Shenandoah City Council will send a letter of demand to Harold Denton Jr. regarding a dam officials claim was illegally constructed on Carters Slough, following action taken during executive session of the July 25 meeting.

“The City of Shenandoah is sending a letter of demand to Harold Denton Jr. in regard to improper placement of fill and impediment of drainage from Carters Slough and damage to property owned by Montgomery County Municipal Utility District No. 95,” Mayor Ritch Wheeler said.

Carters Slough is a body of water located north of Tamina and east of the Union Pacific railroad tracks, in unincorporated Montgomery County. The body of water is supposed to flow naturally into the West Fork of the San Jacinto River.

“Carters Slough isn’t properly draining right now, which is a violation of state law because he erected this dam,” Wheeler said.

According to Wheeler and Public Works Director Joseph Peart, the dam is causing water-related issues within city limits.

“The dam is causing high waters and flooding within city limits on both privately owned properties and city-owned properties,” Peart said. “The dam that Mr. Denton built was not approved by Texas State regulatory entities or Federal regulatory entities and is illegally damming the upstream waters.”

Peart said during heavy rainfall events, the dam could be a deciding factor on where flooding occurs.

“The dam causes standing high water and flooding during rain events,” he said. “We have existing apartments—Park at Woodmoor—new developers, the city’s wastewater treatment facility and roadways that experience flooding during rain events.”

Wheeler said the city of Shenandoah is not the only entity sending letters of demand, as MUD 95 and the Montgomery County Commissioners Court also intend to send letters of demand.

Peart said that the letters of demand will require the dam to be removed.

“All of the surrounding areas upstream are being affected,” Peart said. “[The dam] is possibly a cause for the flooding along I-45 feeder roads during a heavy rainstorm. [The Texas Department of Transporation], Conroe ISD and the city of Conroe are all affected by this [as well].”