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The cleanup area is a 30-mile stretch of San Bernard River starting at the salt water dam above Hwy 35 west of West Columbia to River’s End near the Intracoastal Waterway.

Three collection sites will be available to receive river trash only. Sites are located on the river at Hanson Riverside County Park - Hwy 35 boat ramp; McNeill Bridge - FM 521 boat ramp; and Churchill Bridge - FM 2611 boat ramp. Only trash collected from the river will be accepted. No household rubbish please. Trash can be delivered by boat or road.

 

At the FM 35 boat ramp north section from the dam to the Chevron Phillips plant will be site manager FOR Director Tom Ronayne. Covering the section from Chevron Phillips to FM 521 bridge is Environmental Committee Chair Keith Cunningham. From the FM 521 collection point to the Churchill Bridge will be FOR Director Justin Hillis and south from the Churchill Bridge to the mouth will be covered by Lee Poye.

 

Volunteers, organizers, friends and neighbors are needed to tackle the job of removing unwanted items from the river. Help keep the river we love so much clean!

 

The Water Safety Act requires that a person who is born on or after September 1, 1993 may NOT operate a boat on public waterways of Texas without supervision (accompanied by person 18 yrs of age or older) unless he or she has passed a Texas Boater Education Course and is 13 yrs of age or older. This includes the following vessels - a personal watercraft (jet ski), a powerboat powered by a motor of more than 15 horsepower, or a windblown vessel over 14 feet in length.

 

This one-day Saturday course is taught by US Coast Guard Auxiliary from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. The course fee is $35 per person payable to the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. The fee includes lunch and your $10 state certification fee paid to Texas Parks & Wildlife.

 

*Pre-registration required << use this link to the the TPWL site. 

Complete both the “Register Now” link (green box) and the $35 “Pay Online” link (green box). Lunch is included. Minimum age is 13 but 12 year-olds can participate and print out their Texas Parks & Wildlife Boater Education Card when they turn 13.

 

Class Facilitator 

Flotilla 63 Staff Officer - Public Education

Cell 713.703.9982

 

Photo Sat Jun 28. Mouth of San Bernard looking NE from the Gulf of America. Yes, dredging may soon be in the picture. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has finalized and signed the water quality certification on Fri Jun 27, 2025. It is then sent to the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE) for final approval that may take two-three weeks. This is the final document the COE needs in order to issue the dredging permit for the San Bernard.