silt fences Archives - Reduce Flooding

8/24/26 at 5PM – After quick-thinking residents spotted TXDoT contractors dumping fill in the Lake Houston floodplain on Friday night, August 21, local authorities leaped into action and stopped the operation by mid-day on Saturday, August 22, 2026.

On Sunday, August 23, a silt fence was installed improperly on the property. And today, Monday, August 24, Houston Public Works launched an investigation. Here’s the latest.

Flickinger Visit Stops Dumping

Houston City Council Member Fred Flickinger visited the dump site on Saturday.

Floodplain fill reduces stormwater-storage volume during floods. That increases flood risk for others. As a consequence, City regulations prohibited such fill in 2018.

Landowners can move dirt within the floodplain. But they cannot bring dirt INTO the floodplain from outside of it. That reduces stormwater storage.

Shortly after Flickinger’s visit, neighbors reported that the TXDoT contractors stopped their fill operation, and that the landowner would likely be forced to pay a fine and remove the fill dirt.

*Google Earth Pro satellite image of floodplain being filled. See red oval.*

Ineffective Silt Fence

After Saturday’s post pointed out that there was no silt fence around the fill, the next day, someone installed a laughably ineffective silt fence. It didn’t even reach the ground. So, so rain could easily wash silt under the bottom edge of the fence.

*Note gap below fence.* *Photo taken Sunday 8/23/26.*

Best practices for silt fence installation recommend burying the bottom edge of the fabric at least six inches in a trench on the uphill side of fence supports, then back-filling the trench. See the diagram below, compiled by ChatGPT.

*Note inset illustration on bottom right.*

City Investigation Issues Red Tags

Houston Public Works investigators visited the site this morning. At 5PM today, they issued this statement, “The Floodplain Management Office inspection team issued red tags on the affected parcels this morning and contacted the trucking contractor. As of this afternoon, one of the onsite red tags was not found when we returned. We’ll continue to follow up.”

Public Works says it will issue a more detailed report tomorrow morning and has requested TXDoT’s cooperation in stopping the floodplain filling.

TXDoT Response to County Investigation Request

Meanwhile, Harris County Precinct 3 also asked TXDoT to look into recurring problems like this. TXDoT contractors are excavating the dirt from a large detention basin four miles north as mitigation for the FM2100 expansion project.

Eric Heppen, Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey’s head engineer, shared this statement from Nyemb Nyemb, P.E., North Harris Assistant Area Engineer for TXDoT.

Nyemb said, “We recognize that this has been a recurring concern and will be meeting with the contractor as soon as possible to address the matter and reinforce compliance with all applicable requirements.”

“If it is determined that material was improperly dumped in this area, the contractor will be required to remove it and restore the site.”
Nyemb Nyemb PE, TXDoT manager for North Harris County

Nyemb continued, “Failure to comply with project requirements and corrective measures could result in project enforcement actions. The TxDOT project team will work and investigate the reported activity and take appropriate action if any project-related material is found to have been placed without the required approvals, authorizations, or permits.”

Unfortunately, we’ve heard that before from Mr. Nyemb.

Who Owns the Floodplain Property Being Filled?

Harris County Appraisal District Records show that Lake Houston Lighthouse, L.L.C. owns it. However, Texas Secretary of State records show that the LLC last filed a required Public Information Report in 2022 and went through a tax forfeiture in February 2024. So presumably, the individual owners lack a corporate veil to protect them from liability.

Both of the LLC’s managing members list their address at a single residence on Page Lane – the street immediately south of the channel shown above.

How to Stop Floodplain Fill

Engineers tell me such activity goes on all over Harris County. How can we stop it? Previously, there was talk about criminalizing such behavior. Currently, it is a civil offense.

Heppen said that the county may work with the state in the next session to pass a law against such fill activity. Making it a criminal offense changes the whole “What if I get caught?” equation. Instead of a slap-on-the-wrist fine, a criminal record might disqualify someone from getting future jobs or permits.

If we want to reduce damage in the next flood, we must do more than pay lip service to floodplain preservation.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 8/24/26

3282 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.

Kingwood Residences HTX II LLC is clearing 11.5 acres of land on West Lake Houston Parkway (WLHP) without the normal safeguards to control sediment-laden runoff. In recent weeks, concerned residents have emailed me multiple pictures like the ones below.

*No silt fence to retain sediment-laden runoff on site.*

*Instead, runoff is draining into the street and storm sewers.*

Normally, contractors would protect storm drains by catching silt with sand bags placed in the gutters. But this afternoon, I saw none of those either…even though the contractors were working furiously on a Sunday afternoon.

The buildup of sediment in our rivers, streams, and channels was a primary contributing cause of flooding. So why don’t contractors exercise greater caution?

Nature of Phase II Still Uncertain

The land in question is adjacent to another 19.7 acres to the northwest owned by the same developer. That land was cleared starting in 2022.

Contractors have been building apartments since then. The work was supposed to be complete by the end of last year, but is still in progress.

It’s not clear what the developer plans to put on Phase II’s land, which was purchased from Pinehurst Trail Holdings LLC in June 2023.

However, the address – Kings River Commercial Road – and the developer’s website, suggest it may be commercial. The website boasts that the developer specializes in high-end, mixed-use apartment complexes within walking distance of retail.

Kingwood Residences HTX and HTX II LLC are limited liability companies owned by High Street Residential, a wholly owned operating subsidiary of Trammell Crow Company in Dallas. Their local headquarters are on 2800 POST OAK BLVD STE 400, HOUSTON TX 77056-6169.

More Photos Taken on 1/14/24

All photos below were all taken today, 1/14/24.

*Looking N toward San Jacinto West Fork out of sight in background. West Lake Houston Parkway is on left next to soupy area in foreground.*

According to the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) gage at the West Fork and WLHP less than a mile north, this area last received rain on January 8 and it totaled only .4 inches.

*Reverse angle, looking S. WLHP on right. Kings Park Way cuts through middle of frame.*

*Detention basin for Phase I (middle left) may or may not serve Phase II.*

*Cleared trees stacked three stories high.*

Enough Detention?

For properties this size, HCFCD requires .65 acre feet of stormwater detention basin capacity per acre of developed land. That comes out to roughly 20 acre feet for these combined properties.

I have requested drainage analyses and construction plans from HCFCD but have not yet received them. More news when I do.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, no wetlands exist on either parcel of land. And current FEMA flood maps show both parcels are out of floodplains.

The primary flooding concerns for these properties appear to be making sure they have sufficient detention capacity and that they don’t clog storm drains with sediment.

Ten Elements of an Effective Erosion and Sediment Control (ESC) Plan

The EPA lists 10 elements of an effective erosion control plan.

Minimize Needless Clearing and Grading
Protect Waterways and Stabilize Drainage Ways
Phase Construction to Limit Soil Exposure and Compaction
Stabilize Exposed Soils Immediately
Protect Steep Slopes and Cuts
Install Perimeter Controls to Filter Sediments
Employ Advanced Sediment Settling Controls
Certify Contractors on ESC Plan Implementation
Adjust ESC Plan at Construction Site
Assess ESC Practices After Storms

In fairness, the developer has left a natural border and phased construction. That’s good. But as the resident photos above show, they are not preventing sediment from leaving the site.

Posted by Bob Rehak 1/14/24

2329 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Tag Archive for: silt fences

Two Lake Houston Floodplain-Fill Investigations Launched