3/7/26 – On 3/5/26 at the Humble Civic Center, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) held the first of three meetings to discuss its Joint Reservoir Operations Study. In several respects, the meeting was a wake-up call:
During Q&A, SJRA learned how impatient the downstream public is for flood-mitigation solutions – 8.5 years after Hurricane Harvey.
Public comments showed that PTSD from flooding still lingers.
The average age of attendees appeared to be in their sixties. Younger homeowners and newcomers to the region who have no memory of flooding were largely absent.
Several comments by speakers suggested upstream residents around Lake Conroe are still resistant to the idea of any “pre-release.”
SJRA has no formal pre-release program anymore. As one speaker said, “There are no designated dates or amounts or anything like that. But we work very closely with City of Houston. They make decisions on what we’d like to do.”
Theory of Pre-Release
The idea behind “pre-release” is to release water ahead of a storm, so a reservoir, such as Lake Conroe or Lake Houston, has additional capacity to absorb incoming floodwater. That can shave flood peaks by spreading out releases over longer periods.
SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager Matt Barrett, PE, said…
“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.”
Studies around the world have proven that pre-releases do have benefits … in certain conditions.
California Department of Water Resources found that “weather-informed reservoir operations” at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir can further reduce flood risk for communities along the Yuba and Feather rivers during extreme atmospheric river storm events and potentially benefit water supply during drier periods.
Also in California, the Army Corps of Engineers found that “forecast-informed reservoir operations” could increase water supply without increasing flood risk.
In the Delaware River Basin, a “flexible flow management program” mitigates flooding impacts immediately downstream of reservoirs.
A peer-reviewed Journal of Hydrology case study on the Bavarian Danube concluded that coordinated operation of reservoirs in river basins has great potential to improve flood mitigation.
City of Houston Experience
And experience in the San Jacinto River Basin since Harvey has also proven pre-releases have benefits. The City of Houston Public Works Department has documented numerous instances when pre-releases helped prevent downstream flooding, according to Dave Martin, former Houston Mayor Pro Tem.
Pushback from Lake Conroe Association
But pre-release is politically unpopular with Lake Conroe residents. The Lake Conroe Association (LCA) constantly speaks out against it in SJRA board meetings, lawsuits, community meetings, and complaints to the TCEQ. While LCA articulates its concerns as a loss of valuable water, the concerns stem from perceived impacts on recreation and property values.
Iterations of Lake Conroe Pre-Release Strategies
As a result, SJRA has modified its pre-release protocol several times since Harvey.
SJRA then restricted the amounts and durations of the lowering.
Currently, SJRA lowers Lake Conroe on an as-needed basis – days or hours before major storms. They call the strategy “Active Storm Management.”
The City of Houston owns two-thirds of the water in Lake Conroe and can call for as much as it wants, any time it wants. SJRA reportedly would prefer the City continues calling for the water, so that it doesn’t have to take the heat from the Lake Conroe Association.
Clearly, Active Storm Management is a compromise between upstream and downstream interests. But how does SJRA know when and how much to release before a storm. That depends on weather and the certainty of forecasts. How much rain will fall where? How fast? And how much will run off?
Another Study Objective: Forecasting Tool
That’s where another objective of the Joint Reservoir Operations Study comes in: development of a forecasting tool.
Objectives of Joint Reservoir Operations Study
See more details about the forecasting tool below.
The question in my mind is not IF pre-lease is feasible, but WHEN. Clearly, there are some cases where pre-release from Lake Conroe alone does not make sense, i.e., when a storm approaches from the south, as Harvey did and Lake Houston (without its new flood gates) could not release water fast enough to keep up with any release from Conroe. That would just make flooding worse.
But in other situations, i.e., when a storm approaches from the north or northwest, it might make sense – especially after Lake Houston receives its new floodgates. Then you would not be stacking floodwaters from different directions on top of each other.
Scope of Work Associated with Study
The Joint Reservoir Operations Study will also look at past releases from both Lake Houston and Lake Conroe, and use lessons learned to help inform the Lake Houston Gate Operations Policy.
With the data collected, SJRA will develop models that reflect the addition of new gates for the Lake Houston Dam. Then they will evaluate 20 different pre-release scenarios, such as the possibilities mentioned above.
As of this meeting, SJRA had not yet determined which scenarios they would evaluate. However, they will evaluate the consequences on water supply in both lakes.
The worry: if the forecast is wrong and a storm veers away, pre-releases could negatively impact water supply.
Finally, the study will determine the best ways to communicate pre-releases to stakeholders.
The Flow-Forecasting Tool mentioned above will incorporate data from multiple sources, including rainfall, a network of more than 70 stream gages, outflow from Lake Conroe and a model of the watershed. It will inform both gate operations and local officials.
To see the entire presentation, click here. It will help you understand some of the constraints on dam operations including:
Governance of the reservoirs.
Components of Lake Houston Water Supply Operations
Historical floods
Proposed improvements to the Lake Houston Dam
Runoff from sub-watersheds
Differences between water-supply and flood-control reservoirs; Lakes Conroe and Houston are both water-supply reservoirs
Construction differences between the two dams
Next Meetings and More Information
As the study progresses throughout the year, SJRA will hold two more public meetings. A mid-year meeting will be held at Lake Conroe to review progress. And SJRA hopes to reveal the results of the study in The Woodlands before the end of the year.
Even if you can’t make the meetings, SJRA welcomes public comments on the study, flood-risk locations and flood impacts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/7/26
3112 Days since Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Lake-Conroe-Lake-Houston-Joint-Reservoir-Operations-Study-Public-Meeting-No.-1_Page_20-copy.jpg?fit=1650%2C943&ssl=19431650adminadmin2026-03-07 10:43:212026-03-07 21:54:39SJRA Joint-Reservoir Operations Study Meeting: A Wake-up Call
3/5/26 – On Friday 3/6/26, eight advocacy groups will protest a proposed settlement in two lawsuits involving the controversial Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. The State of Texas and U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged fraudulent marketing and sales practices by Colony Ridge. The proposed settlement would correct those moving forward. However, it does nothing to compensate past victims.
The 30-page settlement proposed on February 9, 2026, requires Colony Ridge to invest $20 million to beef up law enforcement and $48 million to correct deficiencies in existing infrastructure. It also requires Colony Ridge to reform its marketing and sales practices going forward.
However, it does nothing to compensate the victims of past, alleged abuses. And as a result, eight advocacy groups have joined together to protest the settlement. They include:
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Consumer Law Center
UnidosUS
Public Justice
Center for Responsible Lending
Poverty and Race Research Action Council
Southern Poverty Law Center
League of United Latin American Citizens
At least one of the victims, Maria Acevedo, has also requested to testify tomorrow.
Basis of Amicus Brief
The advocacy groups’ 21-page amicus brief contends that a motion to join and seal the two cases…
“… improperly asks the court to approve and enforce relief that is unrelated to the pleaded case or the civil rights statutes under which it was brought, even as the proposed settlement fails to provide adequate relief to those harmed by the predatory and discriminatory scheme at issue.”
If the courts approved the proposed settlement, the cases would be over and sealed forever. But the settlement fails to provide any meaningful relief for those allegedly defrauded by Colony Ridge’s predatory lending practices, including:
Seller-financed mortgages that ignored borrowers’ ability to repay
Excessive fees
Omitting total costs to install and connect necessary infrastructure, such as water, sewer and electrical utilities
Misrepresenting flood risk and large expenses required to mitigate that risk
Exorbitant interest rates as high as 12.9% – three to five times the prevailing rate
Late fees on delinquent borrowers, compounding their inability to repay
Targeting Hispanics, but not providing closing documents in Spanish
Repeated and excessive foreclosures (an average of 298 per month comprising 92% of all foreclosures in Liberty County).
Colony Ridge repeatedly foreclosed on and then resold properties, profiting from any improvements made by previous buyers. The brief cites the case of one property sold four times in two years.
The amicus brief contends that the settlement proposes to “forfeit the meritorious claims alleged in the complaint, let Defendants off the hook, and leave consumers without compensation for the harms they have suffered.”
Scale of Alleged Harm
Although the brief does not provide exact figures, it says “tens of thousands” of consumers “lost thousands of dollars with little or nothing to show for the investments.” That would put total losses into the tens of millions of dollars.” Yet the agreement does not include any direct financial relief for consumers who lost money.
Nor does the proposed settlement provide any relief for those currently trapped in existing contracts. The original lawsuit sought an option to rescind sales contracts for families caught up in the scheme. However, the amicus brief says, “While the agreement creates a rescission option for future borrowers, [it] does nothing for existing consumers stuck in predatory contracts.”
Also, “It does not address the harm to the borrowers who purchased lots believing that they would not flood only to find that they did, or those who are stuck with unhabitable, flooded lots…”
Hearing Details
The Honorable Judge Alfred H. Bennett of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas/Houston Division will rule on the issues raised in the brief on Friday, March 6, 2026.
Three lawyers from Washington DC who represent the advocacy groups will oppose the proposed settlement.
For those who want to observe, the Federal Courthouse is at 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX. The hearing is reportedly in Courtroom 9A at 10:30.
For More Information
For more information and perspectives, see these statements published by:
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/20201207-Aerial-Dec-2020_1210.jpg?fit=1200%2C813&ssl=18131200adminadmin2026-03-05 11:58:052026-03-05 14:41:02Colony Ridge Victims Protest Proposed Settlement that Leaves Them Out
3/4/26 – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold a meeting at the Humble Civic Center to solicit public input on its Joint-Reservoir-Operations Study. Please come:
March 5 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
8233 Will Clayton Pkwy, Humble, TX 77338
Representatives from the SJRA, Coastal Water Authority, City of Houston, Humble, and the study consultant, Black & Veatch Engineering, will explain the study and field your questions. The meeting will feature informational tables where residents can talk with engineers one on one, plus a presentation.
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.”
Not an Easy Question
While that may seem obvious to flood victims, the question can get complicated. In involves an almost infinite number of weather scenarios, engineering variables and water-supply considerations. For instance:
How much rain will fall and how fast? Which direction will the storm come from? Where will the most rain fall in the river basin?
How many gates can the budget support? Will they be able to keep up with Lake Conroe’s discharges?
What happens if a storm veers away at the last minute? How can we make sure pre-releases don’t waste water or flood downstream neighbors?
In my mind, the question is not “if” pre-releases have a benefit, but “when.”
And that relates to a second objective of the study: to develop a flow forecasting tool for the entire river basin.
Accordingly, said Barrett, “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.”
Experience of Other River Basins
Coordinating pre-releases from multiple dams is not an unusual problem. Most rivers have more than one. 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 flows. Engineers in other watersheds have seen flood-mitigation benefits when their studies identified operating rules that:
Prevented “release stacking” – We must avoid upstream releases arriving at the same time as peak local inflows from other uncontrolled tributaries, such as the East Fork or Spring and Cypress Creeks
Used forecasts intelligently – Pre-release only works when forecast confidence and downstream capacity justify it
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.
Why is This Study Taking So Long?
The project was delayed by a change in plans in adding gates to the Lake Houston Dam. SJRA first applied for a grant to study synchronizing releases from the two dams back in 2020. However, after crest gates to the spillway portion of the dam proved infeasible, the City of Houston decided to study adding tainter gates to the earthen eastern portion of the dam.
Tainter gates like Lake Conroe’s will now go in the earthen portion of the dam above, not the concrete spillway in distance.
That new study is now 30% complete. That’s far enough along to start making engineering decisions. But to complicate things even further, costs have escalated because of inflation. That raises some additional questions…and scenarios. How many gates can the City afford? Will they be able to keep up with releases from Lake Conroe? And will Black & Veatch even examine scenarios involving additional gates?
If history is any indication, you can bet that members from the Lake Conroe Association will be there to talk against pre-release. If you want your interests represented in this study, make sure you come tomorrow night. And make sure they include the scenarios in their study that represent your biggest concerns.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/26
3109 Days since Hurricane Harvey
https://i0.wp.com/reduceflooding.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/20220722-RJR_0770-2.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=18001200adminadmin2026-03-04 14:30:012026-03-05 06:44:22Reminder: SJRA Joint-Reservoir-Operations Meeting in Humble
SJRA Joint-Reservoir Operations Study Meeting: A Wake-up Call
3/7/26 – On 3/5/26 at the Humble Civic Center, the San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) held the first of three meetings to discuss its Joint Reservoir Operations Study. In several respects, the meeting was a wake-up call:
Theory of Pre-Release
The idea behind “pre-release” is to release water ahead of a storm, so a reservoir, such as Lake Conroe or Lake Houston, has additional capacity to absorb incoming floodwater. That can shave flood peaks by spreading out releases over longer periods.
SJRA’s Water Resources and Flood Management Division Manager Matt Barrett, PE, said…
Findings in Other River Basins
Studies around the world have proven that pre-releases do have benefits … in certain conditions.
California Department of Water Resources found that “weather-informed reservoir operations” at Lake Oroville and New Bullards Bar Reservoir can further reduce flood risk for communities along the Yuba and Feather rivers during extreme atmospheric river storm events and potentially benefit water supply during drier periods.
Also in California, the Army Corps of Engineers found that “forecast-informed reservoir operations” could increase water supply without increasing flood risk.
In the Delaware River Basin, a “flexible flow management program” mitigates flooding impacts immediately downstream of reservoirs.
A peer-reviewed Journal of Hydrology case study on the Bavarian Danube concluded that coordinated operation of reservoirs in river basins has great potential to improve flood mitigation.
City of Houston Experience
And experience in the San Jacinto River Basin since Harvey has also proven pre-releases have benefits. The City of Houston Public Works Department has documented numerous instances when pre-releases helped prevent downstream flooding, according to Dave Martin, former Houston Mayor Pro Tem.
Pushback from Lake Conroe Association
But pre-release is politically unpopular with Lake Conroe residents. The Lake Conroe Association (LCA) constantly speaks out against it in SJRA board meetings, lawsuits, community meetings, and complaints to the TCEQ. While LCA articulates its concerns as a loss of valuable water, the concerns stem from perceived impacts on recreation and property values.
Iterations of Lake Conroe Pre-Release Strategies
As a result, SJRA has modified its pre-release protocol several times since Harvey.
The City of Houston owns two-thirds of the water in Lake Conroe and can call for as much as it wants, any time it wants. SJRA reportedly would prefer the City continues calling for the water, so that it doesn’t have to take the heat from the Lake Conroe Association.
Clearly, Active Storm Management is a compromise between upstream and downstream interests. But how does SJRA know when and how much to release before a storm. That depends on weather and the certainty of forecasts. How much rain will fall where? How fast? And how much will run off?
Another Study Objective: Forecasting Tool
That’s where another objective of the Joint Reservoir Operations Study comes in: development of a forecasting tool.
See more details about the forecasting tool below.
The question in my mind is not IF pre-lease is feasible, but WHEN. Clearly, there are some cases where pre-release from Lake Conroe alone does not make sense, i.e., when a storm approaches from the south, as Harvey did and Lake Houston (without its new flood gates) could not release water fast enough to keep up with any release from Conroe. That would just make flooding worse.
But in other situations, i.e., when a storm approaches from the north or northwest, it might make sense – especially after Lake Houston receives its new floodgates. Then you would not be stacking floodwaters from different directions on top of each other.
Scope of Work Associated with Study
The Joint Reservoir Operations Study will also look at past releases from both Lake Houston and Lake Conroe, and use lessons learned to help inform the Lake Houston Gate Operations Policy.
With the data collected, SJRA will develop models that reflect the addition of new gates for the Lake Houston Dam. Then they will evaluate 20 different pre-release scenarios, such as the possibilities mentioned above.
As of this meeting, SJRA had not yet determined which scenarios they would evaluate. However, they will evaluate the consequences on water supply in both lakes.
The worry: if the forecast is wrong and a storm veers away, pre-releases could negatively impact water supply.
Finally, the study will determine the best ways to communicate pre-releases to stakeholders.
The Flow-Forecasting Tool mentioned above will incorporate data from multiple sources, including rainfall, a network of more than 70 stream gages, outflow from Lake Conroe and a model of the watershed. It will inform both gate operations and local officials.
To see the entire presentation, click here. It will help you understand some of the constraints on dam operations including:
Next Meetings and More Information
As the study progresses throughout the year, SJRA will hold two more public meetings. A mid-year meeting will be held at Lake Conroe to review progress. And SJRA hopes to reveal the results of the study in The Woodlands before the end of the year.
For more information, see LCLHJointOps.com.
Even if you can’t make the meetings, SJRA welcomes public comments on the study, flood-risk locations and flood impacts.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/7/26
3112 Days since Harvey
Colony Ridge Victims Protest Proposed Settlement that Leaves Them Out
3/5/26 – On Friday 3/6/26, eight advocacy groups will protest a proposed settlement in two lawsuits involving the controversial Colony Ridge development in Liberty County. The State of Texas and U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau alleged fraudulent marketing and sales practices by Colony Ridge. The proposed settlement would correct those moving forward. However, it does nothing to compensate past victims.
Parties Objecting to Proposed Settlement
The 30-page settlement proposed on February 9, 2026, requires Colony Ridge to invest $20 million to beef up law enforcement and $48 million to correct deficiencies in existing infrastructure. It also requires Colony Ridge to reform its marketing and sales practices going forward.
However, it does nothing to compensate the victims of past, alleged abuses. And as a result, eight advocacy groups have joined together to protest the settlement. They include:
At least one of the victims, Maria Acevedo, has also requested to testify tomorrow.
Basis of Amicus Brief
The advocacy groups’ 21-page amicus brief contends that a motion to join and seal the two cases…
If the courts approved the proposed settlement, the cases would be over and sealed forever. But the settlement fails to provide any meaningful relief for those allegedly defrauded by Colony Ridge’s predatory lending practices, including:
Colony Ridge repeatedly foreclosed on and then resold properties, profiting from any improvements made by previous buyers. The brief cites the case of one property sold four times in two years.
The amicus brief contends that the settlement proposes to “forfeit the meritorious claims alleged in the complaint, let Defendants off the hook, and leave consumers without compensation for the harms they have suffered.”
Scale of Alleged Harm
Although the brief does not provide exact figures, it says “tens of thousands” of consumers “lost thousands of dollars with little or nothing to show for the investments.” That would put total losses into the tens of millions of dollars.” Yet the agreement does not include any direct financial relief for consumers who lost money.
Nor does the proposed settlement provide any relief for those currently trapped in existing contracts. The original lawsuit sought an option to rescind sales contracts for families caught up in the scheme. However, the amicus brief says, “While the agreement creates a rescission option for future borrowers, [it] does nothing for existing consumers stuck in predatory contracts.”
Also, “It does not address the harm to the borrowers who purchased lots believing that they would not flood only to find that they did, or those who are stuck with unhabitable, flooded lots…”
Hearing Details
The Honorable Judge Alfred H. Bennett of the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas/Houston Division will rule on the issues raised in the brief on Friday, March 6, 2026.
Three lawyers from Washington DC who represent the advocacy groups will oppose the proposed settlement.
For those who want to observe, the Federal Courthouse is at 515 Rusk Avenue, Houston, TX. The hearing is reportedly in Courtroom 9A at 10:30.
For More Information
For more information and perspectives, see these statements published by:
Democracy Forward
National Consumer Law Center
National Fair Housing Alliance
Trautman Pepper Locke Law Firm
LULAC
National Fair Housing Alliance
Maria Acevedo, a Colony Ridge victim, also hopes to testify tomorrow as an individual. See her personal letter to the court.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/5/26
3110 Days since Hurricane Harvey
The thoughts expressed in this post represent opinions on matters of public concern and safety. They are protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution and the Anti-SLAPP Statute of the Great State of Texas.
Reminder: SJRA Joint-Reservoir-Operations Meeting in Humble
3/4/26 – The San Jacinto River Authority (SJRA) will hold a meeting at the Humble Civic Center to solicit public input on its Joint-Reservoir-Operations Study. Please come:
Representatives from the SJRA, Coastal Water Authority, City of Houston, Humble, and the study consultant, Black & Veatch Engineering, will explain the study and field your questions. The meeting will feature informational tables where residents can talk with engineers one on one, plus a presentation.
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.”
Not an Easy Question
While that may seem obvious to flood victims, the question can get complicated. In involves an almost infinite number of weather scenarios, engineering variables and water-supply considerations. For instance:
In my mind, the question is not “if” pre-releases have a benefit, but “when.”
And that relates to a second objective of the study: to develop a flow forecasting tool for the entire river basin.
Accordingly, said Barrett, “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.”
Experience of Other River Basins
Coordinating pre-releases from multiple dams is not an unusual problem. Most rivers have more than one. 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 flows. Engineers in other watersheds have seen flood-mitigation benefits when their studies identified operating rules that:
Make-or-break technical questions for the San Jacinto Watershed will likely include:
Bring your questions to the Civic Center.
Why is This Study Taking So Long?
The project was delayed by a change in plans in adding gates to the Lake Houston Dam. SJRA first applied for a grant to study synchronizing releases from the two dams back in 2020. However, after crest gates to the spillway portion of the dam proved infeasible, the City of Houston decided to study adding tainter gates to the earthen eastern portion of the dam.
That new study is now 30% complete. That’s far enough along to start making engineering decisions. But to complicate things even further, costs have escalated because of inflation. That raises some additional questions…and scenarios. How many gates can the City afford? Will they be able to keep up with releases from Lake Conroe? And will Black & Veatch even examine scenarios involving additional gates?
If history is any indication, you can bet that members from the Lake Conroe Association will be there to talk against pre-release. If you want your interests represented in this study, make sure you come tomorrow night. And make sure they include the scenarios in their study that represent your biggest concerns.
Posted by Bob Rehak on 3/4/26
3109 Days since Hurricane Harvey