sand mine dikes Archives - Reduce Flooding

6/8/24 – Today, I discovered another sand pit captured by the San Jacinto West Fork. I also discovered two more pits with breached dikes. That makes at least four San Jacinto West Fork sand pits seriously damaged by the last storm.

The West Fork has now captured a pit that Hallett owned until earlier this year and another that it still owns.

Let’s look at each. See the photos below.

Photos Taken on 6/8/24

Pit Capture #1

I discovered the first pit capture in mid-May and photographed it again today.

*Looking from over West Fork at blocked channel and former Hallett pit. River now runs through the pit.*

Hallett sold this mile-long,, half-mile-wide pit to a real estate company called Riverwalk Porter LLC in January, just days before the first breach at the downstream end. The breach at the northern end, in the foreground above, happened in May.

Pit capture is a phenomenon where the river cuts through one side of a mine and out the other. Watch it happen in this table top experiment.

Pit Capture #2

I discovered a second pit capture today. The river punched through one side of the pit and now flows out the other. It’s taking a shortcut through the pit, rather than going around like it used to.

Note how the river curves way out to the upper left in the photo. The inside of that curve used to be what geologists call a point bar. Such areas usually contain finely sorted sand. And indeed, historical images in Google Earth show trucks pulling sand from river banks before Hallett started mining here.

*Hallett pit on another point bar, also captured by West Fork* *River flows from top to bottom.*

Ironically, this area was being considered by the SJRA for its sand trap study. They may have to reconsider that now.

Breach #1

Another pit purchased from Hallett by Riverwalk Porter LLC also drains directly into the West Fork. Nothing holds it back now.

*Looking West. Note* *breach in dike on far side of river. If you look closely, you can see a pipe at the bottom of the breach. The pipe dates back to the days Hallett owned this pit.*

The area around the pipe has expanded into a chasm.

Breach #2

Farther north, Heidelberg Materials Southwest Agg LLC owns another pit that now drains into the West Fork.

*Looking S from over West Fork (bottom left) toward Heidelberg Property.*

Historical satellite images of the Heidelberg property show that they started mining it decades ago. Then they sold the mine to another company and recently repurchased it. While this particular area is recovering, the company appears to be mining other areas around it.

And look what’s happening downstream from the breach above. Could this be a third pit capture in the making?

*Downstream at the same pond, the river looks as though it could soon punch through another narrow dike. Photo taken 5/22/24.*

If and when this happens, the river could then route itself through the pit above. That would make at least three pits captured on the West Fork.

There may be more breaches and pit captures that I have not yet found.

Geomorphic Processes Accelerated to a Human Time Scale

It’s interesting to watch geomorphic processes at work on a human time scale. It’s also disconcerting to know that without help from miners and the TCEQ – which did not establish setbacks of mines from rivers until 2021 – the West Fork would have much less sediment pollution.

See below.

West Fork sedimentation after upstream rainfall that rivaled Hurricane Harvey — *Confluence of Spring Creek (left) and San Jacinto West Fork (right), where all of the sand mine breaches above area.*

If you wish to lodge a complaint with the TCEQ, go to this web page. Last time I heard, they only inspect the river once every three years unless citizens file complaints.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 6/8/24

2475 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.

More than one engineer has told me that sand mine dikes appear as though they are designed to fail. Part of the problem is that the State sets no standards for their construction; the State simply says they must be “effective.” But there are only minor penalties if they prove ineffective.

How Sand Mines Use Water

Mines use water to separate sand from silt by spinning the mixture through a centrifuge. The large sand particles go to a stockpile. The smaller silt particles return to a settling pond. If left long enough, the water clarifies and can safely be released.

*Water and silt go one way, sand the other.*

*The constant inflow of silty water in the settling pond creates a delta* *that raises the water level.*

Constant Battle Against Silt and Water

The problem, however, is the buildup of silt and water over time.

The fine sediment often does not have enough time to drop out of suspension before water in the settling pond begins to overflow. That’s when dikes often break and sediment laden water is released into the river.

Last November, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality cited the LMI Moorhead mine for the unauthorized discharge of 56 million gallons of white goop into the San Jacinto West Fork. It had 25X more suspended solids than water from upstream.

Sadly, this is not an isolated problem. I have documented breaches in most San Jacinto River mines.

Road Disappears as Dike Gets Higher

Since then, aerial photos show that LMI is building dikes higher to prevent future releases. But as the thin dikes made out of sand/silt get higher, they also get narrower. They seem designed to fail at some point.

Process waste water leaks through them into surrounding wetlands and the West Fork. To keep the dikes from failing, the mine even appears to be pumping water out of its pit into the wetlands.

A large rain could easily overwhelm these dikes and cause another failure. As a starting point, review the satellite photo below from Google Earth. It was taken about a month after a major breach from another part of the mine. Note the perimeter road around the entire pond. It disappears in aerial photos taken a few months later.

*Satellite photo from 12/1/2019 shows a drivable road around the entire eastern perimeter (right) of the LMI Moorhead mine.*

Now compare that to this series of helicopter photos taken on 4/21/2020. The series starts in the upper right of the satellite photo and heads south (toward the bottom of the satellite image). This area of the mine is far from public view, except from a helicopter..

*Note the difference in elevation between the pond in the mine and the pond outside of it.*

*Note the partially buried pipe between the two ponds. A siphon?*

*Looking south along the eastern perimeter. you can see how the road now disappears and the wall of the dike gets thinner.*

*Zooming out, you can see how the far this condition exists* *and why I ask the question, “Are these dikes designed to fail?”*

Tracking south to the next grove of trees, you can see water leaking through the narrow dike as it approaches the top. Comparing the dike to nearby tree trunks, I estimate the dike is no more than 2-3 feet wide.

Where 56 Million Gallons Allegedly Entered River

*The same condition exists on another pit at the same mine. The dike shown in the foreground is the one that the TCEQ says failed last year. Note water ponding on the narrow road. See photo below.*

Note the difference in the color of the water in the pond and in the river in the photo below. The pond color has not changed during the eight months I have been documenting these sand mining operations from the air.

*Same dike, photographed from a different angle, looking north. West Fork is in foreground.*

*A new* *Artavia drainage ditch in the background now funnels water from more than 2000 acres straight toward mine.* *The mine blames Artavia for the November discharge.*

No Texas Regulations Govern Dike Construction

Unfortunately, the State of Texas has no regulations that address construction of dikes.

No standards exist for height, width, composition, compaction, or reinforcement.

I asked Ramiro Garcia, head of enforcement for the TCEQ, this question. “Does Texas have regulations for sand mines that affect the width, height, slope, compaction, and materials used in perimeter dikes or barriers?“

His reply: “The Industrial Stormwater Multi-Sector General Permit requires the use of pollution prevention practices that can effectively protect the water quality in receiving waters, or that are necessary for remaining in compliance with the general permit. The GP states that “the permittee shall evaluate and use appropriate measures and controls to reduce soil erosion and sedimentation in areas of the facility with demonstrated or potential soil erosion and sedimentation” (Part III.A.4(c)). There are no specific requirements for width, height, slope, compaction, or materials for dikes or barriers.“

So the permittee gets to determine what’s “appropriate”!

Designed to Fail?

The lack of regulation is how we get strips of sand a couple feet wide holding back hundreds of millions of gallons of waste water. One big rain, a flood, and the wastewater buildup is gone. Conveniently!

If the TCEQ discovers an unauthorized discharge, the mine pays a “slap on the wrist” fine. They average about $800. That’s why I ask, “Are sand mine dikes designed to fail?” It seems cheaper and easier to pay the fine than build earthworks that protect the source of drinking water for 2 million people.

State Rep. Dan Huberty tried to implement effective sand mining regulations during the last legislative session. Unfortunately, most of the mining bills he sponsored died in committee. I’m using the time before the next session to document mining practices on the San Jacinto. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make a better case next year.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/4/2020

979 Days after Hurricane Harvey

Tag Archive for: sand mine dikes

Another Sand Pit Captured, More Breached by San Jacinto West Fork