West Fork Dredging Spoils Archives

May 2025 San Jacinto West Fork Dredging Update

5/1/2025 – My last dredging update was in April. So it’s time for another.

Judging by aerial photos, Callan Marine seems to be making steady progress in its San Jacinto West Fork dredging program for the City of Houston. The dredge has moved farther downstream. And the placement area in Huffman next to the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Canal is filling up.

The Story in Pictures

dredge-plan for west fork — *In April, the dredge was located west of #4. Yesterday it ws working between #4 and #5.*

*Looking S toward Lake Houston from above West Fork. Note dredge in distance near tip of Kings Point (left).*

Closer shot shows dredge pipe that pumps spoils to placement area far upstream.

*Men worked on the giant dredge bit as I photographed the scene.*

*From there, spoils travel 3.8 miles to the placement area up Luce Bayou near the Inter-Basin Transfer Canal.*

*West Fork Dredging Spoils Placement Area near Luce IBT Canal (left)*. *Pipe near tree line on left brings water/sediment from lake.*

*Reverse angle shows compartments in maze that slows down incoming water. As water slows, sediment drops out of suspension. Eventually, this will form a base strong and high enough to build homes on.*

*Already, parts of the placement area are solid enough to support heavy equipment.* *The area shown above on the left has reached the height of the dike walls.*

Note how the workers are building out and into the placement area in two directions. They adjust the length and position of the pipes to concentrate the flow where they want to build up the earth. From there, the bulldozers and excavators help compact the material into a solid foundation for beneficial use.

*This image shows the height of the sediment relative to the walls of the pond. Several vertical feet remain in most of the placement area.*

*After most of the sediment has dropped out of suspension, water returns to the lake via the temporary canal (center).*

Status of Cunningham’s Dredging Bill in Austin

Since Hurricane Harvey, we’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars on dredging to play catch up from decades of neglect.

Moving sediment deposited in Lake Houston by erosion is a massive, but necessary project. The lake supplies water for more than 2 million people and has already lost a large percentage of its storage capacity.

That’s why House Bill 1532 by Rep. Charles Cunningham is so important. The bill would create a permanent dredging and maintenance district for the lake.

Dredging also reduces flood risk by restoring conveyance and eliminating sediment blockages.

On April 29, 2025, the House approved HB1532 overwhelmingly. 114 representatives voted for it. 19 voted against. Two voted Present. And one abstained.

Yesterday, the bill moved to the Senate on its slalom through the legislature. You may want to urge Sen. Brandon Creighton to support it.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 5/1/25

2802 Days since Hurricane Harvey

New West Fork Dredging Program Off to Fast Start

1/15/25 – The City of Houston’s latest West Fork Dredging Program appears to be off to a fast start. Dredging began about a month ago and has already filled up approximately 10 percent of the placement area. The program was originally estimated to last two years.

Before it’s all over, Callan Marine, the contractor, will dredge 876,672 cubic yards of West Fork sediment from 181 acres near the mouth of the West Fork in Lake Houston.

Shortly after sunrise yesterday, Callan Marine’s General Pershing Dredge lifted its bit out of the water temporarily as the dredge was repositioned. Note the FM1960 bridge downstream in the upper right.

Pictures Taken 1/14/25

Yesterday morning, the Callan dredge was anchored off Atascocita Point. Just three weeks ago, it began across the river in Kingwood. The pictures below tell the story.

*Looking N.* *Atascocita Point on left and Kingwood on far side of river. Can you spot the Kings Point water tower?*

Callan will pump slurry to the placement area through that winding 18″ pipe in the photo above. It goes approximately four miles to an area near the Luce Bayou Interbasin Transfer Canal. See pictures below.

The Amazing Maze

There, Callan separates the water from sand and silt with an ingenious maze. The twists and turns in the maze slow the water down, so sediment drops out of suspension.

Water comes in at the upper right and exits near the same point. Note how the sediment is higher on the wall near the entry, then tapers off. To visually estimate percentage of completion, compare levels on both sides of the diagonal berm in right foreground.

The 35-acre pond currently in use is surrounded by berms approximately 6-8 feet tall that contain the slurry. Callan has room at this same site to build another pond of approximately the same size. The two together will total 70 acres.

*Cleared but unfinished area* *in foreground* *will contain a second pond. Luce Interbasin Transfer Canal on right.*

*Notice how bulldozers have built small temporary walls that channel the slurry away from areas where fill has already reached the full height of the berms.*

*When filled, this area will be high and hard enough to build new homes on.*

Bulldozers spread the sediment out in layers that allow excess water to drain out or evaporate. One dredging expert told me that when dry, the sediment will be hard enough to support foundations and homes.

*Small, low temporary berms within the placement area concentrate the slurry where workers want it to go.*

Water that Doesn’t Evaporate Returns to the Lake

The pictures below track the movement of water within the placement area.

*Slurry shoots in from the dredge almost 4 miles away.*

*Then bulldozers spread out and compact the dirt.*

*Water that doesn’t evaporate eventually makes its way through the maze back to the two pipes (center at bottom)*

*Boards in front of the exit pipes control the level of water in the pond and the rate of outflow.*

*After dirt is separated from the water, any remaining water that doesn’t evaporate re-enters Lake Houston (upper left).*

Comparison with December

To see how much progress Callan has made, compare the pictures above with the one below taken, just three weeks ago.

Beneficial Use

I wonder if that return channel will become a ready-made detention basin when the landowner develops the site. This is an ingenious example of “beneficial use” – turning a problem into a solution.

Up the Down Escalator

Nevertheless, there is a cost associated with dredging. Funding for the program comes from FEMA via U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw. The City will use money left over from previous West Fork Mouth Bar dredging. Crenshaw secured $125 million in federal funding to cover dredging, including phases already completed.

Some of the sediment shown above comes from natural erosion. Some also comes from upstream sand mining.

With 20 square miles of sand mines in a 20-mile reach of the West Fork between I-45 and US59, the average width of exposed sediment during floods is one mile.

Sometimes I compare flooding issues to trying to walk up a down escalator.

In this case, we’ve failed to establish an effective regulatory regime based on a comprehensive set of best management practices for sand mines. And the public is paying the price in terms of increased flood risk and mitigation costs.

If you haven’t already written the TCEQ to register your concerns about their proposed (but inadequate) best management practices for sand mining, please do so. The public comment period ends on January 24. This post contains more about the problems with the TCEQ’s proposed BMPs. Texans for Responsible Aggregate Mining has even bigger concerns which I posted about yesterday.

Please mail your concerns to Jess Robinson, MC 175, Office of Legal Services, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087. Or you may submit them electronically. Comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. on January 24, 2025, and should reference “APO BMP List Proposal.”

So far, only a handful of people have registered public comments. So please help.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 1/15/25

2696 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.

West Fork Dredging Spoils Being Deposited Near Luce IBT Canal

12/21/24 – West Fork dredging spoils are being pumped across the East Fork and up Luce Bayou to where it joins the Inter-basin Transfer Project.

*Left side of red line is current location of dredge. Box on right is placement area*, *about four miles east.*

Just Outside of Floodplain

The first question I had after learning of the location was, “Is it out of the floodplain?”

Comparing drone photos taken today to FEMA’s Flood Hazard Layer Viewer and Harris County Appraisal District records shows that the placement area is just outside of the 500-year floodplain (shown as the tan-color below).

*HCAD Parcel boundaries relative to floodplain boundaries. Boundaries are approximate.* *FM2100 runs N/S on right.*

Part of Area Still Under Construction

As you can see above, the placement area was heavily forested before the start of dredging. DRC and its sister company, Callan Marine, are still clearing about half the land.

*Note additional berms already being built up* *among cleared trees.*

As you can see below, DRC and Callan have constructed a series of berms around the perimeter to hold the spoils. Phase One, (the finished basin) measures approximately 35 acres. Phase Two (the area being cleared and/or still populated by trees) occupies another 35 acres, according to Eric Bushnell, Callan Marine’s project manager.

*Wide shot looking east shows extent of placement area as of 12/21/24. Luce Inter-Basin Transfer Project Canal on left.*

The interior dikes in the pond above slow the water down so that sediment drops out of suspension. Once “clarified,” gates visible to the right of the 18-inch pipe above can be opened to let the water out.

*Note height of walls* *and how quickly sediment drops out of suspension.*

*Looking East. Note the channel cut into the trees to right of the Inter-Basin Canal. That channel returns “clarified” water to Luce.*

*Looking ESE. Note height of berm around edge of pond. Callan is not excavating to create the pond area.*

Sending Clarified Water Back to the Lake

After heavy particles of sediment, such as sand, drop out of suspension, DRC and Callan need to return water to Lake Houston. They do that by opening the gates discussed above. Then, they drain the water down the channel, which you can see in the bottom left of the picture below.

*Looking WSW. Note return channel for water in lower left. Luce Bayou (upper right) joins Lake Houston (upper left).*

Meaning of “Clarified” in this Context

“Clarified” is a relative term. The water isn’t perfectly clear like an ice cold pitcher of tap water. But it is much clearer than before. Large particles of sediment get trapped in the pond.

Remaining particles, usually clay, are so fine, they will likely never settle to the lake bed. Instead, they will float out into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. They pose little to no flood risk.

*Looking ENE. For reference, Palm Drive on right ends just below the frame near the western edge of the pond.*

Ownership of Land

According to Harris County Appraisal District, the parcel of land shown above extends all the way from the west end of Palm Drive to FM2100. FM2100 is concealed by the tree line in the upper part of frame.

Contrary to rumor, DRC and Callan did not purchase this land. According to Bushnell, they have an agreement with the landowner. Harris County Appraisal District shows the owner is 157 Huffman LTD.

It’s unclear at this point what 157 Huffman LTD plans to do with the land when the dredging project is complete in two years. The owner has not shared that information with Callan or DRC.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 12/21/24

2671 Days since Hurricane Harvey

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