Spring Creek Greenway Archives

2/11/26 – Based on a tip from a reader, I learned that a large construction site along Spring Creek near the Hardy Toll Road and State Highway 99 was pumping muddy stormwater directly into Spring Creek.

Images Sent By Reader

The reader sent me pictures taken along the Spring Creek Greenway that suggested this was no accidental overflow. The images show neatly cut and stacked underbrush along a ditch cut between the construction site and the creek.

*Photo taken by reader on 2/10/26. Reader wishes to remain anonymous.*

Another photo taken from a greenway bridge shows the speed of the discharge.

*Note that the discharge appears to have been much higher at one point judging by the grass laying down.*

Aerial Images Taken on 2/10/2026

So, I grabbed my drone and headed over to nearby Harris County Precinct 3 Dennis Johnston Park. From the air, you could clearly see where the sediment-laden sludge was coming from.

*Construction site emptying detention basin straight into Spring Creek*

*Someone had cut channels to drain silty stormwater from a drainage ditch and detention basin.*

*The path to Spring Creek took the sludge under the greenway in the forest.*

*Opposite angle shows muck flowing straight into Spring Creek.*

*Silt migrating downstream* *toward Harmony, Benders Landing Estates, Humble, Kingwood and Lake Houston.*

*They were actually pumping the sediment from the stormwater detention basin.*

…*And those silt fences don’t do much good when you tear them down.*

The Human Toll: Ruining a Community Asset

The reader who sent me the ground level images told me how she felt she had had a pleasant experience stolen from her. She was out for a fun bike ride during spring break. The Spring Creek Greenway is one of the longest urban trails in North America. It is supposed to be a refuge. But instead of clear water and a healthy ecosystem, she found this appalling sight.

She said the plume was migrating downstream toward Jesse Jones Park where she saw “tons of kids fishing today.”

An avid environmentalist, she says, “Siltation kills the fishing experience. The cloudy water makes it impossible for sight-feeding fish to hunt for insects. And the heavy sediment smothers the ‘honey holes’ where fish congregate.”

Silt Contributes to Flooding

When a developer pumps mud into the creek, that sediment eventually settles and raises the creek bed. That means the channel holds less water.

Spring Creek is a major tributary to the San Jacinto West Fork. Every ton of mud pumped into the Spring Creek eventually migrates downstream to the San Jacinto, exacerbating flood risks in Humble, Kingwood and the Lake Houston Area.

Pumping silt like this also creates a burden on taxpayers. Developers profit by taking “shortcuts” on-site. But the public pays the price. When the river fills with silt and flood risk increases, taxpayers bear the burden of multi-million dollar dredging projects to restore the river’s capacity.

Since Harvey, taxpayers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars dredging area rivers.

Ecological Suffocation

My source, who wishes to remain anonymous, talked about “gill clogging.” High concentrations of suspended solids can literally suffocate fish.

Silt settling into the gravel and woody debris on the creek floor also smothers the macro-invertebrates (bugs) that form the base of the food chain.

Just as bad, such activities kill the filtering mechanism that keeps creeks healthy. Oranizations, such as the Bayou Land Conservancy, work to protect the wetlands that filter our water. Dumping raw silt bypasses this natural filtration and destroys the very plants that help stabilize the banks.

Silt isn’t just dirt. Construction runoff often carries other pollutants attached to the soil particles, including fertilizers, heavy metals, or chemical residues from the site, which are now being “injected” into the local water supply.

That’s why pumping sediment-laden water directly into a creek is a flagrant violation of sediment-control protocols. Not preserving floodplains has many costs that most people don’t realize.

How to Report Such Violations

Readers who share my concerns should report such violations to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Harris County Flood Control District. You may also want to notify Harris County Precinct 3 and Montgomery County MUDs, as Spring Creek serves as the border between the two counties. Both have a vested interest in keeping that channel clear. Readers report that this is the site of the new Spring ISD High School.

I couldn’t find an entrance to the site with an address, sign, or stormwater pollution prevention plan. But for reporting purposes, the GPS coordinates are: 30°05’16.3″N 95°24’07.6″W.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/11/26

3088 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.

One of the most popular natural attractions in the north Houston area is the Spring Creek Greenway. But between mile marker 8 and 8.5, a large new development called Breckenridge East has cut across the trail, leaving a massive scar through the forest to accommodate its drainage.

Nature Interrupted

Since 1979, Harris County Precinct 4 commissioners have added to the beautiful trail system between I-69 and I-45. The Spring Creek Greenway currently connects and protects approximately 7,000 acres of forest in Harris County, preserving this ecological gem as a mecca for ecotourism, education, and outdoor recreation.

But yesterday, a reader and cyclist, Ken Matthews, alerted me to an issue.

*Photo by Ken Matthews on 10/31/2021. Taken from Spring Creek Greenway looking toward new development.*

*NE portion of development from the air. Oval indicates where it cuts across greenway.* *Spring Creek cuts through top of frame from left to right.*

Role of Forests in Flood Prevention

According to Harris County Precinct 4 and Harris County Flood Control District:

Forests buffer against flooding by absorbing rainfall in their canopies and in the soil.
Trees act as natural water filters and significantly slow the movement of storm water, which lowers runoff, soil erosion, and flooding.
From an economic viewpoint, communities that use this important function of trees and canopy cover may spend less money on other flood control methods.

Infiltration rates for forested areas are 10-15 times greater than for equivalent areas of turf and grass.
Harris County Flood Control District

Recipe for Runoff

In the shot above, you can see the beginning of what looks like a large detention pond. But as we saw with Woodridge Village flooding in 2019, putting in the detention ponds AFTER the land has been cleared can be a recipe for runaway runoff during big storms.

*Lush forest replaced by vast expanse of sterile nothingness.*

*Entire development. A local resident told me that during Harvey, water came up to Cypresswood Drive in the lower left. That put this entire area underwater.*

*Breckenridge East is in far upper left. Another development a little more than a block away is also cutting into the forest. Cypresswood Drive in foreground.*

*Looking NW from second development across Planet Ford Stadium toward Breckenridge East, one can see a whole series of developments starting to encroach on the Spring Creek floodplain and greenway.*

Support Bayou Land Conservancy

The Bayou Land Conservancy (BLC) plays a vital role in protecting and maintaining the Spring Creek Greenway, which is the longest, contiguous, urban forested corridor in the country.

When finished, the Greenway will ultimately:

Stretch over 40 miles,
Reach from Highway 249 in Tomball east to US 59 in Kingwood, and
Cover more than 12,000 acres.

Please support the Bayou Land Conservancy. They preserve land along streams for flood control, clean water, and wildlife. Not to mention future generations.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 11/1/2021 with thanks to Harris County Precinct 4, Bayou Land Conservancy and Ken Matthews

1425 Days since Hurricane Harvey

Tag Archive for: Spring Creek Greenway

Construction Site Pumping Sludge Straight into Spring Creek