News Articles
Derelict Boat Removed From River
Posted on Feb 11th, 2026 Comments (0)
Photo David Vincent
B E F O R E
Feb 1st - this free-floating derelict boat posed a hazard to nearby navigation as it drifted a short distance upstream from the FM 2611 Churchill Bridge boat ramp.
Photo Gary Kersh
A F T E R
Feb 10th - The derelict boat now sits hard aground after being hauled ashore at the Churchill Bridge and eventually taken to salvage. Thanks to Brazoria County Pct 1 Commissioner Jay Burridge.
February Meeting Report
Posted on Feb 10th, 2026 Comments (0)
These monthly reports are a way to let the public know what FOR’s been up to. It’s also a way that someone can determine if there is any way they’d like to get involved in things. Please contact FOR if you are interested.
- Sat Feb 7 Breakfast on the Bernard, Dido's Restaurant
Nineteen friends and neighbors attended the regular first-Saturday-of-the-month Breakfast on the Bernard. Good food and conversation were the main subjects along with an update of Port Freeport by Port Commissioner Dan Croft. Details of the upcoming afternoon 4:00 pm State of the River meeting were also discussed.
2026 State of the River Mtg Held
Posted on Feb 9th, 2026 Comments (0)
At the FOR State of the River meeting on Saturday February 7th, 2026, held at Dido's Restaurant, attendees received an “Open Mouth” t-shirt promoting the dredging of the mouth of the San Bernard River and a complementary taco bar meal
It was a perfect Spring afternoon as President Sheila Wardlaw welcomed fifty plus river friends and neighbors at the “20th Annual FOR State of the River meeting.
A brief review of FOR’s 2025 accomplishments and key contributors was delivered by President Wardlaw followed by Brazoria Mayor Phillip Ray’s update on the Brazoria wastewater treatment plant upgrade.
FOR Director Mike Goodson reported that permits are in place to allow Brazoria County utilizng the US Corps of Engineers (USCOE) to perform the dredging project. The drawback is there is not a window reserved in the USCOE schedule to execute the project. Meetings are being planned in the very near future to coordinate schedule timing.
Informative questions followed asking about ensuring that the project gets done and who’s following it to make sure it happens. Attendees were also interested in details on triggering maintenance dredging.
Brazoria County Precinct 4 Commissioner David Linder echoed river mouth opening comments provided by Goodson.
Closing the meeting was the “Just Because” drawing. Winners Donna Murphy, Bob Breakiron and Charles Bechtold hold Rtic water bottles and a Yeti cup engraved with the FOR logo.
Saltwater Dam High and Dry
Posted on Feb 1st, 2026 Comments (0)
The four upstream gauge sites (Chesterville, East Bernard, Boling and Old Ocean) on the FOR website are linked to their respective flood gauge locations.
Photo Tom Ronayne 1-31-26
Due to lack of rainfall, the Phillips 66 saltwater incursion dam has no water flowing over it from upriver. Located two miles upstream from Hanson County Park, it separates the tidal and non-tidal portions of the San Bernard watershed.
Tidal flood gauge at FM521 (pictured at top) and SH35 read -2.06 ft. yesterday (1/31). Not every year does a winter low tide coincide with a high pressure, north wind, full moon and no rainfall runoff to create a tide lower than minus two feet. Links to these two gauges on the FOR website are labeled “USGS Hwy 35 Flood Gauge” and “(New) San Bernard River at FM 521”.
The four upstream gauge sites (Chesterville, East Bernard, Boling and Old Ocean) on the FOR website are linked to their respective flood gauge locations.
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