Posted on July 28, 2025
Callan Marine is done with its City of Houston West Fork dredging contract. The contract used the last of the FEMA money that U.S. Congressman Dan Crenshaw helped obtain for dredging the West Fork Mouth Bar and the surrounding area after Harvey.
The City hired Callan to dredge 800,000 cubic yards from the San Jacinto West Fork between Kings Point, Atascocita and FM1960. But even though that contract is now complete, the need for dredging is far from over. Let me explain.
Pictures Taken Today
The General Pershing, Callan’s dredge was docked today on the east side of Lake Houston, just south of FM1960.
Dredging Demobilization
Miles of massive dredge pipe used in the operation were pulled onshore, waiting for removal.
The placement area next to the Luce Bayou Inter-Basin Transfer Canal was vacant. Callan had removed all of its equipment.
The gates that let return-water out of the placement area had been removed (lower right).
The return-water channel from the placement area was filled in. Straw had been placed across the filled channel to retard erosion.
Callan filled the area inside the perimeter berms almost completely.
But just upstream from from where the dredging took place, the West Fork is already filling in again near the West Lake Houston Parkway Bridge.
The area near Kings Harbor is only 1-2 feet deep. The Army Corps dredged this area just a few years ago.
Not many people will be tying their boats up here near Raffa’s.
Farther upstream, it’s the same story. Boaters told me today the outfall of the Kingwood Diversion Ditch (shown above) is only about 6″ to a 1′ deep at River Grove Park.
Ironically, the Army Corps liberated River Grove from a giant sand build up just a few years ago. Remember what this area looked like then? See below.
Same area in 2018 before Army Corps dredging. An estimated 500+ homes above this point flooded during Harvey.
Sediment buildups like these reduced the conveyance of both the East and West Forks by 15 feet in places.
Another massive build up less than a half mile downstream from River Grove took the Corps months to dredge.
The Would-Be Congressman Who Denies Need for Dredging
Reducing flood risk in the Lake Houston Area requires reducing sediment build ups like these. Before the Corps left the West Fork, it recommended setting up a maintenance dredging program to help prevent such massive buildups in the future.
Following the Corps’ lead, former State Rep. Dan Huberty tried to set up such a program in 2021. So did State Rep. Charles Cunningham in 2023. Cunningham finally succeeded this year when HB1532 became law.
And yet a person upstream who wants to represent the Lake Houston Area in Congress, State Representative Steve Toth, voted against Cunningham’s Dredging District bill. And now he’s challenging Crenshaw.
I have yet to hear a credible explanation as to why Toth voted against the dredging district bill and the needs of the people he hopes to represent. Perhaps he would care to go on the record.
