The Lower San Jacinto River in 1989
This area too saw an increase in Open Pit sand mining. Miners picked natural sand deposits in the old river beds
which in retrospect, produced weakened spots on the river that allowed the Flood waters to break through. The area
of sand mining in Rio Villa was also the spot where the river broke through to White's Lakel creating an island out of
Rio Villa subdivision. The same happened in Banana Bend where flood waters broke through to sand mines east of the
subdivision.
Click here for the northern half of this photo.