Flickinger Issues Updates on Multiple Lake Houston Dam Issues
3/8/25 – Houston District E City Council Member Fred Flickinger’s March newsletter contained updates on several Lake Houston Dam projects.
Floodgate Update
Adding more and bigger floodgates to the Lake Houston Dam will let the City lower lake levels faster in advance of major storms to reduce flood risk.
According to Flickinger, Phase II of the Lake Houston Dam Spillway Improvement Project is well underway. This phase focuses adding eleven new tainter gates. Together, they will increase discharge capacity by 79,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). And that matches the peak release rate of Lake Conroe during Harvey.
Engineering firm Black & Veatch has completed the 30% design plans. Also field activities, such as ground surveys, bathymetric surveys and geotechnical soil borings are underway. Environmental investigations including wetlands assessments, endangered species studies, and archaeological site evaluations begin next week.
In parallel, engineers are working with regulatory agencies. They include the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), United States Army Corps of Engineers, and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). Together, they hope to streamline permitting.
The Coastal Water Authority (CWA) also met with TCEQ in December. CWA continues to work closely with the Corps and TPWD to speed approvals.
Future Lake Houston Dam Replacement Study
Recognizing the long-term needs of the region, planning is also underway for a larger project to replace the existing 75-year-old Lake Houston Dam. CWA has engaged Black & Veatch to initiate a high-level Lake Houston Dam Replacement Study in 2025.
Lake Houston Dam Repair Project – Immediate
In addition to expansion and long-term replacement planning, immediate repairs are being implemented through the $10 million Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Project, made possible with the support of Congressman Dan Crenshaw. This project includes:
- Grouting voids below and around the dam structure
- Repairing spalled concrete on spillway buttress walls
“Spalled concrete” refers to a condition where concrete begins to crack, chip, or flake away from its surface. This can expose the aggregate or reinforcing steel underneath.
Essentially, it’s a form of concrete deterioration where pieces of the surface break off, leaving pitted areas. Spalling can weaken the structural integrity of concrete and lead to further damage if left unaddressed.
CWA is finalizing the scope and fee for additional field investigations and engineering design work. These efforts will define the exact repair locations and methodologies for construction. The engineering should take six to eight months. And construction should last another six to nine months after that.
Lake Levels Lowered for Fieldwork
Houston Public Works has lowered Lake Houston to approximately 41.0 feet. Lake Houston has a normal pool elevation of 42.4 feet.
The lower level will keep water from going over the spillway, so that another CWA engineering firm, Freese & Nichols, can perform surveys of the concrete hearth structure on the downstream side of the spillway.
After completion of the surveys during the week of March 14th, the levels in Lake Houston will naturally return to 42.4 feet, through rain events.
Flickinger says the District E office remains actively involved in this project. His team participates in bi-weekly coordination meetings to ensure progress continues efficiently and transparently.
Property owners along the lake should secure all belongings located at the shoreline, boat docks, and piers. Be prepared for changing lake levels, as advance notice may not be possible.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/8/25
2748 Days since Hurricane Harvey
