ACTION ALERT
San Jacinto River -- Texas

Threat: Unregulated sand mining

Conservation Partners: San Jacinto Conservation Coalition, Legacy Land Trust

(www.sanjacinto.cc, www.llt.org)

 

The San Jacinto River and the surrounding historic Big Thicket forest face continued degradation from relentless sand mining operations.  In the absence of state standards, sand mining companies excavate forests and wetlands adjacent to the San Jacinto riverbanks without restoring the land to a more natural state after mining is finished.  These operations threaten the supply of drinking water for the Houston metropolitan area, natural flood controls, and an array of recreational opportunities.  Click here to read more about how you can help save the San Jacinto River and the historic Big Thicket forest!

 

Alert

 

The River: With headwaters near Huntsville, Texas, the East and West Forks of the San Jacinto River wind their way through bottomland hardwood forests and converge at Lake Houston before continuing on to deposit freshwater into Galveston Bay.

 

The San Jacinto is the westernmost boundary of the historic Big Thicket, a heavily-forested area renowned for its stunning diversity.  The area is home to several rare, threatened, and endangered species, and a stopover for neotropical migratory birds crossing the Gulf of Mexico.  The San Jacinto and the Big Thicket provide abundant recreational opportunities, including swimming, fishing, paddle sports, hiking, hunting, and bird-watching.  

 

Why It’s Endangered: The San Jacinto River system is threatened by sedimentation and bank erosion due to sand mining operations.  Sand mining involves cutting down and excavating forests and wetlands to access adjacent sandy riverbanks.  When intact, these forests and wetlands provide natural filtration and stormwater absorption benefits.  However, when they are excavated, rain washes the exposed sediments into the river unabated.  Sediment fills in the river and its reservoirs, reducing both the amount of water the river system can hold and thus the amount of clean drinking water available to Houston-area residents.

 

Unfortunately, since sand mining is unregulated in Texas, companies are not required to restore the sites once mining is completed.

 

Currently, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is considering a rule proposed by the Texas Senate to require sand and gravel mining operators along the Brazos River — a river ecosystem much like the San Jacinto — to reclaim land after mining is complete.  The proposal would require mining operators to fund restoration efforts such as the replanting of trees and other vegetation, reestablish wildlife habitat, and remove wastes and equipment.

 

What You Can Do: Act now and tell the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that you support the proposed rule requiring restoration of lands used for sand and gravel mining along the Brazos River.  Tell them that this pilot program is a step in the right direction to protecting the variety of natural and economic benefits provided by Texas rivers from the harmful effects of sand mining, and ask them to add the San Jacinto to the rule making process. TCEQ needs to hear from you by Monday, April 24, 2006, 5 p.m. (CST).  

 

Letter to decision maker

 

Joyce Spencer, MC 205, Texas Register Team

Office of Legal Services

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

P.O. Box 13087

Austin, TX  78711-3087

(512) 239-4808 (phone)

(512) 239-4808 (fax)

jspencer@tceq.state.tx.us

 

 

Subject: Reference: Rule Project Number 2005-0510-037-PR

 

Dear Ms. Spencer:

 

I support the Financial Assurance for Quarries rule currently under TCEQ’s consideration to implement Senate Bill 1354, 79th Legislature (Regular Session), 2005.  This rule will create a pilot program that requires sand and gravel quarries along the John Graves Scenic Riverway on the Brazos River to cover the cost of reclamation and restoration once mining is complete.  Establishing this pilot program is a step in the right direction to protecting all Texas rivers from the harmful effects of sand mining.

 

This year’s #9 most endangered river, the San Jacinto — which has an ecosystem similar to the Brazos River — is threatened by sedimentation and sand erosion due to sand mining operations.  Sand mining is not regulated in the state of Texas, and without state standards, companies can dig and excavate adjacent forests to access sandy riverbanks without having to restore the site to a more natural state afterwards.  When intact, these areas provide natural filtration and flood protection benefits by absorbing, filtering, and then gradually releasing stormwater into the river.  This proposed rule is exactly what is needed as a first step toward protecting the San Jacinto River and the communities that rely on it for clean drinking water, natural flood protection, and recreational opportunities. Please include the San Jacinto with the Brazos River under this rule. The riparian forests along the San Jacinto River are critically important for Houston's flood control, water quality, and maintaining the integrity of the recreationally important river ecosystem, which also flows into Galveston Bay.

 

I urge you to implement this Financial Assurance for Quarries pilot program to hold sand mining operators responsible for the costs of reclamation and restoration associated with quarries.  This will set the precedent for sand mining operations throughout the state.

 

Thanks for your consideration.