3/19/25 – San Jacinto West Fork sand-mining problems persisted this morning, even as the House Natural Resources Committee met to discuss legislation intended to deal with them. With one exception, the miners seemed blissfully unaware of the problems they were causing. And at least one committee member seemed to be a ringer for the sand-mining industry. He reportedly argued that the TCEQ had everything under control.
Do they? You be the judge.
Cunningham Bills Under Consideration
Three bills by Rep. Charles Cunningham discussed this morning included:
HB1532 which creates a Lake Houston Dredging and Maintenance District to help deal with sediment from the mines.
HB1163 which requires miners to develop a restoration plan and post a bond to guarantee they would do it.
HB1177 which puts more teeth in the state water code provision that prohibits flooding neighbors by creating criminal penalties.
Photos Taken During Committee Hearing
As the committee discussed merits of the bills, this is what the West Fork sand-mining problems looked like.
South end of pit sold by Hallett to Riverwalk Porter LLC.Dike has been breached since January 2024.TCEQ seems unconcerned.North end of same pit.River has flowed through pit since May 2024 instead of following its original course.TCEQ seems unconcerned.Closer shot shows sandbar now blocking original river channelwhich flows left to right.TCEQ seems unconcerned.Farther upstream, the river now flows through another pit that Hallett still owns. River flows from bottom to top. Note abandoned river channel on right.TCEQ seems unconcerned.Closer shot of exit breach in same pit.Abandoned dredge pipe at an abandoned mine immediately south of Hallett. This pipe has been there for years. The original operator should have removed it long ago. TCEQ seems unconcerned.Another pit open to the river since May 2024.TCEQ seems unconcerned.Same pit from different angle. Note river starting to cut through neighbor’s property.TCEQ seems unconcerned.More abandoned equipment at another abandoned mine. Should have been removed years ago.TCEQ seems unconcerned.For years, sediment flowed through this breach from the left and filled the channel on the right with silt. Now water in the channel is flowing back into the pond.TCEQ seems unconcerned.
One Exception
All in all, things this morning looked much the way they have since the May flood last year…with one exception. Remember that 800-foot wide river of sludge from the Hallett settling basin (right), that flowed through the woods (left) for more than a year?
Hallett is finally raising the road to staunch the flow.
Putting It All in Perspective
Of Cunningham’s three bills, two focus on prevention. But the dredging bill focuses on correction.
Ironically, one observer of today’s committee hearing felt that the members looked most favorably on the dredging bill. That makes sense. This is a business friendly state. And…
There’s more money to be made by letting companies pollute and then paying other companies to clean it up than there is by just preventing the pollution.
But it’s too early to know how the committee will vote. Check back soon to see how or if Natural Resources will address our West Fork sand-mining problems.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/19/25
2759 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.
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
2/24/25 – Yesterday, I posted pictures and video of a river of muck hundreds of feet wide that has poured out of Hallett Materials 170-acre settling pond into the San Jacinto West Fork…for a full year. Today, I’ll talk about the high cost of living downstream from that situation.
But Hallett has even more environmental issues. The West Fork now flows directly through one of the company’s other pits. It also flows through a third pit that Hallett sold to a residential developer just weeks before the dikes on the pit failed.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has not addressed any of those problems. It investigated one issue, ignored two others and issued no fines – despite a directive from Texas Governor Greg Abbott to “take action against sand mining operations violating regulations.”
Up the Down Escalator
It became clear after Harvey, that sand clogging the West Fork had contributed to epic flooding downstream from the sand mines. 16,000 homes and 3,300 businesses flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.
The Army Corps said sediment had reduced the conveyance of the river up to 90% in places. But even after taxpayers bore almost $200 million of dredging costs, the river still has not returned to pre-Harvey conditions. More sand keeps coming.
Sand miners claim rivers naturally convey sediment. True. But that ignores the contribution of 20 square miles of exposed sediment in sand mines once protected by dense vegetation. Call the logic police.
Should we ignore industrial air pollution because bird poop falls naturally from the sky?
Meanwhile, downstream areas pay the price. Until we fix the problem of leaky sand mines, the river will continue to silt in as fast as we can dredge it.
See the photos below taken today at River Grove Park where the Kingwood Diversion Ditch outfalls to the San Jacinto West Fork.
Looking upstream. Outfall of Kingwood Diversion Ditch at River Grove Park on right. Compare what it looked like after Harvey.
Before the Army Corps completed dredging after Harvey, River Grove flooded five times in one six month period. The Corps liberated River Grove in December 2018.
KSA supplemented the Corps dredging and reopened its boat ramp in March 2020. Now, less than five years later, we need serious dredging again. See below.
Looking downstream. Note color of West Fork in this and succeeding pictures compared to water coming from Diversion Ditch.
Note: the water level is down slightly for a dam repair project downstream.
Closer shot shows deepest water is now measured in inches. Reportedly, only kayaks can now get through.However, the sand bars do make a convenient resting place for waterfowl.Overhead shot shows how much gap has filled in.
Dredging Estimated to Cost More than Half of KSA’s Cash Reserves
Last year, KSA obtained bids to dredge the outfall. However, the cost amounted to more than $800,000, more than half of KSA’s cash reserves at the time.
Since then, in my opinion, the sedimentation has worsened. So, dredging could cost even more now.
And this is just one ditch among many on the West Fork. All the more reason to reduce sediment coming from upstream sand mines.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/24/25
2736 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/20250224-DJI_20250224143051_0978_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2025-02-24 21:08:142025-02-24 21:17:29The High Cost of Living Downstream from Sand Mines
12/13/24 – Proposed new Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Best Management Practices (BMPs) for sand mines ignore what miners are supposed to do in the case of pit captures. “Pit capture” happens when a river breaks through the dikes of a sand mine. It can have serious consequences including, but not limited to:
Increased erosion and river instability
Altered hydrology
Water quality degradation
Habitat loss and ecosystem disruption
Infrastructure risks
Channel realignment
Economic impacts (cost of mitigation)
Identifying Pit-Capture Pros and Cons
In some circumstances, pit capture can also produce benefits. The balance between benefits and risks depends on the specific geomorphological and ecological context of the river and the sand mine pit. To maximize benefits while mitigating risks, scientists recommend:
Performing a hydrological and ecological assessment before and after capture.
Using adaptive management strategies to guide the development of the captured pit.
Integrating the site into regional plans for flood control, habitat creation, or recreation.
However, the new TCEQ sand mine BMPs mention no such studies, despite the fact that at least six pits were captured on the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto during floods this year. Plus, consider this. The City is getting ready to spend another $34 million to dredge another million cubic yards of sand from the confluence of the two forks.
Instead, the new TCEQ BMPs emphasize concepts under headings such as “Be a Good Neighbor,” “Practice Good Housekeeping,” and “Select Appropriate Equipment.” This is stuff most guys learned in a middle school shop class. Under “Good Housekeeping,” one recommendation urges miners to adequately maintain sanitary facilities. But they forgot the “Wash hands after using a port-a-potty” requirement.
My overwhelming impression after reading the new BMPs was a yawn. Why bother?
The new BMPs are more notable for what they don’t include than what they do include.
And they don’t include anything about the B-52 sized elephant in the broom closet – pit capture.
River now cuts through Hallett Pit on West Fork and has abandoned its original channel (right).Pit containing wastewater now has a more direct route to river when it breaches. Note repair by maintenance road.The pit above is just one of many at the Hallett West Fork Mine which spans several square miles.
I discovered the pit capture above in June of this year. It likely occurred in the May flood. And Hallett has done nothing to mitigate it since.
Perhaps they and the TCEQ feel the benefits outweigh the consequences. But of course, they aren’t footing the $34 million dredging bill.
In August of this year, TCEQ issued a report on another pit capture slightly downstream from here. It didn’t mention this pit even though it was open at the time and multiple people filed complaints. Nor did it mention the term “pit capture.” And the report made several other mistakes. For instance, Hallett claimed the expert witness TCEQ identified works for them, the but the TCEQ listed the employee as working for a Hallett competitor. No wonder the Texas Sunset Commission called TCEQ a reluctant regulator.
Leave a Public Comment
So what’s a mere citizen who enjoys clean water to do?
The TCEQ is soliciting public comment on their new BMPs for sand mines. I know what my comment will be about. If you wish to leave a public comment:
Feedback or comment must be provided to Jess Robinson, MC 175, Office of Legal Services, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Comments may also be submitted electronically. To be considered for this project, input must be received by 11:59 p.m. on January 24, 2025, and should reference “APO BMP List Proposal.”
May 21, 2024 – After a second round of May floods (and the third this year), all river levels are falling today. The East Fork, West Fork and main stem of the San Jacinto River are finally falling this morning. So are the water levels in Lake Conroe and Lake Houston.
But sedimentation will likely be a problem when floodwaters totally recede.
Gage Readings For Lake Conroe
The gates at Lake Conroe are still open, but only releasing 1,599 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS). That’s about a twelfth of what the San Jacinto River Authority released at the peak of this second wave of May floods.
The graph below shows that the lake level is slowly approaching its normal conservation pool of 201 feet.
Note distances to flowage easement and top of dam. Homes around lake should be built above flowage easement.
All Gage Readings on West Fork Falling
In response, the West Fork at US59 fell below flood stage yesterday evening and continues to fall.
River Grove Park is draining, but the soccer fields are not yet playable.
River Grove Park draining on 5/20/24 at 5PM after flood peak passed
At West Lake Houston Parkway, the West Fork is well within its banks and falling.
Readings on East Fork
Upstream on the East Fork at SH105, the East Fork crest has passed and the river continues to fall.
At FM2090, the East Fork is 4 feet below flood stage and falling.
The East Fork fell below flood stage yesterday afternoon at FM1485 and continues to fall.
Lake Houston and Below
At the FM1960 bridge over Lake Houston, the level continues to fall well below flood stage, but is still about a foot above normal.
At the Lake Houston dam, water levels are also falling, but the lake is also about a foot above the spillway.
Floodwaters are still being released from the lake via both the gates and spillway.
The gates can release 10,000 CFS. That means about another 7,500 CFS are going over the spillway.
Downstream, on the main stem of the San Jacinto at Highway 90, the river is well below flood stage and continuing to fall.
West Fork Still Flowing Through Abandoned Sand Pit
That’s all great news. But the West Fork is still flowing through an abandoned sand pit near the Hallett Mine. You can see the impact at the confluence of the West Fork and Spring Creek.
Confluence of Spring Creek (left) and West Fork San Jacinto (Right) on 5/20/24 at 5 PM.
Can Water Moving at 5 MPH Transport Sand?
I measured debris coming out of the pit. It was moving at approximately 5 miles per hour (MPH).
Despite what some miners claim, 5 MPH should be more than enough to carry sand downriver.
Below is an industry-standard graph that shows the speed necessary to erode, transport and deposit sand/sediment of different particle sizes. Hydrologists and geologists call it a Hjulström curve, named after Filip Hjulström (1902–1982), the man who developed it.
After converting centimeters per second to miles per hour, I superimposed the speed of the river as a blue line over the graph.
The scientific Unified Soil Classification System defines sand as particles with a diameter of 0.074 to 4.75 millimeters. I rendered that range in red at the bottom of the chart.
Blue indicates speed of water. Red indicates range of sand sizes.
Floodwater moving at 5 MPH can transport the entire range of sand sizes according to the Hjulström curve. You can see it in the photo above.
The river will need to recede before we can see exactly how much moved down to the West Fork between Humble and Kingwood, or settled at the mouth of the river near Lake Houston.
In fairness, some of the sediment deposited downstream came from natural erosion from riverbanks. But there was also unnatural erosion from development and (I have heard) other mines. It is impossible to apportion responsibility precisely.
What we can safely say is that sand mining practices have increased sedimentation downstream and few people seem eager to fight the industry … even as we get ready to launch another round of dredging that will cost taxpayers $34 million.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/21/24
2457 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/2024/05/20240520-DJI_20240520175218_0749_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-05-21 13:01:342024-05-21 13:06:00All River Levels Falling, Flood Danger Over, But…
May 19, 2024 – For the second time this month, the West and East Forks of the San Jacinto River are flooding. The East Fork crested last night about 1.5 feet below the prediction. However, the West Fork is still rising at US59. Parts of River Grove Park and the turnaround under US59 are already flooded. And the National Weather Service predicts floodwaters will go even higher.
Meanwhile, the West Fork continues to run through an old Hallett sand pit that was sold in January.
Here’s what you can expect if you live near the rivers.
East Fork Crest Moving Toward Lake Houston
Low-lying areas along the East Fork began flooding yesterday at FM1485. Earlier, the East Fork flooded near Cleveland and Plum Grove. As the crest moves downriver, it is affecting communities differently. Exactly how depends on many factors, such as the conveyance of the river at different points, sediment accumulations, proximity of homes to the river and more.
Yesterday, water was coming across part of FM1485 where it crosses the East Fork and parallels SH99. Today, the entire east bound section of FM1485 was blocked by floodwaters.
East Fork San Jacinto at approximately 4:30 PM on 5.16.24
As of 6 PM, May 19, floodwaters are declining in this reach of the river. The crest has moved downstream toward Lake Houston.
Farther upstream, at FM2090, the river has already returned to its banks.
All this is the result of another 3-5″ of rain falling earlier in the week upstream in the watershed on grounds that were already saturated from torrential rains and flooding earlier this month.
NWS Issues Flood Warning for West Fork until Tuesday Morning
While the East Fork is falling at this hour, the West Fork is still rising. At 1:34 PM Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the West Fork near Humble affecting Harris and Montgomery Counties.
NWS will issue its next statement Monday morning at 7:45 AM CDT.
The FLOOD WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL LATE TUESDAY MORNING.
IMPACTS: At 49.3 feet, minor lowland flooding begins in the vicinity of the gauge at US59. The north side turnaround at US 59 begins to flood. Low points in surrounding areas also begin to flood.
At 12:45 PM CDT Sunday, the river had risen to 49.2 feet.
Bankfull stage is 45.3 feet.
The river will crest at 49.7 feet just after midnight tonight. It will then fall below flood stage late tomorrow evening.
Flood stage is 49.3 feet.
This afternoon, the turnaround under US59 was just beginning to flood. The parking lots and part of the roadway were already underwater.
Far side of sandbar in middle is normally the river bank.
At 5 PM, the soccer fields, picnic area and boat launch at River Grove Park were also partially underwater. And water was rising quickly.
Picnic area and boat docks at River Grove underwater and going deepertonight.Soccer fields, also at around 5PMRiver still rising. Minor flooding expected through Tuesday.
Sand Mine Area Upstream
Farther upstream, the West Fork was still ripping a hole through an abandoned Hallett sand pit that the company sold to a real estate developer in January.
River is now flowing through the abandoned pit (right) instead of following the normal arc of the river (left) around the pit.Note trail of foam.It moved at around 5 mph.
This breach appears to have widened significantly in recent days. If it remains open and this pit becomes the new course of the river, it’s possible that the entire pit could become public property, just like the river is now.
On the other side of the river, Hallett filled in the trench that was releasing sludge from its settling pond last Friday afternoon.
Trench on perimeter of Hallett Mine that was releasing sludge into river on Friday afternoon has been filled in.
Lake Report
As of 7 PM, the SJRA is releasing 5,325 Cubic Feet per Second (CFS) from Lake Conroe. The lake is almost back to its normal level – within .67 feet of 201. And no rain is in sight. That’s good news. Releases should continue to go down.
Throughout this event, SJRA has balanced inflows and outflows to the degree that it can. The rate they show above is about half of what they released earlier in the weekend.
Lake Houston, however, is getting more, not less water. It is still about two feet above normal and discharging water via its gates and spillway. Total discharge is 34,015 CFS. Of that, the gates can release only 10,000 CFS. The other 24,000 CFS goes over the spillway.
Comparing the two numbers on the right, shows us that the flood risk is shifting to the Lake Houston Area now.
Of the 11 watersheds that send water into Lake Houston, SJRA controls only Lake Conroe. The East Fork has no flood control. But that’s a story for another time.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/19/24 at 8PM
2455 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/2024/05/20240519-DJI_20240519152922_0708_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-05-19 20:02:452024-05-20 21:05:12West and East Forks of San Jacinto Flooding Again
5/17/2024 – The Hallett sand mine on the San Jacinto West Fork appears to have dug a trench across the maintenance road of its settling pond to lower the pond’s level. Murky wastewater is draining into the West Fork while the SJRA is currently releasing 10,875 cubic feet per second (CFS) from Lake Conroe in the wake of yesterday’s heavy rains.
Sediment released from the mine is being picked up by the Lake Conroe water and carried downstream. Note below how sediment has discolored the West Fork.
Picture taken 5/17/24, at the confluence of the West Fork, Spring Creek and Cypress Creek. Cypress joins Spring slightly upstream on the left.The branch on the right is immediately downstream from 20 square miles of sand mines between US59 and I-45.
Where The Sludge is Coming From
In the last few weeks I’ve posted extensively about how the West Fork has breached the dikes of a pit formerly owned by Hallett. As of this afternoon, the river continues to run through that pit. No attempt has been made by the new owner to re-establish the dikes. And that certainly contributes to downstream sedimentation.
But this afternoon, I discovered an additional source of sedimentation thanks to a tip from a nearby fishermen who stumbled across a breach in Hallett’s settling pond. See video below.
Video supplied by fishermen.
It’s hard to get a sense of the location from the close up, so here’s the location of the breach in a satellite image from Google Earth.
General location of breach and path to river in red oval.
And here’s a more detailed look at the path the water took on its way to the river.
Looking N. Silty water leaves Hallett’s settling pond through a trench dug in the tree-line. From there it flows through an abandoned sand mine and then through another breach into the West Fork.Reverse angle shows silty water flowing out of Hallett settling pondinto abandoned neighboring mine.Detail cropped from shot above shows how heavy equipment worked the area.Looking S downstream. Abandoned mine on left, West Fork in middle and breach through another pit on right.
Timing of Release Should Raise Eyebrows
The timing of this release is suspect: Friday afternoon just before regulators headed home for the weekend.
I’ve documented a history of breaches from this pond dating back to 2019 and the fishermen say they’ve seen breaches before that.
Hallett flushed water from this and other ponds after the January floods in 2024 but via different routes.
Lest you think I’m picking on Hallett, it isn’t the only sand mine emptying its settling pond into the West Fork.
I also documented an instance when the West Fork ran white from a release at the LMI Moorhead Mine upstream from Hallett. TCEQ estimated they released 56 million gallons of sludge into the river. That pond dropped 3-4 feet according to the TCEQ.
Regular Occurrence
The montage below shows the confluence of the West Fork and Spring/Cypress Creeks from different angles on different days. In all cases, the polluted branch was the West Fork. I took these shots while photographing West Fork sand mines from a rented helicopter.
A former West Fork mine operator and a former water quality manager for the City of Houston tell me that releasing sediment-laden water under the cover of floods is standard operating procedure for many mines on the West Fork.
Who Will Bear the Cost of Clean Up, Dredging?
Think this doesn’t affect you? It affects your water quality and the cost of cleaning it up. Lake Houston supplies drinking water for more than two million people.
And if you live between the mines and Lake Houston, it probably will affect you another way.
Most sediment moves during floods. During Harvey, the West Fork swept through 20 square miles of sand mines between I-45 and I-69. According to the Army Corps, deposited sediment blocked the West Fork by 90%. That reduced the conveyance of the river and caused water to rise into homes and businesses. Almost 20,000 flooded in the Humble/Kingwood area.
Since then, taxpayers have spent more than $200 million on dredging. And the City is getting ready to launch another $34 million dredging program.
However, that program won’t address the mouth of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch at the River Grove Park boat launch.
KSA has obtained bids north of $800,000 to dredge the blocked area. Spending that kind of money will be necessary to keep the KSA boat launch open. It has become badly blocked by sediment during two floods since the start of the year.
Here’s what that area looked like yesterday afternoon when the SJRA release rate was closer to 1500 CFS.Water level in river was still up about a footabove normal.
Living with sediment is all part of life on the river. But dredging intervals at River Grove have gone from 8 years before Harvey to 4 to 2 years since Harvey.
If this continues, KSA may be forced debate whether it can afford to keep the boat docks open.
Harris County Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey, PE is trying to work with upstream authorities to reduce sedimentation that can lead to flooding. But it’s an uphill slog. No pun intended.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/17/2024
2053 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.
Last week, the West Fork San Jacinto rerouted itself through a mile-long sand pit at the five-square mile Hallett Mine in Porter. Some people reported problems understanding how all the images in that post related to each other and where the mine was. To help eliminate confusion, I returned to the site this morning show continuous video from one breach to the other. I’ve also included a wider map below.
Location of Mine and Path of Video
The map below shows the relationship of the pit “captured” by the river to the rest of the mine, Porter and Kingwood.
Arrow indicates location and direction of drone video.
Video and Still Shots of Captured Pit
Clouds were low and I was flying near the base of them. So, the video looks a bit hazy.
One-minute video shot morning of 5/3/24 while flying from south to north.First breach is exit from pit, second is entrance.Water flows toward the camera through the pit to the left of the channel.
Note several things as you watch the video.
Size of the entry and exit breaches. They’re impossible to measure precisely, but likely greater than 100 feet wide.
Depth of the pond that used to be filled with wastewater before the dikes broke. See exposed sides where vegetation did not grow.
Sand being washed downstream before the water receded.
Dune blocking the West Fork in the upper right near the end of the video.
Here are some still shots with more contrast that show those highlights and other aspects. I’ll arrange these in the reverse order, i.e., flying downriver in the opposite direction starting from the entrance breach..
Giant dune has totally blocked off West Fork and diverted it into pit (upper left).Local residents say dune is 5-8 ft. high. People on either side of it cannot see each other.
Water now takes the path of least resistance, flowing through the giant pond.
Note freshly deposited sand in pit. The island (right center) is reportedly a burial ground for Native Americans.Note color difference in water and how pond water now flows downstream. Also note height of pond walls.
Have a cool, refreshing glass of Hallett.
This flows straight into Lake Houston.
Downstream Photos Taken on 5/13/23 at US59 Bridge
Looking S across West Fork toward Humble. Note ripples in fresh layers of sand under US59 Bridge.
The City of Houston is launching a new $34 million dredging program to remove another 800,000 cubic yards of sediment accumulating in the West Fork downstream from the bridge.
Hallett contends that sand cannot escape its pits and that this sand comes from river bank erosion on other tributaries such as Spring and Cypress Creeks.
Robin Sedewitz, Kingwood resident contributed the three photos and video below.
Note height of debris in bridge supports.
Trees swept downstream in the May flood are forming a dam on the south side of the old bridge.Trees caught under the southbound lanes of US59.
30-second video by Robin Sedewitz panning from upstream to down showing accumulations of debris in bridge supports.
During Harvey, debris such as this got caught in supports for the old railroad bridge and dammed the river, backing water up into Humble and Kingwood businesses. The railroad ultimately built a new bridge that would let trees pass through. No trees got hung up on the new bridge supports during this flood.
Where to Report Problems
Harris County Flood Control now surveys the river after floods and removes debris. They just haven’t gotten to this debris yet.
If you see problems that need HCFCD’s attention, you can report them here.
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.
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The San Jacinto West Fork has become totally blocked by sediment at the Hallett Mine in Porter and rerouted itself through the giant sand mine.
The old river channel has been sealed off by sediment. And the river now enters and exits one of the mine’s largest pits through large breaches in what used to be dikes. See below.
White oval shows location of blockage. Blue line shows old route of river. Red lines show detours through sand pit.
More than Normal Erosion
Rivers always move during floods through erosion. But this represents a far larger than normal amount of movement through a process called pit capture.
The river now runs through the Hallett pit instead of following its normal curving channel.
See photos below.
The loss of the dikes is likely the result of the SJRA releasing 71,000 cubic feet per second from Lake Conroe during the peak of the recent flood. That was the second largest release in the history of the SJRA.
Pictures taken just before the peak of the flood show the river already overtopping the pit’s dike. Dikes like walls that separate the river from the mine’s pits. They keep industrial wastewater out of your drinking water.
Weak Sand Mining Regulations Brought This On
Two other contributing factors are the depth of the pit compared to the river and the width of the dike.
The deeper the pit (compared to the river), the less stable the dike.
The narrower the dike, the weaker it is.
Until recently, Texas was one of the few states (if not the only one) that had no minimum setbacks of mines from rivers. Bill McCabe of the Lake Houston Area Flood Prevention Initiative was instrumental in lobbying for greater setbacks. The TCEQ adopted them in 2021, but this pit predated the new regulation. And the TCEQ did not enforce the regulation in this case.
In fact, this pit was open on its southern end since January. That breach was already expanding before the recent flood.
Pictures Taken Before and After Flood Show Pit Capture
Pictures taken during and after the flood show the impact.
Hallett Mine San Jacinto West Fork on May 3, near peak of recent flood.Same area photographed on May 11, 2024. Break in dike is circled in red.
Following the river around to the right, you can see how much sand the river laid down. This likely happened when the volume of water moving through the channel decreased as the velocity decreased, allowing suspended sediment to drop out of suspension.
The river which flows right to left, used to flow toward the bottom left. But now it flows into the pit (upper left).Closer shot showing the river being diverted into piton the left.
This video shows the height of the sand deposited in the river bed when the river started flowing to the pit instead of following its normal channel.
Video courtesy of a fisherman, Jody Binnion. Listen to his narration.This shot also gives you some idea of the height of the sand now blocking the river.Farther upriver but looking downriver, you can see how the river has been diverted. Note how narrow the dike is/was as it approaches the point of failure.Note the ripples on the water flowing into the pit.At the far southern end of the pond, the water exits back into the river through this breach that opened up in the January flood.Between the new entrance and exit from the pond, the Northpark ditch enters the river from Oakhurst and Northpark Woods.
Impacts Associated with Pit Capture
Without a river to remove sand from the confluence with the ditch, more and more sediment will likely build up here.
In regard to the last point, sand mining also frequently stirs up heavy metals such as lead and cadmium, which have been documented in academic literature. However, I have no evidence that such chemicals are coming from the Hallett Mine.
This river, which now flows through the Hallett pit, flows into Lake Houston. And Lake Houston is the source of drinking water for more than 2 million people.
Posted by Bob Rehak on May 11, 2024
2448 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/2024/05/20240511-DJI_20240511084429_0574_D.jpg?fit=1100%2C619&ssl=16191100adminadmin2024-05-11 11:28:382024-05-14 17:08:58San Jacinto West Fork Reroutes Itself Through Giant Hallett Mine
A breach at the giant Hallett Mine on the San Jacinto West Fork that began in late January or early February is still open and expanding.
Two Pairs of Pictures, Two Weeks Apart
I first reported the breach on April 10. Below are pictures taken then and today.
Hallett Breach, April 10, 2024Hallett Breach, April 24, 2024
In the pictures above, note the difference in the river bank on the left. It appears much more eroded. Also note the freestanding tree in the water on the right in the second photo that is not visible in the first.
Comparison of these wider shots shows more differences.
Hallett Breach, April 10, 2024Hallett Breach, 4/28/2024.
The first shots in each pair were taken when the water was up due to heavy rains upstream. The second shots were taken when the river was at its normal level (57 feet at SH99 as opposed to 66 feet).
In the shot immediately above, note the lack of vegetation on the sidewalls of the pond. That’s one indication that the height of water in this pond was much higher at one time.
Google Earth Image
This image from Google Earth shows water draining out of the pond on February 19.
Hallett Breach in satellite image from Google Earth taken on 2/19/2024shows silty water pouring out of the mine.
Impacts on River
One boater I interviewed for this post last Wednesday when SJRA was releasing 530 cubic feet per second from Lake Conroe said he could normally get all the way to Conroe in his flat bottomed boat at that flow rate. But on that day, he was frequently hitting bottom.
This is consistent with the experience of boaters launching farther downstream in River Grove Park. There, the river depth is now just 1-2 feet in places. And that’s after it was dredged just four years ago.
The Kingwood Service Association is studying ways to keep its boat launch open. But the need for dredging is becoming more expensive and frequent.
I should add in fairness that the river creates a fair amount of erosion on its own and that Hallett isn’t the only mine on the West Fork with breaches in its dikes.
It is, however, the largest mine by far and has a history of dumping its waste into the West Fork. Searching on the keyword “Hallett” in this website reveals 30 posts that include references to the controversial mine.
It has now been approximately three months since the breach.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 4/28/2024
2434 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/2024/04/20240428-DJI_20240428150341_0458_D-2.jpg?fit=1100%2C778&ssl=17781100adminadmin2024-04-28 17:35:382024-05-14 17:23:32Breach at Hallett Mine Expanding
