Breaking News: Public Meeting scheduled September 28, 2021. See https://www.sierraclub.org/texas/houston/blog/2021/08/virtual-public-meeting-landfill-threatens-sam-houston-national-forest
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is being petitioned to amend Permit #2406 for the Peach Creek Landfill (PCL), which is next to and near over 4,000 acres of Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF), Wood Duck Farm (WDF), and many private landowners in San Jacinto or Montgomery Counties, near the City of Cleveland and off of Fostoria, Jayhawker, and Pine Valley Roads.
Your letter to amend Permit #2406 to include the access road, sent right now, helps protect our public lands, small, private, sustainable farms and homesteads, and addresses road access, water, air, noise, litter, and scenic pollutions, flooding, fires, road overuse/damage, and other problems that PCL may have.
What’s at Stake!
SHNF provides clean drinking water via ground and surface waters for local citizens and the City of Houston. The beautiful forests, streams, and wetlands of SHNF or surrounding private lands are called San Jacinto Flatwoods and have numerous streams like Whiskey Branch, Jayhawker Creek, Blue Branch, Gum Branch, Shell Branch, Boggy Creek, and Peach Creek.
Water percolates through sandy soils and feeds streams, aquifers, water tables, and gravel beds. The federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, White-tailed Deer, Gray Squirrel, Pileated Woodpecker, and other wildlife are found in Loblolly and Shortleaf Pine, Bottomland Hardwood-Pine, and other forest habitats in the area.
WDF is an 87-acre sustainable farm that grows specialty greens for Houston, Austin, and Dallas restaurants. WDF sells produce at the Urban Harvest Farmer’s Market including sweet potatoes, spinach, potatoes, peppers, radishes, corn, carrots, arugula, strawberries, blackberries, beans, basil, broccoli, cabbage, onions, eggplant, kale, lettuce, cucumbers, cauliflower, and more.
How You Can Help!
You can comment in the following ways:
1. Mail: Office of Chief Clerk, MC 105, TCEQ, P.O. Box 13087, Austin, Texas 78711-3087;
2. Email: chiefclk@tceq.texas.gov; 3. Fax: 512-239-3311.
Say in your letter that you want Permit #2406, PCL, amended to include the access road and that you support a contested case hearing; include your contact information (mailing address, phone number, and email). State you are concerned about unacceptable environmental impacts that PCL may have on SHNF and WDF; state you are concerned about road access, water, air, noise, litter, and scenic pollutions, flooding, fires, road overuse/damage, and other impacts that PCL may have. Your letter, in your own words, may look similar to the following:
Date:
Office of Chief Clerk
MC 105
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 13087
Austin, Texas 78711-3087
Dear Chief Clerk,
I urge you to amend Permit #2406, Peach Creek Landfill (PCL), to include the access road and hold a contested case hearing on this proposal because:
1. I am concerned that unacceptable environmental impacts will occur on Sam Houston National Forest, Wood Duck Farm, and private homesteads due to PCL. (if you have visited SHNF tell TCEQ this, why you visit, and what it means to you; if you have bought WDF produce state why you did so and what this means to you; if you live near the PCL site, tell TCEQ and describe how close you are).
2. I am concerned about road access, water, air, noise, litter, and scenic pollutions, flooding, fires, road overuse/damage, and other environmental impacts that PCL may have. (expand on these environmental concerns or add other issues that you are concerned about)
I look forward to hearing from you soon about my request to amend Permit #2406 to include the access road and hold a contested case hearing. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email
Please send your letter now! For more information, contact Brandt Mannchen at: 281-570-7212 or brandt_mannchen@comcast.net.
Photos courtesy of Naomi D'Amours and Brandt Mannchen.