Save the Date: SJRA Joint Reservoir Operations Meeting March 5

2/20/2026 – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold a public input meeting at the Humble Civic Center on March 5 from 6-8 PM to discuss its Joint Reservoir Operations Study. According to Matt Barrett PE, SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager, “one of the main objectives of the study is to determine if there are any benefits to pre-releases from Lake Conroe and Lake Houston.”

Timing Affected by Lake Houston Gates Engineering

SJRA first applied for a grant to study synchronizing releases from the two dams back in 2020. However, the project to add crest gates to the Lake Houston Dam hit a setback when the City could not find any contractors willing to bid on the project. The issue had to do with the potential liability associated with working on a 70-year-old concrete structure already badly in need of repair.

With the crest-gate proposal dead, the City went to Plan B. They are now studying tainter gates for the earthen eastern portion of the dam.

The second study recently reached a milestone. Engineering is now 30% complete. That’s widely regarded as the point where a project becomes real enough to make valid estimates about feasibility, costs, timelines and more.

Said Barrett, “We wanted to make sure we understood the future condition at Lake Houston before we pulled the trigger on our analysis.” 

Main Objective of Joint Operations Study

Now that engineers have a better idea of what the new gates on Lake Houston’s Dam can do, it’s possible to see whether any benefits accrue from trying to synchronize pre-releases with Lake Conroe. A pre-release from Lake Conroe only makes sense when storms reach there first, i.e., from the north. A pre-release from Conroe when a storm approaches from the south could doubly flood the Lake Houston Area.

The major goal of this study is to determine how effective pre-releases really are. Barrett must also ensure pre-releases don’t negatively impact water supply.

Second Objective: Flow-Forecasting Tool

The study will also develop a flow-forecasting tool for Lake Houston. Barrett says it will help provide more information on anticipated volumes of stormwater coming into Lake Houston during storm events. “We will look at the entire basin,” he said, “to predict flows. So, that could be a very helpful tool.”

Results Will Inform Lake Houston Gate-Operations Policy

Barrett added, “Our intention was originally to develop the gate operations policy for Lake Houston – for the new gates that they’re looking to install. But that’s now being done as part of their gates project. So, in this study, we’re just supporting them with relevant data that comes out of our study. We’ll support development of their gate policy. But it will not be dictated by this project.”

“The study will also consider the travel time of water between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston, a factor that’s crucial in evaluation of pre-releases,” said Barrett. That’s crucial to understand if coordination of pre-releases is necessary.

Benefit Area

The study will potentially benefit the area between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston as well as the people around each lake.

Will pre-releases lower flood risk? “That’s what we want to find out,” said Barrett.

“I hope whatever the results are that they’ll be trusted. And that people will accept what the engineering says, whichever direction it happens to go,” said Barrett.

Meet the Experts

On March 5, Lake Houston Area Residents will have an opportunity to meet representatives from the SJRA, Coastal Water Authority, City of Houston, Humble, and the consultant, Black & Veatch Engineering.

“Pre-release has had a lot of interest over the years,” said Barrett. “So, I think it’s good for us to answer the question once and for all. Is it effective and is it something that provides benefits?”

Mark Your Calendar

• Humble Civic Center
• March 5 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
• 8233 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, TX 77338

Experience of Other River Basins

This is not an unusual problem. Most rivers have multiple dams. For instance, multiple dams on the lower Colorado River help keep Austin from flooding.

There’s a well-established body of work showing that coordinating operations across multiple reservoirs can produce measurable flood-mitigation benefits. However, hydrology, travel times, and downstream constraints must align.

The big win is usually shaving peak flow by avoiding “release stacking” (upstream releases arriving downstream at the same time as local inflows, i.e., from the East Fork or Spring and Cypress Creeks).

Other engineers in other watersheds have seen flood-mitigation benefits when their studies identified operating rules that:

• Prevented release “coincidence” – We must avoid upstream releases arriving at the same time as peak local inflows from other uncontrolled tributaries
• Used forecasts intelligently – Pre-release only works when forecast confidence and downstream capacity justify it
• Respected downstream constraints – Don’t exceed channel limits.

Make-or-break technical questions for the San Jacinto Watershed will likely include:

• Travel time for water between Lake Conroe and Lake Houston and how that changes with different base flows.
• Downstream constraints such as local rainfall in the Lake Houston watershed
• Forecast confidence and decision triggers – When will forecasts be reliable enough to justify pre-release without wasting water supply or making flooding worse.
• What will the study optimize for? Peak flood stage at specific gages? Total damages? Avoiding emergency spillway use? Protecting evacuation routes? Something else?

Bring your questions to the Civic Center. The engineers will have a presentation at 6:30 but be available to talk before and after that.

Posted by Bob Rehak on 2/20/26

3097 Days since Hurricane Harvey