Resident tells commissioners alleged wetland permitting and enforcement failures left home unsafe
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Summary
A Fortson resident told the Harris County commission her home built in a flagged wetland has structural damage and failing septic infrastructure she says threatens public health; she demanded emergency remediation, independent investigation, a permit moratorium and disclosure of withheld engineering reports.
Victoria Card, a resident of 177 Terry Lane in Fortson, used public comment time Feb. 17 to urge the Harris County Board of Commissioners to act on what she described as systemic building‑code and permitting failures.
Card outlined a long history of complaints and documentation she said she provided to county staff and reported that her home—purchased in 2022—has structural foundation cracks, a garage floor that has lifted, and a septic field that “floods regularly,” sending runoff into tributaries that feed the Chattahoochee River. She told commissioners she had received reports from her builder and a structural engineer and alleged the county withheld a civil‑engineer report responsive to her open‑records request.
Card asked the board for a series of actions: emergency remediation including drainage and culverts at her driveway, an independent outside engineering investigation of code‑enforcement failures, a moratorium on new permits in flagged wetland areas until the system is corrected, county‑funded structural assessments for other affected homes in the subdivision, and full disclosure of withheld engineering and inspection records. She warned she would pursue legal remedies under the Federal Clean Water Act and 42 U.S.C. §1983 if the county failed to act.
The board did not take immediate action during the public‑comment period; the matter remained a citizen request for follow‑up by county staff. Card provided contact information and copies of documents to the clerk.