Welcome to San Jacinto River & Rail!
Once the home of the Champion Paper Mill dating back to 1965, this 900 acre facility was purchased by the Waisburd family on January 27th, 2012. When the plant was operating at full capacity, it ran 24 hours a day producing primarily newsprint and employed roughly 1,000 people. Every step of the process was handled within its gates, from production to recycling and power generation to waste disposal. Champion closed its doors in 2002 and the plant went into an idle state where it stayed until the Waisburds took ownership.
| San Jacinto River & Rail Park Flyer |
Rail Access |
Barge Access |
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There
are currently 3.5 miles of existing rail throughout the park and we feel
putting it back in service is a top priority and critical to the profitability
of other services. The facility is
perfectly located on the Lafayette line, owned 50/50 by the Union Pacific
Railroad and the BNSF Railroad. Both
rail companies have the right to stop in and serve the park and the Lafayette
line is considered the most profitable rail line in Texas due to traffic
volume.
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When this facility was operating as a
paper mill, barges on the San Jacinto River were used to haul the sludge waste out
of holding ponds for off-site disposal.
Remnants of the sheet piling and pipe works from the ponds are still
visible today. The Army Corps of Engineers has approved our application to construct new pylons
in the river to begin receiving barge traffic at the property once again.
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Waste Water Treatment |
Surface Water Treatment |
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At full capacity the design of the
wastewater treatment plant at the park is capable of treating 20 million
gallons of wastewater per day. In its
current condition, only rainwater is processed through the system at about 3
million gallons per day. We have receved the approval of an
amendment to our current permit which will allow the park to
receive all kinds of waste from on and off-site sources. The treated wastewater is discharged through
a 42-inch line which sits in a 13.1 mile long easement owned by the park to the
Houston Ship Channel. This allows for
discharge limits much greater than are available anywhere else. Click on the PDF below for more details.
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The surface water treatment plant was
once capable of drawing and treating 20 million gallons of raw water per day
from an aqueduct served by Lake Houston water.
The plant was designed as a sediment filtration type plant and was used
to provide treated water critical to the paper production process, as well as
the property wide fire system and on-site power plant. In its current state, the plant is unable to
treat raw water but its storage capabilities are still in use and we are able
to supplement our water needs with captured rainwater. The facility is in very good condition and
could be brought back online with relative ease.
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