Timothy Riley

April 12, 2007

On April 12, 2007, the powerful Texas Senate Natural Resources Committee will hold hearings for SB 359, a bill introduced by Senator Tommy Williams from the Woodlands to expand an existing water quality protection area pilot program in the San Jacinto river basin. SB 359 proposes regulating sand and aggregate mining activities along one of the nation's most endangered rivers as marked by American Rivers, a national nonprofit river conservation group. The San Jacinto River is an important drinking water source for the greater Houston metropolitan area and provides freshwater inflow to the Houston Ship Channel. Perhaps more importantly, the river feeds the last remaining remnants of Texas's fabled Big Thicket bottomland hardwood forests.

Mining operators often will clear-cut treed areas along the river banks in order to harvest the underlying sand and aggregate rocks. Such activities spoil the riparian ecosystem by permitting massive erosion, bank instability, and discharge large quantities of sediment that modify the river's flow. Additionally, downstream impacts include the increased risks of flooding and sediment deposition. Moreover, the San Jacinto River is an indelible cultural and historical landmark. The 1836 Battle of San Jacinto at the mouth of the river was the decisive victory in the war for Texas' independence from Mexico, and gave birth to the Republic of Texas.

In order to protect Texas's treasured river, SB 359 requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the San Jacinto River Authority, and the State Parks and Wildlife Department to develop a monitoring program for several critical watersheds. State officials will visually inspect mining activities, at times, using low flying aircraft, as well as physical site inspections. A water quality monitoring program will also be initiated. In addition to state inspections, operators of mining quarries within one mile of the river must submit reclamation plans that detail how the quarries will be returned to conditions reasonably similar to the surrounding landscape. The plans must address a number of environmental concerns, including soil stabilization, groundwater protection, refilling and regrading to match adjacent contours, and the proper disposal of all solid wastes and structures.

For more information:

Texas Legislature Online, SB 359, http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=80R&Bill=SB359 (last visited Apr. 12, 2007).

American Rivers, San Jacinto River Among America's "Most Endangered," http://www.americanrivers.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr012=ikxgh55xg2.app2b&page=NewsArticle&id=8493&news_iv_ctrl=-1 (last visited Apr. 12, 2007).