Illegal dam in Mason County blocking water from refilling Highland Lakes
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Published 2023-10-12
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All Comments (21)
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The fact that the State of Texas and Army Corp of Engineers are hee-hawing around and talking about "negotiating" with the land owner proves that people with money and connections can evade the law with impunity.
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If it was plsced illegally then it should be taken down immediately for those farmers that have the right to the supply source
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Notify the land owner they have 30 days to remove the illegal dam. On day 31 Army Corps of Engineers removes. Once removal is complete, submit invoices to land owner for ALL project planning, execution and removal costs, paid in FULL within 90 days. If payment is not made, take land from owner, auction off to satisfy debt. The construction company that did the work needs to have Texas licensing pulled. They shouldn't be allowed to possess a shovel in the state of Texas.
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The dam looks as if its been built over time with leftover concrete and rebar from heavy construction work. The guy is a border wall contractor? Sure hope that wasn't materials paid for by the government.
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Why is the proposal to "coordinate" with a criminal? There is no way the people that proposed, signed off on and built the dam didn't know it was illegal. The dam needs to be removed immediately. I would venture to say there are many more of these unregistered dams around our state that need to be identified and removed. Are these cartel related????
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This is yet another example of what is wrong with our government and legal system. Its against the law to build a dam without a permit. PERIOD! Stop the delay, Take it out and BILL the person for the cost of the removal. If he doesn't pay, LOCK HIM UP!! SIMPLE as That, this would make the next person think before they decide to build a dam.
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If you have enough money, you can do anything you want in Texas, without any repercussions. Even deny the public the use of a river that flows thru your property.
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A little bit of dyn-O-mite would improve the water thief’s illegal dam.
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Knock it down!
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ripe the whole thing out and then send the bill to the property owner and make him pay for the whole thing
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If its in a public waterway that means anyone can renove it. Its not on private land, just blast out the middle of it.
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Desirable solution? You mean, how much money changes hands to let him keep his illegal dam...
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It sounds like someone has paid someone off? Because anyone else would be hauled into court or jail by the State and Feds for violating the various EPA reg and laws without approval. Ive heard people damming up water run off on their own property, but its a whole different issue damming up a River thats technically considered "public" accessible .
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The lake can only hold back as much water as flows into it. Once it’s full, the outflow will equal what the original inflow was. Looks full to me.
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The property the dam is on is probably owned by the State of Texas as the riverbed is more than 30 feet wide. Regardless water that flows off of a property belongs to the State and this stream flows through many properties. But that is why common stock ponds are OK because the water falls on the property the pond is on. Actually I believe the rule has been applied to water that flows through another property belongs to the State.
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Why do you need to reach a settlement for an illegally built dam???
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Im not an attorney, but I was part of a similar project in Texas, and the legality of building an on-stream weir that doesnt rise above the bed is not simple and is effectively up to the judge in the jurisdiction it is built.
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Installed illegally, remove it at the land owner expense
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Why didn't they just knock them back down on day one? They're building on town property (the river), so it should be no issue to just take it back down and charge the builders the cleanup
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If they don't blow that ish up! That person is BOLD. They really didn't care. Why would they coordinate? The USAC would literally take your house/land if they need to tear it down for environmental purposes, Blow it up!
