressures have fallen some in the last 24 hours, but the drop has not been significant, according to Lindner.

Overall motion is slow to the west or southwest. Strong westerly wind shear located along the US Gulf coast will discourage development. But some models suggest a 20 percent chance.

Remnants of Dolly East of Leeward Islands

Several hundred miles east of the Leeward Islands, showers and thunderstorms have increased this morning in association with the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly,

However, there are no signs that the system is developing a closed circulation. Redevelopment of this system is unlikely while it moves westward to west-northwestward near 25 mph. It could bring locally heavy rains and gusty winds to portions of the Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico over the next several days.

Formation chance through 48 hours is low…near 0 percent. However, formation chance through 7 days. is currently 10 percent.

Early morning visible images do not indicate any sort of closed, low-level circulation and the wave is approaching strong, upper-level, westerly wind shear. If any formation takes place, it will likely happen late next week or over the Labor Day weekend.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/29/26

3287 Days since Hurricane Harvey

TXDoT Contractors Removing Huffman Floodplain Fill

8/28/26 – Days after TXDoT contractors were caught on camera depositing fill dirt in the Lake Houston floodplain near FM1960, they started removing it. Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger personally visited the site on 8/22/26 and stopped the illegal operation.

The contractors took dirt excavated from an FM2100 detention basin outside of any known floodplain. Then they deposited it inside the floodway and floodplain of Lake Houston at a mobil home park east of the lake on the south side of 1960. Such fill reduces the room for floodwater storage and increases flood risk for other property owners.

City regulations passed in 2018 after Hurricane Harvey prohibit such operations. See Ord. No. 2018-258, Sections 19-34 and 19-43.

Removal Operation Not Yet Complete

Neighbors noticed unusual activity at the fill site starting around after 7pm on 8/27/26. A large excavator started putting the illegal fill into dump trucks. The trucks then hauled it somewhere else, presumably out of a floodplain. The crews reportedly worked under lights until about 5:30am today and returned around 4pm this afternoon.

*Photo taken on 8/27/26 around 8pm by neighbor who wishes to remain anonymous.*

Neighbors say that last night’s work did not remove all of the illegal fill and they’re happy to see the removal operation continuing.

However, that silt fence still doesn’t reach the ground and a thunderstorm is moving through the area as I write this.

Flickinger stated earlier that the owner would likely be forced to relocate the fill and pay a fine. At this hour, it’s not clear how much the fine was or where the fill is being relocated.

Status of Similar Case Near 59 Bridge

Last year, I caught on camera a separate floodplain-fill operation at 21915 Savelle Road near the confluence of Spring Creek and the San Jacinto West Fork just west of the US59 Bridge. That case was much larger and is still bogged down in legal action.

According to Dustin Hodges, Flickinger’s Chief of Staff, City of Houston Legal and Houston Police Department (HPD) Environmental are reviewing that case right now.

State and Federal authorities have also become involved:

Houston Public Works Floodplain Management Office (FMO) alerted Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for stormwater quality violations. However, the City has not yet heard back from TCEQ regarding any actions taken.
FMO also alerted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston office about the violation of illegal fill in their navigable waterways. USACE advised the City that they do not provide updates regarding investigation status.
FMO has asked for guidance from the City’s legal and HPD teams before taking additional actions.

The last time I checked on the Savelle site in late May, I had not noticed any fill being hauled away.

How to Report Floodplain Fill Operations

If you see someone dumping fill in a floodplain or floodway:

Take pictures and note the location.
Check FEMA’s flood hazard layer viewer to verify it is in the floodplain or floodway.
If so, send the location, photos and FEMA flood map to the appropriate authority.

Understand that regulations may vary by jurisdiction. The appropriate authority may also vary by jurisdiction. It could be the county engineer, city engineer, county commissioner, city council member, flood control district, TCEQ, or USACE.

When in doubt, contact me and I will help you figure it out.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/28/26

3286 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.