3/10/26 – On Saturday, March 14, 2026, Round 6 of Median Madness will kick off at 8:30 AM and run till noon. The location for Round 6 will be along Kingwood Drive between Timber Shade Dr. and Cedarville Drive.
Location for Round 6
That’s three to four blocks east of Town Center between Foster’s Mill and Sand Creek.
Median Madness volunteers exemplify the ten two-letter words that make all the difference in the world: “If it is to be, it is up to me.”
Details of Event
For those who have never participated in a Median Madness event, you’re missing some fun. It’s a chance to make the community look better, improve traffic safety, meet new friends, and work out all your frustrations on those nasty vines.
Please remember to bring water, gloves, goggles and pruning or lopping sheers if you have them. Also, wear closed-toed shoes.
Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s District E staff have organized the event. Trees for Kingwood, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, H-E-B, and Chick-fil-A are sponsoring it.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Median-Madness-Round-6-Flyer-_2_.jpg?fit=1100%2C650&ssl=16501100adminadmin2026-03-10 17:35:532026-03-10 17:42:11Save the Date: Median Madness Round 6, Saturday, March 14, 8:30 AM
3/9/2026 – On Tuesday 3/10/26, the UnionPacific Railroad (UPRR) will install new controllers for the Northpark Drive crossing gates. That means the rail crossing AND the Loop 494 intersection with Northpark will be under manual control for most of the day beginning at approximately 8 AM.
TXDoT, UPRR, the City of Houston, and TIRZ-10/LHRA representatives will be onsite to supervise the operation.
Watch for Flagmen and Police
In place of the railroad crossing gates, two flagmen, two motorcycle police officers, and four other police officers will shuttle traffic through the intersection and across the tracks.
Exercise extreme caution and be prepared for sudden stops. Especially if you haven’t had your morning coffee yet.
Ralph De Leon, project manager for the Northpark Expansion project, expected the operation could go 6 to 8 hours.
The “cabinet” that will house the controller has already been installed and energized. See red circle on the right below. UPRR needs to move the electronics from the old cabinet on the left to the new one on the right.
Old cabinet (l) is blocking new surface lanes which run across concrete inserts in tracks.
Next, Harper Brothers Construction will finish the new surface lanes across the tracks (see below).
The new surface lanes will connect across those concrete inserts in the tracks. The bridge will cover the center over the tracks and Loop 494.
Additionally, work on temporary signals for the two new feeder roads will begin on March 16th.
Other Northpark News
Excavation of Entry Ponds Restarting
The dirt crew will continue the excavation and grading of the north detention pond for the next two weeks with cement stabilization occurring once final grade is achieved. Then they will install the pond liner and move to the south pond.
Looking E from over US59. More excavation will start on north entry pond (L) first. South pond (R) will go next.
Bridge Construction
Excavation of the retaining wall footings will continue next week east of the railroad tracks. Embankment operations for the bridge header will begin after the retaining wall footings have been poured, and the retaining wall panels have begun being set.
Looking E from over UPRR Tracks. 6-lane bridge will go in center. Two surface lanes for turning traffic will go on either side of bridge.Excavation work has already started on footings for bridge retaining wall. See lower L to upper Center.
A structures crew will mobilize to the project beginning next week to pour the retaining wall footings, then set and build the retaining walls on the east side of the rail tracks.
Medians: Watch Your Tires
Crews are installing “curb pins” in the median of Northpark east side of the railroad tracks. The pins will hold the curbs that separate eastbound from westbound traffic. Do not try to cross between barrels or you could puncture your tires. Cross only at marked crossing locations.
Anderson Road
On March 9th, Anderson Road (the road next to the tracks that splits off south of Northpark) will return to its final configuration. The temporary asphalt placed previously will be removed and the final grading of the ditch will be completed.
Surface Lanes Near UPRR Tracks
The paving crew will continue to work on the paving in front of Extra Space Storage to finish the westbound paving up to the UPRR right of way and in the center of Northpark in front of Sun Auto. See below.
Sun Auto on left. Please patronize local businesses during construction.
Starting on March 23, the paving crew will mobilize to the UPRR ROW to focus on the 4 quadrants of paving up to the UPRR tracks until completed.
A small storm sewer crew will work on the final storm sewer items until the next phase when the UPRR crossings and signals are completed, and traffic is moved to the permanent railroad crossings.
Sidewalks
The sidewalk crew will pave from Russel Palmer to Northpark Christian Church on the outbound side. Then they will pave sidewalk from Marco’s Pizza up to King’s Mill.
Streetlights/Signals
The streetlight crew will continue working on drilling luminaire foundations and luminaire poles.
First of many new street lights started going up along Northpark last week.
The permanent signal work at Russel Palmer Road will begin the week of March 9.
Supports for Bridge
Also starting the week of March 9, the drilling subcontractor will begin drilling the 30″ shafts for the bridge retaining walls. They will also pour concrete for the drill shafts.
3/8/26 – The “Levee Effect” is a term coined decades ago in flood mitigation. Some call it the “Safe Development Paradox.” It explains how total flood damage can rise even though flood probability decreases.
The Basic Mechanism
Think of the word “levee” in this case as synonymous with several forms of flood-control infrastructure including levees, reservoirs, and channelization.
After they are built, flood risk appears to be reduced. Land behind the protection becomes more attractive for development. And property values rise.
As population and infrastructure grow in the protected area, exposure to flooding increases. Then, when an extreme flood exceeds the design capacity, damage is far larger than before the protection existed.
Flooded homes once thought protected by Addicks Reservoir.
The federal government established the Mississippi River Commission in 1879 to deepen the river channel, improve navigation, prevent major flooding, and increase river-based commerce. Against the advice of experts, the commission recommended raising extensive levees along its channels to contain the flow.
After levee construction, large areas of historic floodplain became urbanized. Agricultural and urban investment skyrocketed.
Then came the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. It inundated 27,000 square miles up to 30 feet over the course of several months in early 1927. About 500 people died and more than 630,000 people were affected.
The river below Memphis reached a width of 80 miles. But Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana were hardest hit. The flooding triggered a great migration from the south to large cities in the north and midwest.
Levees enabled urbanization of flood basins. Today, millions live below river level. Some areas have only a 100-year level of flood protection. Economic exposure reportedly exceeds $100 billion dollars.
Levees let large areas below sea level urbanize. When the levees failed in 2005, so much population and infrastructure had accumulated in the protected basin that the consequences quickly became catastrophic.
Eighty percent of New Orleans, as well as large areas in neighboring parishes, flooded. An estimated 100,000 to 150,000 people remained in the City, despite mandatory evacuation orders.
1,392 people died and damage reached $125 billion. That ties it with Harvey for the costliest tropical cyclone ever in the Atlantic basin.
Video on Levee Effect
This 6-minute, 47-second YouTube video illustrates the levee effect and shows how it can make floods worse by opening up floodplains and wetlands to development. It also shows how levees provide protection…up to a point. But when a storm exceeds that level, the consequences can become catastrophic quickly. It contains a mixture of footage from real-life flood events and table-top models.
Transforming Risk
Levees and other flood-mitigation infrastructure shift risk from frequent, low-impact “nuisance” floods to rare, catastrophic, high-impact events.
They hide the underlying risk by preventing small, regular floods that would otherwise remind people of the danger. And that can make the consequences of a major event far greater.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Flooded-Homes-Addicks-Reservoir.jpg?fit=1200%2C765&ssl=17651200adminadmin2026-03-08 22:00:342026-03-08 22:06:35The Levee Effect: How Flood Damage Can Rise as Flood Probability Decreases
3/7/26 – On 3/5/26 at the Humble Civic Center, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) held the first of three meetings to discuss its Joint Reservoir Operations Study. In several respects, the meeting was a wake-up call:
During Q&A, SJRA learned how impatient the downstream public is for flood-mitigation solutions – 8.5 years after Hurricane Harvey.
Public comments showed that PTSD from flooding still lingers.
The average age of attendees appeared to be in their sixties. Younger homeowners and newcomers to the region who have no memory of flooding were largely absent.
Several comments by speakers suggested upstream residents around Lake Conroe are still resistant to the idea of any “pre-release.”
SJRA has no formal pre-release program anymore. As one speaker said, “There are no designated dates or amounts or anything like that. But we work very closely with City of Houston. They make decisions on what we’d like to do.”
Theory of Pre-Release
The idea behind “pre-release” is to release water ahead of a storm, so a reservoir, such as Lake Conroe or Lake Houston, has additional capacity to absorb incoming floodwater. That can shave flood peaks by spreading out releases over longer periods.
SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager Matt Barrett, PE, said…
“One of the main objectives of the study is to determine if there are any benefits to pre-releases from Lake Conroe and Lake Houston.”
Studies around the world have proven that pre-releases do have benefits … in certain conditions.
California Department of Water Resources found that “weather-informed reservoir operations” at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir can further reduce flood risk for communities along the Yuba and Feather rivers during extreme atmospheric river storm events and potentially benefit water supply during drier periods.
Also in California, the Army Corps of Engineers found that “forecast-informed reservoir operations” could increase water supply without increasing flood risk.
In the Delaware River Basin, a “flexible flow management program” mitigates flooding impacts immediately downstream of reservoirs.
A peer-reviewed Journal of Hydrology case study on the Bavarian Danube concluded that coordinated operation of reservoirs in river basins has great potential to improve flood mitigation.
City of Houston Experience
And experience in the San Jacinto River Basin since Harvey has also proven pre-releases have benefits. The City of Houston Public Works Department has documented numerous instances when pre-releases helped prevent downstream flooding, according to Dave Martin, former Houston Mayor Pro Tem.
Pushback from Lake Conroe Association
But pre-release is politically unpopular with Lake Conroe residents. The Lake Conroe Association (LCA) constantly speaks out against it in SJRA board meetings, lawsuits, community meetings, and complaints to the TCEQ. While LCA articulates its concerns as a loss of valuable water, the concerns stem from perceived impacts on recreation and property values.
Iterations of Lake Conroe Pre-Release Strategies
As a result, SJRA has modified its pre-release protocol several times since Harvey.
SJRA then restricted the amounts and durations of the lowering.
Currently, SJRA lowers Lake Conroe on an as-needed basis – days or hours before major storms. They call the strategy “Active Storm Management.”
The City of Houston owns two-thirds of the water in Lake Conroe and can call for as much as it wants, any time it wants. SJRA reportedly would prefer the City continues calling for the water, so that it doesn’t have to take the heat from the Lake Conroe Association.
Clearly, Active Storm Management is a compromise between upstream and downstream interests. But how does SJRA know when and how much to release before a storm. That depends on weather and the certainty of forecasts. How much rain will fall where? How fast? And how much will run off?
Another Study Objective: Forecasting Tool
That’s where another objective of the Joint Reservoir Operations Study comes in: development of a forecasting tool.
Objectives of Joint Reservoir Operations Study
See more details about the forecasting tool below.
The question in my mind is not IF pre-lease is feasible, but WHEN. Clearly, there are some cases where pre-release from Lake Conroe alone does not make sense, i.e., when a storm approaches from the south, as Harvey did and Lake Houston (without its new flood gates) could not release water fast enough to keep up with any release from Conroe. That would just make flooding worse.
But in other situations, i.e., when a storm approaches from the north or northwest, it might make sense – especially after Lake Houston receives its new floodgates. Then you would not be stacking floodwaters from different directions on top of each other.
Scope of Work Associated with Study
The Joint Reservoir Operations Study will also look at past releases from both Lake Houston and Lake Conroe, and use lessons learned to help inform the Lake Houston Gate Operations Policy.
With the data collected, SJRA will develop models that reflect the addition of new gates for the Lake Houston Dam. Then they will evaluate 20 different pre-release scenarios, such as the possibilities mentioned above.
As of this meeting, SJRA had not yet determined which scenarios they would evaluate. However, they will evaluate the consequences on water supply in both lakes.
The worry: if the forecast is wrong and a storm veers away, pre-releases could negatively impact water supply.
Finally, the study will determine the best ways to communicate pre-releases to stakeholders.
The Flow-Forecasting Tool mentioned above will incorporate data from multiple sources, including rainfall, a network of more than 70 stream gages, outflow from Lake Conroe and a model of the watershed. It will inform both gate operations and local officials.
To see the entire presentation, click here. It will help you understand some of the constraints on dam operations including:
Governance of the reservoirs.
Components of Lake Houston Water Supply Operations
Historical floods
Proposed improvements to the Lake Houston Dam
Runoff from sub-watersheds
Differences between water-supply and flood-control reservoirs; Lakes Conroe and Houston are both water-supply reservoirs
Construction differences between the two dams
Next Meetings and More Information
As the study progresses throughout the year, SJRA will hold two more public meetings. A mid-year meeting will be held at Lake Conroe to review progress. And SJRA hopes to reveal the results of the study in The Woodlands before the end of the year.
Even if you can’t make the meetings, SJRA welcomes public comments on the study, flood-risk locations and flood impacts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/7/26
3112 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Lake-Conroe-Lake-Houston-Joint-Reservoir-Operations-Study-Public-Meeting-No.-1_Page_20-copy.jpg?fit=1650%2C943&ssl=19431650adminadmin2026-03-07 10:43:212026-03-07 21:54:39SJRA Joint-Reservoir Operations Study Meeting: A Wake-up Call
3/5/26 – On Friday 3/6/26, eight advocacy groups will protest a proposed settlement in two lawsuits involving the controversial Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. The State of Texas and U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged fraudulent marketing and sales practices by Colony Ridge. The proposed settlement would correct those moving forward. However, it does nothing to compensate past victims.
The 30-page settlement proposed on February 9, 2026, requires Colony Ridge to invest $20 million to beef up law enforcement and $48 million to correct deficiencies in existing infrastructure. It also requires Colony Ridge to reform its marketing and sales practices going forward.
However, it does nothing to compensate the victims of past, alleged abuses. And as a result, eight advocacy groups have joined together to protest the settlement. They include:
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Consumer Law Center
UnidosUS
Public Justice
Center for Responsible Lending
Poverty and Race Research Action Council
Southern Poverty Law Center
League of United Latin American Citizens
At least one of the victims, Maria Acevedo, has also requested to testify tomorrow.
Basis of Amicus Brief
The advocacy groups’ 21-page amicus brief contends that a motion to join and seal the two cases…
“… improperly asks the court to approve and enforce relief that is unrelated to the pleaded case or the civil rights statutes under which it was brought, even as the proposed settlement fails to provide adequate relief to those harmed by the predatory and discriminatory scheme at issue.”
If the courts approved the proposed settlement, the cases would be over and sealed forever. But the settlement fails to provide any meaningful relief for those allegedly defrauded by Colony Ridge’s predatory lending practices, including:
Seller-financed mortgages that ignored borrowers’ ability to repay
Excessive fees
Omitting total costs to install and connect necessary infrastructure, such as water, sewer and electrical utilities
Misrepresenting flood risk and large expenses required to mitigate that risk
Exorbitant interest rates as high as 12.9% – three to five times the prevailing rate
Late fees on delinquent borrowers, compounding their inability to repay
Targeting Hispanics, but not providing closing documents in Spanish
Repeated and excessive foreclosures (an average of 298 per month comprising 92% of all foreclosures in Liberty County).
Colony Ridge repeatedly foreclosed on and then resold properties, profiting from any improvements made by previous buyers. The brief cites the case of one property sold four times in two years.
The amicus brief contends that the settlement proposes to “forfeit the meritorious claims alleged in the complaint, let Defendants off the hook, and leave consumers without compensation for the harms they have suffered.”
Scale of Alleged Harm
Although the brief does not provide exact figures, it says “tens of thousands” of consumers “lost thousands of dollars with little or nothing to show for the investments.” That would put total losses into the tens of millions of dollars.” Yet the agreement does not include any direct financial relief for consumers who lost money.
Nor does the proposed settlement provide any relief for those currently trapped in existing contracts. The original lawsuit sought an option to rescind sales contracts for families caught up in the scheme. However, the amicus brief says, “While the agreement creates a rescission option for future borrowers, [it] does nothing for existing consumers stuck in predatory contracts.”
Also, “It does not address the harm to the borrowers who purchased lots believing that they would not flood only to find that they did, or those who are stuck with unhabitable, flooded lots…”
Hearing Details
The Honorable Judge Alfred H. Bennett of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas/Houston Division will rule on the issues raised in the brief on Friday, March 6, 2026.
Three lawyers from Washington DC who represent the advocacy groups will oppose the proposed settlement.
For those who want to observe, the Federal Courthouse is at 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX. The hearing is reportedly in Courtroom 9A at 10:30.
For More Information
For more information and perspectives, see these statements published by:
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/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_1210.jpg?fit=1200%2C813&ssl=18131200adminadmin2026-03-05 11:58:052026-03-05 14:41:02Colony Ridge Victims Protest Proposed Settlement that Leaves Them Out
3/4/26 – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold a meeting at the Humble Civic Center to solicit public input on its Joint-Reservoir-Operations Study. Please come:
March 5 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
8233 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, TX 77338
Representatives from the SJRA, Coastal Water Authority, City of Houston, Humble, and the study consultant, Black & Veatch Engineering, will explain the study and field your questions. The meeting will feature informational tables where residents can talk with engineers one on one, plus a presentation.
According to Matt Barrett, PE, SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager, “one of the main objectives of the study is to determine if there are any benefits to pre-releases from Lake Conroe and Lake Houston.”
Not an Easy Question
While that may seem obvious to flood victims, the question can get complicated. In involves an almost infinite number of weather scenarios, engineering variables and water-supply considerations. For instance:
How much rain will fall and how fast? Which direction will the storm come from? Where will the most rain fall in the river basin?
How many gates can the budget support? Will they be able to keep up with Lake Conroe’s discharges?
What happens if a storm veers away at the last minute? How can we make sure pre-releases don’t waste water or flood downstream neighbors?
In my mind, the question is not “if” pre-releases have a benefit, but “when.”
And that relates to a second objective of the study: to develop a flow forecasting tool for the entire river basin.
Accordingly, said Barrett, “The study will also consider the travel time of water between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston, a factor that’s crucial in evaluation of pre-releases.”
Experience of Other River Basins
Coordinating pre-releases from multiple dams is not an unusual problem. Most rivers have more than one. For instance, multiple dams on the lower Colorado River help keep Austin from flooding.
There’s a well-established body of work showing that coordinating operations across multiple reservoirs can produce measurable flood-mitigation benefits. However, hydrology, travel times, and downstream constraints must align.
The big win is usually shaving peak flows. Engineers in other watersheds have seen flood-mitigation benefits when their studies identified operating rules that:
Prevented “release stacking” – We must avoid upstream releases arriving at the same time as peak local inflows from other uncontrolled tributaries, such as the East Fork or Spring and Cypress Creeks
Used forecasts intelligently – Pre-release only works when forecast confidence and downstream capacity justify it
Make-or-break technical questions for the San Jacinto Watershed will likely include:
Travel time for water between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston and how that changes with different base flows.
Downstream constraints such as local rainfall in the Lake Houston watershed
Forecast confidence and decision triggers – When will forecasts be reliable enough to justify pre-release without wasting water supply or making flooding worse.
What will the study optimize for? Peak flood stage at specific gages? Total damages? Avoiding emergency spillway use? Protecting evacuation routes? Something else?
Bring your questions to the Civic Center.
Why is This Study Taking So Long?
The project was delayed by a change in plans in adding gates to the Lake Houston Dam. SJRA first applied for a grant to study synchronizing releases from the two dams back in 2020. However, after crest gates to the spillway portion of the dam proved infeasible, the City of Houston decided to study adding tainter gates to the earthen eastern portion of the dam.
Tainter gates like Lake Conroe’s will now go in the earthen portion of the dam above, not the concrete spillway in distance.
That new study is now 30% complete. That’s far enough along to start making engineering decisions. But to complicate things even further, costs have escalated because of inflation. That raises some additional questions…and scenarios. How many gates can the City afford? Will they be able to keep up with releases from Lake Conroe? And will Black & Veatch even examine scenarios involving additional gates?
If history is any indication, you can bet that members from the Lake Conroe Association will be there to talk against pre-release. If you want your interests represented in this study, make sure you come tomorrow night. And make sure they include the scenarios in their study that represent your biggest concerns.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/26
3109 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20220722-RJR_0770-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2026-03-04 14:30:012026-03-05 06:44:22Reminder: SJRA Joint-Reservoir-Operations Meeting in Humble
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.”
2/26/26 – Exactly 8.5 years ago this week, the entire Lake Houston Area faced an existential threat by the name of Hurricane Harvey. Harvey killed 12 people in Kingwood Town Center, and flooded more than 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses here.
In my opinion, we can’t let that happen again. We need to find ways to reduce flood risk before the next killer flood. That will take political solutions. And we need people with a firm grasp of the issues who have the desire, skills, and energy to make them real.
I-69 and Townsen during Harvey
Importance of Voting in PRIMARIES
Unfortunately, few citizens vote in primaries. So, a small group of extremists funded by outsiders with other interests can limit your choices in November. Those extremists vote in high numbers and can easily influence the outcomes in primaries that have multiple candidates. And that’s why it’s important to vote NOW.
The last day for early voting is Friday, February 27. If you haven’t voted by then, your last chance will be Election Day on March 3, 2026.
Below are my personal recommendations in three key, contested races.
Congressional District 2: Dan Crenshaw
As the community sought ways to reduce future flood risk after Harvey, a freshman Congressman named Dan Crenshaw rose to the challenge perhaps more than anyone at that point. He secured hundreds of millions of dollars for dredging, adding more floodgates to the Lake Houston Dam, and upstream detention. Not all of those projects are complete yet. But the money is waiting and projects are moving along.
In a neighboring congressional district to the east (CD-9), Alex Mealer faces a challenge from Briscoe Cain. Mealer is a West Point grad who commanded a company of 600+ people in Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star. She also has MBA and JD degrees from Harvard. Plus, she has President Trump’s endorsement. And finally, she has spent days with me scouting flood issues in the Lake Houston Area and upstream. The woman is a force of nature. Strong. Brilliant. Energetic. Informed. And ready to step into the job.
I don’t live in CD9, but if I did, I would vote for Mealer. The Lake Houston Dam is in her new Congressional District.
Harris County Judge: Marty Lancton
The race for Harris County Judge is also a critical for the Lake Houston Area. We’ve seen how Judge Lina Hidalgo starved the Lake Houston Area of flood-mitigation funding and our rightful share of the 2018 flood bond. We had the worst flooding in the county and have come in almost dead last in funding compared to other watersheds in the county.
Graph compiled from: Harris County Flood Control District Year-End 2025 reported bond spending and budget allocations advertised with 2018 flood bond.
Republicans have many good choices to replace Hidalgo in this race. On balance, though, I feel Marty Lancton is the best choice. He also has the best chance of getting elected in November.
Lancton leads an army of 20,000 first responders state wide. And he knows flooding first-hand from the standpoint of a person who has evacuated victims on his back and in lifeboats.
It’s one thing to understand problems intellectually and another to feel the shock-and-awe of Mother Nature for days on end as you repeatedly put your own life on the line to help fellow human beings you never met. I promise you, flood mitigation is a high priority for Lancton.
Lancton can draw support from both sides of the aisle in a way that perhaps other candidates cannot. And that makes him electable in the general election still nine months away. Among Republican candidates, he uniquely stands out. He is a lifelong Republican, endorsed by Governor Greg Abbott. Yet the firefighters union also elected him as its leader. And he knows how Austin works. He has lobbied there on behalf of first responders for years and knows all the key members.
You may disagree with my choices or have different priorities. That’s fine. But please vote. It’s important that YOU make the decision instead of some out-of-state super-PAC. Many have invisible donors representing hidden interests fighting against YOUR interests. Don’t let them limit your choices in November with patriotic sounding names.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/26/26
3103 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TS-Harvey-8-30-17-209.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=17681024adminadmin2026-02-26 18:22:012026-02-26 21:44:53The Importance of Voting in Primaries
