Environmental

Chairman: Justin Hillis Meets first Thursday of month, 6:00 pm, Dido's Restaurant

Mission Statement:

• Encourage the establishment of policies and programs that preserve and protect open space, forests, prairies and wetlands of our San Bernard River watershed.
• Maintain and protect natural habitat for native plants and wildlife.
• Preserve and improve water quality.
• Enhance recreational usage and encourage economic development consistent with resource protection.

Chairman: Justin Hillis, Construction and Real Estate

Consultant & Co-chair: Susie Alford, President, CEO Berg Oliver

 

Committee: 

Fred Kanter - Retired Pipeline Engineer, member Citizens Advisory Panel, Restaurant Owner
Tom Ronayne - Retired Engineer and member Citizens Advisory Panel

Linda & Ken Wright - Retired Graphic Designers

Valroy & Adalia Maudlin - Retired Chemical Engineer and Teacher

Denise & Pat Wolever - Business Owner

 

The Environmental Committee is the most important function of the entire organization. It is a multi-faceted group that requires team leaders to act independently for specific projects. For example:

• Testing - A volunteer takes a sample and analyzes the San Bernard River from her vantage point on the river each month and submits findings to H-GAC’s Stream Team which is then incorporated in Austin with additional data at the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) master database.
• Annually FOR hosts the San Bernard River Clean Up. Volunteers known as the “Clean Team” are asked to put their boats in the water or hop aboard a friend’s boat and pull trash out of the river. As needed heavy debris days are scheduled to remove large and/or concentrated debris areas. This event is a great community rallying celebration that helps us unite in the true meaning of “Friends Of the River”.
• Phillips 66 and ChevronPhillips host a quarterly Citizens Advisory Panel meeting designed to keep the public informed about environmental, health and safety concerns at their Sweeny complexes. We have three volunteers currently representing FOR on the panel.
• There are two Environmental Committee members committed to overseeing the welfare of this precious county asset, Hanson Riverside County Park.
• FOR has contracted with Texas Dept of Transportation (TX DOT) to de-litter a two mile section of FM 2611. Contractually FOR has agreed to have four “Trash Pick Ups” (Adopt A Highway) per year. The thought behind this volunteer effort is to get the trash off the highway before it gets in the river. The dates are posted below and volunteers are welcome!

The remainder of FOR environmental emphasis occurs inside the formal Environmental Committee. If you would like additional information on the aforementioned specialized specific projects or other environmental projects like land trusts, SEP or conservation easements, please use the Contact Us pagel and we will be happy to contact you personally to obtain your input, ideas or field your questions.

Past Environmental Chairmen: Fred Kanter 2006-07, Tom Valliere 2008-10, Barbara Fratila 2011- July 2016, Tim Logan 2016-2019

 

 

City of Brazoria wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge into the San Bernard 

• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 1-13-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 1-25-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 1-29-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 2-9-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 2-17 & 2-23
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 2-28-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 3-15-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Up date 3-21-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 3-28-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 4-4-22
• Sludge in the San Bernard Update 4-11-22
• What's Really in the River Water" - results of CRG Environmental testing 5-22-22
• THE FACTS article "River samples show no cause for concern" 5-24-22

 

 

FOR Receives  “Special Recognition for Exemplary Environmental Advocacy by a Citizen’s Group”

 

 

Stream Team Water Quality Tests on the San Bernard 

Samples are taken each month at different areas of the river reporting the pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and other indicators of water quality in the San Bernard. The reports are sent to Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) Texas Watch Clean Rivers program in cooperation with TCEQ, U.S. EPA and Texas State University Dept. of Geography.   FOR Director Denise Wolever is the Stream Team citizen monitor responsible for taking water samples.

• Texas Stream Team Training Class Sep 16, 2016
• Texas Stream Team Training Class April 10, 2014
• Texas Stream Team Training Class May 1, 2010

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Watershed Signs

Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) received funding from the Clean Rivers Program for 15 highway San Bernard watershed signs. The map shows the locations of the signs that help people get to know their watershed.  Read about the San Bernard River Watershed Protection Plan developed by H-GAC.

 

 

Conservation Easement Project:

• FOR Enacts Milestone Conservation Easement project - 9/11/2010
• Thumbs Up on Conservation Easement - 10/7/2010
• FOR Retires $75,000 Conservation Easement Note - 7/28/2011
• FOR Natural Area Acquisition - 35 Acres Added to SEP - 12/13/2013

Adopt A Highway Committee

Co-Chairman  Mike Pudlo Committee: Anyone who picks up trash

Co-Chairman Tom Ronayne

Friends of the River San Bernard has signed an agreement with TXDOT to pick up trash along FM 2611 after a scheduled highway mowing. Our goal is to help clean the environment and drainage ditches for a two mile stretch beginning at CR 311 and ending at FM 2918. This allows the road before and after the Churchill Bridge over the San Bernard River to remain attractive most of the year.

• Sat 3Dec22  Highway Cleanup Held
• Sat 10Mar22 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat 21Aug21 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat 1Feb20 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat 7Dec19 Last trash pick- up of 2019
• Sat 2Nov19 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat 2Mar19 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 3Nov18, Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 28Jul18 Amazing Job Done by FOR Adopt-a-Highway Volunteers
• Sat, 9Jun18 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 4Nov17 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 3Jun17 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 21Jan17 Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 5Nov16  Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 5Mar16  Trash collected on FM 2611
• Sat, 20Jun15, Trash pickup on FM 2611
• Sat, 11Apr15, EVENT CANCELLED. Area not mowed by TXDOT. To be rescheduled.
• Sat, 8Nov14 Trash pickup on FM 2611
• Sat, 17May14 Trash pickup on FM 2611
• Sat, 15Feb14 Trash pickup on FM 2611 
• Sat, 14Sep13 Trash Picked up on FM 2611 
• Sat, 22Jun13 FM 2611 Gets a Cleaning
• Sat, 16Feb13 Cleanup of FM 2611
• Sat, 1Dec12  CANCELLED - TO BE RESCHEDULED
• Sat, 6Oct12   Third Cleanup of FM 2611
• Sat, 16Jun12 Second Cleanup of FM 2611
• Sat, 14Apr12 Coincides with the Don't Mess With Texas "Trash-Off"
• Sat, 3Dec11  Adopt A Highway Cleans Up FM 2611
• Sat, 1Oct11  Adopt A Highway
• Sat, 2Apr11  Don't Mess with Texas    Trash Off Event
• Sat, 12Feb11  Adopt A Highway

 

• Sat 22Jun19 Schedule and Trash Mash River Clean up 
• Sat 30Sep18 Mini River Cleanup
• Feb 16, 2018 TXGLO Works its Way Up River
• Feb 7, 2018 TXGLO Removes Debris From River
• 2017 annual River Cleanup cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey flooding devastation
• Sat 10Sep16 Schedule and San Bernard River Clean Up Held
• Sat 12Sep15 Schedule and FOR San Bernard Team Cleans Up
• Sat 13Sep14  Schedule  / Annual River Cleanup / Newspaper Photo / Newspaper "Acclaim"
• Sat 11May13 Schedule and Annual River Cleanup
• Sat 12May12 Schedule and Annual River Cleanup

• Sat 30Apr11  Schedule and Annual River Cleanup 8,000 pounds of trash collected 
• Sat, 24Apr10 Approximately 20 boats with 50 volunteers, including the San Jacinto Junior Girl Scout Troup 25102, participated in the annual river clean. Volunteers removed 8,300 lbs. of debris and trash from the water and banks of the SBR and the beach at the mouth. Trash drop off points were located at Hanson Park, FM 521 boat ramp, Churchill Bridge boat ramp, and River’s End boat ramp. It was followed by a hot dog social at the home of Vanessa and Nelson Taylor.